BUZZARDS 99 



to obtain a photograph of the parent birds at the nest with 

 young, but they invariably left before sunrise and returned 

 after sunset, when the light was far too faint for a " snap " 

 exposure. The camera was fastened quite close to the nest 

 on a neighbouring bough with 40 feet of tubing attached. 

 Nevertheless, photographing the Buzzards was no easy 

 matter, as the infuriated birds seemed intent on either 

 damaging the camera or our heads, and we had to make 

 most energetic demonstrations to keep the enemy at bay. 

 Many attempts were made to obtain a decent exposure and 

 our adventures were numerous. On arriving at the nest 

 one morning we saw a huge leopard crouched on the tree 

 not far from the nest, and on Our approach it slid to the 

 ground and glided — a flash of yellow — down the kloof. 

 On another occasion, when bird's-nesting in Bluekrantz 

 Gorge, a leopard descended from a tree close to us in the 

 same manner ; the lowest branch could not have been less 

 than 40 feet from the ground, and the animal came down 

 with a crash, but without a jump ; the claw-marks were 

 distinctly visible on the bark to within 3 feet of the ground. 

 On one occasion, while endeavouring to obtain an exposure 

 in a high wind, the camera being lashed to a swaying bough, 

 one of the birds made a vicious swoop at young Boy Ivy, 

 who had been left in the tree to make the exposure, and 

 carried off his cap. The two chicks were finally removed by 

 us, but one of them died when about three months old. The 

 other grew to maturity and was liberated in the yard, but 

 was soon given away owing to its vicious nature. It killed 

 and devoured two tame owls, and a large number of fowls 

 and ducks before it was got rid of. Colonel Abdy, of the 

 Boyal Artillery, took us out to a nest in Baviaans Kloof, 

 near Hatherley, Pretoria District, which was placed on an 

 inaccessible ledge on the face of a krantz. It contained two 

 downy young ones. 



