68 BULLETIN 16 7, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



to dull brown, to escape his notice. It is the red-throated panting lizard 

 that has made its way to the highest branch of a tree In quest of food. 

 Casting upwards a sidelong look of fear, it remains motionless, so well does 

 it know the prowess of the bird of prey; but its caution is vain; it has been 

 perceived, its fate is sealed, and the next moment it is swept away. 



All writers seem to agree that the Mississippi kite feeds almost 

 exclusively on the larger insects, such as cicadas, locusts, grass- 

 hoppers, crickets, katydids, dragonflies, and large beetles, but small 

 snakes, lizards, and frogs are sometimes taken. Birds apparently 

 are never molested, and small birds show no fear of it. 



Behavior. — Audubon (1840) writes: 



Its flight is graceful, vigorous, protracted, and often extended to a great 

 height, the Fork-tailed Hawk being the only species that can compete with 

 it. At times it floats in the air as if motionless, or sails in broad regular 

 circles, when, suddenly closing its wings, it slides along to some distance, 

 and renews its curves. Now it sweeps in deep and long undulations, with 

 the swiftness of an arrow, passing almost within touching distance of a 

 branch on which it has observed a small lizard, or an insect it longs for, 

 but from which it again ascends disappointed. Now it is seen to move in 

 hurried zig-zags, as if pursued by a dangerous enemy, sometimes seeming to 

 turn over and over like a Tumbling Pigeon. Again it is observed flying 

 around the trunk of a tree to secure large insects, sw^eeping with astonishing 

 velocity. While travelling it moves in the desultory manner followed by 

 Swallows; but at other times it is seen soaring at a great elevation among 

 the large flocks of Carrion Crows and Turkey Buzzards, joined by the Fork- 

 tailed Hawk, dashing at the former, and giving them chase, as if in play, 

 until these cowardly-scavengers sweep downwards, abandoning this to them 

 disagreeable sport to the Hawks, who now continue to gambol undisturbed. 

 When in pursuit of a large insect or a small reptile, it turns its body sidewise, 

 throws out its legs, expands its talons, and generally seizes its prey in an 

 instant. It feeds while on the wing, apparently with as much ease and com- 

 fort, as when alighted on the branch of a tall tree. It never alights on 

 the earth, at least I have never seen it do so, except when wounded, and 

 then it appears extremely awkward. It never attacks birds or quadrupeds 

 of any kind, with the view of destroying them for food, although it will 

 chase a fox to a considerable distance, screaming loudly all the while, and 

 soon forces a Crow to retreat to the woods. 



Dr. E. W. Nelson (1877b) says: 



Their power of sight is truly wonderful. I saw them repeatedly dart with 

 unerring aim upon some luckless grasshopper, from an elevation of at least 

 one hundred yards. 



No less remarkab^ is their power of flight. * * * i repeatedly saw 

 them dart down from a great height with such velocity that it would seem 

 an impossibility for them to escape being dashed to pieces on the ground, 

 but instead, when within a few feet of the earth, they would suddenly spread 

 their wings and the reaction would lift them with almost equal rapidity to 

 about one-half their former elevation. They were so shy that it was impossible 

 to get within gunshot of them. 



Although a gentle, inoffensive bird at ordinary times, it can put 

 up a stiff fight when wounded. AVilson (1832) tells of one that 



