SWA LLO\V TAILE 1 ) KITE. 



Elnnoides forficatus. 



JilCSCRIPTinX. 



Bill ratlicr small and moderately sLout and narrow; feet 

 small but stout; claws short but strongly curved; wings very 

 long and pointed; tail long and deeply forked, the outside 

 feathers being more than twice as long as the middle pair. 

 On the wing this hawk looks and moves like a huge swallow. 

 Head, neck, band across rump, basal portion of secondaries 

 and entire lower parts pure white; interscapulars and lesser 

 wing-coverts purplish black; rest of back, wings and tall slaty- 

 black. Bill blue black; legs and feet dull bluish-yellow; iris 



brown; length variable; a f.nial' '■■■!' me measures 24 Inches 



long; wing 17; lateral tail t.Mlt i : ', iihhes. 



Habitat Scuthern Unitii , - i illy \\ the intevior, 



from I-'eiinsylvsnia and Miiiii-ci - >u li'vai-d, Jhrough Cen- 

 tral and South America; Wf.siwiiiu i.i ilit- great plains. Casual 

 eastward to southern New England. 



Tlie ►Swallow-tailed Kite or "Wasp-liawk," as it is 

 generally o:ill(»d in Florida, \\-liei'e it is common, is a 

 very r:ire and ii ri'jiui;ii- \-isitoi' in Pennsylvania. A 

 specimen in I lie niuseiim of the Linnaean Society, at 

 Lancaster city, was captured many years ago in Lan- 

 caster county. Prof. H. J. Roddy obtained one May 

 27, 18S5, in Perry county; nnd a straggler was also :i 

 few 3'ears since t'oiiud in .\ll(\gheny county liy Mr. 

 K. C. Wrenshall. of rittsbnrgh. In the stomachs of 

 five of these Kites which I killed in Florida in March 

 and April. ISS."). there \\ cie found grasshoppers, bee- 

 tles, loiids ;in(l li/.;ii-(ls. According to different writers 

 they I'rril inincipaliy on gr;isshoppers, beetles, cater- 

 jiillais. small snakes, lizards and frogs. 



nOES NOT jmi.EST POULTRY. 



T have made many inquiries in the south where 

 these Kites were plentiful and was invariably told liy 

 iii'rs(nis who Iiad been familiar witli the t)irds Jill their 



