102 FALCON. 



38.-BLACK KITE. 



Falco ater, hid. Orn. i. p. 21. Gm. Lin.i. p. 26i2, Bris. Orn. 1. p. 413. Id. 8vo. 117. 

 It. Poseg. p. 28. Daud. Orn. ii. 149, D. Beckst. Deuts. ii. 259. Shaw's 

 Zool. vii. p. 105. Tern. Man. d'Orn. p. 19. Id. Ed. 2. p. 61. 



Brauner wald-geyer, Kram. el. 32G. 5. Gunth. Nest. u. Ey. t. 55, 



Koenigs-weyhe, Natnrf. viii. s. 47. 



Milan lioir, Btif. Ois. i. 203. pi. enl. 472. 



Black Kite, Gen. Syn. i. p. 62. Sibb. Scot. ill. ii, 1. 3. p. 15, 



THIS is smaller than the common Kite, and differs fiom 

 that bird, in having the upper part of the body of a very dark 

 brown ; head, breast, and under parts whitish ; the bill, cere, and 

 legs the colour of those in the common Kite, but the last are more 

 slender; and, according to Kramer, the tail is very little forked at 

 the end ; yet, in attending to this Author's full description, it seems 

 to possess so many markings in common with the Kite, as to 

 cause some hesitation, whether or not it may belong to that species. 



I find, however, in the MS8. notes of the late Rev. J. White, 

 M'ho residetl several years at Gibraltar, that it is regarded by him, 

 and others, as differing fi'om the common species. His specification 

 of it is " F. cera flava, cauda forcipata, corpore fusco-castaneo, 

 capite albidiore." He adds, that both this and the common Kite 

 are frequent at Gibi-altar, resting there in their migration from 

 Africa into Spain, in greatest numbers in March and April, mostly 

 during a brisk westerly wind, directing their flight against it ; they 

 return again in autmnn, but in smaller parties. Mr. White seems 

 positive of its being a different species from the common kite, al- 

 though in many birds the tail is equally forked ; but the irides are 



