90 FALCONIP^. 



Sub-Family, MTLVIN^,— Kites. 



Nostrils oblique, oval; tarsi short. Bill small and slender, occa- 

 sionally stout, curved from the base and much hooked at the tip; 

 wings long j tail short, even, or long and forked. 



Gen. Haliastur. — Selby. 



Bill stout, curved and hooked. Nostrils circular with bony margin 

 all round. Wings very long, the 4th quill longest ; tail slightly rounded ; 

 tarsi plumed at the knee, and covered with scutse, 



Haliastur Indus, Bodd. Tahl. pi. Enl. 25 ; Gray, Gen. Birds, i. 

 p. 18; Jerdon, B. of Ind. i. p. 101, No. 55; Hume, Rough Notes, ii. p. 

 316; >S'. F. vii. 251, i. p. 160 ; Mvrray, Hdbk, Zool, ^^c, S!nd p. 116; 

 Gray, Cat. Ace. B. M. p. 313. Haliastus Indus, Sch. Mus. P.B. 

 p. 19. — The Maroon-backed Kite, 



Adult. — Head, neck, throat, entire breast, and as far as the middle 

 of the abdomen white, with dark brown shaft-stripes ; rest of the 

 plumage maroon, or rufous chestnut, paler on the secondaries, the tail 

 paling into a fulvous white at the tip. Quills black, rufescent at base 

 of inner web ; under wing-coverts deep maroon, with dark shaft-stripes ; 

 cere brownish ; feet greenish yellow ; irides brown. 



Length. — 20 to 21 inches, wing 14-75 to 16, tail 7 to 8. 



The young bird is a rather deep brown above, the feathers tipped 

 with rufous. Head, neck, and lower parts pale rufous, streaked paler. 



Hah. — India and Ceylon. Resident in Sind, breeding in March and 

 April. Occurs also in the Punjab, N. W. Provinces, Kutch, Kattiawar, 

 Ajmere, Concau, Deccan, Travancore, Upper Pegu, Nepaul. 



Gen. Milvus. — C^iv. 



Bill short, straight at the base, well curved and hooked at tip. 

 Upper mandible with a rounded festoon. Nostrils oval, oblique. 

 Wings long. Tail forked or emarginate. Tarsi short, plumed at the 

 knees, and with scutse in front below. 



Milvus govinda, Sylms, P. Z. S. 1832, p. 81 ; JenJ. B. of Ind. 

 p. 104, No 56 ; Hume, Bough Notes, ii. p. 320 ; Sharpe, Cat. Ace. B. M. 

 p. 325; Stray Feathers, i. p. 160; Murray, Hdhk., Zool., |-c., Sind,- 

 p. 116. 



Adidt Male. — Above brown or rufous brown, the head and neck rufes- 

 cent with dark central stripes. Scapulars and wing-coverts edged with 

 buff, the wing-coverts with dark central stripes. Quills and greater 

 coverts dark brown, the quills albescent near the base and ruottled with 

 brown. Tail ashy brown, tipped with buffy white and barred with 

 brown ; the under surface pale brown or whitish, and also mottled and 

 barred. Throat albescent with brown shaft-stripes. Under parts dull 

 rufous brown, buffy on the vent and under tail-coverts, and with brown 

 shaft-stripes. Tlie feathers of the breast somewhat fulvescent. Under 

 wing-coverts rufous brown, with dark brown centres to the feathers. Cere 

 and gape yellow. Bill hox^ny black. Feet yellowish. Irides yellowish. 



