HALIASTUB. 373 



Garud-alnwa, Gariida mantani, Tel. ; Clem Prandu, Tarn (Ceylon) ; 

 Shemberridy Yerkli ; Pis Qenda, Gond. ; Zoon-koun-byoo, Burm. 



Coloration. Adult. Whole head, neck, and lower parts down to 

 the middle of the abdomen white, each feather with a dark brown 

 .shaft-line ; primaries black, except the basal portions of the inner 

 webs, which, like the rest of the plmnage above and below, are 

 chestnut, 2)aler and duller on the lower surface of the quills, 

 greater under wing-coverts, and tail-feathers ; the shafts of the body- 

 feathers and upper and lower wing-coverts sometimes, not always, 

 dark brown or black ; end of tail whitish. There are sometimes 

 indistinct narrow black cross-bars on the inner webs of some of the 

 tail-feathers and secondary quills. 



Young birds are brown above, the crown and hind-neck paler 

 and with pale tawny shaft-stripes near the ends, and pale ends to 

 the back-feathers and wing-coverts ; ear-coverts dark brown ; 

 primai'ies black, secondaries and tail-feathers very dark brown ; 

 lower parts rufous-brown, throat and abdomen paler ; breast- 

 feathers with tawny shaft-stripes, abdomen and lower tail-coverts 

 with black shafts. 



In the next plumage, assumed in autumn apparently without 

 any complete moult, the head, neck, and breast are pale brown, 

 tinted rufous and black-shafted ; the rest of the upper plumage 

 brown, mixed with some white on the wing-coverts and secondary 

 quills ; lower abdomen dull rufous. From this plumage the birds 

 moult into the adult dress in winter. 



Bill bluish horn ; cere yellowish ; iris brown ; legs and feet 

 greenish yellow {Legge). 



Length of female about 19 ; tail 8-5 ; wing 15 ; tarsus 2 ; mid- 

 toe without claw 1*5 ; bill from gape 1-4. Males very little less. 



Distribution. Throughout India, Ceylon, and Burma, common on 

 the sea-coast, and near rivers, marshes, and large tanks, rare in the 

 drier parts of the country and in hill forest. This bird does not 

 range further to the westward ; eastward it is found in China, 

 Cochin-China, Siam, and the Malay Peninsula ; and closely allied 

 forms or subspecies known as H. intermedins and H. gerrenera 

 with the dark stripes very narrow in the first and wanting 

 in the second, are found throughout the Malay Archipelago and 

 Northern Australia. 



Habits, Sfc. The Brahminy Kite shows considerable resemblance 

 to the Common Kite in its flight and habits, especially in seizing 

 its food in its claws during a swoop, but it is rarely seen away 

 from water. It abounds in Calcutta and many other ports, 

 perching on the rigging of ships and feeding on refuse thrown 

 overboard. It also picks small fish off the surface of the water 

 with its claws, and captures frogs or crabs in paddy-fields and 

 marshes. At other times it feeds on insects, or robs Crows or 

 Kites. Small birds are seldom assailed by it unless sickly or 

 weak, but Mr. Eainey saw a Brahminy Kite kill and eat a King- 

 fisher (Alcedo ispida) that had carried off a small fish on which 

 the Kite was in the act of stooping. The cry is Kite-like, a 



