82 Mr. L. E. Tnylor — Note.'i from Cape Colony. 



particularly rough bush which they must have had con- 

 siderable difficulty in detaching. 



On the 15th September, having provided ourselves with 

 ropes and tackle, we set out on foot, a party of five, from 

 Simonstown for Cape Pointy a distance of 18 miles, which we 

 covered in 4^ hours. The next day we commenced operations 

 and Mr. C. E. Lane-Poole, although handicapped by having 

 only one arm, volunteered to go down to the nest. This 

 required considerable nerve, for when once over the cliff he 

 was dangling more than 600 feet above terra Jirma. The nest, 

 composed entirely of green material and only slightly 

 hollowed, was placed on a narrow ledge of rock inclined in- 

 wards. It contained one young bird from four to five weeks 

 old, and scattered about were the remains of rock-rabbits 

 (Procavia capensis). Owing to the position in which the 

 nest was placed it was not possible to photograf)h it or even 

 to make very careful observations, but the young bird was 

 brought safely to the top. While these proceedings were 

 going on the old birds flew about in the vicinity of the nest, 

 and I was ready with a gun to shoot them if they showed 

 fight; but this was not necessary and they were spared in the 

 hope that they would breed again and give us further sport. 

 I was informed by the lighthouse-keepers that these birds 

 are most destructive to poultry. A pair breed at Cape 

 Point every year, and the remains of six nests can be seen 

 on one face of the precipice ; from which it would seem 

 that the birds do not reoccupy the same nest every year. [ 

 was also informed that as soon as the young birds are able 

 to forage for themselves they are driven away from the 

 neighbourhood by the old birds, and that if one of the old 

 birds is killed the survivor very soon finds another mate. 



The usual food of these Eagles is rock-rabbits, but they 

 are said to also kill buck, principally Klipspringers {Oreo- 

 tragus saltator). 1 heard an authentic story in connec- 

 tion with the latter which may be worth recounting. A 

 farmer near Paarl, while walking towards the mountains, 

 was met by a friend who asked him, in the customary way, 

 where he was going to and what he was going to do; the 



