30 
Synopsis of the Birds 
SUBMENUS VI. ICT1NIA. 
Ictinia , Vieill. Milans , Temrn. Buteo, Cuv. 
Bill short, narrowed above ; tipper mandible angularly 
lobed ; lower distinctly notched; cere glabrous: nostrils 
rounded. Tarsi short, slender, scutellated, feathered for a short 
space ; outer toe connected at base by a membrane ; nails 
short, not very acute. Wings greatly elongated ; reaching 
much beyond the tail ; third primary longest. Tail even. 
Bold : feed on small birds, reptiles, &tc. but chiefly on 
insects. Sail in easy circles at a considerable height in the 
air. Intermediate between Falco and Milvus, somewhat 
allied to Buteo. 
15. Falco plumbeus, Gra. Blackish-ash; head, neck, and 
beneath, considerably paler ; tail black ; cere black ; feet 
and irides red. 
Young bluish-black ; head and beneath whitish, spotted 
with bluish-brown ; tail with three white bands beneath; cere 
yellowish. 
Mississippi Kite, Falco mississipiensis , Wils . Am. Orn. Hi. 
p. 80 .pi. "25. fig. l. adult male. 
Inhabits the Southern States, South America, and Mexico ; 
common on the Mississippi near Natchez. 
SUBGENUS VII. ELANUS. 
Elanus , Savigny, Cuv. Leach. Milans , Bechst . 
Elanoides , Vieill . Milans, Temm. 
Bill f<1 of middling strength, cleft beyond the eyes, much 
compressed, rounded above ; lobe of the upper mandible ob- 
tuse ; cere villous: nostrils oval. Tarsi short, thick, reticu- 
lated, half feathered in front ; toes cleft to the base ; nails 
large, acute. Wings greatly elongated : first and third pri- 
maries subequal ; first and second strongly, emarginate within, 
the latter longest. 
Timorous, with a comparatively small and weak bill, 
