BLACK-WINGED KITE. Ill 



From Le Vaillant we read, "It rests on trie tops of 

 trees, where the pure white of its stomach glistens in 

 the sun; but when it flies it is by its piercing cry 

 that its presence is announced. It lives upon large 

 insects, such as grasshoppers, mantis, etc.; and it chases 

 the Crows and Magpies which live upon the same 

 kind of food, with much courage from its domicile. It 

 exhales an odour of musk very distinctly. It places its 

 nest large and wide in the bifurcation of trees, lining 

 it with feathers and moss, and laying four or five white 



per ere." 



The Rev. H. B. Tristram, in his "Catalogue of Alge- 

 rian Birds," says of Falco melanopterus : — "This beau- 

 tiful bird is extremely rare in Algeria. A female 

 specimen was the only one obtained during the spring. 

 The egg is interesting as corroborating by its character 

 the position of the species between Astur and Buteo. 

 It is believed to be hitherto unknown to British col- 

 lectors." 



The adult male and female have the vertex, nape, 

 and mantle ashy grey, lighter on the head. Face, front 

 of neck, and under parts of body pure white, shaded 

 with bluish ash-colour upon the sides of the cheek; 

 eye-brows and a spot in front of the eyes black; wings, 

 when folded, partly black and partly a more or less dark 

 ash-colour, with the carpus and the edge pure white. 

 Tail shaded with grey above, white below; beak black; 

 iris and feet orange yellow. 



Young birds. — Colours duller, with the feathers of 

 the upper parts edged with ferruginous red; those of 

 the under parts longitudinally marked with brown 

 streaks or spots; wings slate-coloured, with the coverts 

 and quills ending in a reddish white; tail ash-coloured, 

 tipped with white. When first born they are covered 



