THE PRATINCOLES. 
133 
of the spots being larger and taking the form of blotches. The 
underlying grey spots are equally distributed and mixed up with 
the darker ones. Axis, rss-rq inch ; diam., ro-i'i. 
THE PRATINCOLES. GENUS GLAREOLA. 
Glareola, Brisson, Orn. v. p. 141 
These curious birds were placed even by so great a naturalist 
as Sundevall among the Night-Jars, principally on account 
of their pectinated middle claw, which is a Caprimulgine 
character. We have, however, already seen that this peculiarity 
is also shared by the Coursers, froni which the Pratincoles 
differ in their extraordinarily long wings, the primaries being 
pointed and reaching to the tip of the tail, or even beyond it. 
There are three genera of the Pratincoles, the geims Stiltia oi 
Australia, with very long legs, like those oj ih& Coursere, the 
True Pratincoles {Glareola) and the Dwarf Pratincoles {Galac- 
tochrysea), all of which have very short legs. 
THE TRUE PRATINCOLES. GENUS GLAREOLA. 
Glareola, Brisson, Orn. v. p. 141 (1760)- 
Type, G. praiiticola (Linn.). 
From its long wings this Pratincole was actually placed by 
Linnaeus among the Swallows, and we have already seen that 
so recently as 1872 Sundevall classed it with the Night-Jars. 
Besides the short tarsus, the genus Glareola is distinguished by 
its strongly forked tail, the outer feather exceeding the others 
in length. 
I. the pratincole, glareola pratincola. 
Tlirundo pratincola, I.inn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 34S (W^d). 
Glareola pratincola, Macg. Brit. B. iv. p. 49 5 Dresser, 
B. Eur. vii. p. 41 L pl- S^S. f'S- i (1874); B. O. U. List 
Brit. B. p- 155 (^883); Saunders, cd. Yarn Brit. B. lu. p. 
2 ti(i 88 t); Seebohm, Brit. B. hi. p. 69 (1885) ; Saunders, 
^ 4 n. Brit. B. p. 517 {1889); Lilford, Col. Fig. Brit. B. 
part xxviii. (1894) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xxiv. p. 55. 
G'lale LX X VII.) 
