THE PARASITIC KITE OR 
EGYPTIAN KITE 
Milvus aegyptius 
Arabic, Hiddayer 
Plumage—Head and neck grey; back and wings dark 
brown, under parts a rufous brown, the edges of the feathers 
lighter than the centres, which have a dusky streak, whilst the 
tail is broadly barred. Cere and legs yellow. 
Tuis Kite, which is seen everywhere, is not the 
Kite which we have accounts of as being once 
common in England, and which could be seen long 
years ago flying round St. Paul’s Cathedral; but it 
is a true Egyptian native. I have it from men 
who have lived long in Egypt, through summer 
as well as winter, that in the really hot months 
this bird is practically the only feathered fowl one 
ever does see during those glaring months. There 
may be other birds left in the country, but you 
do not see them; they wisely keep out of sight in 
whatever isolated shaded place they can find. The 
Kite alone bears the full glare of that broiling sun, 
ever on the look out for every chance of a mouth- 
ful of any decaying nastiness it can secure, and 
30 
