94 
Mr. Breeds 1 Birds of Europe 
naturalist will so treat it in extenso. But to return :—Mr. Bree 
lias made a singular, and, we fear we must say, a careless error 
in asserting that this bird te is included by Schlegel in his f Fauna 
Japonica’ ”—thereby implying that, on this eminent naturalises 
authority, the species occurs in Japan; for the authors of that 
work say nothing of the kind. They do indeed incidentally men¬ 
tion (Faun. Jap., Ayes, p. 16) “ la Buse commune du Cap, Falco 
tachardus de Shaw ou le Tachard de Levaillant, dont le Uougri 
de Levaillant est Padultebut it is only to say of it that, though 
it resembles the Japanese Buzzard in the* conformation of its 
feet, yet it is “ d’une taille moins forte, et son plumage tire 
fortement au roux a Page adulte.” 
Of the Black Kite ( Milvus migrans, Bodd.) we have only to 
remark that our author is in great error when he says that “ it 
is common in Japan, where it is known by the name of Tobi,” 
&c. Now the Japanese species (called by Messrs. Temminck 
and Schlegel M. melanotis ) is the same as the common Indian 
Govinda Kite (M. govinda, Sykes), and is, notwithstanding Mr. 
Strickland’s opinion (Orn. Syn. i. p. 134), by which we suspect 
Mr. Bree to have been misled, altogether distinct from our Black 
Kite—as any one may see, who will take the trouble to compare 
the two. Therefore, though perfectly willing to admit the Japanese 
themselves to all the privileges of European civilization, we must 
protest against their “ Tobies 39 being treated otherwise than as 
aliens. Besides, as to the Black Kite being “very common in 
Abyssinia,” and again, as our author has it, under the head of 
the Arabian Kite (M. forskahli , Gmel.), “ equally common at the 
Cape of Good Hope ” with that species, these are both statements 
far from correct. The former, the Black Kite, only occurs in 
Abyssinia as an occasional winter visitant, and is never met with 
at the Cape, where its place is supplied by the more truly African 
form. 
As to the Black-winged Kite ( Elanus melanopterus, Leach), 
the last of the birds we have to remark upon, Mr. Bree makes 
some inaccurate assertions. First, “ It forms with its congener, 
the North American ( Swallow-tailed Kite/ which is in the 
British list, the only representative of the genus Elanus of 
Savignyand, again, “ It is found generally distributed over 
