THE TRUE KITES. 
171 
or chestnut, some of the eggs being very boldly blotched, and 
with the markings almost black. The red blotches are not 
confined to either end of the egg, as a rule, though sometimes 
this is the case. The spots are generally distributed over the 
egg, when they occur, and serve to bring into relief the larger 
and darker blotches, which give the eggs a very handsome 
appearance. Axis, 2’i-2'35 inches; diam., i'7-i'7S. 
II. THE BL.\CK KITE. MILVUS MIGRANS.* 
Aedpiler korschun, Gm. N. Comm. Petrop. .\v. p. 444 (1771). 
Falco tnigrans, Bodd. Tabl. PI. Enl. p. 28 (1783). 
Milvtts migrans, Newton, ed. Yarr. Brit. B. i. p. 97 (1871); 
Dresser, B. Eur. v. p. 651, pi. 362 (1876); B. O. U. List 
Br. B. p. 99 (1883); Saunders, Man. Brit. B. p. 327 (1889); 
Lilford, Col. Fig. Brit. B. part xix. (1891). 
Milvus korschun, Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. i. p. 322 (1874). 
Milvus afer, Seebohm, Brit. B. i. p. 80 (1883). 
Adult Male. — General colour above dark brown, the median 
wing-coverts paler brown, with darker brown shaft-stripes; 
quills dark brown, paler on their inner webs, ashy-brown 
below, paler towards the base; tail dark brown, somewhat 
rufescent towards the end, with very indistinct bars of darker 
brown ; head all round and throat whitish, with dark brown 
streaks, the ear-coverts washed with browm ; under surface of 
body rufous-brown, becoming clearer rufous on the abdomen, 
the breast broadly streaked with dark brown, more narrowly 
on the abdomen, flanks, and under tail-coverts ; under wing- 
coverts dull browm, washed with rufous and .streaked with dark 
brown, the lower series ashy-brown; cere and gape orange; 
bill black, yellowish at base ; feet yellow, claws black ; iris pale 
greyish-yellow', surrounded by a black line. Total length, 22 
inches; culmen, i’6; wing, i8'i ; tail, ii'o; tarsus, 2'2. 
Adult Female. — Similar to the male in plumage. Total length, 
22 inches; w'ing, i8’o. 
Eauge in Great Britain. — This Kite can only be considered as 
* Though I still believe that the oldest name for this species is Alihtis 
korschun (Gm.), the name is a barbarous one, and as it has no similarity 
to anything Latin or Greek, I am willing to discard it for the more classi- 
cal one of AI. migrans, which has been generally adopted for the Black 
Kite by ornithologists of the present day. 
