Liberia 



<4^ 



met with in other accipitrine birds, especially in the case of 

 the bateleur eagle and the sea eagles {Haliaetus). The bateleur 

 eagle, which ought also to be present in Liberia, but has not 

 yet been recorded there, is quite four years old before it has 

 assumed the handsome black, chestnut, and pale grey plumage 

 of the mature bird. 



The actual relationships of the Kishing vulture (sometimes 

 called the Vulturine sea eagle) are uncertain. It seems to 

 offer some slight affinities to the vultures, but perhaps is more 

 nearly related to the huge Lamm.ergeier. Some authorities 

 have placed it near to the sea eagles, which it certainly resembles 

 in mode of life and in that slow change of colour in the 

 young birds. Though this bird lives chiefly on fish and 

 occasional carrion, it is related of it, both in Liberia and in 

 other parts of Africa, that it will occasionally devour the oily 

 rind of the oil palm nut. Biittikofer states that when it has 

 been feeding on this substance, its flesh is considered to be very 

 appetising by the natives, who eat it under those circumstances. 



The screaming Fishing eagle {llal'uutus vocifer), which 

 inhabits all Tropical Africa, is met with in Liberia along the 

 coast, but is not so common a bird as in the less forested 

 regions. Here also is found the Bat-eating hawk {Mach,fraynphus 

 anderssoni). This bird has a very wide gape, which gives it 

 a misleading resemblance to a large type of goat-sucker. It 

 flies about at dusk, and pursues bats, which seem to be its 

 principal source of food. A handsome sparrow hawk {^Accipiter 

 buettikofe?i), black or dark grey above and white or whitish grey 

 below, with a flush of reddish brown on the sides, orange cere 

 to the beak, orange-coloured eyes and orange legs, was discovered 

 by Battikoter, and is seemingly confined in its distribution to 

 Liberia. A rare and remarkable-looking hawk is the short- 

 winged, long-tailed Dryotriorchis^ which is rather harrier-like in 



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