The PARASITE KITE (_Hydroictinia parasitica_) is found in large numbers
throughout the whole of North-eastern Africa, and is a constant
frequenter of the banks of the Nile and shores of the Red Sea.
Unlike most of its congeners, this bird always seeks the society of man,
and, as its name indicates, obtains its principal means of subsistence,
not by its own exertions, but by unceasing thefts and petty pilfering;
indeed, amongst the many troublesome members of the feathered tribes by
which African towns are visited, the Parasite Kite stands pre-eminent
for audacity and persevering cunning. Perched upon a lofty palm-tree or
slender minaret, it surveys the people that pass beneath with so keen
and appreciative an eye, that we have been sometimes almost tempted to
imagine that it was actually capable of understanding what the various
signs of daily life indicated, and had made the habits of mankind a
subject of most sagacious study. Is a sheep led through the streets
on its way to the slaughter-house, this bird is sure to follow in the
wake, and obtain more than its share of the pickings. Woe to the buyer
in the market-place who may happen to accost a neighbour, in momentary
forgetfulness of the basket that contains his dinner! In the twinkling
of an eye, the watchful thief has swooped noiselessly down, and is off
with the prize before the unlucky owner has had time to turn his head.
All attempts to frighten the marauder into dropping its booty are upon
such occasions entirely useless. Fear of man it has none, and will snatch
a tempting morsel from his hand with as much coolness as it exhibits
in defrauding its congeners of their hardly-earned repasts. The nobler
Birds of Prey appear thoroughly to despise the miserable thief who is
constantly hovering about in order to harass them, and at once throw down
their prey, as if in contempt of the wily intruder. We have seen the
Peregrine Falcon thus cast away four different captures in the course of
a few minutes, each time returning to obtain a fresh supply for its own
breakfast. The Parasite Kites are usually seen flying about in flocks
numbering some fifty or sixty birds; it is only during the breeding
season that they live in pairs. The eyrie of this species is built upon a
high tree or steeple, and almost every minaret in Cairo is decorated with
several of these structures. The eggs, from three to five in number, are
laid about February; by the end of May the young are fully fledged, and
quite capable of stealing on their own account. The parents exhibit great
attachment and courage in their care of their family.
The general appearance and size of the Parasite Kite corresponds very
closely with that of the Black Kite, except that the plumage is somewhat
lighter than in that bird, and the beak yellow. This species is called
"Hitaie" by the Arabs, that word being supposed to represent its cry,
of which the first syllable "hi" is very sharp, and the latter much
prolonged. This Kite has been the subject of many amusing Eastern fables.
[Illustration: THE PARASITE KITE (_Hydroictinia parasitica_).]