during a journey to the Matabili Country. 359 



Serpentarius secretarius (Scop.). 



I only met with this bird on two or three occasions in the 

 Transvaal ; and I saw one pair near the Limpopo. 



Circus ranivorus (Daud.). 



$ . Natal, May 21st, 1873. 



$ . Pietermaritzburg, April 22nd, 1873. 



Beak horn-colour ; legs yellow ; iris light yellow. The 

 second female had the beak black ; legs yellow ; iris hazel. 



Common through Natal and the Transvaal in the open 

 country, frequenting both marsh and high ground. Its flight 

 and habits resemble those of our Hen-Harrier. There seems 

 to be no difference in the plumage of the sexes ; at least I 

 never saw a white male. 



Melierax canorus (RisL). 



«, 6, c?, $ . Transvaal, July 10th 1873. 



Cere, gape, and base of bill orange-red, the rest of the lat- 

 ter black ; feet orange-red ; iris dark hazel. 



Very common in the low bushy parts of the Transvaal. I 

 have seen them hunting quite late in the evening, flying low 

 over the ground with a dashing sort of flight, when they have 

 the appearance of a large male Circus cyaneus. One of the 

 specimens I procured was very tame, allowing me to walk up 

 and shoot it off a tree. 



Melierax gabar (Daud.) . 



6 , adult. Transvaal, July 5th, 1873. 



Cere red, rest of beak black ; legs orange-red ; iris dark 

 hazel. 



6 , young. Transvaal, July 5th, 1873. 



Cere red, rest of beak black ; legs orange-red ; iris light 

 yellow. 



$ , in moult. Transvaal, November 29th, 1873. 



A common Hawk throughout the Transvaal after entermg 

 the bush-country. Its flight resembles that of Accipiter nisus. 



Melierax niger (Bonn. & Vieill.) . 



This bird I only saw twice — once on the Limpopo, and once 

 in the Bamangwato district; on both occasions it was fly- 

 ing with great swiftness. 



