151 



while others are more substantial, from the lining of Spanish 

 mOFS or soft inner bark of the cottonwood which they con- 

 tain; rarely a nest is composed almost entirely of Spanisli 

 moss. 



"The number of eggs In a set is usually two, though three 

 and four, and probably even more are sometimes deposituil. 

 Audubon found a nest near the Falls of the Ohio in 182U. 

 which contained four young. The male is very attentive and 

 assists the female in building the nest and incubating the 

 eg.gs, as well as in collecting a large proportion of the food for 

 the young. After the breeding season this Kite is more or 

 less gregarious: families of four or five are usually found 

 together, and occasionally flocks of fifty or more. This species 

 is quite wary and difficult to approach, l.ut if ^ne of the 

 flock is killed or wounded, the others will fly around it, and a 

 number may be secured before they take alai-m and move off. 



ITS FLIGHT EASY AND GRACEFUL. 



"The flight is smooth and protracted, and for grace and 

 elegance is not excelled by that of any other species. To fully 

 appreciate its superiority one must see the bird on the wing, 

 for no language can describe the beauty of the ever-varying 

 movements. Xo matter whether the bird is soaring far above 

 the earth, skimming lightly over its surface, nr ftllowing the 

 different gyrations of some fleeting insect, the observer is 

 surprised as well as charmed at the wonderful exhibition. 

 Often it will stop in mid air. and with half closed wings and 

 depressed tail, shake itself much after the manner of swal- 

 lows whil,-> bathing. Although it often alights on trees, it 

 rarely is seen on the ground, and even when capturing Its 

 prey it glides swiftly over fhe surface, reaching clown at the 

 proper mcment to secure the quarry. It generally, if not 

 always, feeds while in mid air, bending its head dov/nward 

 and toward the talons to tear the object in its grasp. It 

 drinks while skimming rapidly over the surface of the water 

 as do the swifts, swallows and many other birds "— (Dr 

 Fisher, Bull. 3.) 



