266 MILVUS REGALIS. 



Male. — The Kite is distinguished from the other native 

 birds of this family by the superior elegance of its buoyant 

 flight, as well as by its elongated wings, and deeply emarginate 

 tail. Its form, which closely approaches to that of the Bee- 

 Hawk, is not less graceful than that of any other British species, 

 the body being short, ovate, and compact, the head of mode- 

 rate size, the neck short, as are the feet, while the organs of 

 flight are greatly elongated, and the bill and claws of moderate 

 size. On the tarsus are seven anterior scutella, of which the 

 lower two are divided, on the first toe are three, on the second 

 six, on the third twelve, on the fourth six scutella, besides se- 

 veral basal series of scales. The hind claw is deeply grooved 

 on the sides, and slightly larger than the second, the third with 

 a very thin prominent inner edge. 



The mouth is wide, measuring an inch and two-twelfths 

 across; the tongue and other parts as described in the generic 

 character. The oesophagus six inches and a half long, the crop 

 two inches in width ; the stomach round, and two inches in 

 diameter, its muscular coat very thin. The intestine five feet 

 long, from four to two and a half twelfths in width, until the 

 commencement of the rectum, which is half an inch wide, and 

 forms a large globular dilatation. 



The plumage is rather compact on the upper parts, more 

 blended on the lower ; the feathers very downy at the base, 

 with a rather large plumule. The loral space is covered with 

 divergent slender bristle-tipped feathers ; the greater part of 

 the cere bare ; the cilia? large and strong. The feathers of the 

 head, neck, and breast are narrow and pointed, of the back 

 ovate and rounded, of the sides, outer part of the tibia, and 

 subcaudal region, elongated and obtuse ; those of the abdo- 

 men downy. The wings are broad but pointed, although 

 the first quill is four and a half inches shorter than the 

 fourth, which scarcely exceeds the third, the second half an 

 inch shorter than the fifth ; the outer five quills deeply cut out 

 on the inner web, and less so on the outer ; the secondary quills 

 very broad, rounded, with a minute acumen ; the primary 

 coverts broad and rounded, the alula large. The tail is very 

 long, deeply emarginate, of twelve broad, rounded feathers, the 



