48 BIRDS OF SOUTH AFRICA, 
white, causing a large patch across the wing; lower parts of the 
belly brown, more or less varied with white, the thighs inclining to 
rufous ; tail ashy white, brown at the tip, and more or less brown 
on the rest of the feather; gape whitish yellow; orbits and cere 
dusky; bill dusky bluish; iris darker hazel than in the adult.— 
(Sharpe, Cat. i., p. 311). 
Fig. Des Murs, Iconogr. Orn. pl. 8. 
42, HZLorarsus ECAUDATUS. Bateleur Eagle. 
This Eagle is not very common in this colony, single pairs 
frequenting high mountain ranges near Caledon, and a few other 
spots. We saw several along the Hast Coast of Africa, and obtained a 
living specimen from the Governor of Mozambique, which lived with 
us upwards of two years. It fed voraciously on carrion of all kinds, 
including fish, but never molested living things—indeed, we kept 
him for a long time in the fowl-house with the fowls, but had to turn 
him out, as he devoured the eggs as fast as they were laid by the 
hens. 
I have seen a specimen from Lake N’gami, procured by Mr. 
Chapman ; and Mr. Atmore killed another with a stick in a wood at 
the Knysna. He also found it about Blanco. He writes, May 25, 
1864: “ We are going to lay wait for an ‘Arend’ to-morrow evening. 
He always sits on one particular yellow-wood tree in the forest ; but 
he examines the premises very closely before he perches. What a 
beautiful flight they have, sailing about without even flapping a 
wing; and when they stoop they come out of the sky like a lightning 
flash. There are several here, and we know of a nest; but they 
breed late, so no chance of eggs; but we will give it a look up on 
our return trip.” He further declares that it kills its own food and 
never, in the wild state, touches carrion, but Mr. Ayres states that 
it feeds on carrion, moles and snakes. 
The latter gentleman writes: “It is found in Natal and also in 
the Transvaal.” Mr, Gurney has seen two young birds of this species 
which were obtained from a nest situated in a lofty and rocky 
precipice by the side of a river, a few miles above the town of 
D’Urban. Dr. Kirk says it was frequent in the marshy lands of the 
River Shiré. 
Mr. Andersson observes that it is probably the most common 
Eagle in Damara and Great Namaqualand; it is usually found in_ 
