COMMON KITE. 079 



foil, who has well described the flight of the kite, " one 

 cannot but admire the manner in which it is performed ; 

 his long" and narrow wings seem immovable ; it is his 

 tail that seems to direct all his evolutions, and he moves 

 it continually; he rises without effort, comes down as 

 if he was sliding along an inclined plane; he seems ra- 

 ther to swim than to fly ; he darts forwards, slackens 

 his speed, stops, and remains suspended or fixed in the 

 same place for whole hours, without exhibiting the 

 smallest motion of his wings."' There is a little exag- 

 geration here, as is natural for a poet. The speed with 

 which the kite can traverse short spaces must be very 

 great, but it is doubtful whether its direct flight is 

 equal to that of several other of our hawks ; and it is 

 stated that the peregrine falcon, and even the sparrow 

 hawk, were formerly employed to pursue this bird^ 

 which they easily overtook, and often drove to the 

 ground. The kittiwake, a bird remarkable for its light 

 and apparently rapid flight, is outstripped by the guille- 

 mot, the auk, and even the cormorant, birds with hea- 

 vy bodies and comparatively small wings, although at 

 a plunge or sudden turn, or a glide through the air, 

 these species would make a poor figure beside the gull. 

 The kite is less d.aring and energetic than the falcons, 

 a circumstance which of course arises from its orga- 

 nization, although one cannot easily comprehend how 

 a bird so well adapted for predatory adventure should 

 not rival the most ferocious of the aerial pirates. It 

 attacks small quadrupeds and birds, especially young 

 rabbits, hares and partridges, as well as reptiles, and 

 occasionally feeds on carrion, garbage, and insects of 

 various kinds. Like the harriers, hawks, and falcons, 



