96 FALCONID^. 



The Kite is not uncommon in most parts of Europe, from 

 the southern districts of Norway to the shores and islands 

 of the Mediterranean. In Sweden, though one of the earliest 

 birds to arrive in spring, it is said by Herr Wallengren not 

 to breed north of lat. 61, and it is not known with certainty 

 to occur in Finland. Pallas says that it is common in the 

 more southern provinces of Russia, and winters on the 

 Lower Volga, but Professor Sundevall declares that this 

 statement is a mistake, and that it does not occur so far 

 to the east as, for instance, the Government of Kharkof, 

 north of the Sea of Azof. In Palestine and Lower Egypt 

 it is abundant in winter, and in the former a few remain 

 to breed. It is also common in Algeria, both in the Dayats 

 of the Sahara, and among the rocks of the Atlas, and according 

 to Dr. Bolle is resident and abundant in the Canaries. 



The specimen figured measured twenty- six inches in length. 

 Wing, from the anterior bend to the end of the longest 

 quill, nineteen inches ; the longest tail-feather fifteen inches. 

 Its beak is horn-colour, cere and irides yellow ; the feathers 

 of the head and neck greyish-white, streaked along the 

 shaft with ash-brown ; those of the back and wing- coverts 

 dark brown in the middle, broadly edged with rufous ; the 

 inner web of some of the tertials edged with white : the 

 primaries nearly black : upper tail-coverts rufous ; tail red- 

 dish-brown and deeply forked, the inner webs barred with 

 dark brown ; the outer feathers the darkest : the chin and 

 throat greyish-white, streaked with dusky ; the breast, belly 

 and thighs, rufous-brown, each feather with a median streak 

 of dark brown : the wings beneath, rufous near the body, with 

 dark brown feathers edged with red-brown on the outer part ; 

 under tail-coverts rufous-white : the tail beneath greyish- 

 white, with dark bars ; the tarsi and toes yellow ; the claws 

 black. 



The females are rather larger than the males, and have 

 the head greyer, with the body beneath more rufous. 



