KITE 491 
authors that in Great Britain the Kite was resident throughout the 
year ; whereas on the Continent it is one of the most regular and 
marked migrants, stretching its wings toward the south in autumn, 
wintering in Africa, and returning in spring to the land of its 
birth. 
There is a second European species, not distantly related, the 
Milvus migrans or M. ater of most authors,! smaller in size, with a 
general dull blackish-brown plumage and a less forked tail. In 
some districts this is much commoner than the red Kite, and on 
one occasion it has appeared in England. Its habits are very like 
those of the species already described, but it seems to be more 
addicted to fishing. Nearly allied to this Black Kite are the JV. 
axgyptius of Africa, the MV. govinda (the Pariah Kite of India), the 
M. melanotis of Eastern Asia, and the MW. affinis and M. isurus ; the 
last is by some authors removed to another genus or subgenus as 
Lophoictinia, and is peculiar to Australia, while JZ afinis also occurs 
in Ceylon, Burma and some of the Malay countries as well. All 
these may be considered true Kites, while those next to be mentioned 
are more aberrant forms. First there is Haliastur containing the 
well-known Brahminy Kite of Anglo-Indians, H. indus, which the 
late Mr. Gurney retained in this group, though it seems to be rather a 
HALIASTUR, ELANOIDES. 
(After Swainson.) 
fishing Eagle. Less doubtful is the place of Hlanus, the type of which 
is EL. cxruleus, a beautiful little bird, the Black-winged Kite of English 
authors, that comes to the south of Europe from Africa, and has 
several congeners—JL, awillaris and LH. scriptus of Australia being 
most worthy of notice. An extreme development of this form is 
found in the African Nauclerus riocouri, as well as in Elanoides furcatus, 
the Swallow-tailed Kite, a widely-ranging bird in America, and 
remarkable for its length of wing and tail, which gives it a marvel- 
lous power of flight, and serves to explain the unquestionable fact 
of its having twice appeared in Great Britain. To Eilanus also 
Ictinia, another American form, is allied, though perhaps mcre 
1 Dr. Sharpe (Cat. B. Brit. Mus. i. p. 322) calls it ML korschun; but the 
figure of S. G. Gmelin’s Accipiter korschun, whence the name is taken, unquestion- 
ably represents the Moor-Buzzarp, Cirews xruginosus. 
