SWALLOW-TAILED KITE. 81 



with a few irregular blotches of dark brown at the larger 

 end. The male and the female sit alternately, the one 

 feeding the other. The young are at first covered with buft- 

 coloured down. Their next covering exhibits the pure 

 white and black of the old birds, but without any of the 

 glossy purplish tints of the latter. The tail, which at first 

 is but slightly forked, becomes more so in a few weeks, and 

 at the approach of autumn exhibits little difference from 

 that of the adult birds. The plumage is completed the 

 first spring. Only one brood is raised in the season. The 

 species leaves the United States in the beginning of 

 September, moving off in flocks, which are formed imme- 

 diately after the breeding season is over." 



The figure and description here given were taken from a 

 preserved specimen in the Museum of the Zoological So- 

 ciety, the whole length of which was twenty inches ; the 

 beak bluish black, the cere lighter blue, the irides dark ; 

 the whole of the head, neck, breast, belly, under surface of 

 the wings, sides of the body, thighs, and under tail-coverts, 

 pure white ; the back, wing-primaries, secondaries, upper 

 tail-coverts, and tail-feathers, black, with a purplish metallic 

 lustre ; the tertials black on the outer webs, but patched 

 with pure white on the inner; tail very deeply forked; 

 legs and toes greenish blue ; claws faded orange colour. 



VOL. i. 



