THE TRUE KITES. 171 



or chestnut, some of the eggs being very boldly blotched, and 

 with the markings almost black. The red blotches are not 

 confined to either end of the egg, as a rule, though sometimes 

 this is the case. The spots are generally distributed over the 

 egg, when they occur, and serve to bring into relief the larger 

 and darker blotches, which give the eggs a very handsome 

 appearance. Axis, 2 '1-2 '35 inches; diam., 1*7-1 "7 5. 



II. THE ELACK KITE. MILVUS MIGRANS.* 



Accipikr korschun, Gm. N. Comm. Petrop. xv. p. 444(1771). 

 Fa/co migrans, Bodd. Tabl. PL Enl. p. 28 (1783). 

 Milvus 7/iigratis, Newton, ed. Yarn Brit. B. i. p. 97 (187 1); 

 Dresser, B. Eur. v. p. 651, pi. 362 (1876); B. O. U. List 

 Br. B. p. 99 (1883); Saunders, Man. Brit. B. p. 327 (1889); 

 Lilford, Col. Fig. Brit. B. part xix. (1891). 

 Milvus korschii7i, Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. i. p. 322 (1874). 

 Milvus ater, Seebohm, Brit. B. i. p. 80 (1883). 



Adult Male. — General colour above dark brown, the median 

 wing-coverts paler brown, with darker brown shaft-stripes; 

 quills dark brown, paler on their inner webs, ashy-brown 

 below, paler towards the base ; tail dark brown, somewhat 

 rufescent towards the end, with very indistinct bars of darker 

 brown ; head all round and throat whitish, with dark brown 

 streaks, the ear-coverts washed with brown ; under surface of 

 body rufous-brown, becoming clearer rufous on the abdomen, 

 the breast broadly streaked with dark brown, more narrowly 

 on the abdomen, flanks, and under tail-coverts ; under wing- 

 coverts dull brown, washed with rufous and streaked with dark 

 brown, the lower series ashy-brown ; cere and gape orange ; 

 bill black, yellowish at base ; feet yellow, claws black ; iris pale 

 greyish-yellow, surrounded by a black line. Total length, 22 

 inches; culmen, i'6; wing, i8'i ; tail, ii'o; tarsus, 2*2. 



Adult Female.— Similar to the male in plumage. Total length, 

 22 inches ; wing, i8-o. 



Range in Great Britain. — This Kite can only be considered as 



* Though I still believe that the oldest name for this species is Milvus 

 korsclmn (Gm.), the name is a barbarous one, and as it has no similarity 

 to anything Latin or Greek, I am willing to discard it for the more classi- 

 cal one of M. migrans ^ which has been generally adopted for the Black 

 Kite by ornithologists of the present day. 



