Mr. Alwin'ITaagner on the Secretary Bird. 107 



XIII. — The Secretari/ Bird (Serpentarius serpentarius 

 {Miller)). By Alwin Haagner, F.Z.S., Colonial Member 

 B.O.U., &c. 



The Secretary Bird is perhaps one of the most interesting, 

 as well as one of the strangest forms amongst the Accipitres, 

 or Birds of Prey. The genus Serpentarius was founded by 

 Cuvier in 1798, for the reception of this single species, 

 which is found spread over the greater portion of the 

 African Continent, but there is another (fossil) form known 

 from the Lower Miocene deposits in France. 



The Secretary Bird derives its trivial name from the tuft 

 of long feathers at the back of the head, which is supposed 

 to resemble the pens behind the ears of a clerk. To the 

 Boers it is known as the Sekretaris vogel or, more commonly, 

 as the Slangvreter (Snake-eater). " Mxanxosi " of the 

 Amaxosa and " Mtungunono " of the Zulus. The generic 

 characters may be summarised as follows : — 



Beak hooked and with a rounded culmen ; cere narrow 

 and nostrils oval. The sides of the face round the eye bare 

 of feathers. Occiput furnished with a long crest. Tail con- 

 sisting of twelve feathers, the central two being lengthened, 

 and the remainder graduated. Legs long and brittle. 



Adult bird. Ashy grey above, the wing-feathers being 

 black. Lower back black, narrowly barred with white. 

 Ui)per tail-coverts white. Tail very pale grey, with a sub- 

 terminal black bar and a white tip. Below white and pale 

 grey. Upper portion of legs and sides of abdomen black, 

 which accounts for the saying of the Cape Hottentots, viz., 

 that the bird wears trousers. Iris pale hazel brown. Upper 

 mandible bluish white, lower yellowish. Cere greenish 

 yellow. The naked skin round the eye ranges from a dirty 

 yellow to a bright orange. Legs lead-colour to pale flesh- 

 colour. 



Total length 4 feet G inches to 4 feet 9 inches. Wing 

 26 to 28 inches. Tail about 2 feet long. The females are 

 usually slightly larger and perli;ii)S a little darker than the 

 males. 



