178 
ai.len’s naturalist’s library. 
tail darker brown, the sub-terminal one very broad ; head grey 
this colour e.xtending on to the sides of the neck ; under surface 
of body white, narrowly streaked with brown, these streaks 
widening out into a spade-shaped spot on the sides of the 
breast ; flanks and abdomen also spotted with brown ; under 
wing-coverts also brown, the inner ones and the axillaries white 
with a few brown spots or bars, the lower series white with 
broad blackish bars ; cere grey ; bill black ; iris straw-colour. 
Total length, 25-5 inches; culmen, 1-4; wing, 17-2; tail, iro; 
tarsus, 2-0. > > > > 
Adult Female — Similar to the male in colour. Total length 
23 inches ; wing, i6-6. ® ’ 
Young Bird — Distinguished by its brown head and face and 
by the markings on the tail, which, besides the two brown 
bands (one median and one sub-terminal), has the basal part 
varied with six or seven broken bars or mottlings. The 
under surface of the body is dull rufous-brown, with very dis- 
tinct black shaft-stripes, the under tail-coverts and some of the 
breast-feathers paler and more buff at their bases ; the head 
and hind-neck spotted with buff, the feathers having their 
points of this colour ; forehead and eyebrow white, and the 
wing-coverts also tipped with white. 
As the young birds progress to maturity the under surface 
becomes barred with white. 
Helamsm — 1 he Honey-Kite, both in its young and adult 
plumage, is very subject to melanism, and examples are often 
shot which are entirely brownish-black. 
Eauge in Great Britain. — The present species used to breed in 
many parts of England, arriving in early summer to nest in 
the wooded districts, but the beauty of its eggs and the raritv 
of the bird have caused its destruction in this country and of 
late years I have not heard of any being taken in the New 
Forest, which may be regarded as the last stronghold of the 
Honey-Kite in England. In Ireland it appears to be a very 
rare visitor, and the same may be said of Scotland, in parts of 
which the species used to breed. In autumn a few examples 
are procured at the time of the southward migration, and it has 
been stated to occur in winter occasionally. 
