36 
FALCONIDiE. 
RAPTORES. 
FALCON! DM ► 
KITE. 
Milvus vulgaris. 
PLATE XIII. 
The Kite appears to be, from choice, rather local; 
whether so or not, it is now in England confined to some 
of our largest woods. Dr. Heysham, speaking some years 
ago, says that it breeds in the woods near Armathwaite 
and Ullswater. Macgillivray says, that, “ from Stirling 
and Perth westward it is often seen, and in some parts of 
the counties of Dumbarton, Argyle, and Perth cannot be 
considered scarce.” Mr. Selby says, that “ it occurs plen¬ 
tifully in Aberdeenshire.” I have seen it in the vicinity 
of Loch Katrine, and have had the pleasure of watching 
its graceful circling flight from the beautiful banks of 
Loch Awe ; and have frequently seen two or three to¬ 
gether when passing the woods in the neighbourhood of 
Alconbury Hill, its well-known breeding place ; and here, 
Mr. Wolley informs me, there were still some left in 1844, 
but that the last of them have been since destroyed— 
that “ in the northern districts the value of some of its 
feathers to the salmon-fisher has greatly contributed to 
its destruction.” Mr. Wolley has also sent me the follow¬ 
ing very interesting notes :—“ It was formerly so abun¬ 
dant in the streets of London, that several visitors from 
the Continent have made a note of their surprise at its 
numbers and familiarity. A learned writer in the ‘Quar¬ 
terly Review,’ in an article upon the Bohemian Embassy 
