Birds of Celebes: Glareolidae. 73 J 



their slightest movement would possibly attract the eye of some passing hawk 

 or crow, and to guard against this danger, the old birds conduct them as speedily 

 as possible to one of the numerous holes in the ground to be found all over 

 the plains (the mouth of some deserted burrow is a favourite place); into this 

 hole the young are led and there they remain until they are able to fly. When 

 the young are concealed in one of these holes, one or both of the old birds 

 may always be seen close by and on the approach of danger I have frequently 

 seen both take refuge in the hole, and on watching for a short time have seen 

 one or both come cautiously out again only to disappear once more on noticing 

 me. This bird is the only living creature I know of that seems to revel in the 

 intense heat of midsummer in this locality, for, when every other animal has 

 sought shelter from the withering mid-day sun , it may be observed running 

 briskly about on the bare red patches I have described, when the surface of 

 the ground is so hot that a man could scarcely bear his hand on it, in fact 

 the hotter the day the more this feathered salamander seems to enjoy it. It, 

 however, requires a good deal of water, for it drinks several times during the 

 day, and often travels many miles going to and returning from the tanks con- 

 taining water, and numbers can be obtained by waiting at the water until they 

 come to drink". 



"These birds run with great rapidity when in quest of food. etc.. and sud- 

 denly pausing, the body undulates for some seconds as if poised on delicate 

 springs when the running is again resumed. Its flight which appears somewhat 

 laboured from the extreme length of wing is nevertheless light and buoyant 

 and is characterised by the same erratic zig-zag motions so noticeable in the 

 Eurostopodidae. Its food consists of insects which are captured both on the ground 

 and on the wing, the bird sometimes running along the ground in pursuit, and 

 springing up to the height of a foot or more as the insect rises, occasionally 

 towering to a considerable altitude as some flying insect attracts its attention, 

 returning to the ground in the skimming zig-zag manner before described". 



As in the case of some European species treated of by Naumann, it may 

 be difficult for future observers to add much to Mr. Bennett's description, 

 though so interesting a subject deserves to be much written about. 



Glareola orientalis Leach. 



Count Salvadori (Orn. Pap. 1882, III, 285) indicates this species as having 

 been found in Celebes by v. Eosenberg, but this appears to be an error; in 

 the reference given (Rosenb., Malay. Archip. 1878, 278) only Glareola grallaria is 

 mentioned. Seebohm also (Distr. Charadr. 1887, 259) mentions Celebes as a 

 habitat of G. orientalis, quoting as authority Dr. Finsch, but we have not been 

 able to find any confirmation of this. It is probable that G. orientalis will be 

 discovered in Celebes, since it ranges from S. E. Siberia and India south to the 



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