649 



forester, whose wife was very pleased when I took the nest, as the Kite had within a few days 

 stolen three chickens, and she expected now that its nest was robbed it would leave that locality. 

 It lays from the last week in April to the middle of May, and nests rather later in Jutland and 

 on the islands; for I possess several clutches from Thorstedlund, in Jutland, taken on the 21st 

 May. The number of eggs deposited is usually three, seldom four, and in rare cases as many as 

 five. They are bluish white in colour, marked with a few greyish or violet-grey shell-markings, 

 and very sparingly spotted with reddish brown or brown surface-blotches, which in some are 

 wanting, and these are dotted with very small brown dots or a few scratches. Eggs in my 

 collection measure from 55 by 42 to 59 by 46 millims." Mr. Carl Sachse, writing to me from 

 Altenkirchen respecting its breeding-habits, says : — " It returns, if possible, to its old nesting- 

 place year after year ; and both birds may be observed circling above the grove at a great altitude 

 in the spring. They nearly always make a new nest; and here I generally find the eggs, from 

 two to three in number, in the latter half of April. The eggs frequently resemble those of the 

 common Buzzard so closely that it is hard to distinguish them ; but the nest may invariably be 

 known by being lined with rags, tow, &c. It is rather peculiar that here the nest is almost 

 always placed on a tree which can easily be climbed, often on trees which scarcely measure 

 30 centimetres in thickness, and not higher than 6 to 8 metres from the ground ; almost always 

 the nest is in a fork of the main stem ; and hence, from the facility with which it may be reached, 

 the nest is often robbed by the peasant lads. It feeds on mice, moles, lizards, worms, &c, and 

 is very partial to carrion. So soon as the young are hatched it ranges far in search of prey, and 

 frequently visits rivers and pieces of water four or five miles away in search of frogs or fish. The 

 gluttony of the young birds is almost beyond belief, and their parents have hard work to satisfy 

 their cravings; for they require fully three times as much food as the young of Buteo vulgaris or 

 Pernis ajnvorus, as I well know from experience, having reared several young Kites. When incu- 

 bating, the Kite sits very hard ; but so soon as the eggs are hatched it is most difficult to approach 

 within range. I remained closely hidden for nearly twelve hours near a nest to shoot the old 

 birds ; but they kept far away, circling high above the nest, and dared not approach to feed their 

 young, which were exceedingly hungry. During the breeding-season, however, they are very 

 bold in robbing the peasants of their poultry, and will strike and carry off a chicken even though 

 in the immediate vicinity of people, and in spite of being screamed at loudly. Although the Kite 

 catches fish, yet it does so very clumsily, and more often misses its mark than catches the fish. 

 It will patiently hover over the water ; and an hour will sometimes elapse before, after repeated 

 failures, it catches a fish ; for it is too slow for this sort of work. As a rule, I have found this 

 species very shy; but when an Owl is used as a decoy, it will frequently come within shot." 



To the above details respecting the nidification of the present species I can add but little. 

 I have examined several nests in situ, all of which resembled Buzzards' nests, but were a trifle 

 larger ; and the lining was made up of a motley collection of old rags of various sorts, and any 

 odds and ends the bird had picked up. I possess a tolerably large series of eggs from various 

 parts of Germany, and have some also from Thorstedlund, in Jutland. These eggs, though 

 when taken they were bluish white, are now almost pure white, blotched and spotted, but 

 sparingly, with dark red, these markings being small ; and the shell-markings, which are pale 

 purplish grey, are very slightly defined. As a rule they may be distinguished from the eggs of 



