The kite is a large bird, more than two feet long; and when its wings are spread it would take a
string five feet and a half long to stretch from the tip of one across to the other. It does not fly
very rapidly, but its motion in the air is very graceful and beautiful. On this account it has
sometimes been called the Gled, or the gliding bird.
The kite is very much dreaded and disliked by those who have ducks and chickens, because it
carries them off for food. It also eats frogs and moles: it is said that more than twenty of the
latter have been found in one Kite's nest. It is a cowardly bird, and does not attack any animal
that is strong enough to defend itself. Its nest is usually built between the forked branches of
some tall tree in the thickest part of the forest; and if you could look into one of them in the
spring, you would probably see three eggs, almost white, but a little tinged with blue.
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