202 



BRITISH BIRDS' NESTS. 



attract the naturalist's attention. Local or other 

 name : Halcyon. Sits closely, and generally be- 

 trays the whereabouts of its nest by the white 

 droppings near the entrance to the hole. 



KINGFISHER WAITING FOR PREY. 



KITE. 



(Milvus ictinus.) 

 Order ACCIPITRES ; Family FALCONID^: (FALCONS). 



Description of Parent Birds. 

 Length about twenty-six inches. 

 Beak shortish, hooked at the tip, 

 strong, and horn coloured. Bare skin 

 round the base of the beak, and 

 irides yellow. Head and neck light 

 grey, streaked with cinereous brown ; 

 back and wing - coverts dusky, 

 bordered with rusty -red. Wing- 

 quills dusky-black, some of the inner 

 ones being edged with white on the 



KITE'S NEST. . ^ TT .-, 



interior webs. Upper tail-coverts 

 rusty-red ; quills rusty-brown, barred on the inner 

 webs with dusky-brown. The tail is much forked. 

 Under-parts rusty-brown, whitish on the chin, 



