MILVIN^. 107 



the crows and sparrowhawks. It will allow crows to pull to pieces 

 a bit of meat before it, which it is evidently desirous to obtain." 

 This hardly accords with my observation ; for though it is in 

 general on sufficiently good terms with the crows in company with 

 it on a heap of garbage, yet I have frequently seen it pursue a 

 crow, and force it to relinquish some coveted morsel. Blyth, too, 

 mentions that he had been told on good authority that a kite will 

 sometimes seize a crow. The crows, however, often tease a kite, 

 apparently without any object, but that of a little amusement to 

 themselves. The food of the kite is usually devoured on the wing, 

 or, if too large, carried to the nearest house or tree. 



Mr. Blyth notices their collecting in numbers without any 

 apparent object, especially towards evening. This I have fre- 

 quently observed at all large stations, where the whole kites of 

 the neighbourhood, before retiring to roost, appear to hold conclave. 

 They are said to leave Calcutta almost entirely for three or four 

 months during the rains. I have not noticed this at other places. 

 As remarked by Buchanan Hamilton, they may often be seen 

 seated on the entablatures of buildings, with their breast to the 

 wall, and wings spread out, exactly as represented in Egyptian 

 monuments. 



The Kite breeds from January to April, beginning to couple 

 about Christmas, and great is the squealing going on at this 

 time, more felino. Their cry is a prolonged tremulous squeal, 

 whence the Indian name Chil (Cheel). The nest is made 

 of sticks, often lined with rags, and placed on trees, or on houses 

 and other high buildings, more rarely on rocks ; and the eggs, 

 two or three in number, are generally dirty or greenish white, 

 with or without a few pale brownish or rusty blotches. 



Besides M. ater of Europe, and M. melanotis of China and 

 Japan, already alluded to, other kites allied to Govinda are M. 

 afflnis of Australia, and 31. parasiticus of Africa. M. regalis of 

 Europe is of a somewhat different type. Mr. Blyth informs me 

 this last species formerly performed the office of scavenger in London 

 and other cities of Europe (and was protected by law), as indeed 

 M. ater does now at Constantinople and in Egypt, &c. 



