86 
PRATINCOLES. 
No. XV., dated May, 1852. It is a liandsome bird, in length 
about twenty-three inches, in weight thirty -six oimces. 
Of about the same size, and not much like it in appearance, 
is the Little Bustard, whose rare visits to these islands 
are generally made in the autumn and winter months; 
its flesh is said to be superior to that of any of our game 
birds ; its habits appear to resemble those of the Great 
Bustard, frequenting the open champaign country, avoiding 
mountains and woods, and sheltering itself from observa- 
tion in fields of grain or other green crops. Its cry" re- 
sembles the syllables jwoot proot^ chiefiy uttered in the 
night. The Great Bustard is said to coo like a i^igeon. 
This latter bird, although once generally distributed over 
the English counties, is now almost extinct ; the last re- 
corded specimen that was shot was in Devonshire, on the 
31st of December, 1851. From Ireland Mr. Thomson 
states it has disappeared long since. Yarrell mentions a 
pair of these birds as having been sold in London in 1817 
or 1818, for the table, at the high price of twelve guineas 
— an expensive luxury ! 
There are two other birds included by Macgillivray in his 
order of Eunners, both of which are rare visitants with us ; 
these are The Cream-colouiied Courser (Cursorius Euro- 
poeiis) and The Collared Pratincole (Glareola Pratincold), 
The first is a native of iVfrica, and of this but six specimens 
have been taken here, the latest recorded having been shot 
in the Hackney Marshes in November, 1858. It is a bird 
of slender make, with long legs, and of small size, the 
length of the body, including the tail, being but ten inches ; 
the general colom' of the plumage is light yellowish brown, 
ajoproaching to crimson colour. The Pratincole is also 
about ten inches long, and in shape not unlike a swallow ; 
it has moderately long and slender legs : on which it tra- 
verses the marshy districts in search of flies and other 
winged insects which live among the reeds and rushes. 
About six specimens have been taken in England and 
Ireland. 
