I20 



British Birds. 



THE SWALLOW- 

 TAILED KITE. 

 (Eltinoidfs fjircatits.) 



pairs still nest in the North and West of Scotland and in one or two places m 

 Ireland. Its rans^^e extends over Northern and Central Europe in suitahle localities 

 and throughout Northern Asia to Kamtchatka. In many parts of Europe, however, 

 it is onl}' known as an occasional visitor, as it is in England. 



The food of the White-tailed Eagle consists of hares, lambs and young deer, as 

 well as ducks, and it also eats carrion and fish. The nest is a large structure 

 of sticks and is placed in a tree or on a 

 rock, sometimes on the ground or in a 

 reed-bed. The eggs are white, without 

 markings, and are from two-and-three- 

 quarters to three-and-a-quarter inches in 

 length. 



This unmis- 

 takable species of 

 Kite has been sup- 

 posed to have oc- 

 curred on two occasions in England, 

 but the records are by no means satis- 

 factory. It is an inhabitant of North 

 America and migrates in winter to 

 Brazil. It is said by observers to be a 

 bird of very grand flight, and catches a 

 good deal of its insect food on the wing. 

 The nest is made of sticks, and is 

 built on a high tree. The eggs are 

 two or three in number, white, boldly 

 marked with reddish brown or chestnut. 

 This species is 

 recognised by its 

 rufous colour and 

 long red tail, which 

 is strongly forked. Although formerly 

 common in Great Britain, there are 

 now only a few places in Wales and 

 Scotland where the species still breeds. 



It is found throughout the greater part of Europe and breeds in the Mediterranean 

 countries, but does not extend so far in Russia as the Ural Mountains. Like all of 

 its kind, the Kite is a fine bird on the wing, and is capable of soaring to a great 

 height. Its food consists of reptiles and frogs and small birds, and it is said to 

 be very destructive to young birds, while it will also attack wounded or sickly grouse 

 and partridges. The nest is placed in a tree, more rarely on a rock, and is built of 



THE 



COMMON KITE. 



[Milvus tnilvns.) 



The Common Kitk. 

 The Sw.^llow-tailkd Kite. 



