V 
FALCO MILVUS. 
KITE. 
Generic Character. -5'(f^ Falco Chryfeatos. 
Synonyms. 
Falco Milvus. Lin, Syjl. i. p. 126. 12. Ind, Orn. 
1. p. 20. 37. 
Kite. Br. Zool. 1. 53. U.foL tab. A, 2. Lath. Syn. 
1. 61. 43. Ib.fiipt. p. 17. M?;;/. On/. D/^J?. 
Bewick's Br. Birds Ft, 1./. 63. 
TThE Kite weighs nearly two pounds and a half, and is 
in length rather more than two feet, and in breadth about five 
feet ; bill ftrong ; crown of the head rather flat, the feathers 
on that part have generally a rough appearance ; eyes fierce ; 
tail long and much forked, the outer feathers frequently ex- 
ceeding twelve inches in length ; legs and claws very ftrong ; 
the female differs but little in colour from the male, but rather 
exceeds it in fize, being fometimes two feet fix inches long, 
and five feet eight inches in breadth. 
This fpecies generally inhabits fuch woody places as are in 
the vicinity of farms, as it chiefly depends on the produce of 
the farm-yard for fubfiftence ; its food confifts of chickens, 
young ducks, rabbits, and hares ; on the failure of thefe, it 
greedily devours carrion, m^ce, rats, moles, reptiles of all 
defcription, and even infeds ; it is conftantly changing its 
rcfidence 
