•VOL. vTi.] NOTES. 299 



There is no previous record of Kites breeding in the 

 •oounty for many years, and it has onty been known as a 

 rare visitor at long intervals. James R. Hale. 



Clifford Borrer. 



KITES IN SOMERSETSHIRE, DERBYSHIRE, AND 



BUCKINGHAMSHIRE. 

 A Kite was seen by nie and another, a verj" competent 

 •observer, on five occasions between December 20th and 

 30th, 1913, in north Somersetshire. A. F. R. Wollaston. 



About tlie end of A]3ril, 1913, Mr. D. Palmer Pearson 

 noticed a very large bird of prey, which quite dwarfed 

 the Kestrels which nest there regularly, hauntmg the 

 face of the High Tor at Matlock. He remarked its size, 

 reddish colour, gliding flight and deeplj^-forked tail, which 

 was deflected from side to side as it sailed to and fro. 

 From this time it was seen by him on various occasions, 

 among otlier dates on May 16th and 19th, and on one 

 •occasion it settled on a tree for some time, while on 

 June 17th Mr. Pearson A^Tote that he liad seen it again 

 that evening. At least four other observers in the 

 Matlock district saw the bird, and agreed in their 

 •description of its appearance and there can be no doubt 

 that it was an example of the Kite {Milvus milvus). Miss 

 Fitzherbert also noticed a large liawk with a forked tail 

 at Somersal Herbert, about the end of June, which may 

 have been the same bird. Messrs. R. Hall and W. N. 

 Statham, who kindly supplied me with information respecting 

 this bird, agreed not to publish any note of its appearance 

 for some time in order to give it every chance, and as 

 far as \Ye are aware it has not been shot ; but it appears 

 to have been unable to find a mate. 



F. C. R. JOURDAIN. 



Mr. Guy C. Robson informed me on December 20th that 

 he had, on December 15th, 1913, between Wendover and 

 Halton, twice seen a bird which he felt sure ^^as a Kite, 

 and I satisfied myself, by independent inquiries, that he was 

 correct in his identification. Walter Rothschild. 



[The above records are most interesting in view of the 

 fact that the Kites in Wales have shoAvn a A\elcome increase 

 in the last fe^v years. It seems to us much more likely 

 that the birds above recorded came from Wales than from 

 the Contment. No doubt stragglers occasionally reach us 

 from abroad, but since the Kite has become so rare in the 

 JBritish Islands as a breeding bird, very few indeed have 



