COMMON KITE. 273 



from the general description already given, so that it is 

 only necessary here to present some additional parti- 

 culars, omitting the dimensions of the intestinal canal, 

 which I have not measured in the male. The first toe 

 has three large scutella and four series of scales, the 

 second four scutella and four series of scales, the third 

 eleven scutella, the fourth seven scutella and five series 

 of scales. The plumage is rather compact, slightly 

 glossed, the feathers very downy at the base, with a 

 rather large tufty plumule, and the general coating of 

 down is abundant, and extremely soft. The preocular 

 region is covered with slender downy bristle-pointed 

 feathers ; the cilise are distinct and large ; the feathers 

 of the head and neck narrow and pointed, of the back 

 ovate-oblong, rounded, of the lovver parts and side* ra- 

 ther narrow, tl ose of the ,lw]omti! almost exitirely 

 dowTiy. The piimary quills aio bro.id at the base, nar- 

 roT^ ed t(>v» ards the end ; the fourth longest, the third a 

 little shorter, the fifth nearly as long, the second con- 

 ^i(lertlbIy shorter, the first three inches and a quarter 

 shorter than the second. The first five quills are deep- 

 ly cut out on the inner web towards the end, the se- 

 cond, third, and fourth, slightly so on the outer. The 

 secondary quills are very broad, rounded, with a minute 

 acumen. The primary coverts are rounded, the se- 

 condary coverts broadly rounded and incurvate ; the 

 alula large. The tail is very long, forked, of twelve 

 broad, nearly straight, broadly rounded feathers, the 

 outermost curved a little outwards at the tip ; the two 

 middle feathers shortest, the others gradually more 

 elongated ; the tip of the outer feather not exceeding 

 that of the next more than the latter exceeds that of 



