In times not very remote these Kites seem to have played in England the part of scavengers, much in the same way as the Parasite Kite and Govinda now do in India, for Pennant informs us that in the days of Henry VIII. they flew fearlessly about the streets of London, and cleansed them of the mass of filth, which must otherwise have tainted the air with poisonous vapours. To kill one of these feathered scavengers was, in that reign, a punishable offence. The Royal Kites are indolent and cowardly; they frequently hover for a quarter of an hour in the air without any perceptible movement of the wings, merely steering their course by means of their broad tail, by the aid of which they can likewise soar to an enormous height. When upon the ground their gait is extremely awkward, consisting rather of shuffling hops than of regular steps. In disposition they resemble the species we have already described. Their voice is monotonous and somewhat bleating in its tone, but this sound is varied during the breeding season by a tremulous note, sometimes employed at other seasons to express pleasure or contentment. They live upon small quadrupeds, unfledged birds, snakes, toads, frogs, grasshoppers, beetles, and worms; and though they occasionally annoy the farmer by stealing a chicken, or the sportsman by pouncing upon a young hare, these trifling offences are not worth speaking of when we consider the valuable services rendered by them, for without their most timely aid entire crops would be destroyed. Dozens of mice are often devoured by one Kite in the course of a single day, and incalculable hosts of noxious insects are also consumed by these active but much-reviled friends of the farmer and gardener. When about to breed they prefer taking possession, if possible, of a Falcon's eyrie or Crow's old nest, but should this be impossible, they build much in the same manner as the Kites above described. The eggs, usually two, sometimes three in number, are laid about April, and are white, spotted with red. The female alone broods, and her mate busies himself in procuring food. The young are reared like others of their congeners. The Royal Kite is easily tamed, and, according to our own experience, may be considered as the most interesting and pleasing of all caged Birds of Prey. THE SWALLOW-TAILED KITE.