212 GRALLATORES. GLAREOLA. 
quent the margins of lakes and rivers, as well as marshes of 
the interior of the country, feeding chiefly upon the insects 
that such situations abundantly afford, and which they take 
both on wing and on the ground, where the birds can run 
very swiftly. Their flight, from the great length of wing, 
and forked shape of the tail, is also extremely rapid. Their 
moult is said to be double, but there is no abrupt or very 
marked change of colour between the winter and spring 
"plumage, the variation principally consists in an additional 
brilliancy and depth of tint. By Linnzus, who, with re- 
spect to this group, appears to have mistaken simélitude for 
affinity, the Glareoles were placed amongst his Hirudines ; 
in which error he has been followed by many subsequent 
compilers. In the “ Index Ornithologicus” of Latuam, we 
find the genus Glareola standing next to Rallus ; CuviERr, 
also, in his “ Regne Animal,” placed it at the extremity of 
his family of Macrodactyles, but as a group which he found 
it difficult to reconcile in character with the others. In the 
first edition of the “ Land Birds” of this work, in which 
the systematic arrangement of TrmMincxk was chiefly adopt- 
ed, (the publication of it having been previous to the intro- 
duction of the natwral system, or that founded upon the true 
affinities connecting the various orders and families), the 
Glareola was given asa member of the Alectorides ; an order 
framed by Tremmtncx for the reception of a few genera, 
whose affinities he had not accurately traced, or which, upon 
investigation, he could not readily arrange with’ his other 
systematic divisions. These are now more appropriately 
transferred to the stations they should occupy according to 
their affinities ; and it is upon the connexion which may be 
traced with the other members of the family of Charadriadae, 
that the genus Glareola now becomes included in that fa- 
mily. 
