248 
Mr. Blythes Commentary 
56. Milvus govinda. 
Professor Schlegel (Mus. P.-B. Milvi, p. 2) identifies this with 
the M. melanotis, Schlegel (Fann. Japon. Aves, tab. v. and 
v. b), of China and Japan*. Of the myriads of Indian Kites 
which have been familiarly observed by me for more than 
twenty-one years, I certainly never saw one even approaching 
to the rufous colouring represented in the f Fauna Japonica 5 
(tab. v. b) ; and, so far as I have seen, the adults of M. melanotis 
exhibit a mottling of the feathers of the upper parts, as shown 
in the figures cited, which is never seen in adults of the Indian 
Kite. The Chinese species has, moreover, a rather stouter bill. 
In former years I held this opinion in opposition to that of 
my friend Mr. Swinhoe (in epistolis); but I observe that he now 
gives melanotis (and not govinda) in his “ Catalogue of the Birds 
of China ” (P. Z. S. 1863, p. 260) j\ Mr. Gould, in his recently 
published ( Handbook to the Birds of Australia/ states of 
M. affinis that it “ appears to enjoy a very wide distribution, 
since it not only inhabits Australia, but appears to extend its 
range through the [so-called] Indian Islands to the peninsula of 
India. Mr. Gurney informs us that it occurs in Macassar, and 
certainly in India as far north as Nepaul, though it is generally 
confounded in the latter country with its larger relative M. go¬ 
vinda.” In every assemblage of Indian Kites there is much 
disparity of size, some males being considerably smaller than 
the largest females ; and the former would seem to be undistin- 
guishable from the Australian affinis; but I am not disposed to 
accept the opinion that there are two separable races of Milvus 
in the Indian and Indo-Chinese subregions. In Mr. Gould's 
representation of the common Paria Kite of India (B. As. pi. iv.), 
* “ Fait entendre une espece de chant assez agreable ” ? (G. Schlegel 
as quoted). The Indian species has a loud and shrill tremulous squeal, 
whence its native name of Chit (pronounced Cheel), which has been trans¬ 
ferred by some mistake to Spilornis cheela , as the native name Shikra is in 
like manner transferred from Nisastur badius to Lithofalco chiquera. 
t There is a specimen of M. melanotis in the Zoological Gardens, which, 
M *1 though not labelled as such, is doubtless the individual really received 
from China, rather than an example of undoubted M. migrans which is so 
ticketed. From the latter it is easily distinguishable by its dark iris. 
