212 FIELD-STUDIES OF RARER BIRDS 



wanting in courage : indeed, even Jackdaws bully 

 the Kite and Buzzard, while the Raven, of course, 

 has matters all his own way. 



The Kite is not a noisy bird : like the Peregrine, 

 it is out of the breeding-season practically mute. 

 It will " mew " from fear when being mobbed by 

 other species, or in anger when disturbed at the 

 nest, occasionally at play, but it never calls so per- 

 sistently or so often as the Buzzard. The note is 

 a weak, thin, high-pitched squeal, sounding rather as 

 if the breath were being sharply drawn in. It 

 differs from the Buzzard's normal cry in being 

 higher pitched and more quickly iterated ; thus, 

 wheiou whew, whew, whew, whew whew. It 

 also utters a shrill, single scream, probably a note 

 of extreme panic. Anyhow, I only associate it with 

 a Kite sore beset by some other bird. I particularly 

 have in mind a troop of Jackdaws which gave a 

 Kite many a bad moment before the latter won 

 into covert. 



The Welsh appellations for the Kite (which is 

 often called the Fork-tail or Forky-tail) are Boda 

 Gwenol, which means Swallow- (tailed) Buzzard ; 

 Boda Forchog, which is Forked (tailed) Buzzard, 

 and Barcud (pronounced Barkit) or Barcutan, which 

 presumably implies Barred Kite. In Essex it was 

 formerly called the Crotchet-tailed Puttock, and in 

 the north Glead, from the Saxon glidan, to 

 glide. 



Now that for some years past success has 



