Mr. E. L. Layard on South-African Ornithology. 71 



14. Spizaetus coronatus. Mr. W. Atraore writes to me 

 that this species " prefers thickets of mimosa-trees, and is very 

 destructive to geese and young lambs. It makes a large nest in 

 a mimosa, and lays two large white eggs, much pointed at the 

 small end." 



16. Spizaetus occipitalis. Dr. Atherstone, of Graham's 

 Town, writes of one which he had tame for some time, that " he 

 used to walk up and down the river's bed, catching frogs, and 

 afterwards was so mean as to kill our pet toads and lizards on 

 our grass-plat." For the enormity last mentioned, he was trans- 

 ported; and I saw him on his way to England in the mail 

 steamer, mewed up in a hen-coop. It served him right ; for he 

 was too grand-looking a bird to descend to such ignoble game. 



21. Haliaetus vocifer. This Fish-Hawk does not always 

 confine himself to the prey mentioned by me (B. S. Afr. 

 p. 17). Lately, while on a shooting-excursion on the sea-coast 

 near L'Agulhas, I found a fine male example, in young 

 plumage, hung on a tree with a bullet-hole through his chest. 

 His crime was, that night and moaning for several days he had 

 regularly carried off one of my friend Mr. Van der ByPs lambs ! 

 Mr. Atmore also writes me word that they will kill lambs. Mr. 

 Ortlepp sent a splendid egg of this bird, taken from a nest on 

 a tree on an island in the Orange River. It is pure white, with 

 a very fine grain, and is much pointed at the small end. 



44). Accipiter gabar. Le Vaillant's account of the eggs 

 and nest is correct. The eggs are, axis 1*67 in., diam. 1*291. 

 The nest is sometimes lined with wool. 



46. Melierax musicus. Mr. Jackson says that this spe- 

 cies never lays more than three eggs, and more often only two. 

 The bird is very abundant in his neighbourhood. • 



58. Bubo capensis. Mr. Atmore writes that it is " common 

 in the Karroo, but rare at George. I once took a nest at 

 Buffelsjaghts River in a mimosa-tree, that had been used by a 

 Crow the previous year. It contained three white eggs." 



64. Otus capensis. I met with several of these Owls at 

 Naghtwaght, the residence of Mr. Alexander Van der Byl, 



