4 Mr. H. Leighton Have on 



Knoi'haan sought refuge on the ground the dog would flush 

 it. The Hawk would then attack it in the air, driving it to 

 cover again. The performance would be repeated, and so 

 the game went on until the unfortunate Knorhaan, losing 

 its l)alance in the air, was dashed to the ground and killed. 

 I have also known a Kestrel to strike down a w^ounded 

 Partridge. 



The Greater Kestrel is not uncommon in the district. 



The lesser variety at times appears in large numbers, their 

 visits generally coinciding with the presence of swarms of 

 locusts, on which they feed. The stomach of one specimen 

 secured contained the mandibles of a number of hunting 

 spiders (" Jacht spinnikop"). 



In addition to the Hawks above mentioned, must be re- 

 corded either the S.A. Peregrine [Falco minor) or the S.A. 

 Lanner (F. him'micus), or possibly both. In dealing with a 

 class of birds so wary and so liable to changes of plumage 

 when passing from the juvenile to the adult stage, it is often 

 impossible to identify them with certainty unless one has 

 the specimen in one^s hands, and I cannot help feeling that 

 several migratory species must have escaped notice. 



The only Owls observed were the Spotted Eagle-Owl 

 {Bubo maculosus) and the Barn-Owl {Strix flammea). The 

 former were very plentilul near the village during the early 

 part of the year 1912. Why they should have become 

 scarcer since that time I cannot say, unless the senseless 

 persecution to which these unfortunate birds are invariably 

 subjected at the hands of ignorant and superstitious country- 

 folk can account for it. There is no bird in the country 

 more deserving of protection and, in my opinion, no oppor- 

 tunity of impressing the fact upon farmers should be lost. 

 The Eagle-Owl may sometimes be seen catching field-mice 

 during the late afternoon. It was somewhat of a surprise to 

 me to learn that this bird will feed on carrion. I saw a pair 

 which had died through feeding on a spring-hare which 

 had been poisoned and dropped in the " veld " as bait for 

 jackals. 



The Barn-Owl is more often heard than seen. Several 



