SWALLOW-TAILED KITE. 8l 
with a few irregular blotches of dark brown at the larger 
end. The male and the female sit alternately, the one 
feeding the other.—The young are at first covered with buff- 
coloured down. Their next covering exhibits the pure 
white and black of the old birds, but without any of the 
glossy purplish tints of the latter. The tail, which at first 
is but slightly forked, becomes more so in a few weeks, and 
at the approach of autumn exhibits little difference from 
that of the adult birds. The plumage is completed the 
first spring. Only one brood is raised in the season.—The 
species leaves the United States in the beginning of 
September, moving off in flocks, which are formed imme- 
diately after the breeding season is over.” 
The figure and description here given were taken from a 
preserved specimen in the Museum of the Zoological So- 
ciety, the whole length of which was twenty inches ; the 
beak bluish black, the cere lighter blue, the irides dark ; 
the whole of the head, neck, breast, belly, under surface of 
the wings, sides of the body, thighs, and under tail-coverts, 
pure white; the back, wing-primaries, secondaries, upper 
tail-coverts, and tail-feathers, black, with a purplish metallic 
lustre; the tertials black on the outer webs, but patched 
with pure white on the inner; tail very deeply forked ; 
legs and toes greenish blue ; claws faded orange colour. 
VOL. f. G 
