G?S McGILV — Edgles and Hawks. 



tions iio. ]n-iiicipiilly snbsisls ui)()ii tlieiii. It is a most inorteii- 

 sive bird, does not at lack lambs, and lias never been seen to feed 

 on carrion. On acconnt of it beinj; despoiled of much of its kill 

 by the \\*edjj;e- tailed ICajile, it is not jjenerally jjfiven ci-edit for all 

 the "i'dod work it accomjdishes. It will watch a rabbit for a 

 considerable time, then suddenly descend right on top of it, 

 clutch it in its talons for a few seconds, let go and rise again, 

 only to land fairly on the rabbit and complete the killing. It 

 has been observed to attempt to carry off a fnll-grown ral)bit 

 that it had just caught, but in each instance was unsuccessful. 

 Lizards are also killed for food, for, on one occasion, when a 

 bird was disturbed, a half-dead "sleeping" lizard was left 

 behind. The ycmng are fed on pieces of rabbit, lizards and mice. 

 On one or two occasions remains of small birds were seen on 

 the nest with the young, though no record has been made of * 

 seeing the Little Eagle kill birds. It is to be regretted that this 

 bird is not more numerous, and that there is little likelihood of 

 is increasing, as the number of eggs laid for a sitting is never 

 more than two, and only one egg is found as often as the larger 

 sitting. From a pastoralist's ])oint of view, this is a })ity, for 

 nn(b)nbtedly the Little P'agle kills a great many ral»bits and has 

 no vices. 



The ^^'histling Eagle is one of tln' most numerous of ilic in- 

 land Hawks, and is an inoffensive and useful bird. It kills a 

 considerable numbei* of rabbits, making the cai)ture in the same 

 way as the Little Eagle, but is often robbed of its food by the 

 "\"\>dge-tailed Eagle. In the interioi-. ])lagnes of grass-ho])pers 

 and caterpillars are frequent, and it is during such times that 

 the Whistling Eagle does a considerable amount of good, for 

 it prefers the open country where the pests are thick, and it is 

 then very unusual to see it hunting for other food. Tt is amus- 

 ing to watch it catching grass-ho])iiei-s. (^ne would exj»ect it to 

 catch such a small object in its bill ; not so, for only the clavrs 

 are used. It can often be seen half fiying, half leaping after 

 a grasshopper. It certainly uses the bill Avhen picking up grubs 

 or caterpillars from the ground. It does not attack sheep or 

 lambs, but lives a great deal on carrion. The young birds, which 

 nund)er two or three, are fed on mice, lizards, birds, and pieces 

 of rabbit and lamb. At times a few pieces of rabbit skin are 

 found on the ground under the nest, but it is seldom that any 

 bones or refuse are found there; the bird inust evidently carry 

 them away. 



The Bi'own Hawks, Fork-tailed Kites, and Kestrels can be 

 dealt with together; they are quiet, harmless birds, do not 

 attack lambs and have not been observed to kill rabbits. The 



