FAMILY FALCONID.E } KITES. 409 



but, having discerned it, they do not make a stoop or rush towards 

 their victim, but skim it (as it were) from the surface of the earth, 

 or even the water, and bear it away in their talons. They habitu- 

 ally feed on moles, rats, mice, young poultry, and small reptiles, 

 but they do not refuse carrion. A very slight show of resist- 

 ance is usually sufficient to scare them away ; as they are by no 

 means courageous Birds, except when defending their young. 

 The common Kite or Glead (which last name seems derived 

 from the word glide, significant of its motion) is found in most 

 parts of England ; though it is not now so abundant as formerly. 

 No longer since than the time of Henry VIII., the office of 

 scavenger in London and other towns was chiefly performed by 

 numerous Kites ; and at the present time it answers the same 

 useful purpose in Turkey and Egypt. Numerous Kites, in a 

 sort of half-domesticated state, are seen hovering about, or rest- 

 ing on the tops of the houses ; and at the signal of a whistle, 

 they descend and clear the ground of any carrion which may 

 have been cast upon it. In India the Govinda Kite performs 

 this useful office, and is very numerous even in the large cities. 

 It is described as stooping down in an instant upon any garbage 

 thrown out into the street, and even sometimes intercepting a re- 

 past on its way from the cook's shop. It also joins the Crows in 

 their disgusting meals upon larger masses of carrion, and is said 

 rarely to attack its fellow-scavengers. The nest of the Kite is 

 usually in the fork of a thick tree, where it is concealed by the 

 branches ; and it is more elaborate in its construction than those 

 of the Birds of Prey usually are. The external part is formed of 

 twigs thickly matted together ; and the interior is lined with wool, 

 or some other soft and warm substance. The eggs are generally 

 three in number. The young remain a long time in the nest, and 

 are extremely voracious in their appetite, so that to provide for 

 them requires considerable labour. At this period the audacity 

 of the Kite is greater than at any other. Amongst the different 

 species of Kites, one of the most remarkable is the American 

 swallow-tailed Kite, which is distinguished by its long forked 

 tail, and its habit of preying upon Insects, which it captures in 

 the air like the Swallow. 



