60 SWALLOW-TAILED KITE. 
its whole appearance at once indicates. Its airy evolutions are 
described as being most remarkable, its tail directing them 
in a peculiarly elegant manner. They are engaged in flight, 
generally, like their miniature effigies, the Swallows, throughout 
the day, so that except when on their migrations they are 
not easily approached. 
The Swallow-tailed Kite always feeds on the wing. In 
fine weather they soar to a great height in pursuit of large 
winged insects, which seem to form their favourite food, 
grasshoppers, locusts, cicade, and caterpillars, bees, wasps, and 
their larve in the comb, as well as flying insects, being 
extensively preyed upon by them. They also, however, devour 
small snakes, lizards, and frogs. In search of their terrestrial 
food, they sweep closely over the fields, and alighting, or 
rather seeming for an instant to alight to secure any which 
they may have observed, bear it off, and devour it in the 
air, feeding themselves with their claws. Meyer says that 
they sometimes take their prey off the branches of trees, as 
they fly among them. 
The note of this species is described by Audubon as sharp 
and plaintive. 
The pairing time is in the beginning of April, and the male 
and female sit alternately, each in turn feeding the other. 
They have only one brood in the year. 
The nest, which is composed of sticks, and lined with grass 
and feathers, is usually built on the top of a tall tree, and 
the vicinity of water is preferred, probably on account of the 
insects to be found there. 
The eggs are from four to six in number, of a greenish 
white colour, irregularly blotted with dark brown at the 
larger end. 
Length, one foot eight inches, and from that to two feet, 
and even upwards; Dill, bluish black; cere, light blue, and 
covered at the base with bristles; iris, silvery cream-colour, 
surrounded with a red ring; head, crown, neck, nape, chin, 
throat, and breast, pure white. The back, wings, and wing 
coverts, black, with a metallic green and purple lustre. The 
greater part of the plumage is white at the base, which 
sometimes gives the bird a mottled appearance. The tail is 
of a black colour, glossed with green and purple, and very 
deeply forked; upper tail coverts the same colour; under tail 
coverts, white. The legs, which are short and thick, are 
feathered in front half way below the knee, are, like the toes, 
