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A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



The Pratincole (Glareola p. pratincola). 

 SHmraer. 



Adult, 



olive -brown, with white tips, broader on inner ones, innermost as 

 mantle ; rest of wing-coverts olive-brown. This plumage is 

 acquired by complete moult July to Dec. Summer.— The body- 

 feathers (not all scapulars, nor all tail-coverts), occasionally tail- 

 feathers, some innermost secondaries and coverts, some median 



and lesser coverts, but not 

 rest of wings* are moulted 

 Dec. to June. Coloration as 

 winter but feathers of crown, 

 nape, sides of neck and 

 breast without tawny edges ; 

 chin and throat light buff 

 deepening to warm buff at 

 sides without sepia streaks ; 

 a well-defined black line 

 (faintly edged white), ex- 

 tends from anterior corner 

 of eye and encircles throat ; 

 lores black ; a very narrow 

 black line (absent in winter) 

 extends from lores along 

 upper mandible almost to 

 external opening of nares. 

 Adult female. Winter. — As male but apparently buff line 

 towards nares absent. Summer. — As male but lores olive-brown 

 and black line along upper mandible to nares absent. 

 Nestling. — (Not examined.) 



Juvenile. — Upper-parts, except tail-coverts, olive-brown, 

 feathers shaded centrally or subterminally with sepia or black-brown 

 and tipped and notched cream or light buff ; upper tail-coverts as 

 adult ; from front of eye to opening of nares a warm buff streak, 

 some feathers spotted sepia ; immediately in front of and passing 

 below eye a black-brown or sepia line, continuous with a series of 

 more or less pronounced sepia or black-brown streaks encircling 

 throat ; chin and throat as adult but streaks narrower and some- 

 times absent ; upper-breast fawn or j)ale olive-brown, feathers 

 with black-brown or sepia marks towards tip and edged white or 

 buff, rest of breast warm or light buff ; remaining under -parts as 

 adult ; tail-feathers darker olive -brown than in adult and usually 

 with subterminal black-brown markings and edged light buff, 

 olive -brown tips not so extensive as in adult, white bases propor- 

 tionately greater (two outer pairs shorter and broader than in adult, 

 with rounded tips and only slightly emarginated on inner webs) ; 

 primaries as adult but tipped buff ; white tips to secondaries 

 sometimes suffused buff ; greater, median and lesser coverts olive- 

 brown with a subterminal bar of sepia or black-brown and edged 

 cream or light buff. 



* One April bird examined was moulting the primaries, another (May) 

 had half the secondaries new, but these were probably exceptional. — A.C.M. 



