Birds of Celebes: Glareolidae. 
731 
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 
Eiirostopodidae. 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 Salvador! (Orn. Pap. 1882, III, 285) indicates this species as having- 
been found in Celebes by v. Rosenberg, but this appears to be an error; in 
the reference given (Rosenb. , Malay. Archip. 1878, 278) only Glareola graUaria 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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