Exjiedition to the Zambesi River. 435 



wing 9, tail 6. Iris l)ro\vn ; bill bluish hlack : soft parts 

 yellow ; legs and feet yellow. 



192. Elanus c.eruleus (Desf.). Common. 



193. MiLvus jEGyptius (Gm.). 



This Kite is well distributed, every native village being 

 watched over by one or more pairs. Their numbers increase, 

 however, in the locality on an advent of a swarm of locusts, 

 a food these birds are passionately fond of. Lizards and mice 

 are also preyed upon, these being devoured when on the Aving, 

 while it is not an uncommon thing to see a large whip-snake 

 taken, 2 to 3 feet in lengtb, and as the bird mounts into the 

 air, the snake, hanging down like a length of stout thread, 

 often wriggles loose from the strong claws, but only to drop 

 heavily to the ground, hardly reaching it, however, before its 

 enemy, in one fell swoop, has again transfixed it. Scarcely 

 a day passed without our tent being visited by two or more 

 of these rapacious birds, which at times waxed so bold as 

 to swoop down in front of our skinning-table and carry 

 off the birds we happened to let drop, while on more than 

 one occasion the bodies were those of their own fraternity. 

 During the breeding-season, in September, it is rare to meet 

 with a female, and a long time elapsed before we obtained 

 one. At that season we continually came across parties of 

 males basking leisurely in the full glare of the sun on sand- 

 banks in mid -stream. 



This Kite nests on the rocky clefts of high hills, but on 

 one occasion we found a nest in one of the topmost forks of 

 a tall acacia-tree, around which the two birds were circling. 

 It was a solid, compact structure of sticks, and about 40 

 feet up. When wheeling and circling round the female, the 

 male uttered from time to time shrill mew-like cries. 



In the adult male the bill is yellow, in the female it is 

 always black. 



194. Haliaetus vocifer (Daud.). 



Wherever the river flowed through wooded country we 

 frequently observed specimens of this magnificent Fishing- 

 Eagle, either singly or in pairs, sitting lazily in the glare of 



