KITE.
BARCUD, IN ANCIENT BRITISH. GLEAD. PUTTOCK. FORK-TAILED KITE.
Milvus regalis, BRISSON. Falco milvus, LINNAEUS. Milvus Ictinus, SAVIGNY. Milvus vulgaris, FLEMING.
Milvus—A Kite. Regalis—Royal—regal.

The Latin and English names of this species are to say the least, inconsistent with each other, the word 'Kite' being equivalent in our language to the word craven or coward, and the term 'Royal' being inseparable from the idea of spirit and bravery. Nevertheless, the ap pearance of this bird is certainly stately and handsome, and if his inward qualities do not correspond with it, and with the name he can only thence have derived, it is no fault of his, he is as nature made him, and well it were if his highest superiors in the scale of creation could all say as much. Buffon however asserts that the name 'Royal' has been given to it, not from any supposed royalty in itself, but because in former times it was considered royal game.
The Kite is common throughout Europe, being found even in very northern latitudes. It inhabits Italy, France, Switzerland, and Germany; is not very uncommon in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Russia, and is met with, though rarely, in Holland. It is also found in various parts of the north of Africa, and over Siberia and the greatest part of Asia. Clusius relates that this bird was formerly very abundant in the streets of London, and very tame; it being forbidden to kill it on account of the use it was of, in acting the part of a scavenger.
The Kite is described by authors as being local in this country, and strange indeed would it be if it were not. Where is a bird of its size, and of its handsome appearance, and which is moreover so easily caught in traps, and so destructive of game, to remain incognito, or in safety in these days? The marvel is that a single specimen survives, 'sola superstes,' as a living monument of the former existence of its kind. In these times of so-called 'progress' it is however to be feared that even this state of things may not continue—no 'Aborigines Protection Society' exists for the Kite.
In Yorkshire, this bird has been in former times far from uncommon, but the following are all that are now on record. About twenty-five years ago one was caught in a trap at Edlington wood, near Doncaster, and a pair were taken from the nest by Mr. Hugh Reid, of that place. One was obtained in Hornsea wood, in 1833, and another in Lunn wood, both near Barnsley, in 1844. It has been observed, but very rarely, near Halifax, and one was seen by Charles Waterton, Esq., near Huddersfield. Others by Sir William Jardine, Bart., and one by Mr. W. Eddison, shot near Penistone, but there is no notice that I am aware of, of any having been met with in the North or East Ridings. Not far from Alconbury hill, a well-known place on the old 'Great North' road, (how different in all but name from the 'Great Northern,')—a locality in which I perceive that Mr. Hewitson records that he has seen it, I had the pleasure some years ago of seeing the Kite on the wing; too striking a bird, when once seen, not to be easily recalled at bidding before the mind's eye.
In addition to the before-named places, this 'Royal' bird has been a dweller in several parts of Wales, and of Scotland. Many have hitherto found a temporary refuge in various parts of the 'far north.' The waters of Loch Awe have reflected the graceful flight of some, and the 'bur nished gold' of Loch Katrine has been darkened by the passing eclipse of others. In Sussex it was, says Mr. Knox, indigenous in former times, but is now no longer known there, only one near Brighton, and one near Siddlesham, having occurred within the last ten years. In the New Forest in Hampshire it has hitherto been frequently seen. In the parish of Hursley, near Winchester, it is recorded by W. P. Heathcote, Esq., to have been formerly very common, and occasionally to have bred there. It used also to be seen constantly about the meads, but this is many years agone. In Devonshire it seems to be very rare: Montagu only observed one there in the course of twelve years; Dr. Moore has recorded a few; one was caught on Trowlsworthy warren, Dartmoor; one at Widey, in 1831; one at Saltram; and one at Sydenham, in 1835. One at Countessbury, near Lynmouth, in April, 1861, and one near Austen Gifford, in October, 1862. Another at Croome Court, Worcestershire, the seat of Lord Coventry, in January, 1870. A few in Durham, Cumberland, where the woods around Armathwaite and Ullswater are or were breeding places; Northum berland, Westmoreland, Essex, and Hertfordshire; very rarely in Gloucestershire—between Gloucester and Bristol, according to Mr. Knapp. In Norfolk one an old male was caught in a trap near Thetford, November 16th., 1888. In Lincolnshire it used to be not uncommon in the neighbourhood of Swinhope, as the Rev. R. P. Alington informs me; also at Bradfield, in Berkshire. One was killed at New Romney, in Kent, in 1840; one at Lincoln, October 25th., 1851, as'Mr. William Felkin, Junior, has informed me. One caught in Blenheim Park, Oxfordshire, of which James Dalton, Esq., of Worcester College, Oxford, has written me word. In Cornwall at Trescobeas, Tolvern, Swanpool 1846, and Pennance 1846. I was very glad to hear of one seen by Colonel Prescott Decies, of Bockleton Court, near Tenbury, Worces-tershire, May 9th., 1881, of which his daughter Miss Ruth Prescott Decies wrote me word. Also Mrs. Georgina Pasley, of Moverhill, Botley, Hampshire, of a pair there for several years.
It is said by J. J. Briggs, Esq., in his catalogue of the Birds of Melbourne, (the Derbyshire place of that name,) to be there some-times seen sailing over the grass fields at a considerable height, in a steady and graceful manner; and the Rev. Messrs. Matthews, in their catalogue of the Birds of Oxfordshire, say likewise, that a few years ago it was so common there, that occasionally two or more might be seen at the same time about its favourite haunts, but that it has now become very scarce.
In the Hebrides it appears to be unknown. In Sutherlandshire it is becoming very rare, though formerly common. On the banks of Loch Fine it is said by Sir William Jardine to be more abundant than in any other quarter of the country, on Ben Lomond, as also in many parts of the western Highlands, Aberdeenshire, Stirlingshire, Nairneshire, and Argyleshire, but only north of the Forth, being almost entirely unknown in the south of Scotland; Gledsmuir (?) Mr. Macgillivray says that in the space of eight years only one specimen came into the hands of the Edinburgh bird-stuffers. In Moray, the Rev. G. Gordon says that it is sparingly diffused in the more wooded districts, that a pair built in 1832, near Cowder Castle, one of which was killed. Thomas Edmonston, Esq., Junior, says, that it is an occasional straggler in Shetland. One was killed by the gamekeeper of G. S. Foljambe, Esq., in the year 1838, on a hill near Rothes.
In Ireland, it is stated by Smith, in his history of Cork, which was completed in the year 1749, to have been at that time common. Now, however, it is said by William Thompson, Esq., of Belfast to be known only as a very rare visitant. The Rev. Joseph Stopford has seen it at Ballincollig Castle, in 1827, and near Blarney. In the Park of Shanes Castle, the seat of Lord O'Neil, two were seen by Mr. Adams, his lordship's gamekeeper, one about the year 1830, and the other in March, 1835. Others are said to have been observed in the same park in previous years, and one was once seen by William Ogilby, Esq., in the county of Londonderry.
It retires in great numbers from the north of Europe to Egypt and the northern shores of Africa before winter, staying there to breed, and re-turning again in April to Europe, where it breeds a second time, contrary to the nature of rapacious birds in general. It remains with us the whole year, but may be, and indeed probably is, partially migratory.
In proof of the docility of this species, it may be mentioned that R. Langtry, Esq., of Fortwilliam, near Belfast, had a pair brought up from the nest, which were given their liberty every morning, and after soaring to a great height in the air, used to return and come to call.
The flight of the Kite is rapid, and like several other birds of prey, it soars at times to a vast height, and there frequently remains for hours together, seemingly in the tranquil enjoyment of its easy exercise: some-times it ascends beyond the reach of human vision, doubtless, however, its sight far excelling ours, it can perceive objects in the 'vast profound,' and at times it descends from a great altitude upon its prey, with aston-ishing swiftness. One of the vernacular names of this bird, the Glead or Gled, is derived, according to Pennant, from the Saxon word 'glida,' descriptive of its gliding motion. Wheeling round and round, supported on its extensive wings, and guided by the steering of its wide tail, it thus by degrees advances, sometimes for a time poising itself in a station-ary position. If its nest is attacked or approached, it dashes in a wild manner around and near its enemy, supposed or real, with screams, either caused by alarm for its young, or intended to excite fear in its assailant. When searching for prey, it flies at a moderate height from the ground at an elevation of from about twenty to about one hundred feet, performing a variety of sweeps and curves, and appearing, as indeed at other times, to be not only guided, but almost partially supported, by its wide-spread and expansive tail, which it moves about from side to side. Buffon, quoted by Macgillivray, says of its flight,' 'one cannot but admire the manner in which it is performed; his long and narrow wings seem immoveable; it is his tail that seems to direct all his evolutions, and he moves it continually; he rises without effort, comes down as if he was sliding along an inclined plane: he seems rather to swim than to fly.' Frequently, however, his flight is unsteady and dashing, strongly resembling that of several of the Sea-gulls.
The food of this species consists of small quadrupeds, such as leverets, moles, mice, rats, and rabbits; game, and other birds, especially the young; as well as frogs, lizards, snakes, worms, insects, and occasionally carrion, and it is said by Bewick that it is particularly fond of chickens, but that the fury of the mother is generally sufficient to scare it away.
In search of these, it, like the Sparrow Hawk, sometimes approaches the poultry yard, but doubtless such approaches were far more common in former times than now. Montagu, however, in his 'Ornithological Dictionary,' gives an account of one which was so eager in its attempt to obtain some chickens from a coop, that it was knocked down by a servant girl with a broom, and he relates that on another occasion, one of these birds carried off a portion of some food which a poor woman was washing in a stream, notwithstanding her efforts to repel him. They have been known to feed on fish, the produce of their own capture from a broad river, and will readily devour the reliques of a herring or other fishery.
The Kite, like the Buzzards, and unlike the Eagles and Falcons, does not pursue its prey, but pounces down unawares upon it.
Its note is called by gamekeepers and others its 'whew,' a peculiarly shrill squeal.
The author of the 'Journal of a Naturalist,' has the following curious account in his entertaining and profitable book. He says, 'I can confusedly remember a very extraordinary capture of these birds when I was a boy. Roosting one winter evening on some very lofty elms, a fog came on during the night, which froze early in the morning, and fastened the feet of the poor Kites so firmly to the boughs, that some adventurous youths brought down, I think, fifteen of them so secured! Singular as the capture was, the assemblage of so large a number was not less so; it being in general a solitary bird, or associating only in pairs.' The truth of this fact has been doubted by some naturalists, but the late Bishop of Norwich, Dr. Stanley, has brought together abundant corroborative instances of a similar kind, which I intend to quote when treating of the birds to which, they refer.
In the breeding season it is a common thing to witness conflicts between the male birds. Montagu speaks of two which were 'so iutent on combat that they both fell to the ground, holding firmly by each others' talons, and actually suffered themselves to be killed by a woodman who was close by, and who demolished them both with his bill-hook.' It also at such times approaches the villages, which at other times it avoids, perhaps searching for material for its nest. The young are defended with some vigour against assailants. The hen sits for about three weeks, and during that time is diligently attended to by the male bird.
The nest is built early in the spring, between the branches of a tall tree, but rather in the middle than at the top, and occasionally on the ground in rocky places, and is composed of sticks, lined with any soft materials; such as straw, hair, grass, wool, or feathers. It is flat in shape, and rather more closely compacted than that of some other birds of the Hawk family, and is generally built in the covert of a thick wood.
The eggs of the Kite, which are rather large and round, very much resemble those of the Common Buzzard, and possibly this fact may afford some confirmatory justification of the juxtaposition of these birds. The ground colour is a dingy white, bluish or greenish white, or dull brownish yellow, and in some instances unspotted at all; in others it is dotted minutely over with yellow or brown, or waved with linear marks; and in others is blotted here and there with brown or reddish brown, but especially at the lower end. They are generally two or three in number—rarely four.
This handsome and fine-looking bird weighs light in proportion to its apparent size, so that it is very bouyant in the air: its weight is only about two pounds six ounces, or from that to two pounds and three quarters; length, two feet two inches, to two feet and a half; bill, yellowish, or yellowish brown at the base and edges, and dusky or horn-colour at the tip. In extreme age it all becomes of a yellowish colour; cere, yellow; iris, yellow; bristles are found at and about the base of the bill. The head, dull greyish white, light yellowish brown, hoary, or ashy grey, with brown or dusky streaks in the middle of each feather along the shaft; the feathers are long, narrow, and pointed. In some specimens the head is rufous. The feathers of the neck are also long and pointed, which gives a kind of grizzled appearance to that part; it is light yellowish red in front, each feather being streaked with dark brown, and the tip reddish white; nape, chin, and throat, greyish white; breast, pale, rufous brown, each feather with a longitudinal streak of dark brown; back, reddish orange, or rufous brown, with dusky or dark brown stripes in the centre of the feathers, the margin of each being pale, or dusky, edged with rust-colour; the breast is lighter than the back, and specimens vary much in depth of colour in both parts.
The wings extend to five feet, and, when closed, two inches beyond the tail; the quill feathers are dusky black, from the fifth to the tenth dashed with ash-colour, with a few dusky bars, and white at the base and on the inner webs; the rest are dusky with obscure bars; of the tertiaries some are edged with white the under surface of the wings, near the body, is rufous brown with dark brown feathers, edged with reddish brown towards the outer part of the wing. The feathers of the greater wing coverts are dusky, edged with rust-colour; the two outer primaries, nearly black; the others greyish brown on the outer web, and paler, barred with blackish brown, on the inner: the fourth quill is the longest, the third only a little shorter, the fifth neatly as long, the second a good deal shorter, and the first much shorter than the second; secondaries, greyish black, or deep brown, shaded with purple, the tips, reddish white, the inner webs more or less mottled. The tail is the distinguishing feature in this bird, as the legs are in the Rough-legged Buzzard: it is both wide and long, and in general, though not always, even in very old specimens, perhaps owing to the moult, very much forked. The bird may by it be 'challenged' at any distance from which it is brought in sight. Its upper side is reddish orange, or bright rust-colour with white tips, the outer webs being of one uniform colour, but the inner barred with dark brown, the outer feather on each side the darkest in colour, beneath it is reddish white, or greyish white, with seven or eight obscure brown bars. The middle feathers are a foot long, the outer ones between fourteen and fifteen inches. The two outermost, which turn slightly outwards at the tip, are dusky on the outer webs, the first barred on the inner web with the same. The bars of the upper surface shew through to the under: upper tail coverts, rufous, or reddish orange; under tail coverts the same; legs, yellow or orange, short, scaled, and feathered about an inch below the knee. The toes are small in proportion to the size of the bird: the outer and middle ones are united by a membrane; claws, black, or bluish black, and not much hooked.
The female is, as I have so often had occasion to remark before of the Hawks, considerably larger than the male. Length, two feet four inches. Her plumage inclines more to grey and orange than his, and the larger of the measurements given above belong to her. The feathers on her head become gradually more grey, until they fade to a pale hoary white. The wings extend to the width of five feet and a half.
The young, when first fully fledged, are of a deep red, especially on the back, and the central markings of the feathers are darker and larger than in the adult bird; the head and neck are also darker. The iris is yellowish brown; the feathers on the back have a tinge of purple; the bars on the tail are more distinct, and the colour of it is darker than in the old bird.
In the young bird of the year the feathers of the head and neck are shorter and less pointed, reddish in colour, and tipped with white, the back more rufous than in the adult.
After the first moult, the young birds nearly acquire their perfect plumage. The central dark markings on the feathers become less, and their red edges paler with advancing age.
The varieties of this species as to size and colour, though not unfrequent, are unimportant.

"The wheeling Kite's wild solitary cry."
KERLE