58 KITE. 
the same. The bars on the upper surface shew through to 
the under; upper tail coverts, rufous, or reddish orange; under 
tail boeerts the same; legs, yellow or orange, short, scaled, 
and feathered about an inch below the knee. The toes are 
small in proportion to the size of the bird: the outer and 
middle ones are united by a membrane; claws, black, or bluish 
black, and not much hooked. 
The female is considerably larger than the male; length, two 
feet four inches. Her plumage inclines more to grey and 
orange than his. The feathers on her head become gradually 
more grey, until they fade to a pale hoary white. The young, 
when first fully fledged, are of a deep red, especially on the 
back, and the central markings of the feathers are darker and 
larger than in the adult bird; the head and neck are also 
darker. The iris is yellowish brown ; the feathers on the back 
have a tinge of pur ple; the bars on the tail are more distinct, 
and the colour of it is darker than in the old bird. 
After the first moult, the young birds nearly acquire their 
perfect plumage. The central dark markings on the feathers 
become less, and their red edges paler with advancing age. 
The ‘varieties of this species as to size and colour, though 
not unfrequent, are unimportant. 
