ANECDOTES. 263 



one in the soutliern district of that county. The 

 kite, it may be perceived, is by no means very choice 

 in its food, being ready, when living prey is not at hand, 

 to satisfy the cravings of its nature with reptiles, worms, 

 and any garbage or oflfal that may fall in its way ; nor 

 is it inapt at such times to attack the young lambs, 

 though hares, rabbits, grouse, partridges, and domestic 

 fowls of all kinds are the usual objects of its choice. 

 In truth, the kite is by no means an epicure, and there- 

 fore will put up with coarse food rather than none. 

 The flight of the kite is peculiar, and is thus described 

 by Bufifon : " One cannot but admire the manner in 

 which the flight is performed ; his long and narrow 

 wings seem immovable ; it is his tail that seems to 

 direct all his movements, and he moves it continually ; 

 he rises wathout effort, comes do^vn as if he were sliding 

 along an inclined plane ; he seems rather to swim than 

 fly ; he darts forward, slackens his speed, stops, and 

 remains suspended or fixed in the same place for whole 

 hours, withovit exhibiting the smallest motion of his 

 wings." 



The spring is the season for the propagation of kites, 

 who usually build their nest in the fork of some large 

 tree. Pieces of wood, crossed with twigs, are surmounted 

 by moss, feathers, wool, and hair, so as to make a more 

 comfortable place for nidification than is usual with the 

 large raptorial bu'ds. Our information was gained from 

 an old gamekeeper, who professed to have examined 

 three or four "glead nestesses," as he termed them. The 

 kite would appear, from Shaw's account, to have been 

 very plentiful formerlv. " In the days of King Henry 

 the Eighth, as appears from the observation of the cele- 

 brated Elusius (L. Ealuse), the British metropolis itself 



