THE RED KITE 197 



must have been indescribably engrossing, and, it 

 is said, all three birds (for a " cast ' of falcons 

 was usually employed) were often lost to view, but 

 that in the long run the latter succumbed to its 

 relentless foes, which is not to be wondered at, 

 seeing that the Kite is a poor fighter, boasting mean- 

 looking talons, especially for a creature of so fine 

 a presence. Its only chance lay in outflying its 

 murderous assailants. Knowing both birds so well, 

 I have often tried to picture the scene, and, were 

 the Kite not so rare, I would give much to see 

 the mental image reproduced in life. 



A short century ago, a late kinsman of mine 

 the fidus Achates of the famous Colonel Thornton 

 enjoyed some fine " Kiteing " near Alconbury, 

 in Huntingdonshire. Can it be that a pair still 

 linger there? Surely not! Yet on August 23rd, 

 1904, I had a good view of a Kite a bird of the 

 year, I thought in that very district. This Kite 

 must have been a belated specimen from Wales, 

 or possibly a Continental visitor, probably the 

 former, for, in Britain, at any rate, the bird 

 is of the tribe of Ishmael, especially birds of 

 the year. 



From about 1825 onward, then, game- 

 preserving served as the chief factor in the 

 abolition of the Kite. All the same, about 1870, 

 there were still some breeding in England. The 

 last authentic nest from the eastern counties hails 

 from Lincolnshire in 1871, while just at this period 



