. A history of British birds . t tail-feather fifteen beak is horn-colour, cere and irides yellow; the feathersof the head and neck greyish-white, streaked along theshaft with ash-brown ; those of the back and wing-covertsdark brown in the middle, broadly edged wdth rufous; theinner web of some of the tertials edged with white : theprimaries nearly black: upper tail-coverts rufous; tail red-dish-brown and deeply forked, the inner webs barred withdark brown ; the outer feathers the darkest: the chin andthroat greyish-white, streaked with dusky; the breast, bellyand thighs, rufous-bro
. A history of British birds . t tail-feather fifteen beak is horn-colour, cere and irides yellow; the feathersof the head and neck greyish-white, streaked along theshaft with ash-brown ; those of the back and wing-covertsdark brown in the middle, broadly edged wdth rufous; theinner web of some of the tertials edged with white : theprimaries nearly black: upper tail-coverts rufous; tail red-dish-brown and deeply forked, the inner webs barred withdark brown ; the outer feathers the darkest: the chin andthroat greyish-white, streaked with dusky; the breast, bellyand thighs, rufous-brown, each feather with a median streakof dark brown : the wings beneath, rufous near the body, withdark brown feathers edged with red-brown on the outer part ;under tail-coverts rufous-white : the tail beneath greyish-white, with dark bars ; the tarsi and toes yellow; the clawsblack. The females are rather larger than the males, and havethe head greyer, with the body beneath more rufous. BLACK KITE. ACCIPITRES. 97 FA ICON IDJ^.. MiLvus MIGRANS (Boddacrt *).THE BLACK KITE. The Black Kite is supposed by some ornithologists tobe one of those species which are gradually extending theirgeographical range, and being also a rather widely distri-buted European bird, little excuse seems to be needed forincluding it in this work, though as yet only a single instanceof its occurrence in the United Kingdom is known with cer-tainty. This instance was recorded by Mr. John Hancockin The Ibis for 1867 (p. 253), as follows :— A fine mature male example of the Black Kite, Mllvusmujrans (Bodd. 1783) {Falco ater, Gmel. 1788), came intomy possession in a fresh state on the 11th of May, 1866. * Falco migrans, Boddaert, Table des Planches Enlumineez, p. 28, no. 472 (1783). 98 It was taken in a trap by Mr. F. Fulger, the Duke ofNorthumberlands game-keeper, a few days before, in theRed Deer Park at Ahiwick. This is, I believe, the firsttime that this fine rapacious bird has occurred in Br
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Keywords: ., bookauthorsaun, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, booksubjectbirds
