48 ACCIPITRES. 



reign of Henry VIII. our metropolis swarmed with Kites, 

 attracted thitlier by the otfal thrown into tlie streets, into 

 which they fearlessly descended to perform the scavenger's 

 office, it being forbidden to kill them. Shakespeare makes 

 Hamlet say, — " Ere this I should have fatted all the 

 region Kites with this slave's olfal," and the words had a 

 significance in those days which fortunately, in modern 

 times, is but imperfectly appreciated. 



While on the wing, j^erforming its aerial evolutions, 

 the Kite will sometimes hover for a long time ov^r the 

 same spot with very little exertion of the wings, even if 

 there should be a fresh breeze. There are times, how- 

 ever, probably when it has lost sight of some prize on 

 the ground, at which it will "■ give itself to the wind," 

 and drift to leeward in very beautiful style, apparently 

 with complete self-possession. This manoeuvre, though 

 held in great contempt by the Falcons, is by no means 

 ungraceful or uninteresting ; the bird rides lightly on the 

 gale, but retains its self-command, so that it can take a 

 new direction whenever it pleases. 



The nest, built with sticks, and lined with feathers 

 and moss, is placed in some lofty tree. The eggs are from 

 four to six in number. 



" The Indian Kite (Milvus Govinda) is one of the most 

 abundant and common birds in India, found at all ele- 

 vations up to 8,000 feet, especially near large towns and 

 cantonments, and its vast numbers and fearlessness 

 surprise the stranger from England, where birds of prey 

 are so rare. Every large town, cantonment, and even 

 village, has its colony of Kites, which ply their busy 

 vocation from before sunrise to some time after sunset. 

 Every large camp, too, is followed by these useful 

 scavengers, and the tent even of a single traveller is 

 daily visited by one or more, according to the numbers in 

 the neiglibourhood. As is well known, Kites pick uj) 

 garbage of all kinds, fragments of meat and fish, and 

 generally the refuse of man's food. When a basket of 

 refuse or otial is thrown out into the streets to be carted 

 away, the Kites of the immediate neighbourhood, who 

 appear to be quite cognizant of the usual time at which 

 this is done, are all on the look-out, and dash down on 

 it impetuously ; some of them seizing the most tempting 

 morsels by a rapid swoop, others deliberately sitting 



