THE HONEY-KITES. J^Q 



Range outside the British Islands. The Honey-Kite returns from 

 its winter home in Africa in May, and passes over the Straits 

 of Gibraltar in large numbers, more than a hundred being often 

 seen together. In September it passes south again, but in less 

 numbers and in smaller parties; a similar stream of migration 

 passes over the Bosphorus. The breeding-range of the species 

 seems to extend throughout the greater part of Europe to South- 

 ern Norway, and it nests in Sweden, Finland, and Russia up 

 to the Arctic Circle. It is probably this same species which 

 extends eastward to Turkestan, and Mr. Seebohm states that 

 he has received a specimen from Krasnoyarsk in Central 

 Siberia. He also believes that it extends through Eastern 

 Siberia to Japan and China, but it will probably be found to 

 be the eastern race, P. ptilonorhynchus, which has a slight crest, 

 which will prove to be the dominant species of Eastern Asia. 

 The last-named form breeds in India and occurs* throughout 

 the Burmese and Malayan countries, while in Java, and pro- 

 bably in Sumatra and Borneo, its place is taken by a resi- 

 dent form which is very dark and has almost as long a crest as 

 a Crested Eagle (Spizaetus). 



Habits. In the northern part of its range the Honey-Kite is 

 a late arrival, not, as pointed out by Mr. Seebohm, so much on 

 account of its fearing the cold, as because the insects which form 

 its favourite food do not make their appearance until the middle 

 of the summer. The Honey-Kite feeds largely on wasps, bees, 

 and their larvae, which it extracts from the comb, but it also 

 devours other insects, as well as small birds and mice, slugs 

 and worms, and is even said by Mr. Sachse to eat berries and 

 small fruits in autumn, when animal food fails. The nature of 

 its food renders the Honey-Kite somewhat of a ground-bird, 

 and it is said to run with comparative agility. 



Nest. As a rule the deserted nest of some other bird is 

 utilised by the Honey-Kite, being repaired and added to with 

 fresh twigs. Both sexes assist in the incubation of the eggs, 

 the sitting-bird being fed meanwhile by its mate. 



Eggs. These are laid in June, and are mostly two in num- 

 ber, very rarely three, but even four have been known to occur. 

 The eggs are among the handsomest of those of Accipitrine 

 Birds, and are mostly richly clouded with two shades of rufous, 



N 2 



