VOL. XX. (3) 
NOTES 
259 
nowadays, and that one never sees a Kite, but until about 1845 the Kite was 
a common bird there. I have records of its having nested on those hills ever 
since 1845, but in gradually decreasing numbers until about i860, when the 
last nest appears to have been taken. 
It has to be remembered that the Kite’s presence was obvious. It was 
not a shy bird and somewhat retiring like the Buzzard, and would readily 
come to farms to pick up chickens and offal, and its reddish colour as also its 
conspicuous forked tail, would all cause the bird to be an unmistakable 
object to inhabitants of the country-side. 
As regards specific evidence on the presence of the Kite, this I have largely 
obtained from the late Mr. J. T. White the famous taxidermist of Upper Bath 
Road, Cheltenham. His father, Thomas White, was also a taxidermist, and 
had much business brought to him from the country by farmers and game- 
keepers, as the result of the advent of more shot guns and of closer game 
preserving. He came himself of Cotswold yeoman stock — the Whites, who 
gave their name to Whiteshill near Stroud. There is no question as to his 
knowledge of the identity of a Kite. When this Thomas White was a young 
man ihe died aged 58 in 1876), Ellis, the mill-keeper at Rendcombe, found 
fifteen Kites close by, feeding on the carcase of a sheep, and he was able 
eventually to shoot most of them. A year or so later Thomas White 
assisted in taking the nest and eggs of a Kite at “ The Hewletts ” above 
Cheltenham, and one of the parent birds was shot. J. L. Knapp in his 
Journal of a Naturalist at Thornbury also relates how a gathering of several 
Kites got killed, and points out the specific difference between a Kite and a 
Buzzard when flying away. 
It will be seen, therefore, that it is only reasonable to suppose that the 
bird-name Kite in local names should be referred to the Kite, and it would 
be interesting to collect all such local names. There are one or two “ Kites- 
hills ” in the county besides “ Kite’s Nest.” As a matter of fact, Thomas 
White used to mention that “ Kite’s Nest ” near Stroud obtained its name 
from the large number of Kites that used to breed all round those steeply-cleft 
hills. He considered them commoner than Kestrels in the forties, and stated 
that they were the regular consumers of dead sheep on the Cotswolds. The 
sheep would undoubtedly have been a great attraction. From reports from 
another source (through Mr. A. T. Playne) I have heard that the Nailsworth 
district also proved an attraction for the bird. 
This letter is written not for the sake of argument, but because it seems a 
pity that future generations looking back into the remote past should not be 
able to picture the Cotswolds with its true bird inhabitants and all their 
romance and dignity. It would be equally a pity to say that Ravensgate 
Common, Ravenswell Farm and other such places took their names from 
carrion Crows, because the Raven is now extinct in this country. 
Yours faithfully, 
Wm. Lock Mellersh, 
Author of a Treatise on the Birds of Glos. 
