PRATINCOLE. 
ZOO NOTES. 
THE curious birds belonging to this genus unscientific people who are thoroughly alive 
are better described by their to the market value of a “British specimen” 
Pratincole. Anglo-Indian name of Swallow- of a rare bird. Its usual habitat, however, 
Plovers, showing as they do a is Southern Europe, Central Asia, and North 
curious combination of swallow and plover Africa, whence it moves southward in winter. 
both in appearance and habits. Like the At the Cape an allied species is much valued 
swallows they have long wings and wide asalocust-destroyer. These birds havea most 
mouths, and feed largely on flying imsects ingenious way of feeding on a flying swarm, 
captured on the wing, while like the plovers part of which they enclose by forming up 
—to which they are really related—they into a figure shaped like an inverted hollow 
have fairly long Jegs and run well on the cone. . Then the outside birds continually 
ground, where dash inwards 
also they nest, << at their prey, 
producing which cannot 
downy, active escape from 
young. the living 
- The present cordon, while 
species (Glare- the lower 
ola pratincola) flyers are not 
has bred in soiled by the 
the Zoological droppings of 
Gardens, but . those above 
theyoungwere \~ them. Having 
not reared. It cleared off 
occasionally some of the 
turns up as swarm in this 
a strageler way, the birds 
in Hngland, break their 
when it is of ranks and re- 
course at once eae mae : form round an- 
shot down by HEN GOLDEN PHEASANT. other portion 
368 
