830 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXVI. 



No. 1230. 

 Gharactaristics. 



Colouration, 



Measunments. 



Habits, etc. 



Even in migrans 1 have found specimens which 

 appeared to be links between govinda and migrans, 

 conforming to the latter in everything except the 

 very important head markings, the ground colour 

 being more inclined to rufous than white. Out of 

 over a dozen examined in Basra in one day, I 

 found great variations, in the head markings as well 

 as in measuments, but as migrans is so far, unknown 

 to the Punjab, though having been found in Quetta, 

 it should not be included in these papers. 

 Milvus melanotis. The Large Indian Kite. 



Size medium ; tail forked ; wing in males 19" to 

 20'5" and in females up to 21 "S" ; length over 25". 



Very similar to the preceding species but it may 

 be generally recognised from the latter "by the 

 amount of white on the inner webs of the quills near 

 the base, forming a conspicuous white patch below 

 the wing, as in Buzzards. As a rule, too, the lower 

 abdomen and under tail-coverts are much paler in 

 M. melanotis than in M. yovinda. Some birds, 

 however, appear almost a passage between the two " 

 (Blanford.) 



Bill bluish ; cere yellowish white ; irides hazel 

 brown ; legs dull china-white ; claws black. (Oates. 



Length of male about 25"; tail 1'6'' ; wing 19' to 

 20-5''; tarsus 2-2"; mid-toe without claw 1-6''; bill 

 from gape 1-75". Females are larger, length 27" ; 

 wing 19-25" to 21 5" ; tail 13-5". 



Very similar to govinda except that it is supposed 

 to be a somewhat shyer bird than the latter and is 

 said to have a heavier flight, but personally I cannot 

 see any great difl'erence one way or the other, as 

 regards its flight. 



As I have already said, it is not always easy to 

 differentiate between this and the preceding 

 species, but on the wing, this species looks a good 

 deal bigger than the difterence in measurements of 

 the two species would appear to justify, and a 

 female melanotis can pretty well always be recognis- 

 ed, even if the male may leave room for doubt. 

 Size, in conjunction with the lighter colouring and 

 the wing patch, will generally sufhce to set melanotis 

 apart, especially if they are seen together, as they 

 frequently are, but as already stated, these are by 

 no means infallible guides. 



This species is said to build in the Himalayas from 

 January to May ; the nest and eggs are similar to 

 those of M. govinda, but are said to be slightly 

 larger, averaging about 2'31'' by 1'8". I cannot 

 speak with any authority, not having found the nest, 

 but I certainly have seen the bird in the plains of 

 the Punjab during the summer. 



Lt.-Col. Rattray records having found nests of 

 this species in Thai and Murree respectively (Vol. 

 XII, p. 344 and Vol. XVI, p. 662 of the B. N. H. 

 Soc. Journal.) 



