BLACK KITE. 103 



graceful bird exhibits some amusing peculiarities in its 

 nidification. It lias a passion for gaudily-coloured rags, 

 which it assiduously collects and hangs in front of and 

 around as well as in its nest. It does not appear to 

 lay more than three, often only a single egg. A 

 series of its eggs displays richer colouring than one 

 either of the Common Kite or Milvus parasiticus, but 

 the greatest care was taken in identifying each 

 species." 



M. Moquin-Tandon has kindly sent me a drawing 

 from which my figure is taken, which was accompanied 

 by the following remarks: — "This egg was given me 

 by M. Schinz, of Zurich; it comes from the north of 

 Switzerland, where this bird is not common. M. 

 Schinz has figured (plate 38, fig. 4) an egg of this 

 bird covered with very dark small brown spots, very 

 numerous, and mingled together at the smaller end. 

 If the species is authentic, it is a very remarkable 

 variety. M. Thienemann (plate 11, fig. 7) has given 

 an authentic drawing of this egg. I think, however, 

 it is rather too large. I saw a few days ago in the 

 Museum of Natural History, some eggs of F. ater, 

 sent from Africa by M. Favier; they exactly resembled 

 the drawing I send to you." 



An adult male in the Norwich Museum has the 

 head, neck, throat, and upper part of chest striped 

 with brown upon a whitish grey ground. Belly 

 rufous, with the feather shafts black; thighs and 

 under tail coverts rich cinnamon brown, with longitu- 

 dinal markings. Wings above dark brown, lighter on 

 the scapularies; primaries black; secondaries hair 

 brown. Tail above dark brown, underneath grey, with 

 darker transverse bands. Beak black; cere yellow; 

 tarsi and toes grey. 



