58 BIRDS OF LA PLATA 



plumage and buoyant flight give it a striking re- 

 semblance to a gull. Its wing-power is indeed 

 marvellous. It delights to soar, like the Martins, 

 during a high wind, and will spend hours in this 

 sport, rising and falling alternately, and at times, 

 seeming to abandon itself to the fury of the gale, 

 is blown away like thistle-down, until, suddenly 

 recovering itself, it shoots back to its or^nal position. 

 Where there are tall Lombardy poplar-trees these 

 birds amuse themselves by perching on the topmost 

 slender twigs, balancing themselves with outspread 

 wings, each bird on a separate tree, until the tree-tops 

 are swept by the wind from under them, when they 

 often remain poised almost motionless in the air 

 until the twigs return to their feet. 



When looldng out for prey, this Kite usually main- 

 tains a height of sixty or seventy feet above the 

 ground, and in its actions strikingly resembles a 

 fishing Tern, frequently remaining poised in the air 

 with body motionless and wings rapidly vibrating 

 for fully half a minute at a stretch, after which it 

 flies on or dashes down upon its prey. 



The nest is placed upon the topmost twigs of a 

 tall tree, and is round and neatly built of sticks, 

 rather deep, and lined with dry grass. The eggs are 

 eight in number, nearly spherical, the ground-colour 

 creamy-white, densely marked with longitudinal 

 blotches or stripes of a fine rich red, almost like 

 coagulated blood in hue. There is, however, great 

 variety in the shades of red, also in the disposition 

 of the markings, these in some eggs being confluent. 



