248 Mr. Blyth's Commentary 



56. MiLVUS GOVINDA. 



Professor Schlegel (Mus. P.-B. Milvi, p. 2) identifies this with 

 the M. melanotis, Schlegel (Faun. Japon. Aves, tab. v. and 

 V. b), of China and Japan *. Of the myriads of Indian Kites 

 which have been familiarly observed by me for more than 

 twenty-one years, I certainly never saw one even approaching 

 to the rufous colouring represented in the 'Fauna Japonica' 

 (tab. V. b) ; and, so far as I have seen, the adults of M. melanotis 

 exhibit a mottling of the feathers of the upper parts, as shown 

 in the figures cited, which is never seen in adults of the Indian 

 Kite. The Chinese species has, moreover, a rather stouter bill. 

 In former years I held this opinion in opposition to that of 

 my friend Mr. Swinhoe [in epistolis)', but I observe that he now 

 gives melanotis (and not govinda) in his '' Catalogue of the Birds 

 of China" (P. Z. S. 1863, p. 260) f- Mr. Gould, in his recently 

 published ' Handbook to the Birds of Australia,' states of 

 M. affinis that it " appears to enjoy a very wide distribution, 

 since it not only inhabits Australia, but appears to extend its 

 range thi-ough the [so-called] Indian Islands to the peninsula of 

 India. Mr. Gurney informs us that it occurs in Macassar, and 

 certainly in India as far north as Nepaul, though it is generally 

 confounded in the latter country with its larger relative M. go- 

 vinda.^' In every assemblage of Indian Kites there is much 

 disparity of size, some males being considerably smaller than 

 the largest females ; and the former would seem to be undistin- 

 guishable from the Australian affinis ; but I am not disposed to 

 accept the opinion that there are two separable races of Milvus 

 in the Indian and Indo-Chinese subregions. In Mr. Gould's 

 representation of the common Paria Kite of India (B. As. pi. iv.), 



* " Fait entendre line espece de chant assez agreable " ! (G. Schlegel 

 as quoted). The Indian species has a loud and shrill tremulous squeal, 

 whence its native name of Chil (pronounced Cheel), which has been trans- 

 ferred by some mistake to Spilornis cheela, as the native name Shikra is in 

 like manner transferred from Nisastur hadiiis to Lithofalco chiquei'a. 



t There is a specimen oiM. melanotis in the Zoological Gardens, which, 

 though not labelled as such, is doubtless the individual really received 

 from China, rather than an example of undoubted M. migrans which is so 

 ticketed. From the latter it is easily distinguishable by its dark iris. 



