32 cassell's book of birds. 



that we must stigmatise them as mere thieves, amongst whom the reckless deeds of daring often 

 wrought by other members of the fraternity are entirely unknown ; indeed, a Kite always prefers to 

 follow in the wake of some other bird of prey, in order to obtain the refuse of its hardly-earned spoil, 

 rather than engage in any struggle on its own account. Great diversity is observable in the mode of 

 life adopted by the various species of Kites ; the greater number live entirely apart, not merely from 

 other birds, but from their own kind, while some fly about in pairs — only a few dwell together in small 

 parties : these latter, however, are very sociable, and much attached to their companions. All are 

 alike active and restless ; from the first dawn of day till twilight has closed in they may be seen 

 winging their way over the face of the country, occasionally pausing in their varied and beautiful 

 gyrations, to descend slowly earthward and snatch the morsel they have espied from afar. 



The food of the Kites consists principally of the smaller quadrupeds, defenceless birds, toads, 

 fish, and various insects. Some species subsist entirely upon the latter diet, and hunt their prey in a 

 manner more resembling that of the Swallow than the mode practised by other Falcons ; but very 

 few will devour carrion. On the whole, these birds must be regarded as useful to man, though some 

 are very destructive to his property. The eyrie varies considerably in its construction ; sometimes it 

 is built upon rocks or in holes of walls, sometimes on church steeples, trees, bushes, or even the bare 

 ground. The number of eggs varies from one to five ; both parents assist in the work of incubation, 

 and tend their young with great assiduity. When caged all the members of this group are easily 

 tamed, and some attach themselves to their keepers, but they entirely lose their vivacity, and are quite 

 unable to survive any lengthened confinement. Among the Bashkirs some species are trained to assist 

 their masters in the chase. 



THE SHORT-TAILED KITE. 



The Short-tailed Kite, sometimes called the Mountebank {Helotarsus ecaudatus), is a very 

 remarkable bird, inhabiting the continent of Africa, from sixteen degrees north latitude as far as the 

 Cape of Good Hope. In appearance it reminds us of an Eagle, and is recognisable by its short, 

 powerful, compact body, short neck and large head. The wings (in which the second quill is longer 

 than the rest) are of great length, the tail is unusually short, as are the tarsi ; the latter are, however, 

 very strong, and well protected by scaly plates. The toes are of medium size, and armed with slightly 

 curved and blunt talons. The plumage is unusually rich in texture, and consists of large broad 

 feathers, with which the head in particular is profusely covered. The coloration of the plumage in 

 adult males is as striking as its general appearance ; the head, neck, fore, under, and hinder parts of 

 the body are of a beautiful pale black ; the entire tail and upper portion of the back are red. The 

 exterior wing-covers vary from pale brownish red to cream colour ; the primary quills are black, the 

 secondaries and shoulder feathers grey, tipped with black, so that these latter form a black border to 

 the wing, the lower side of which is of silvery whiteness. The eye is a beautiful brown, and glitters 

 with a golden light ; the back is reddish yellow at the base, and greyish blue towards the tip. The 

 cere, and a bare place round the eyes, are blood red, spotted with reddish yellow. In the young 

 birds the plumage is dark brown, usually deeper in shade on the back than it is beneath, where the 

 feathers have a light greyish brown edge ; the feathers upon the throat are light brown, and the 

 secondary quills greyish brown. The eye is reddish brown, the beak, cere, cheek-stripes, and feet 

 blue, the latter shaded with red. The length of the adult female is one foot ten inches, its breadth 

 five feet ten inches ; the wing measures one foot nine inches, and the tail not more than five inches. 

 The male is not quite so large. 



This remarkable bird, whose extraordinary appearance has caused it to be the subject of many 

 strange superstitions among the natives of Africa, is found throughout the whole of that continent, 



