16 



KN IG HTI A-KO AL A. 



flight the larger insects which often crowd the trees 

 in the American forests. In the capture of these, its 

 action is very similar to that of the swallows; but as 

 its size and power are both much greater, it has 

 more dash about it ; and a hen, seen on the wing, 

 might perhaps be mistaken for some giant swallow 

 in very different livery from what the rest of the race 

 usually wear ; yet the bill, the talons, the feathering 

 of the legs, and the whole appearance- of the bird, 

 point clearly at the class to which it belongs. Wilson 

 mentions that its favourite food is a species of lizard, 

 remarkable for the rapid changes of its brilliant colour, 

 and also of the little green snake which feeds upon 

 this lizard. The one pursues the other to the re- 

 motest extremities of the twigs ; and the kite, which 

 is beating about, captures them both. According to 

 Wilson, " the swallow-tailed hawk measures two feet 

 in length, and upwards of four feet six inches in ex- 

 tent ; the bill is black ; cere yellow, covered at the 

 base with bristles ; iris of the eye silvery cream, sur- 

 rounded with a blood-red ring; whole head and neck 

 pure white, the shafts fine black hairs ; the whole 

 lower parts also pure white ; the throat and breast 

 shafted in the same manner ; upper parts, or back, 

 black, glossed with green purple ; whole lesser coverts 

 very dark purple ; wings long, reaching within two 

 inches of the tip of the tail, and black ; tail also very 

 long and remarkably forked, consisting of twelve 

 feathers, all black, glossed with green and purple ; 

 several of the tertials white, or edged with white, but 

 generally covered with scapulars ; inner veins of the 

 secondaries white on the upper half, black towards 

 their points ; lining of the wings white ; legs yellow, 

 short and thick, and feathered before half way below 

 the knee, claws much curved, whitish ; outer claw 

 very small. The greater part of the plumage is white 

 at the base ; and, when the scapulars are a little dis- 

 placed, they appear spotted with white. This was a 

 male of perfect plumage. The colour and markings 

 ot the male and female are nearly alike." 



There are several other species which have been 

 noticed in different parts of the world, especially in 

 southern Asia, Australia, and America ; but they do 

 not appear to differ greatly from the common kite in 

 the more essential parts of their characters, so that very 

 brief notices of them are enough for popular purposes. 

 GOVINDA KITE (M. Govinda). This species is 

 found in the Deccan, and probably in most other 

 parts of India. It has the head, neck, and under 

 part of the body reddish brown, with dusky lines in 

 the centre of the feathers ; and the upper part brown, 

 the tail much forked, and marked with obscure bars. 

 It floats much about in the air, and is fully more 

 daring than the European kite. The length of the 

 body is two feet two, and that of the tail eleven. 



The wedge-tailed kite is a native of Australia, and 

 the Riocourt's kite is a species of the Cape. 



KNIGHTI A (R. Brown). A genus of plants of 

 which only one species is described, and found in 

 New Zealand. It belongs to the fourth class of 

 Linnaeus, and to the natural order Proteaccee. 



KNOWLTONIA (Salisbury). A genus of curious 

 herbaceous plants, natives of the Cape of Good Hope, 

 belonging to Ranunculacece. They are cultivated 

 in the green-house, and increased by seeds or by 

 dividing the roots. They are allied to and resemble 

 the genus Adonis, 



KOALA. The pouched bear of the Australians 

 (Phascolarctos), but more correctly expressed by its 



native name of koala. It is a marsupial animal, and 

 rather peculiar both in its structure and its habits. 



Koala. 



tt is an animal about the size of a middling dog, of 

 > r ery curious expression and formation in some of its 

 parts. Its head is round, terminating in a distinct 

 nuzzle, formed for turning up the earth, and having 

 the nostrils, in the point, with entire margins some- 

 hing resembling those in the hog. The eyes are 

 nearly round, the ears a little pointed, covered with 

 ong hair, and having the opening turned toward the 

 front. The body is rather clumsy in form according 

 to the accounts, and by no means fitted for quick 

 motion. The fore legs contain five toes on each, 

 which act two against three, namely, the thumb and 

 next one against the remaining ones. The meta- 

 carpal bones in those feet are very small, and thus 

 the toes appear to spread out not very unlike those 

 of a bird, to which they have also some resemblance 

 in the shape of the claws, which are sharp and a 

 good deal crooked, but not retractile. The hind feet 

 have no claw upon the thumb, and those on the other 

 toes are smaller than in the fore feet, while the toes 

 themselves have not the opposite action of the fore 

 ones. There are six incisive teeth in the upper jaw, 

 of which the two in the middle are longer than the 

 rest, and there are two in the under jaw. In some of 

 the specimens which have been examined, there have 

 been no canines in either jaw, whereas in others there 

 have been small ones in the upper. There are four 

 grinders with tuberculated crowns on each side of 

 both jaws, and two false ones on each side of the 

 upper one ; but they are wanting in the under. The 

 habits of the animal are obscure ; but from the struc- 

 ture of its mouth, and its timid nature, it cannot be 

 regarded as carnivorous. Insects, and probably also 

 vegetable matters, form the chief part of its food. It 

 is expert in climbing trees ; for which purpose the 

 particular structure of the fore feet, and the sharpness 

 of the claws with which the toes of these are fur- 

 nished, adapt it very well. It is also said to burrow 

 in the ground, but its feet are by no means well 

 suited for digging ; and the probability is, that it 

 takes up its abode in holes which it finds ready pre- 

 pared. There is no want of such shelters in the 

 woods of Australia, for most species of trees there 

 are prone to get hollow, and very many of the 

 smaller native animals take up their abodes in those 

 hollows. The koala is, as we have said, an animal oi 

 mild manners, and the female is attentive to the 

 young one, which it continues to carry about for a 



