94 THE FARMER S FOES 



fondness for Rock-rabbits (Procavia capensis). It is coal- 

 black with a snowy-white patch in the centre of the back. 

 It is a bird of the mountain regions, and is fairly well 

 distributed in South Africa, including South-West Africa, 

 but is rarer in Rhodesia. Length about 33 inches. 



This handsome bird preys on lambs and kids, and even 

 on sick sheep. It nests on high cliffs, building a huge nest 

 of sticks, and lavs, during the month of July, one or two eggs 

 of a bluish-white colour, sparingly blotched with red-brown. 

 Lieut. C. G. Davies, 1st S.A.M.R., gives a fine account of 

 this bird in South- West Africa in a recent number of the 

 S.A. Journal of Natural History. 



The Tawny Eagle (A. rapax) — the Coo-vogel of the Boers — 

 i:- reddish-brown above and tawny-brown below. 



Like its much larger congener, the Black Eagle, it will 

 kill and eal sheep and goats, and has also been observed 

 devouring carrion. It nests in trees, also during winter, 

 and its eggs resemble those of the foregoing species, but are 

 considerably smaller. Length, 27 to 31 inches. 



The Brown Crested-Eagle (Hieraaetus wahlbergii) is dark 

 sepia-brown in colour, and possesses a crest. Length, 21 to 

 ■23 inches. This bird is not uncommon on the Magaliesberg 

 Range and the Pretoria Bushveld (Central Transvaal). 



The African Eawk-Eagle (Hieraaetus spilogaster) is 

 brownish-blaet above spotted with white; under parts 

 white, streaked with black. The young plumage is tobacco- 

 brown above and reddish-fawn below. Length, 2b* to 27 

 inches. This Kagle is very destructive to poultry. 



The Martial Eagle (Spiza'etus bellicosus) is dark sepia above 

 and below, except the abdominal regions, which are white 

 spotted with hiown. Length, 31 to 33 inches. 



This bird is as large and powerful as the Black Eagle, 

 and resembles it in its depredatory habits. Its chief prey 



