THE KITE 187 



individual differences of the two former being forgotten 

 in face of a common foe. 



A kite's nest is a very untidy affair. It is composed 

 of coarse twigs, is sometimes lined with mud, and 

 almost invariably contains a number of disgustingly 

 dirty rags, some of which are utilized as lining for the 

 nest ; most of them, however, appear to be regarded as 

 ornaments, since they are allowed to hang down and 

 flap in the wind. Rags are by no means the only 

 trinkets to be found in the nest. Brickbats, and, in 

 Northern India, pieces of kunkur help to add to the 

 beauty of the structure. 



Kites usually build their platform-like nests in the 

 fork of a strong branch of a tree, but they sometimes 

 nest on mosques, temples, and old buildings. December 

 and January are the commonest nesting months. A 

 kite's nest is not a difficult object to see, being about 

 three times the size of a football. The eggs are white 

 in colour, splashed with red or brown. Two seem to 

 be the usual number of a clutch. 



I have already remarked that kites are not possessed 

 of a vast amount of brain-power, and when nesting their 

 stupidity knows no bounds. A Calcutta kite was once 

 discovered trying to hatch a pill-box ! This perform- 

 ance is, however, eclipsed by that of the kite which 

 Mr. Littledale found sitting tight upon a hare's skull. 

 One can only surmise that these objects must originally 

 have been stolen as ornaments for the nest. But the 

 kite, having a short memory, soon forgot the history of 

 the foreign object and then mistook it for an egg. 



Greater proof than this can scarcely be adduced to 



