i68 
allen’s naturalist’s library. 
margin closing in the nostril, so that the nasal opening appears 
as a linear slit. The tail is forked, so that the outer feathers 
are the longest, and the wings are long and pointed, but the 
difference between the tips of tlic primaries and secondaries is 
more than that of the fork of the tail. 
The True Kites are birds of the Old World, and are dis- 
tributed over temperate Europe, as well as Asia, Africa, and 
Australia. 
I. THE COMMON, OR RED KITE. MILVUS MILVUS. 
Falco milvics, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 126 (1766). 
Milvus regalis,'&.oim-, Macg. Brit. B. iii. p. 265 (1840); See- 
bohm, Br. B. i. p. 74 (1883); Lilford, Col. Fig. Brit. B. 
part xi. (1889). 
Milvus ictim/s, Sav. ; Newt. ed. Yair. Brit. B. i. p. 92 (1871) ; 
Sharpe, Cat B. Brit. Mus. i. p. 319 (1874); Dresser, B. 
Eur. V. p. 643, pi. 361 (1875) 1 B. O. U. List Br. B. p. 99 
(1883) ; Saunders, Man. Br. B. p. 325 (1889). 
(Plale XLVin.) 
Adult Male. — Above brown, with rufous margins to the 
feathers, shading off into buff on the edges, especially on the 
wing-coverts; primary-coverts and primary-quills black, with 
the base of the inner web white ; the secondaries paler brown, 
with rufous edges ; the lower back and rump dark brown ; 
upper tail-coverts rufous, washed with brown ; tail rufous, with 
fulvous tips to the feathers, the outer feathers darker brown on 
the outer web, especially towards the tips, the inner web with 
a few bars of dark brown ; head, sides of face, and throat 
whitish, streaked with dark brown, more narrowly on the latter ; 
chest pale rufous, the feathers margined with buff, and with 
broad brown centres ; remainder of under surface of body 
bright rufous, with longitudinal centres of dark brown, these 
streaks more narrow on the thighs and under tail-coverts; under 
wing-covcrls .and axillaries dark brown, with rufous margins, 
the lower series greyish ; cere yellow ; bill horn-colour ; feet 
yellow; iris yellow. Total length, 24 inches ; cuhnen, i -8 ; wing, 
2o'4 ; tail, iS'o; tarsus, 2’2. 
Adult Female. — Similar to the male. Total length, 24 inches ; 
wing, i8'6. 
Yonno; Bird? are distinguished by the light streaks on the under 
