THE KITE. 167 



Nestling. — At first rather thickly covered with down (a) with 

 silky hair-like tips especially long on crown which has a crested 

 appearance ; and some short tufts of down (b). Crown and nape 

 creamy to bunish-white, blackish in front of and over eye, rest of 

 upper-parts pinkish-brown, whitish basally, under -parts creamy- 

 white. In one example examined down (c) was commencing to 

 grow and appeared to be of a more rufous-buff colour. 



Juvenile. — Feathers of crown and nape shorter and less pointed 

 than in adult, rufous-brown with long whitish or buff tips ; feathers 

 of mantle with small pale buff tips not so noticeable as on crown ; 

 upper-breast and flanks with narrower black streaks than in adult 

 and tips of feathers whitish or buff ; rest of under-parts unstreaked 

 pale buff, feathers with chestnut edges ; wing-coverts and inner 

 secondaries with paler buff tips than in adult ; rest of wing-feathers 

 as adult ; tail-feathers duller and with considerably more blackish 

 both at tips and bases, black bars wider and a wide subterminal 

 one on all feathers but usually not complete on central pair. 



First winter and summer. — The juvenile plumage commences 

 to moult in October and new feathers are much as adult but those 

 of crown and nape are more rufous-edged and not so white. Moult 

 is very gradual and apparently does not involve any wing-coverts 

 nor tail- or wing-feathers and usually a good many body-feathers 

 are not moulted. Material is wanting to show exactly when adult 

 plumage is acquired. 



Measurements and structure. — <J wing 480-500 mm., tail : 

 centre 220-250, outer 300-345 (depth of fork 60-110), tarsus 58-64, 

 bill from cere 27-30 (7 measured). $ wing 480-515, tail : centre 

 220-260, outer 310-365. Primaries : 1st between 6th and 7th, 

 4th longest, 3rd as long or 5-15 mm. shorter, 2nd 45-65 shorter, 

 5th 10-30 shorter, 6th 90-110 shorter; 2nd to 5th emarginated 

 outer webs, 1st to 4th abruptly emarginated and attenuated inner 

 webs, 5th not so clearly. Outer secondaries about equal 10th 

 primary, inner ones becoming longer and longest equal to 7th 

 primary, tips rounded. Tail deeply forked, 12 feathers, tips 

 rounded. About half front of tarsus feathered. Claws curved 

 and very sharp, that of middle toe with prominent inner edge. 

 Bill rather broad at base, upper mandible much compressed, 

 curved and sharply pointed at tip which projects, cutting edge with 

 a slight curved projection, under mandible short, shallow and with 

 rounded tip. Nostrils elliptical and just reached by tips of bristle- 

 like loral feathers. 



Soft parts. — Bill black tip, yellow at base and cere ; skin round 

 eye and legs and feet yellow ; iris amber-yellow. 



Characters and allied forms. — M. m. fasciicauda (Cape Verde 

 Is.) is darker and has a rather shorter, darker, strongly barred 

 tail including central feathers, and is somewhat intermediate 

 between this species and Black Kite. 



