Kites’ Fancy for Coloured Rags 173 
the ground and was originally built by a pair of Snake Eagles. 
The sharp turn taken by the branch in which the nest is placed 
gives some slight protection against the casual marauder but none 
whatever against an expert climber. 
As is well known, Kites are much addicted to lining their nests 
with pieces of rag and paper and all sorts of curious and uncon- 
sidered trifles. The Black Kite seems to possess this curious 
mania to a marked degree and some nests | have visited have 
been literally festooned with such rubbish. The classic example 
of this was narrated by Lord Lilford to me in 1876. It was in 
1870 that he visited a Black Kite’s nest in a remote district and 
found in it among other things a fragment of a Spanish news- 
paper in which the assassination of the unfortunate General Prim 
was announced. 
I can pretend to nothing so interesting in the Kite's nests 
I have visited. In one instance I found a delicate cambric hand- 
kerchief which must have been brought from afar, since the good 
folk of the sierra do not indulge in such luxuries. In this nest, 
of which a photograph is here given, there were many coloured 
rags including a piece of curiously worked brocade which was 
spread out alongside the eggs as shown. 
THE GOSHAWK (Astur palumbarius). 
In the more secluded portions of the large forests of cork-oak 
trees in Andalucia the Goshawk lives all the year round but owing 
to its peculiarly retiring and sylvan habits usually escapes observa- 
tion. Thus I have known of some which have regularly nested 
in the same district since 1871, when Colonel Irby first found the 
nest, yet never once have I seen these fine short-winged Hawks 
save when I have put the old bird off the nest. It would be 
difficult to give better evidence of their unobtrusive habits. The 
