534 HARE BRITISH BIRDS 



forehead, sides of the head, lores, and ear-coverts ashy grey, gradually merging into the 

 dark brown of the upper parts. A small black crest is usually apparent. The feathers of the 

 upper parts have white bases ; tail brown, with two and sometimes three bands of brownish 

 grey: outer aspect of quills greyish brown; inner webs white, barred and freckled with 

 greyish brown; under parts white, some of the feathers with blackish shaft-stripes, widening 

 out at their extremities into a spatulate black marking ; axillaries white, banded with brown ; 

 iris golden yellow, or sometimes red ; cere lead colour ; bill blackish ; legs and feet yellow. The 

 immature may be recognised by having the tail irregularly mottled and barred with ashy brown, 

 [w. P. P. and T. w.] 



2. Distribution. Formerly this species was an annual, though local summer, visitor to us, 

 breeding regularly in the New Forest, and not infrequently in large woods in other parts of 

 England, such as Herefordshire (last in 1895). Amongst other counties in which it has been 

 recorded as breeding may be mentioned Bucks, Northampton, Oxford, Warwick, Stafford, Salop, 

 Yorkshire (?), Cumberland, Durham (last in 1899), Aberdeen, and East Ross. On the Continent 

 it breeds chiefly in Northern and Middle Europe and West Siberia, and is replaced by 

 allied forms in East Siberia and some districts of Tropical Asia. In Norway it is chiefly confined 

 to the south-eastern part of the country, but in Sweden breeds from Skiine to lat. 67 26' N., 

 while in Finland it ranges north to Pudasjarvi and Tornea, and in Russia is very rare near 

 Archangel, and in the Perm government ranges to lat. 58 N. From these limits southward it 

 is thinly distributed in the wooded districts south to North Spain, the Pyrenees, N. Italy, 

 Hungary, and Transylvania, the Dobrogea (rarely), and in Russia from Bessarabia through Little 

 Russia and the governments of Voronesh and Simbirsk to the Urals. In Asia it also breeds in 

 West Siberia. European birds winter in Tropical Africa and Madagascar, while Asiatic birds 

 winter in India. [F. c. R. j.] 



4. Nest and Eggs. The nest of this species is generally placed in some deciduous tree, 

 such as oak or beech, and though in some cases constructed by the birds themselves is often 

 only the deserted nest of some other bird, such as the common-buzzard. One characteristic 

 which is always present is the lining of fresh green leaves and small branches, generally of the 

 beech, which is renewed from time to time. The share of th& sexes in building seems not to be 

 recorded. The eggs are generally 2 in number, sometimes only 1, and rarely 3. They 

 are somewhat rounded in shape, and are extremely handsome, the white or ochreous ground 

 being often quite obscured by deep chesnut brown or brownish red, sometimes very dark ; in 

 other cases boldly blotched, and generally showing some smears. Average size of 100 eggs, 

 2-0x1-62 in. [50-8x41-1 mm.]. They are laid at intervals of some days. The incubation 

 period is apparently unknown, but both sexes have been proved to take part in incubation, 

 though probably the greater part of the work is done by the female, which has a fairly large 

 " brooding spot." The breeding season is late, eggs being rarely found before the last days of 

 May or early in June in Middle Europe, and about the same time in Scandinavia. Only one 

 brood is reared in the season. [F. c. R. j.] 



THE KITES 1 



[ORDER : A ccipitres. SUBORDER : Falcones. FAMILY : Buteonidte. SUBFAMILY : Milvince] 



BLACK-KITE [Milvus kdrschun (Gmelin) ; Milvus migrans (Boddsert). French, milan noir ; 



German, schivarzer Milan ; Italian, nibbio nero]. 



1. Description. Distinguished from the common-kite by its shorter and less forked tail, 

 which is brownish ash instead of rufous. The sexes are alike in coloration, excepting that 



1 Vol. iv. p. 121. 



