60 SWALLOW-TAILED KITE. 



its whole appearance at once indicates. Its airy evolutions are 

 described as being most remarkable, its tail directing them 

 in a peculiarly elegant manner. They are engaged in flight, 

 generally, like their miniature effigies, the Swallows, throughout 

 the day, so that except when on their migrations they are 

 not easily approached. 



The Swallow-tailed Kite always feeds on the wing. In 

 fine weather they soar to a great height in pursuit of large 

 winged insects, which seem to form their favourite food, 

 grasshoppers, locusts, cicadas, and caterpillars, bees, wasps, and 

 their Iarva3 in the comb, as well as flying insects, being 

 extensively preyed upon by them. They also, however, devour 

 small snakes, lizards, and frogs. In search of their terrestrial 

 food, they sweep closely over the fields, and alighting, or 

 rather seeming for an instant to alight to secure any which 

 they may have observed, bear it off', and devour it in the 

 air, feeding themselves with their claws. Meyer says that 

 they sometimes take their prey off the branches of trees, as 

 they fly among them. 



The note of this species is described by Audubon as sharp 

 and plaintive. 



The pairing time is in the beginning of April, and the male 

 and female sit alternately, each in turn feeding the other. 

 They have only one brood in the year. 



The nest, which is composed of sticks, and lined with grass 

 and feathers, is usually built on the top of a tall tree, and 

 the vicinity of water is preferred, probably on account of the 

 insects to be found there. 



The eggs are from four to six in number, of a greenish 

 white colour, irregularly blotted with dark brown at the 

 larger end. 



Length, one foot eight inches, and from that to two feet, 

 and even upwards; bill, bluish black; cere, light blue, and 

 covered at the base with bristles; iris, silvery cream-colour, 

 surrounded with a red ring; head, crown, neck, nape, chin, 

 throat, and breast, pure white. The back, wings, and wing 

 coverts, black, with a metallic green and purple lustre. The 

 greater part of the plumage is white at the base, which 

 sometimes gives the bird a mottled appearance. The tail is 

 of a black colour, glossed with green and purple, and very 

 deeply forked; upper tail coverts the same colour; under tail 

 coverts, white. The legs, which are short and thick, are 

 feathered in front half way below the knee, are, like the toes, 



