(1. Milvus, Vig).

Reddish brown above; beneath ferruginous, with dark longitudinal streaks.

Falco Milvus, Temm. Man. d'Orn. torn. i. p. 59. Kite, Mont. Orn, Diet, and Supp. Selb. Hlust. vol. I. p. 74. pl. 5. Bew. Brit. Birds, vol. I. p. 32.

Dimensions

Entire length twenty-five inches: length of the bill (from the forehead) one inch eight lines, (from the gape) one inch eleven lines; of the tarsus two inches two lines; of the tail twelve inches eight lines; from the carpus to the end of the wing twenty inches: breadth, wings extended, five feet two inches.

Description

(Male). Head and neck grayish white, with fine streaks of dusky brown; the feathers on these parts long, and acuminated: rest of the upper parts reddish brown; the feathers with pale edges: under parts ferruginous, with longitudinal brown streaks: tail long and deeply forked, reddish orange, with obsolete brown bars: bill yellowish brown at the base, towards the tip dusky: cere and irides yellow. (Female). Upper plumage of a deeper brown, with less of the ferruginous tinge; the edges of the feathers paler, approaching to white. (Young of the year). Feathers on the head shorter, and less acuminated; bright red without streaks, tipped with white: upper parts redder than in the adult; feathers on the back and wings dusky in the centre, reddish yellow at the edges: on the lower part of the neck some large white spots. (Egg). Dirty white; the larger end spotted with red brown: long. diam. two inches two lines; trans, diam. one inch nine lines.

Common in some parts of the country, but not generally diffused. Frequents wooded districts, and builds in trees. Food young game, and the smaller quadrupeds.

(Elanus, Sav).

(1). M. Furcatus, Nob. Falco Furcatus, Linn

Syst. Nat. torn. I. p. 129. Nauclerus furcatus, Vig. in Zool. Journ. vol. n. p. 387.

Swallow-tailed Falcon, Shaw, Nat. Misc. vol. vi. pl. 204. Swallow-tailed Elanus, Selb. Illust. vol. I. p. 77.

This species, which is a native of North America, is stated by Dr Fleming (Brit. An. p. 52) as having occurred to the late Dr Walker in Argyleshire, in 1772. A second individual is said to have been taken alive in Yorkshire, in Sept. 1805. (Linn. Trans, vol. xiv. p.583). No British-killed specimen, however, is known to exist in any of our museums.