Ill 



The Home of the Kite* 



1WISH this chapter could be called "The Kite 

 at Home"; but kites are now so exceedingly 

 rare among British birds, that one can have very 

 little opportunity of studying them in their own 

 wild home. Although I spent nearly a week in or 

 near their haunt I saw but two birds, and only 

 caught a passing glance of one of these. Of the 

 other I had a splendid view, and with my powerful 

 Trieder binoculars watched it until only a speck 

 was visible even through these. We were standing 

 in a valley watching a raven and two buzzards, 

 when into their midst there came, with a charac- 

 teristic fine sweeping flight, a kite. The buzzards 

 were soaring, repeatedly uttering their far-reaching 

 call ; while the raven was flying about somewhat 

 lower down. The kite also started upwards, and 



* All lovers of birds will be pleased to hear that last spring (1902), 

 owing to strict secrecy being kept, a pair of kites succeeded in rearing 

 their two young, and these left their nest early in June. How this was 

 accomplished, and how the nest was photographed, will I hope be told 

 in a future work. 



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