A DAY IN KHAMA's COUNTRY 17 



when brought down. A good-sized falcon or hawk 

 is an awkward creature to deal with when Avounded, 

 especially when it is desired to secure its skin and 

 plumage undamaged. A simple and very excellent 

 plan, since mentioned to me by the well-known 

 naturalist, Mr. J. E. Harting, is to throw a piece of 

 looped string over the hawk's head, and draw the 

 loop tight from both ends. In this way the bird is 

 quickly and mercifully put out of its misery, without 

 harm to the plumage. This bird proved to be a male 

 of the Falco liarmims, sometimes called the South 

 African Lanneroid Falcon {Falco cervicalis of Lichten- 

 stein and Gray's Hand List). It is a fine member of 

 tlie FalconidcOy and is pretty widely distributed in 

 South Africa. The upper colouring is bluish- grey, 

 curiously barred transversely with a deeper shade; 

 the head is reddish-brown, variegated with black ; 

 the under parts are of a warm purplish hue, black 

 spotted upon the thighs ; the tail is barred beneath 

 in different shades of grey ; the legs aud cere are 

 yellow; the eye is of a rich clear orange. The 

 female is more ruddy in general colouring than the 

 male. 



This fine falcon, in length measuring some 17 

 in. or 18 in., is well known as a destroyer of 

 game birds. It is, too, a great ravager of poultry. 

 Mr. Layard, in his Birds of South Africa, says of it : 

 " It will not hesitate to dash at a flock of pigeons 



