Birds of Britain 



parts are whitish, barred with brown. The young, except in 

 size, resemble the female, but the under parts are striped 

 instead of barred. 



This species is, however, extremely variable in colour and 

 markings. Length of male 13 in.; wing 7'7 in. Female 

 15 '4 in.; wing 9 in. 



THE KITE 



Milvus ictinus, Savigny 



Although once so abundant that it used, some two or 

 three centuries ago, to feed on offal in the London streets, 

 the remnant of our indigenous Kites are now reduced to 

 some dozen individuals in the more remote parts of Wales. 

 The gamekeeper, the egg-collector, and even the salmon- 

 angler have all combined to destroy this noble species, and 

 even now, when it is far too scarce to do any harm, a 

 vandal has recently shot one of the remnant, and owing to 

 a fault in the administration of the law has got off scot free. 

 It will not be until we have public opinion aroused 

 sufficiently to protect our natural beauties that this ruthless 

 extermination of any rare bird will be stopped. Certain 

 species, e.g. Eobin, Thrush, Nightingale, House Martin, etc., 

 are so well protected by that opinion as to become almost too 

 numerous in certain places. The shooting of many of our 

 rarer wanderers can do no great harm if the lust for killing 

 rare birds must be indulged in, but our rare resident or 

 breeding migrants should never be destroyed. We cannot 



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