The Kite 



replace what is thus killed, and these living bits of Nature 

 form a heritage left us by former generations, which it be- 

 comes our duty to hand on to the future. For even in 

 the immediate present the delight of seeing the living bird 

 in its native haunts is not confined to ornithologists, but 

 thousands, rich and poor, appreciate intensely the sight of 

 one of our larger and rarer species, amidst its natural sur- 

 roundings; and no censure can be too strong for the man 

 who wilfully destroys that creature for his own selfish 

 ends, whether for the sake of having its stuffed effigy 

 in a glass case, or that he may bag a larger number of 

 pheasants in due season. It is a crime as great or 

 greater than the stealing of art treasures from our National 

 Gallery. 



The wide circling flight of the Kite is a magnificent 

 sight, as it daily covers large tracts of country in search of 

 its food. Offal and carrion are, or should be, the chief diet 

 of this species, but in this country it chiefly subsists on 

 small mammals and birds, becoming, at the nesting time, 

 very bold and taking toll from the poultry-yard and game 

 coverts. 



The Kite was formerly common throughout England and 

 by no means rare in Scotland, but for many years past it 

 has been restricted to certain places, in almost all of which 

 it is now extinct. It is only a very occasional wanderer to 

 Ireland. 



The nest is placed in a tall tree and composed of sticks, 

 with a lining of any rubbish that can b& found. The eggs, 

 three in number, often only two, are pale blue, spotted and 

 streaked with reddish. 



209 rj 



