SWALLOW-TAILED KITE. 75 



autumn exhibits little clifFerence from that of the adult birds. 

 The plumage is completed the first spring. Only one brood 

 is raised in the season. — The species leaves the United 

 States in the beginning of September, moving off in flocks, 

 Avhich are formed immediately after the breeding season is 

 over." 



The figure and description here given were taken from a 

 preserved specimen in the Museum of the Zoological So- 

 ciety, the whole length of which was twenty inches ; the 

 beak bluish black, the cere lighter blue, the irides dark ; 

 the whole of the head, neck, breast, belly, under surface 

 of the wings, sides of the body, thighs, and under tail- 

 coverts, pure white ; the back, wing-primaries, secondaries, 

 upper tail-coverts, and tail-feathers, black, with a purplish 

 metallic lustre ; the tertials black on the outer webs, but 

 patched with pure white on the inner ; tail very deeply 

 forked ; legs and toes greenish blue ; claws faded orange 

 colour. 



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