inhabiting the South of Africa. 227 
of shoulders light tawny, inclining to white, and variegated 
with irregular narrow brownish lines. Tail slightly rounded, 
with the outer vanes of all the feathers brownish black, 
spotted or irregularly banded with reddish brown, and the 
inner ones nearly pure black, and partially crossed by pure 
white in three different places ; tips of all the feathers white ; 
legs and toes yellow ; claws black. Length from bill to base 
of tail five inches; length of tail four and a half inches. 
Female.—The colors of the head, neck, and interscapulars 
are duller, and exhibit less lustre than those of the male. 
Length from bill to base of tail about six inches and a half ; 
length of latter five and a half. 
Young.—Color above blackish brown, much variegated 
about the back and sides of neck with white, arising from the 
feathers in those situations being, with the exception of 
brown tips, of a white tinge; interscapulars and shoulders 
mottled by the feathers having rufous tips ; upper tail coverts 
nearly marked as in mature specimens ; chin and throat light 
tawny white, with some longitudinal brown streaks; breast 
and centre of belly white, with oblong or roundish brown or 
black spots, and many of the feathers narrowly tipt with 
white ; sides of belly white, with broad brown bands, and a 
more or less general tinge of rufous ; under tail coverts white, 
with some heart-shaped blackish spots ; thighs rufous white, 
with irregular transverse brownish bands. Primary wing 
feathers brownish, with the inner vanes towards quill marked 
in adentated form by tawny ; secondaries brown, with a large 
proportion of tawny disposed as in the primaries, and with 
the edges of outer vanes and the tips of the feathers marked 
by the same color. Tail a little rounded, the outer vanes of all 
the feathers dull brown, the inner ones dusky black and tawny 
white in alternate transverse bands; the tips of all the 
feathers white; legs, toes, and base of bill yellow; claws 
black ; “ eyes orange yellow.” 
This bird is met with in the forests of Sitsikamma, and 
also about the Baviaan’s River, and other situations where 
forests occur in the eastern districts of the colony. Its food 
consists usually of the smaller birds, but when those are not 
procurable it devours grasshoppers and some other insects. 
According to Le Vaillant, it constructs its nest externally of 
flexible twigs, together with moss and dried leaves, internally 
with wool and feathers, and lays about five eggs. 
Obs.—It will readily be seen by those whose have an oppor- 
tunity of consulting the beautiful work of Le Vaillant, that 
the bird figured in it under the name “Le Minule,” is what has 
just been described as a young bird. The evidence I possess, 
leaves no doubt as to its being the plumage of the first 
[29] 
