THE SWALLOW TAILED KITE. 169 



Stragglers have heen taken during the summer months in manv of our 

 Northern States, as well as in England, but few winter within our borders, 

 and, excepting in portions of Florida and Texas, it must l)e oonsiilered as 

 rather a rare species throughout its summer range. It is also found throughout 

 the greater part of the South American continent as far south as the Argentine 

 Eepublic and Chile. 



Dr. William L. Ralph, who lias had excellent opportunities to observe 

 the Swallow-tailed Kite in Florida during several seasons, writes me as follows 

 about it: "Excepting, perhaps, the Turkey Vulture, I think this bird is the 

 most graceful of any while on the wing. It has the same easy floatino- 

 motion,, but at times it flies very rapidly and turns very quickly, which is 

 something I have never seen the former bird do. Their motions are A'ery 

 'swallow-like,' and that, with their forked tails, makes them look like gigantic 

 Barn Swallows; and like the Chimney Swifts they have a habit of traveling 

 together in small companies, usually consisting of three individuals, especially 

 when they fii'st return from the south. During the breeding season flocks 

 consisting of from two or three to ten or twelve birds, lint oftener of three, 

 may be seen following one another around, frequently uttering their calls and 

 circling in and out aiiiong the tree tops so fast as to make one dizzy to 

 look at them. Except during this season one seldom sees one of these birds 

 unless it is flying, and I have often wondered if they did not at times sleep 

 while on the wing. At least I know that they usually if not always eat 

 wdiile flying, for I have many times seen one sailing leisurely along, occasion- 

 ally bending its head to tear a piece fi'om a small snake that it held in its 

 talons, and I have never seen one alight to eat its food, as other birds of 

 prey do. 



"When limiting they fly quite close to the ground, like Marsh Hawks, 

 l>ut at other times they sail above the tree tops, and sometimes so far above 

 that it takes a good eye to see them. Their food consists almost entirely of 

 reptiles. Small snakes seem to be a favorite article of food witli them. I 

 never have seen one catch a bird, and believe they do not. This habit of 

 eating snakes has given them the name of 'Snake Hawk' among the natives 

 of Florida. 



"Swallow-tailed Kites begin to arrive in this State from the south about 

 the middle of March, but do not become common until two or three weeks 

 later. They appear to be as abundant now as formerly, probal>l}- because most 

 of the tourists have left Florida before they arrive in any numbers. Although 

 these birds are common in the southern half of St. Johns County, and that 

 part of Putnam County east of the St. Johns Ri^•er, and though I have found 

 quite a number of their nests, I have never been able to get but two sets of 

 their eggs, owing to a habit they have of building in places that are very hard 

 to reach. 



"The first nest was taken April 22, 1887, 11 miles northeast of Palatka, 

 Florida, and contained two eggs, so nearly hatched that the embryos in them 



