656 SYSTEMATIC SYNOPSIS. — RAPTORES — ACCIPITRES. 



lids, and bill, including cere, black ; gape of iiioutb and feet orange, the latter obscured on front 

 of tarsus, and along tops of toes ; iris lake-red. Feet and cere drying to a nameless dingy 

 color. Length of $ about 14.00 ; extent 36.00 ; wing 10.50-11.50 ; tail 6.00-6.50 ; tarsus 1.45 ; 

 9 about 15.00; wing 11.00-12.50; tail 6.50-7.00. Young: Head, neck, and under parts 

 whitish, spotted with dark brown or reddish-brown, excepting on throat and along super- 

 ciliary line; lining of wings tawny, spotted VA'ith rusty-brown; upper parts blackish, naost 

 feathers edged with tawny- white ; quills tipped with white; tail black, with about 3 pale ashy 

 bands, and as many rows of white spots on inner webs. Southern U. S., regularly N. to South 

 Carolina, Illinois, and Kansas, casually to Pennsylvania, Iowa, and Wisconsin ; W. to the 

 Indian Terr, and Texas; S. through Mexico to Guatemala; replaced in Central and South 

 Auierica by the related but quite distinct I. plumhea. Nest of sticks, etc., in trees, either de- 

 ciduous or coniferous, at various heights, 20-60 feet; eggs 2-3, 1.65 X 1-35, pale glaucous, 

 noi-uially unmarked, but often with some faint spots or stains ; laid in April, May, or June. 

 (Ictinia snhccerulea (Bartr.) Coues, 2d-4th eds. 1884-90, p. 524.) 



E'LiANUS. (Lat. elanus, a kite.) Pearl Kites. Related tfi the last; general form and 

 aspect similar. Pattern of coloration entirely different. Bill rather weak and compressed ; 

 tomia of upper mandible devoid of lobe or festoon, but slightly sinuate to the overhanging tip; 

 gonys about straight; culmen less strongly convex than in Ictinia ; nostrils subcircular, near 

 middle of the moderate cere. Feet very small ; tarsus feathered half-way down in front, for 

 the rest finely reticulate, like tops of toes to near their ends; hind toe very short ; claws small, 

 little curved, not scooped out underneath ; basal web between middle and outer toes slight 

 (compare feet oi Ictinia). Wings nearly or about twice as long as tail; pointed, 2d and 3d 

 quills longest, 1st about equal to 4th, 1st and 2d emarginate on inner webs. Tail emarginate^ 

 but outer feather shorter than the next, all the feathers broad to their obtusely -rounded ends. 

 A small genus of 4 or 5 species inhabiting the warmer parts of the world. 

 E. glau'cus. (La.t. glaucus, hhnsh.) Black-shouldered Kite. White-tailed Kite. 

 Adult (J 9 : Upper parts pale bluish-ash ; most of the head, whole tail, and entire under 

 parts, including lining of wings, pure white; lesser and middle wnng-coverts black, forming a 

 great black area ; a patch on under wing-coverts, shafts of most tail-feathers, and loral spot, 

 also black; white of under parts and middle tail-feathers often wdth a pearly bluish cast. Bill 

 and claws black ; cere and feet yellow or orange; iris red or reddish. Length 15.50-17.00; 

 extent 39.00-41.50 ; wing 11.50-13.50; tail 7.00-8.00; tarsus 1.30; middle toe without claw 

 about the same; 9 averaging larger than ^. Young : Marked with dusky and redtlish-brown ; 

 wing-feathers white-tipped, tail-feathers with a subterminal asiiy bar. In this species the tail 

 is emarginate to a depth of about 0.50; outer tail-feather also about as much shorter than the 

 next, which is the longest one. Southern U. S. from Atlantic to Pacific; N. to South Carolina, 

 Illinois, Indian Territmy, and Middle California, casually to Michigan ; S. through Central 

 and most of South America ; common in many localities and resident, but of irregular distri- 

 bution, especially iu the breeding season, March-^Iay. With habits in general like those of 

 the last species, this elegant Kite is stronger and more predaceous, preying upon small birds and 

 quadrupeds as well as insects and reptiles ; its favorite haunts are near streams or marshes. It 

 nests in trees, preferably the tops of low oaks ; eggs 3-5, oftenest 4, subspherical, about 1 .66 X 

 1.33, whitish, blotched and smirched with mahogany color, usually to the extent of mostly hid- 

 ing the ground color with these rich and heavy reddish and blackish browns. (E. glancus 

 Coues, 2d-4th eds. 1884-90, p. 525, holds good ; for those who will not accept Falco glauciis 

 from Bartram, 1791, must take it from Barton, N. H. Penn. 1799, p. 11 : see Coues, 

 Birds Coll. Vail. 1878, p. 593, and Auk, Apr. 1897, p. 21 G. E. leucunis of A. 0. U. Lists, 

 1886-95, by error.) 



ELANOi'DES. (Lat. elanus, and Gr. e'idos, eidos, resemblance.) Swallow-tailed Kites. 

 Prominently characterized by the extremely elongated and deeply forficate tail, length of which 



