THE KITE. 



Milvus regalis. BRISSON. 

 PLATE XX. 



Falco milvus, Linn. Milvus regalis, Briss. Milvus 

 ictinus, Saviyny. Milvus vulgaris, Flem. Le milan 

 royal, Buff. Temm. Kite of British ornithologists. 

 provincially, Glead, forktailed, fishtailed glead. 



THIS very graceful bird is distributed locally 

 from one end of our island to the other. In the 

 New Forest, and many of the woodland districts 

 of England, it is plentiful, particularly in the 

 eastern counties ; in Yorkshire we have also 

 frequently seen it, but north of this it becomes 

 more rare, except in the country of the lakes, 

 where some pairs breed. In the south of Scot- 

 land it is nearly unknown, but in many parts 

 north of the Forth it is extremely common, and 

 no where more so than in the Western Highlands. 

 It is every where a fine accessary to the land- 

 scape, " one of the most harmonious appendages 

 of the forest." We have often admired its grace- 

 ful flight and sailing gyrations, heightening the 

 effect of some dark and craggy forest scene, and 





