The Flight of the Red Kite 167 
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by its arch-enemy, man. Even in Spain, where it is so abundant 
and so little molested, it is not always easy to watch its graceful 
movements at close range. But across the Straits, in Morocco, 
it ceases to have any fear of man, and to me one of the added 
pleasures of camping out in the wilder parts of that country is to 
watch the Kites on the wing at close quarters. It was not until 
I had such an experience that I appreciated the marvel of precision 
and grace combined which characterize the least movements of the 
Kite. When on the march in Morocco | found it interesting to 
note how soon after we got our pack animals unladen and tents 
pitched, a pair of Red Kites would appear and constitute themselves 
the guardians of the spot, circling often not 20 ft. above us and 
keenly watching for any fragments worthy of their attention. 
After a few easy strokes of its wings, no laboured flapping, one 
would glide slowly past on motionless pinions, with head inclined 
and bright yellow eye closely examining all below, and, as it passed 
between us and the sun, the delicately coloured forked tail seemed 
almost transparent and assumed a bright rufous tint. Suddenly, 
with a quick but well-defined motion the angle of the tail would be 
altered and, obedient to this movement, the course of the bird 
would be changed with mechanical precision until a second quick 
turn of the tail brought it back to its former course or caused it to 
sweep round, as the case might be. Watching a Kite so close 
at hand makes one realize what a vastly important part in the 
mechanism of the flight of birds is played by the tail. Of course 
the amount which is brought into use varies greatly, according to 
the habits and flight of various orders of birds and very probably 
there may be many which make even more use of it than does the 
Kite. But owing to the conspicuous colour and abnormal length 
and shape of the Kite’s tail, which attracts the eye of the least 
observant of people, the effect it produces on the movements of the 
bird is far easier to realize and enables the spectator to appreciate 
