106 THE FEATHERED TRIBES. 



all parts of Europe. It frequents the open country, woods, and old barns. It destroys 

 a great number of small birds ; it frequently darts on partridges and field-mice, and 

 common mice, frogs, and even insects, become a portion of its nutriment. 



The nests of these birds consists of twigs and roots intermingled ; sometimes they will 

 content themselves with the old nests of crows. The female lays from five to six eggs, 

 of a ferruginous colour, pale, and marked Avith deeper spots, ii-regidarly distributed, and 

 of different forms and sizes. The yoimg are, at first, fed with msects, and afterwards 

 with flesh brought by the parents. 



The female is bolder and less wild than the male, and will come into gardens, and 

 close to habitations. They hover at great elevations, describing a circle, and sustain them- 

 selves for a long time in the same place, by beating the air with their wings in an almost 

 insensible motion. They repeat frequently, and with a sharp sound, a cry resembling the 

 syllables pr«, pri, pri. On perceiving their prey, they dart upon it with the directness 

 and rapidity of an arrow. Should they not succeed in destroying it on the first attack, 

 they continue to pursue it with extreme velocity and the utmost perseverance. 



THE COMMON OR FORK-TAILED KITE.' 



The common or fork-tailed kite is common, not only in England, but in most parts of 

 Europe, and the adjacent districts of Africa. It may at once be distinguished from every 

 British hawk by its pecuhar and graceful flight. Hence its provincial name of ffled, or 

 ffJedfi, derived from a Saxon word, the origin of our word to glide, in allusion to its glid- 

 ing along on pinions outspread, but motionless. 



The sight of a kite, on a fine clear day, and when there is not a spot in the blue dome 

 of heaven but itself, is indeed a very fine one. It seems as if the aii- moved it at its 

 pleasure, and without the slightest effort. The wings and tail are expanded, and yet 

 they appear hardly to move, as the bird ascends and descends, and whirls and turns, 

 now in wide and sweeping circles, .and anon dropping lower down, it turns fairly round 

 on the point of tiie wing just as a pivot. After it has long beat over one pasture with- 

 out success, and there is a hill, a wood, or any place not adapted to its habits, to be 

 spread over before it makes the nest, the beauty and easy smoothness of its flight are 

 absolutely imrivallcd. Without the eagle's effort, it attains the eagle's altitude, and from 

 its wondrous heiglit suiTcys the land, only to shoot away to some distant place that may 

 yield it a richer spoil. 



The kite is partial to open downs and hilly districts skirted with woods: but it beats 

 about in open places, and generally those where tlicrc is not much herbage on the 

 ground. They ai-c seldom seen over corn-fields, or places that are very thickly tangled 

 with bushes, though they very often hover on the margins of the brakes, to pounce on 



* Milviis Ictinus. — Sav. 



