102 BIRDS OF INDIA. 



fulvous or whitish ; the tail is dusky, witli a tinge of maroon. The 

 wings reach somewhat beyond the end of the tail. A specimen in 

 the Museum As. Soc, Calcutta, has the feathers that are white in 

 the fully adult pale ferruginous, slightly centred paler. 



Its peculiar mode of coloration, sometimes insisted on as showing 

 its relation to Ilaluetus, is equally corroborative of its affinity to 

 some of the kites ; and aquatic habits are far from being 

 unknown in this family, witness Ictinia Missisipiensis of Wilson. 



There has been, and is still, considerable diversity of opinion as 

 to the position of this bird. Swainson put it in the Accipitrinje. 

 Most naturalists place it among the Sea eagles. Others, looking 

 more to its habits perhaps, place it among the kites, and in the 

 main I agree with these, acknowledging, however, its relation- 

 ship with the Sea eagles, which Blyth extends also to true Milvus. 

 It may be considered either an aberrant form of Haliattus, 

 leadinsr to the kites, or an aberrant kite leadino; to the Sea eagles ; 

 and its small size and near affinities to Milvus have decided me 

 to class it Avith the kites. 



The Brahminy Kite is found throughout all India, abundant on 

 the sea coasts, and in the vicinity of lakes and wet cultivation ; 

 rare in the dry plains of Central India and the Deccan. Colonel 

 Sykes says that it " usually seizes whilst on the wing, but occa- 

 sionally dips entirely under Avater, appearing to rise again with 

 difficulty." This I have never witnessed, nor has any one I have 

 questioned on the subject, and their name is legion. He also 

 says, "it is quite a mistake to suppose it feeds on carrion." 

 Mr. Smith, as quoted in Notes on Indian Birds, P. Z. S., 1857, 

 p. 85, says — "This bird is among the first objects which attracts the 

 eye of a stranger, for they swarm about the shipping at Calcutta, and 

 are useful in removing any offal which may be thrown away ; but 

 though their usual food is carrion, yet they kill fish, and not un- 

 frequently carry off a snipe which the sportsman has levelled." 

 Hodgson says, it chiefly feeds on insects and quests like a Circus. 

 From my own observations it certainly prefers aquatic food, and 

 is most numerous in the vicinity of sea-shores, large rivers, tanks, 

 and rice cultivation. About large cities and towns, and where 

 there is much shipping, it gets its chief food from garbage and 



