40 



CASSELL S BOOK OF BIRDS. 



first syllable " hi " is very sharp, and the latter much prolonged, 

 many amusing Eastern fables. 



This Kite has been the subject of 



THE RED OR ROYAL KITE. 



The Red or Royal Kite (Afi/z'/ts regalis) differs from those of its congeners already described 



in the comparative strength and height of its beak, which is, moreover, but slightly hooked at its 



extremity. The first quill of the wing is as long as the seventh ; the tail is long, broad, and much 



forked. The length of the Royal Kite is about two feet, its breadth four and three-quarters : the 





THE PARASITE KITE (Hydroktinia parasitica). 



wing measures one foot and a half, and the tail fourteen inches. The female is about three inches 

 longer and broader than her mate. The plumage of this species consists of broad feathers of a rust- 

 red colour, spotted and marked upon the shafts with blackish brown. The head and neck are white, 

 streaked longitudinally with brown ; the points of the wings are black, the tail is rust colour, striped 

 with dark brown. In the young birds the head is yellowish white, spotted with brownish red, and all 

 the feathers on the under parts of the body have a light edge. 



The Royal Kite inhabits all the level tracts of the European continent, from the south of Sweden 

 to Spain, and from thence to Siberia, but only appears in mountainous districts during the course of its 



