The pterylosis has no characteristic features.

This super-family is equivalent to the order Limicoloe, as usually adopted, and the group Charadriomorphse of Huxley.

The first family to meet us is that of the pratincoles or GLAREOLIDE, a small group of Old World birds of very peculiar appearance.

They have long pointed wings _and a rather long, deeply forked tail, a feature quite iinique among Limicoline birds.

To this is added a rather compressed bill and deeply split mouth, besides com- paratively short feet.