190 BOMBAY DUCKS 
say, for the benefit of those unacquainted with it, that 
the general hue of its plumage is a bright, rich chestnut, 
but its head, neck, lower parts, and the tip of its tail, 
are white. Each white feather has a brown shaft, but 
this is not visible except at close quarters. From a 
distance the bird appears chestnut in colour, with a 
snowy head and breast. Such is the adult creature; 
but it is not until the young Brahminy kite is nearly a 
year old that it assumes this beautiful plumage. 
When it first leaves the nest, early in the year, it isa 
dingy brown bird, and, although it undergoes a number 
of changes in appearance, it remains a brown bird until 
the winter. Hence young Brahminy kites often pass 
for the common pariah bird. However, nothing is 
easier than to distinguish the two species, no matter in 
what stage of plumage. The tail of the pariah kite is 
more or less forked, the two outer feathers on each side 
being a trifle longer than the inner feathers. The tail 
of the Brahminy kite is fan-shaped. Itis nicely rounded 
off, the outer feathers being slightly shorter than the 
inner ones. 
In general habits the Brahminy very closely resembles 
the common kite, Both birds are gifted with wonderful 
powers of flight. They will remain on the wing for 
hours, soaring high above the earth, with but an 
occasional movement of the wing. 
On one occasion I watched a Brahminy kite circling 
over the River Cooum at Madras, For fully five minutes 
the bird did not once flap its wings, yet it was moving 
the whole time. The wind furnished the motor power, 
and a slight depression of the wing, or a twist of the tail, 
