COMMON KITE. ^ 075 



row, tapering, central dark brown band, its tip reddish- 

 white. The abdominal featliers and lower tail-coverts 

 are paler, and without dark markings, but with the 

 shafts dark brown until near the end. On the upper 

 parts the shafts- of all the feathers are dark brown or 

 black. 



Length to end of tail 26 inches, to end of wings 24 ; 

 extent of wings 62 ; wing from flexure 18 ; tail to end 

 of longest feather 141, to end of shortest 11 J ; bill along 

 the ridge 1|, along the edge of lower mandible l^^ ; 

 tarsus 1/3 ; first toe if, its claw If^ ; second ii, its 

 claw If^ ; third U, its claw J J ; fourth 1, its claw ■^%. 



Female. — The female, which is considerably larger, 

 does not differ materially from the male in colouring. 

 The differences may be briefly expressed by stating 

 that the head is paler, and tinged with grey, the neck 

 also lighter, and the upper parts of a deeper tint. The 

 following description is that of a fine old bird sent to 

 me from Nairnshire, in April 1832, by William Stables, 

 Esq. 



The bare parts were as described above ; the tongue 

 and mouth yellow ; the first and fourth claws black, 

 the second and third blackish-brown, the second with 

 the back and tip, the third with the tip, horn-colour. 

 The head and upper neck greyish-white, streaked with 

 brown. The general colour of the upper parts brown- 

 ish-red, longitudinally marked with dark brown, each 

 feather having the central part of the latter colour, 

 which prevails on the back, while the light red predo- 

 minates on the wing-coverts. Alula, primary coverts, 

 and five outer primaries blackish brown ; the other pri- 



