92 



ACCIPITRES. 



FALCONID/E. 



FALCONIDsR. 



MILVUS ICTINUS (Savigny*). 



THE KITE, OR GLEAD. 



Milvus vulgar is t. 



MILVUS, Lacepede+. Beak straight at the base, curved from the cere to the 

 point, cutting margin with a slight festoon. Nostrils oval, oblique. Wings long ; 

 the third or fourth quill the longest. Tail long, and generally forked. Legs 

 short. Toes short and strong, the outer toe united at its base to the middle toe, 

 but slightly reversible. Claws moderately long and curved. 



THE RED KITE, once a familiar bird in this island, but 

 now one of the rarest, is readily distinguished among the 

 British Falconidce, even when at a distance on the wing, by 

 its long and forked tail, and its graceful and gliding flight, 



* Systeme des Oiseaux de I'^gypte et de la Syrie, p. 28 (1810). 



t Fleming, British Animals, p. 51 (1828). 



+ Memoires de 1'Institut, iii. p. 506 1800-1801). 



