THE BLACK-SHOULDERED KITES. I 75 



primary-coverts and quills grey, the latter white at the base, 

 the shafts black ; the inner quihs paler and the inner second- 

 aries darker grey, like the back ; tail ashy-white, with the two 

 centre feathers more ashy-grey ; under surface of body pure 

 white, including the under wing-coverts and axillaries; cere, 

 orbits, and feet yellow ; bill black ; iris carmine. Total length, 

 I3"2 inches; culmcn, i '05 ; wing, io"6; tail, 5*6; tarsus, 1*4. 



Adult Female. — Similar to the male. Total length, 1 2*5 inches; 

 wing, io*2. 



Young Birds. — These differ somewhat from the adults, being 

 ashy-brown, with broad ashy-ivhite tips to the feathers ; tail also 

 ashy-brown, whiter on the inner web; wing-coverts black, as in 

 the adults, with buffy-white tips ; forehead and eyebrow white, 

 with narrow rufous-brown streaks ; sides of face and under 

 surface of body silky- white, the centre of the breast streaked with 

 rufous, as also the flanks ; the sides of the breast washed with 

 rjfous ; iris light brownish-yellow, or pale salmon-colour. 



Range m Great Britain. — Has only been noticed once in 

 Ireland, a single specimen having occurred " on the bog of 

 Horsestown in Co. Meath in Ireland ; it is now in the posses- 

 sion of Sir John Dillon, at Lismullen" (More, List of Irish 

 Birds, 1885, p. 6). 



Range outside the British Islands. — The Black-shouldered Kite 

 is found all over tropical Africa and even visits Northern Africa, 

 where it breeds and in some localities is not rare. It crosses into 

 Southern Spain, where, however, it is not common. The same 

 may be said of its occurrences in South-eastern Europe. It 

 is found also in the Indian Peninsula. 



Habits. — Colonel Irby says that this species is easily recog- 

 nised on the wing by its greyish-white colour. It has also a 

 peculiar habit of hovering at about thirty yards from the 

 ground, with the wings forming a sort of V or acute angle with 

 the body, never bringing them level with one another, till it 

 flies off to take up a fresh position. The birds are rather wary 

 when thus engaged in hunting for their prey. In India, Mr. 

 A. O. Hume states that it is nowhere seen in any numbers, 

 though he once saw more than a dozen pairs hunting over the 

 dry reedy bed of a jheel in tlie Delhi district ; they feed mostly 



