THE PARASITIC KITE OR 

 EGYPTIAN KITE 



Milvus aegyptius 



Arabic, Hiddayer 



Plumage — Head and neck grey ; back and wings dark 

 brown, under parts a rufous brown, the edges of the feathers 

 lighter than the centres, which have a dusky streak, whilst the 

 tail is broadly barred. Cere and legs yellow. 



This Kite, which is seen everywhere, is not the 

 Kite which we have accounts of as being once 

 common in England, and which could be seen long 

 years ago flying round St. Paul's Cathedral ; but it 

 is a true Egyptian native. I have it from men 

 who have lived long in Egypt, through summer 

 as well as winter, that in the really hot months 

 this bird is practically the only feathered fowl one 

 ever does see during those glaring months. There 

 may be other birds left in the country, but you 

 do not see them ; they wisely keep out of sight in 

 whatever isolated shaded place they can find. The 

 Kite alone bears the full glare of that broiling sun, 

 ever on the look out for every chance of a mouth- 

 ful of any decaying nastiness it can secure, and 



30 



