294 FALCONID^ AQUILA 



Habits. — This very handsome and powerful bird was first de- 

 scribed by Levaillant, but his description is so faulty and his 

 account of its habits so erroneous, that the name A. vulturina of 

 Daudin, founded on his work, has usually been ignored by subsequent 

 naturalists. Essentially a bird of the mountains, the Dassievanger 

 may be seen in couples sailing along usually at a height of 1,500 to 

 2,500 feet above the sea in search of rock rabbits (Procavia capensis) 

 which form the greater portion of its nourishment ; at times it 

 remains for hours seated on a prominent rock watching ; when 

 flying the legs are carried under the tail in contact with it and the 

 feet are closed. In addition to rock rabbits this eagle preys on 

 young goats and lambs, and also occasionally on sickly sheep ; it is 

 further stated by the Dutch that when it finds a klipspringer 

 {Oreotragwi saltator) or even a rbebok [Pelea capreola) on the edge 

 of a precipice, it dashes at it with wonderful force and knocking 

 over its victim follows it with such velocity as to reach it almost 

 immediately after it has been killed by its fall on the rocks below. 

 Some inaccessible ledge on a krantz or precipice is usually selected 

 as a site for a nest ; this is a huge structure built up of dead sticks, 

 measuring sometimes as much as six feet in height and seven feet 

 across. Here usually in July one or two eggs are laid ; these are 

 rough in texture and of a chalky white with a bluish tinge, blotched 

 here and there with irregular spots of dried blood colour ; in 

 measurement they average 3-20 x 2-35 but they vary considerably 

 in shape. Stark found a nest in the Cedarbergen in Clanwilliam 

 on x\ugust 18, containing one young one covered with white down, 

 while the South African Museum possesses eggs from Frensch 

 Hoek in the Paarl division, obtained many years ago by Mr. Hugo 

 and others from the banks of the Orange river near Nervals Pont, 

 obtained on June 20 by Mr. L. Hobbs. 



517. Aquila rapax. Taiony Eagle. 



Falco rapax, Tcmm. FI. Col. i, pi. 455 (1828). 



Aquila senegalla, Cuv. Begne An. i, p. 326 (1829) ; La yard, B. S. Afr. 



p. 10 (1867) ; id. Ibis, 1869, p. 70. 

 Aquila naevioides, Ctiv. Begne An. i, p. 326 (1829) ; Ay res, Ibis, 1859, 



p. 238 [Natal] ; Lilford, Ibis, 1865, p. 172, pi. v. ; Gurncy, in Anders- 



son's B. Damaraland, p. 6 (1872). 

 Aquila choka, Smith, S. Afr. Quart. Journ. i, p. 114 (1830). 

 Aquila rapax, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 242 (1874) ; id. ed. Layard B. 8. 



Afr. pp. 35, 797 (1875-84; ; Giirney, Ibis, 1877, l^p. 224-236; Ayres, 



