202 BIRDS OF BRITISH BURMAH. 



common near all villages and fisheries. It breeds from December to 

 February, making a large nest in a tree and laying two or three eggs, 

 which are white blotched with reddish brown. 



Genus MILVUS, Cuwer. 



576. MILVUS AFFINIS. 



THE SMALLER HOUSE-KITE. 



Milvus affinis, Gould, P. Z. S. 1837, p. 140; Hume, S. F. i. p. 160; Sakad. Ucc. 

 Born. p. 10 ; Sharps, Cat. Birds 3. Mus. i. p. 323 ; Hume, S. F. iii. p. 35 ; 

 Wald. in Bl B. Burm. p. 64 ; Armstrong, S. F. iv. p. 299 ; Gates, S. F. v. 

 p. 142 ; Davison, S. F. v. p. 453 ; Hume fy Dav. S. F. vi. p. 23 ; Gurney, Ibis, 1879, 

 p. 77 ; Hume, 8. F. viii. p. 82 ; Scully, S. F. viii. p. 228 ; Bingham, S. F. ix. 

 p. 145 ; Oates, S. F. x. p. 181. 



Description. Male and female. The whole plumage dark brown, paling 

 on the head and the upper wing-coverts ; each feather with a distinct 

 shaft-stripe ; chin and throat whitish, with very distinct shaft-stripes ; tail 

 obsoletely barred with dark brown on the central rectrices and the outer webs 

 of the others, more plainly on the inner webs ; the earlier primaries black, 

 mottled with white at their bases on the inner webs; remaining primaries 

 and the other quills of the wing brown, more or less mottled with white at 

 their bases and likewise slightly barred with darker brown ; the under 

 wing-coverts brown margined with rufous ; ear-coverts and feathers behind 

 the eye blackish brown. 



The young are rather darker brown than the adult, each feather of the 

 whole plumage tipped with pale buff; the shaft of each feather is black, 

 and on the lower plumage there is a buff streak on either side of the black 

 shaft, giving a conspicuous streaked appearance to the bird ; wing as in 

 the adult, but the white mottling less distinct. 



The above descriptions are taken from a large series of birds collected 

 in Pegu. From the fact that there are no birds intermediate in plumage 

 between the young just fledged and the fully adult, it is probable that 

 the young bird passes into adult plumage in the autumn succeeding its 

 birth. 



Iris hazel-brown; mouth flesh-colour; legs pale lemon-yellow; claws 

 black ; gape, cere and bill as far as the nostrils pale yellow ; the remainder 

 of the bill black ; eyelids and ocular region bluish grey. 



Length 23 inches, tail 12, wing 16'5, tarsus 2, bill from gape 1-5. The 

 female is rather larger. 



