534 MELIERAXMIL VUS 



Hcib. Northern and north central Africa, north to Arabia 

 and Morocco ; an accidental straggler south to Damaraland. 



Frequents woods, groves in the plains, gardens, and is not 

 unfrequently seen near villages. Throughout its range it is a 

 resident, is generally seen in pairs, and is by no means a shy 

 bird. It feeds chiefly on grasshoppers, lizards, frogs, and small 

 snakes, less frequently on mice or birds. Its call-note is a 

 peculiar melodious whistle, which is generally to be heard in 

 the pairing season. 



Its nest is built of dry sticks and is placed high up in a tree r 

 and its eggs, which are laid from August to October, are said 

 to be bluish white. 



Melierax gabar is said to have occurred in southern Europe,, 

 but I can find no authentic instance of its appearance there. 



MILVUS, Cuv., 1800. 



751. THE KITE. 

 MILVUS ICTINUS. 



Milvus ictinus, Savigny, Syst. Ois. d'Egypte, p. 28 (1810) ; Newton, 

 i. p. 92 ; Dresser, v. p. 643, pi. 361 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. Br. Mus. 

 i. p: 319 ; Saunders, p. 335 ; Falco milvus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. 

 p. 126 (1766); Naurn. i. p. 333, taf. 31; M. regalis, Vieill. 

 Faun. Frang. Oiseaux, p. 14, pi. 7, fig. 1 (1821) ; Gould, B. of 

 Gt. Brit. i. pi. 22 ; Lilford, p. 25, pi. 13 ; M. vulgaris, Flem. 

 Brit. Anim. p. 51 (1828) ; Hewitson, i. p. 36, pi. xiii. ; Gould, B. 

 of E. i. pi. 28. 



Milan Eoyal, French; Milhafre, Milano, Portug. ; Milano 

 real, Span. ; Nibbio, Ital. ; Eoter Milan, German ; Wouw, Dutch ; 

 Glente, Dan. and Norweg. ; Glada, Swed. ; Kokkolintu, Finn. ; 

 Korschun canya, Russ. ; Siwdna, Moor. ; Hadayia hamara, Arab. 



( ad. (N. Germany). Head and neck greyish white with ashy brown 

 shaft-streaks ; upper parts dark brown broadly margined with rufous ; 

 larger quills blackish, some of the inner secondaries with white margins on 

 the inner web ; upper tail- coverts rufous ; tail deeply forked, reddish 

 brown, with dark bars on the inner webs ; under parts reddish brown 

 striped with dark brown, the under tail-coverts reddish white ; beak 

 blackish horn, bluish at the base ; cere and legs yellow ; iris yellowish 

 white. Culmen 1-9, wing 19'0, tail 14-4, tarsus 2*3 inch. Female similar 

 but rather paler and larger. The young bird has 'the crown blackish 

 brown marked with white, the upper parts more rufous, the tail browner 

 and with obsolete dark bars, the under parts pale rusty red with yellowish 

 blotches, and the lower abdomen and under tail-coverts yellowish white. 



