282 
KITE. 
KITE {Milvus ictinusy Savigny.) 
*Falco Milvus, Linn. Syst. 1. p. 126. 12. — Faun. Suec. No. 57. — Gmel. Syst. 1. p. 
261. — WUl. p. 41. t. 6. — Raii, Syn. p. 17. A. 6. — Lath. Ind. Orn. 1. p. 20. 37. 
— Meyer, Tasschenb. Deut. 1. p. 25. — Milvus vulgaris, Flem. Br. Anim. p. 51. 
— Milvus ictinus. Vigors, Zool. Journ. 2. p. 340. — Milvus regalis, Briss. 1. p. 
414. 35. t. 33. — Ib. 8vo. p. 118. — Le Milan Royal, Bujf. Ois. 1. p. 197. — Ib. 
pi. Enl. 422. — Temm. Man. d’Orn. 1. p. 59. — 'Rother Milan, Bechst. Tasschenb. 
Deut. 1. p. 13 Kite, Br. Zool. 1. No. 53. — lb. fol. t. A. 2. — Arct. Zool. 2. p. 
223. H. — Will. (Angl.) p. 74. — Lewin’s Br. Birds, 1. t. 10. — Lath. Syn. 1. p. 
61. 43. — Ib. Supp. p. 17. — Mont.' Orn. Diet. — Ib. Supp. — Bewick’s Br. Birds, 
1. p. 21. — Haye’s Br. Birds, 1. t. 5. — Shaw’s Zool. 7. p. 103. — Pult. Cat. Dor- 
set. p. 3. — Wale. Syn. 1. t. 10 — Don. Br. Birds, 2. t. 47. — Falco Austriacus, 
Gmel. Syst. 1. p. 262 Lath. Ind. Oin. 1. 1. 39. — Austrian Kite, Lath. Syn. 1. 
p. 62. 45. young bird Selby, pi. 5. p. 15. 
Provincial. — Gled. Puttock. Fork-tail dead. Greedy Glead.* 
This species weighs about two pounds six ounces ; length two feet 
two inches. The bill yellowish, point dusky ; cere yellow ; irides the 
same, but of a light colour. Head grey, streaked down the middle of 
each feather with dusky ; back and wing coverts dusky, edged with 
ferruginous ; the under parts more or less ferruginous, streaked with 
dusky, lightest on the breast ; quill feathers dusky black ; from the fifth 
to the tenth dashed with ash-colour, with a few dusky bars, and white 
at the base and on the inner webs ; the rest are dusky, with obscure 
bars ; the tail is of a bright ferruginous colour, the two exterior 
feathers dusky on the outer webs, the first barred on the inner web the 
same ; the legs are yellow ; claws black. The tail of this bird at once 
distinguishes it from all others of the genus, being much forked ; 
the exterior feathers are twelve inches in length. 
The female is somewhat larger, measuring in length two feet four 
inches ; breadth five feet six inches ; in colour much resembling the 
other sex, but in general not so ferruginous. 
The Kite chiefly inhabits wooded situations, but frequently changes 
its abode in the winter, though it never wholly quits this country. It 
makes a nest early in the spring in a fork of some large tree, composed 
of sticks, and lined with wool, the inner bark of some tree, hair, and 
other soft materials, such as bits of cloth or rags. The eggs are gene- 
rally three in number, rarely four ; these are rather larger than those of 
a hen, of a dirty white, with a few rusty spots at the larger end ; 
sometimes quite plain ; their weight is nearly two ounces. 
This bird, from its great length of wings and tail, is capable of sup- 
porting itself in the air with very little motion, and for a great con- 
tinuance, but is slow in flight ; its depredations therefore are confined 
to such animals as are found on the ground, young- rabbits, hares, and 
game of all kinds, poultry, and young birds incapable of flying. 
