VOL. VII.] NOTES. 299 



There is no previous record of Kites breeding in the 

 ■county for many years, and it has only been known as a 

 Tare visitor at long intervals. James R. Hale. 



Cliffokd Borrer. 



KITES IN SOMERSETSHIRE, DERBYSHIRE, AND 



BUCKINGHAMSHIRE. 

 A Kite was seen by me and another, a very competent 

 •observer, on five occasions between December 20th and 

 30th, 1913, in north Somersetshke. A. F. R. Wollaston. 

 About the end of April, 1913, Mr. D. Palmer Pearson 

 noticed a very large bird of prey, which quite dwarfed 

 the Kestrels which nest there regularly, haunting the 

 face of the High Tor at Matlock. He remarked its size, 

 reddish colour, gliding flight and deeply-forked tail, which 

 was deflected from side to side as it sailed to and fro. 

 From this time it was seen by him on various occasions, 

 among other dates on May 16th and 19th, and on one 

 •occasion it settled on a tree for some time, while on 

 June 17th Mr. Pearson wrote that he had seen it again 

 that evening. At least four other observers in the 

 Matlock district saw the bird, and agreed in their 

 •description of its appearance and there can be no doubt 

 that it was an example of the Kite {Milvus milvus). Miss 

 Fitzherbert also noticed a large hawk with a forked tail 

 at Somersal Herbert, about the end of June, which may 

 have been the same bird. Messrs. R. Hall and W. N. 

 Statham, who kindly supplied me with information respecting 

 this bird, agreed not to publish any note of its appearance 

 for some time in order to give it every chance, and as 

 far as we are aware it has not been shot ; but it appears 

 to have been unable to find a mate. 



F. C. R. Jourdain. 



Mr. Guy C. Robson informed me on December 20th that 

 he had, on December 15th, 1913, between Wendover and 

 Halton, twice seen a bird which he felt sure was a Kite, 

 and I satisfied myself, by independent inquiries, that he was 

 •correct in his identification. Walter Rothschild. 



[The above records are most interesting in vie\^' of the 

 fact that the Kites in Wales have shown a welcome increase 

 in the last few years. It seems to us much more likely 

 that the birds above recorded came from Wales than from 

 i;he Continent. No doubt stragglers occasionally reach us 

 irom abroad, but since the Kite has become so rare in the 

 JBritish Islands as a breeding bird, very few indeed have 



