The BLUE KITE, or HEN HARRIER (_Strigiceps cyaneus_), is about seventeen
inches long, of which eight and a half belong to the tail; its breadth
is forty inches, and the length of the wing fourteen inches. The plumage
of the adult male is light greyish blue above, and white beneath; the
nape is striped with brown and white; the first quill is blackish grey,
the five next are black, and only grey or white towards the root, the
rest are entirely grey. The tail is ornamented with a few dark spots.
The plumage of the female is yellowish brown, with white lines over the
eyes, and reddish yellow borders to the feathers on the hinder part of
the head; the under part of the body is of the latter colour, streaked
longitudinally with brown. The pupil of the eye, cere, and feet, are
lemon yellow, and the beak greyish black. The young resemble the mother.