150 Notes on some Swiss Birds. 



its expanded tail, and, at the same time grasping the fish in 

 the claws of one foot only, bent its body downwards and 

 forwards, until it was able to reach the fish with its bill, 

 which it then attacked voraciously, tearing at it repeatedly, 

 until the fish, which during the operation remained firmly 

 grasped in its claws, was finished. During this meal the 

 Kite remained quite stationary in the air, not descending in 

 the least. A habit of the Black Kite I noticed was, that 

 when one Kite was flying a few yards only above the surface 

 of the lake, looking out for food, it was almost invariably 

 accompanied by its mate, at an immense height, but almost 

 straight above. In this way the two traversed at least two 

 miles of the lake ; then the one which was flying above 

 would descend and join its mate, and they both flew away 

 together to the further side of the lake, where they no 

 doubt had a nest. 



Caccabis saxatilis. 



I saw several pairs in the breeding-season in difi'erent 

 parts of the Alps, but the species was nowhere abundant. I 

 obtained a nest with twelve eggs from the Torrenthorn, near 

 Leukerbad ; and on the Engstlen Alp I shot a male on 

 June 8th, 1886. 



It is a truly Alpine bird, not being found at all in the 

 Jura ; in summer its food consists of the buds of the Alpine 

 rose and of other plants, insects, &c. In winter, however, 

 like other Alpine birds, it descends to the lower valleys and 

 lives upon all kinds of seeds^ berries of the juniper, and pine- 

 needles. 



I saw one alive in the possession of Herr Staufi'er at 

 Lucerne, which he had had for two months, and M. Goll, of 

 Lausanne, kept one for some time in his aviary ; he tells me 

 it is not a diflficult bird to keep in captivity. 



