54 BIRD GALLERY. 



Family VI. Glareolid^. Pratincoles. 



[Case 20.1 The members of this family are all confined to the Old World, and in 

 general appearance bear little resemblance to Plovers. In their lonj^ 

 wings, mode of flight, and general appearance they recall the Terns, 

 while on account of their wide gape and from the fact that much of 

 their time is spent hawking insects on the wing like Swallows, they 

 were actually placed with that group by Linnseus. In the genus 

 Glareola, which includes the Common Pratincole (G. pratincola) 

 (567), the tail is deeply forked, but in the allied genus Galactochrysea 

 (569, 570) it is either emarginate or square. The Common Pratincole 

 occasionally wanders to Britain on migration, and the Black-winged 

 Pratincole (G. melanoptera) (668) has also occurred on the coast of Kent. 

 A remarkable long-legged form, Btiltia Isabella (566), has the first 

 flight-feather greatly lengthened and attenuated towards the tip. 



Family VII. PARRiDiE. Jacanas. 



[Case 29.] The Jacanas closely resemble some of the Rails, but are nevertheless 

 more nearly allied to the Plovers. They are specially remarkable for 

 the great length of the toes and claws, the latter being enormously 

 elongated. Their widely spreading but extremely light feet enable these 

 birds to walk with ease over the leaves of water-lilies and other floating 

 herbage. All the species have the wing armed with a spur placed at 

 the bend of the wing, but in some this weapon is long and very sharp, 

 while in others it is blunt and much less developed. Some, such as the 

 Australian Jacana [Hydralector gallinaceus) (576) and the common 

 South American species {Jacana jacana) (574), have conspicuous fleshy 

 wattles round the base of the bill. W^ith the la.tter species three very 

 beautiful nestlings are exhibited. The largest species is the Pheasant- 

 tailed Jacana {Hydrophasianus chirurgus) (677) of India and the 

 countries to the east, while the smallest form is the little African species 

 {Microparra capensis) (575). 



Family VIII. QiIdicnemid^. Stone-Plovers. 



[Case 2it,] The Thick-knees, known also as Stone-Curlews and Stone-Plovers, are 

 allied to the Plovers, and form a connecting link between them and the 

 Bustards with which they are here associated. About twelve species, 

 grouped in three genera, are found throughout the temperate and tropical 

 portions of the Old World and in Central and South America. The 

 Common Stone-Curlew, Thick-knee, or Norfolk Plover {(Edicnemus 

 cedicnemus) (578), ranging from South and Central Europe to N. Africa 

 and India, is a summer visitor to many parts of England and resident 



