inhabiting the South of Africa. 113 
A. nigra, rostro nigricante ; ceroma flavum, dorso albo. 
Bill blackish blue, verging here and there to a light horn 
color; cere deep yellow; eyes reddish brown; space between 
them and bill pretty thickly set with black bristles; back and 
tail coverts white; plumage elsewhere deep black; tail more 
rounded than in the foregoing species; tarsi and toes deep 
yellow; claws black. Length from bill to base of tail 17 
in.; length of latter 12 in. ; expanse of wings about 7 feet. 
Young.—The upper mandible towards base is yellowish, 
the rest is livid black; the lower, with the exception of the 
tip which is of the latter color, is a clear yellow; the head, 
the back, and the sides of neck, clear reddish tawny, inclined 
to a pale chesnut; the interscapular and shoulder feathers 
dirty brown, edged, and strongly tipt with tawny; the back 
a mixture of chesnut, brownish black, and dirty reddish white. 
Below reddish brown of various tints, with the centres of 
feathers blackish or blackish brown; legs light tawny. Pri- 
mary feathers have their inner vanes, towards their bases, 
marked by transverse black and white bands, and the outer 
ones by an uniform brownish red, elsewhere brownish black, 
with waved bands or narrow lines of hoary gray, and all tipt 
with reddish white. Tail feathers towards quills black, crossed 
with narrow reddish white bands; near extremities reddish 
brown, and tips reddish white; feet and toes livid white ; 
claws black. 
Obs.—This is one of the few birds which do not appear to 
have been quite correctly studied and observed by Le Vail- 
lant. He states it as displaying certain characters of the 
Vultures, though it doubtless exhibits in its formation and 
habits, all the peculiarities of the genuine eagles; and he 
affirms that it feeds upon carrion, but I have never observed 
it to resort to situations where such existed. As far as my 
experience goes its food consists almost entirely of the Dassie 
(Hyrax Capensis) and from that circumstance it is usually 
met with near the tops of mountains, either soaring about 
or perched in positions from whence it can discover the 
little quadrupeds just named, upon which it descends with a 
character clearly indicative of its affinity. Besides such dif- 
ferences in the less tangible points, there is a very material 
variance in some of the more evident characters, particularly 
in that of color, which he describes as being entirely black ; 
whilst in twelve adult specimens that I have examined the 
back and tail coverts were invariably white. That such an 
omission should have been committed by an observer of such 
amazing accuracy I can hardly conceive, yet I cannot bring 
myself to believe that specimens procured by him were with- 
out the white back; and, therefore, feel persuaded that his 
D2 
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