74 
FALCO MISSISSIPPIENSIS. 
vigilance and dexterity ; while his dark red eye sparkj®, 
with rag-e. Notn ithstanding all my cantioii in 
him to carry him home, he struck his hind claw >0'*^ 
my hand with such force as to penetrate into the ho”^ 
Anxious to preserve his life, I endeavoured gently 
disengage it ; hut this made him only contract it 
more powerfully, causing such paii» that I had no oth^ 
alternative but that of cutting the sinew of his 1*^ 
wdth my penknife. The n holc time he lived with '"‘J 
he seemed to watch every movement 1 made ; eret'h'V 
the feathers of his hiuA head, and eyeirni- me 
savage fierceness; considering me, no' doubt, as w 
greater savage of the t;vo. What effect educati'”! 
might have had on this species under the tutorship 
some of the old European professors of falcourv, 1 ki>*’ 
not ; but if extent of wing, and energy of charactt ' 
and ease and rapidity of flight, n ould’have been 
recommendatious to royal patronage, this species p*’’ 
sesses all these in a very eminent degree. 
The long jiointed wings and forked tail point out 
affinity of this bird to that family or subdivision of t j 
falco genus, distinguished by the name of kites, wb'^!^ 
sail without flapping the u'ings, and eat from 
talons as they glide along. 
The Mississippi kite measures fourteeu inches '1 
length, and thirty-six inches, or three feet, in exten'' 
The head, neck, and exterior webs of the secoiidari^ 
are of a hoary white; the lo\\er parts a whitish ff’, 
bill, cere, lores, and narrow line round the eye, 
back, rum]), scapulars, and wing coverts, dark bhicb'^^ 
ash; wiugs, very long and i)oiiited, the third quill f’. 
longest; the primaries are black, marked down 
side of the sh.aft with reddish sornd; primarv' covC^ | 
also slightly touched ivith the same; all the «Pl,’^ 
plumage at the roots is white ; the scapulars are 
spotted with white ; but this cannot be perceived 
the feathers be l)lowii .aside ; tail, slightly forked, i*” j 
as well as the rump, jet black ; legs, vermilion, tin?®, 
with orange, and becoming blackish towards the 
claws, black; iris of the eye, dark red; pupil, black- 
