36 Mr. J. H. Gurney on additional Species of Birds 



appears to be done by the rapid motion of the wings beating 

 the air : although far out of shot^ a sudden shout or a stone 

 thrown towards them will frequently cause them to make this 

 curious noise. 



I lately noticed two of these birds soaring at a great height, 

 one of them having a snake 3 or 4 feet long dangling from its 

 claws. 



Haliaetus vocifer (Daud.). Vociferous Sea-Eagle. 



This Eagle, when only wounded, makes a desperate resistance. 

 Throwing himself on his back, he fights with both bill and 

 talons, and woe to the unlucky wight who gets a gripe from 

 the latter ! The Crows, which congregate and drive the largest 

 Vultures from the carcase of any dead beast, are unable to drive 

 aw^ay this bold Eagle. He will also chase the Osprey, and having 

 made him drop the fish he has worked so hard for, appropriate 

 the morsel for his own use. In fact, Wilson's beautiful account 

 of the American Bald Eagle forms a perfect description of our 

 bird, with the exception of the difference in size, and the con- 

 sequent lesser degree of power. 



[The two Sea-Eagles here mentioned are not the only 

 Haliaeti which persecute the Osi)rey, as on the coasts of Au- 

 stralia it is similarly robbed by Haliaetus leucogaster, as I have 

 been informed by that accurate Australian naturalist, the late 

 Mr. F. Strange. According to Dr. Livingstone (^Missionary 

 Travels,' page 240), the Pelican is also a sufferer by the free- 

 booting propensities of Haliaetus vocifer. Dr. Livingstone's 

 remarks on this subject are very curious, and may be here 

 transcribed with the hope of attracting the attention of other 

 observers, and perhaps of obtaining their confirmation of the 

 singular tactics which this Eagle is described by Dr. Living- 

 stone as adopting for the purpose of purloining the Pelican's 

 booty : — 



" This fish-hawk generally kills more prey than it can devour. 

 It eats a portion of the back of the fish, and leaves the rest for 

 the Barotse, who often had a race across the river when they saw 

 an abandoned morsel lying on the opposite sand-banks. The 

 hawk is, however, not always so generous ; for, as I myself was 

 a witness on the Zouga, it sometimes plunders the purse of the 



