MILVUS ICTINUS. 47 
by far tlie most abundant Eagle near Gibraltar, except the 
Booted Eagle, Nisaetus pennatus. As far as I could observe, 
they are migratory, as I never saw one in the winter months, 
the absence of their chief food (snakes and lizards) at that 
season being quite sufficient to account for their departui'c, 
as the temperature at that season, even in sunny Andalucia, is 
quite low enough to cause these reptiles to hibernate. 
This Eagle breeds about the middle of April ; all nests I 
have seen were in cork, oak, or pine trees, and consisted of a 
large mass of sticks, generally lined with fresh leaves and 
twigs of the cork tree. I found one exception to this among 
the ruins of the ancient city of Lixus near el Arish, or Ea- 
rache, in Morocco, the nest being built in a thick mastick or 
lentiscus bush, the base of the nest actually touching the 
ground on the hill-side. In this instance there was no want 
of trees in the neighbourhood to account for the nest being 
placed in such an unusual situation. 
On the 24th of April I shot the hen bird as she flew out of 
the bush. Had she remained quiet I probably should not 
have found her nest, which contained the usual single large 
white e^^ slightly incubated. 
I never knew the Short-toed Eagle to nest in rocks, as 
Favier states, though I have often seen them perched on 
crags and large stones; but it is now well known that no 
absolute rule can be laid down as to the breeding of many 
species of the Diurnal Raptores exclusively on rocks or trees ; 
they simply accommodate themselves to the country, even 
nesting on the ground if trees, rocks, or ruins are not available. 
The cere, legs, and feet of the Short-toed Eagle are very 
pale greyish-yellow ; irides yellow ; inside of mouth pale blue. 
The long tarsus, bare of feathers, will alone serve to distin- 
guish it from any other bird of prey of its size to be met with 
near Gibraltar. 
21. MiLvus ICTINUS, Sav. Common Kite. 
Moorish. Siwana. Spanish. Milano real. 
" Found in the vicinity of Tangier in much smaller numbers 
than the next species, being seen on passage only in paii-s ; 
