158 THE RED KITE 



in the interval of nine hours which had elapsed between their dis- 

 covery and the death of his partner. 



The Sparrow-Hawk is found in most wooded districts of Great 

 Britain and Ireland, and the greater part of the Eastern Continent. 



Sub-Family MILVINiB 

 THE RED KITE 



MILVUS ICTINUS 



Upper parts reddish brown ; the feathers with pale edges ; those of the head 

 and neck long and tapering to a point, greyish white, streaked longitu- 

 dinally with brown ; lower parts rust coloured, with longitudinal brown 

 streaks ; tail reddish orange, barred indistinctly with brown ; beak horn 

 coloured ; cere, irides, and feet yellow ; claws black. Female — upper 

 plumage of a deeper brown ; the feathers pale at the extremity ; head 

 and neck white. Length, twenty-five inches ; breadth, five feet six 

 inches. Eggs dirty white, spotted at the larger end with red-brown. 



' The Kite ', Pliny informs us, ' seems, by the movement of its tail, 

 to have taught mankind the art of steering — nature pointing out 

 in the air what is necessary in the sea '. The movement of the bird 

 through the air indeed resembles sailing more than flying. ' One 

 cannot ' says Buffon, ' but admire the manner in which the flight of 

 the Kite is performed ; his long and narrow wings seem motionless ; 

 it is his tail that seems to direct all his evolutions, and he moves it 

 continuously ; he rises without effort, comes down as if he were 

 sliding along an inclined plane ; he seems rather to swim than to 

 fly ; he darts forward, slackens his speed, stops, and remains sus- 

 pended or fixed in the same place for whole hours without exhibit- 

 ing the smallest motion of his wings.' The Kite generally moves 

 along at a moderate height, but sometimes, like the Eagle, rises 

 to the more elevated regions of the air, where it may always be 

 distinguished by its long wings and forked tail. 



In France, it is known by the name ' Milan Royal ', the latter title 

 being given to it not on account of any fancied regal qualities, but 

 because in ancient times it was subservient to the pleasures of 

 princes. In those times, hawking at the Kite and Heron was the 

 only kind of sport dignified with the title of ' Chase Royal ', and 

 no one — not even a nobleman — could attack the Kite and Heron 

 without infringing the privileges of the king. 



Though larger than the noble Falcons, it is far inferior to them in 

 daring and muscular strength ; cowardly in attacking the strong, 

 pitiless to the weak. It rarely assails a bird on the wing, but takes 

 its prey on the ground, where nothing inferior to itself in courage 

 seems to come amiss to it. Moles, rats, mice, reptiles, and partridges, 

 are its common food ; it carries off also goslings, ducklings, and 



