153 



brown; tail with very indistinct darker 

 bars ; below dull rufous brown, brighter on 

 abdomen, with blackish shaft-hnes ; cere 

 orange, bill black, feet yellow. 



t248a. Milvus migrans esgyptius (Gmel.), S.N., i., 

 p. 261 (1788). [Egypt.^ 

 Yellow-billed Kite. 



Size nearly the same ; wing <J 430, $ 450- 

 460, tail ? 290 mm. ; tail more rufous 

 brown, with 7 or 8 more distinct blackish 

 bands ; head and hind neck browner ; ear- 

 coverts darker ; below rather more rufous, 

 especially on abdomen, thighs and under 

 wing- and tail-coverts ; bill, as well as cere 

 and feet, bright yellow. Immature birds 

 have bill blackish. 



N. & E. Africa 

 Palestine, 

 Arabia ; cas. in 

 S.E. Europe. 



t248b. Milvus migrans arabicus subsp. nov. [(J S. Arabia ; 



Lahy, S. Arabia, Aug. 25th, 1899, W. Dod- Erythrsea (?) 



son coll., type in Tring Mus.] Brit. SomaU- 



Arabian Kite. land (?)i 



Smaller ; wing <J (Arabia) 400-418, tail 

 254 mm. ; paler than M. m. cegyptius and 

 more resembling M. m. govinda ; head and 

 hind neck more rufescent as in latter form ; 

 tail with about 8 obsolete darker bands ; 

 below with broad tawny fulvous centres to 

 the feathers, black shaft-hnes and darker 

 brownish edges ; bill generally slate to 

 blackish, seldom yeUow ; cere and feet 

 yellow. Immature birds have stripes be- 

 low as pale and conspicuous as in M. m. 

 govinda. 



' Mr. W. Sclater (MS.), following Dr. Hartert, thinks the birds from these 

 districts are intermediate between M. m. agyptius and M. m. parasitus. I, however, 

 regard the Arabian birds at least as clearly intermediate between M. m. esgypiitts 

 and M. m. govinda. The S. Arabian kites form a distinct colony of very small birds, 

 but whether the birds from Erjrthrsea and Biit. Somaliland can be fairly linked with 

 them is a matter for consideration. 



