10 The South African Birds of Prey 



valk. Its food is given in Stark and Bclater (vol. iii.) 

 as mice, small birds, and grasshoppers ; ants, lizards, 

 locusts, and mice (Haagner) ; locusts and beetles (Claude 

 Taylor) ; locusts (Thomsen) ; locusts and grasshoppers 

 (E. H. Ivy). 



This bird is of a reddish-brown colour, with a slate- 

 blue head and tail. 



The Larger Kestrel (CercJnieis rupicoloides). — Accord- 

 ing to Sclater, vol. iii., " Birds of South Africa," shrews, 

 mice, lizards, and insects form its favourite food. This 

 is borne out by my own experience, and only one speci- 

 men of this and the preceding" species during many 

 years of collecting — a ^ skinned on October 14, 1906 — 

 contained the remains of a bird. This Hawk's stomach 

 contained the following bill of fare : Two Bar-breasted 

 Finches {Ortijgospiza polyzona), one lizard, one cater- 

 pillar, and some white ants. Mr. Thomsen, the Chief 

 Locust Officer of the Transvaal, gives an excellent 

 account of the enormous good wrought by these birds, 

 in conjunction with the South African and Lesser 

 Kestrels, congregating as they do in large flocks and 

 following the swarms of locusts, devouring thousands of 

 this orthopterous pest to agriculture. 



I have seen both this and the foregoing bird hawking 

 flying ants on the wing many a time ; so taking all the 

 evidence we have into consideration, I unhesitatingly 

 place them with the wholly beneficial species, as insects 

 form their staple fare. 



This bird is larger than the " Steenvalk," and is with- 

 out the blue head and tail. 



The Lesser Kestrel {Cerchneis iiaiimanni) is one of 

 the most regular locust-destroyers we have. It is a 

 migrant from Southern Europe, Northern Africa, and 

 Asia, arriving in South Africa about the middle of October. 

 Mr. Thomsen says it is a great locust-destroyer, fol- 

 lowing the locust swarms in large flocks. 



According to Marshall it feeds upon grasshoppers, 

 centipedes, beetles, and hunting spiders. 



