MILVUS GOYINDA, %fces.
Govinda Kite.
Milvus Govinda, Sykes in Proc. of Comm, of Sci. and Corr. of Zool. Soc., Part II. p. 81.—Gray and Mitch. Gen.
of Birds, vol. iii. App. p. 2, App. to p. 24 of vol. i.—Bonap. Consp. Gen. Av., p. 21, Milvus, sp. 2.—
List of Birds in Coll. Brit. Mns., Part I. 2nd edit., p. 43.
Cheele, Jerdon in Madras Journ. of Lit. and Sci., vol. x. p. 71.
melanotis, Temm. et Schlegel, Faun. Japon. Aves, p. 14. tab. v. ?
indicus vel Cheela, ,Hodgs. in Gray’s Zool. Misc. 1844, p. 81.
■ IB Cheela, Gray and Mitch. Gen. of Birds, vol. i. p. 24, Milvus, sp. 3.
melanotis, lb., Milvus, sp. 6.
(Hydroictinia) govinda, Kaup, Isis 1847, p. 119.
Haliaetus lineatus, Gray, 111. Ind. Zool., pi. 18.
Falco Cheela, Lath. Ind. Om., i. p. 14 ?—Daud. Orn., ii. p. 41 ?—Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. vii. p. 69 ?
Cheela Falcon, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., p. 33 ?
Cheela Eagle, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. i. p. 145 ?
Cheel, of the Hindoos.
Common or Pariah Kite, of the European residents in India.
T h is fin® species o f true Kite appears to be very generally dispersed over the Peninsula o f India from
Madras to the base of the Himalayas, performing the same offices there that the Mtlms affirm does in
Australia and the M im s ater in Europe. Like its Australian prototype, it is a bold and fearless bird, the
presence of man, in his wanderings through the country, at all times attracting its presence.
I cannot for a moment consider this bird in any other light than as specifically different from the AT.,ater
of Europe and the M. a finis of Australia; in my opinion they form three very distinct species, of which the
M. Govinda is by far the largest and finest. The accompanying drawing was made from specimens collected
bv Captain Boys, and which now form part of the fine collection at Philadelphia.
“ This very useful bird,” says Mr. Jerdon, “ is very numerous, more especially in cantonments, camps
and villages, and is continually upon the look-out for refuse of every description ; Colonel Sykes says
■ Constantly soaring in the air in circles, watching an opportunity to dart upon a chicken, upon refuse amma
matter thrown from the cook-room, and occasionally even having the hardihood to stoop at a dish of meat
carrying from the cook-room to the house.' Away from the cantonments it preys chiefly on reptiles,
,S cL w r ^ lfd if fm " net occurs in the colouring of the young and old birds, the youthful plnmage being
characterized by a much greater amount of white on the head and neck as we! as on the M g g i
¡ ■ H i 1HC occupying the tips of the feathers of the upper surface and the margins of those of
flm n t d i appears as conspicuously streaked with bufiy white, as in the adult it
is with dark brown. wl)icl, arc of a dark brown margined with white, giving it a
The entire ea c o ^ brown, becoming of a paler hue on the tips of the
streaked appearance, J f . numerous irregular bars of a deeper colonr; breast and abdomen of a
wing-coverts; tail brown, cr y dark brown, bounded on each side by a
paler brown than the upper sur ace, feather, giving the whole a conspicuously streaked
narrow line of brownish white down the ce ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^
hide^dark brown ;^cere and h l r f bwer mandible yellow, upper mandible and point of the lower black;
■ j H I H H .»a - »•■- H