LA VAILLANT'S BIRDS OF AFRICA. 161 



under the white of the upper ones. The wing feathers are black, and 

 are here and there finely marbled with red and white on their exterior 

 plumelets. The lower part of the back, and the upper tail coverts, are 

 black, with a mixture of dull white. Between the beak and the eye 

 the skin is nearly naked, being only covered by a few hairs ; its colour 

 is yellowish, as also are the base of the bill, the shanks and feet. The 

 iris is reddish brown ; the feathers of the thigh descend half an inch 

 over the shank in front ; the claws and the beak are horn-blue ; the 

 craw, which is slightly perceptible, is covered by long curly down. 

 The tail is slightly rounded ; that is, the outer quills are the shortest, 

 while the others are successively longer as far as the two middle ones, 

 which are the longest of all, and of equal length. 



The female has much less black in her plumage, the white less pure, 

 and the reddish colour less deep. She is larger than the male. 



The wings, when folded, reach to the extremity of the tail, and when 

 extended, measure nearly eight feet across. 



The vociferous eagle, in those parts which subsequently become 

 white, is, when young, of an ashy-grey colour. His tail is then entirely 

 of this colour, but becomes white with age. At the second moulting, 

 there is an equal portion of white and grey ; some of the tail feathers 

 are then absolutely white, others brownish-grey, and some partake of 

 both these colours. It is not till the third year, that the birds assume 

 their elegant plumage, such as may be observed in the coloured plate, 

 [of the original work"] which represents the female. 



The vociferous eagle is found on the sea coasts, and, for the most 

 part, at the mouths of the large rivers, on the eastern and western 

 shores of Africa. Wherever I have been I never met with it in the 

 inland countries, except on the banks of the Orange, or Large River, 

 which is plentifully stocked with fish, this forming its principal food. 

 It chiefly frequents those places which are visited by the tide, and the 

 rivers of Africa being generally only torrents which descend from the 

 mountains, it is easy to conceive that fish must be as scarce in them as 

 it is abundant on the coast, and at the mouths of rivers. 



The vociferous eagle, like the osprey or baldbuzzard, darts with great 

 velocity from a height in the air, upon the fish which it perceives. I 

 have often had an opportunity of seeing this eagle precipitate himself 

 with much noise on the surface of the water, immerge his whole body, 

 and rise up, holding a large fish in his talons. Perched on rocks, or 

 piles of uprooted trees, which have been washed down by the floods, 

 he devours his prey ; here he makes his regular and permanent esta- 



VOL. i. NO. iv. 1833. M 



