i66 
AI.LEN'S NATURAI.IST’S LIBRARY. 
cour’s Kite (Nauderus riocouri) is the representative in the 
former continent, its place being taken in the New World by 
the following. 
THE PIED SWALLOW-TAILED KITES. GENUS 
ELANOIDES. 
Elanoides, Vieillot, N. Diet. d’Hist. Nat. xxiv. p. loi (i8i8). 
Type, E. furcaius (L.). 
These birds, like the Eagles, have the feet bare but they are 
much weaker than in the last named group, and have not such 
powerful talons. The nostril is oblique, and is generally 
dosed in by a membrane on its upper margin, so Aat the 
nasal aperture becomes almost linear in character. The tail 
is very long and distinctly forked, the outer tail-feather being 
the longest. The wing is also of great length and even ex- 
ceeds the tail in dimensions. 
I. THE SWALLOW-TAILED KITE. ELANOIDES FURCATUS. 
Falco furcaUis, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. P-. I 29 (w66). 
Nauderus funatus, Macg. Brit B. ni. p^.77 (^40); Newton, 
ed. Yarr. Br. B. 1. p. 103 (1871) ; B. O. U. List Brit. b. 
Elanoides furcaul, Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus.i. p. 317 (^^ 74 ) ’ 
Seebohm Br. B. i. p. 63 (1883); Saunders, Man. Bnt. 
B. p. 328, note (1889). 
(Plale XLVII.) 
Adult Male —General colour above black, varied with shades 
of purple or green, according to the light ; mantle and lesser 
wing-coverts deep velvety-black; wings and tail externally light 
slatv-grev, with a slight gloss of purple or bronzy-green, the latter 
tint especially developed on the two centre tail-feathers ; head 
and neck all round white, as well as the hinder part of the back 
and rump ; the entire under surface of the body pure white ; 
upper wing-coverts white at the base, shaded with grey, and 
glossed with green ; under wing-eoverts and bases of inner 
fecondaries white ; bill dark horn-blue ; feet light milk-blue; 
iris rich dark reddish-brown. Total length, 2 1 inches ; culmen, 
I'o; wing, 17'° j t2.ii, i 3 ’° j tarsus, i 4. 
