82 MILVUS GOVINDA. 



In several examples of the young of Indian M. govinda I have observed that there is more whitish at the base of 

 primaries than in adults ; some juvenile Ceylonese examples have scarcely any, while others have more while than 

 old birds ; so that 1 incline to the belief that this character in the medium-si/.ed Kite is entirely worthies-. 



In referrino- to the species M. govinda, and speaking of its type in the India Museum, I select the example of the 

 medium-sized Indian Kite, which, I believe, Sykes's description relates to, and which has, on the bottom of the 

 pedestal, the name govinda written in pencil by Dr. llorsfield. Sykes's description is too short to identify with 

 certainty the specimen which it refers to; but the smaller bird agrees better with it than with the young example 

 of M. melanotic mentioned by Mr. Brooks (• Stray Feathers,' 1876, p. 272). Then t here is. in favour of the smaller 

 bird being the type, the indisputable evidence of the habits and locality of the bird referred to by Sykea. He says 

 it is the Common Kite of the Deccan, aud is "constantly soaring in the air in circles, watching an opportunity 

 to dart upon a chicken, upon refuse matter thrown from the cook-room, and occasionally even having the hardihood 

 to stoop at a dish of meat carrying from the cook-room to the house." This is not the habit of the larger Kite, 

 which, according to most Indian observers, is a wary bird, and is furthermore not found in the district dealt with 

 by Sykes. Mr. Hume, who has, I conclude, the largest series of Kites of anyone in India, says, " I have examined 

 more than 30 specimens of Kites from Bombay, Matteran, Sholapoor, Sattara, and Poona, and I never found one 

 M. major among tliem ; nay, when at Bombav and Poona, I specially noticed the Kites, and, while I thoughl 1 



recognized some M. affinis, I can positively affirm there were no M. major Everywhere in the plains 



M. major is a bird of the jungle, very rarely approaching towns or even villages, and living more on frogs, locusts, 

 &c. than on offal."' With regard to the measurements given by Sykes, ornithologists so far back as thirtj or 

 forty years ago rarely measured birds in the flesh ; and I agree with Mr. Hume that Sykes's bird must have been 

 measured from the skin. The tail, which is 11 inches, is decidedly that of the medium-sized bird, aud corresponds 

 in size with that of Ceylonese examples. 



Distribution, — The Pariah Kite of Ceylon has a somewhat local habitat, being almost entirely confined to 

 the northern half of the island. Its headquarters are the Jaffna peninsula and the west coast of the Northern 

 Province, as far south as Manaar. It is, singularly enough, notwithstanding its limited range, subject to a 

 seasonal movement from the east coast to the west during the south-west monsoon. Although tolerably 

 common from the peninsula clown to Trincomalie, from October until March, scarcely a bird is to be seen in 

 that quarter during the opposite season. I am likewise informed by my friend Mr. W. Murray, of the Ceylon 

 Civil Service, who has made large collections of birds in the Jaffna district, that its numbers are greatly 

 decreased during the same time of the year — a circumstance which may be explained by its retiring into the 

 jungle to breed, and also by its undertaking a partial migration to the southern coasts of India. In the island 

 of Manaar and in the adjoining district of Mantotte it is plentiful, Mr. Holdsworth recording it as very 

 common at Aripo ; to the southward of the latter place it occurs in less numbers, taking in the island of 

 Karativoe into its range, down the coast to Puttalam, at which place it is again tolerably numerous in the cool 

 season. South of this it is rare, occurring as far as Madampe and perhaps to Negombo, below which I have 

 never observed it. 



In Ceylon it is exclusively a sea-coast bird, except in the very north of the Vanni, where it may now and 

 then be seen about the villages of the interior. I have no record of its occurrence south of Batticaloa, on the 

 east side of the island. Nor does it ascend into the hills as it does in the Nilghiris and Himalayas. 



In India this Kite is almost everywhere abuudaut. It is found alike at seaport and inland towns ; and 

 most villages even have their attendant flock, who act the part of scavengers in quickly disposing of every thing 

 which it is possible for a bird to digest. In the south it inhabits the Nilghiris, in which hills Mr. Davison says 

 it is very common, ascendiug to their summits, and often roosting with Haliastur in 'las. In the Travancore 

 hills, likewise, Mr. Bourdillon writes that the Pariah Kite occurs in numbers in the hot weather ; and it is to 

 be presumed that the present species is intended, as the larger bird (M. melanotis) is not found in the extreme 

 south. Sykes, who first discriminated the species, says it is the common Kite of the Deccan, while at Bombay 

 and up the coast to Sindh, as well as throughout the whole region of Mount Aboo and Northern Guzerat, and 

 in the Kandhala district, it is recorded by various writers in 'Stray Feathers' as very common. It inhabits 

 the southern slopes of the Himalayas, up which it ascends to an elevation of 6000 or 7000 feet. It has been 

 procured by Mr. Ball as far west as in the Suliman Hills, which form the western boundary of the Punjaub. 

 The same writer observes that it is common at Chota Nagpur, and that specimcus from the jungle are often 

 intensely dark. In Kashgar Dr. Scully obtained nothing but the large bird, although the late Dr. Stoliczka 



