108 A Description of the Birds 



eyes yellow, and thinly covered with black hair ; " eyes 

 reddish brown." Head, neck, interscapulars, anterior part of 

 hack, and breast pure white ; the feathers of the head, back 

 of neck, and interscapulars, with their shafts brownish red ; 

 belly and thighs deep chesnut. Primary and secondary wing 

 coverts, as well as primary and secondary wing feathers, deep 

 shining black; tail slightly rounded, and pure white ; legs and 

 toes deep yellow ; claws black. Length from bill to root of 

 tail twenty-five inches ; length of latter eight inches. 



Female. — The black color is less clear; the white is more 

 dusky; and the chesnut lighter; which, together with the 

 greater size, form the only differences between the sexes. 



Young. — "The parts that are white in the old bird, are ashy 

 gray in the young ;" those that are chesnut in the former, are 

 brownish in the latter ; and the shoulders and back are also of 

 a brown color ; the wing feathers are black, but not so deep 

 as in mature specimens. " In the third year it acquires its 

 complete plumage." 



In the vicinity of most of the large rivers of South Africa 

 this bird occurs, and it is also now and then met with about 

 the different bays along both coasts ; but particularly the South- 

 east one. " They build their nests upon the tops of trees or 

 on rocks, and the female lays three or four white eggs, rather 

 larger than those of the turkey." When this bird is observed 

 to make much noise as perched upon the trees on the banks 

 of rivers, the inhabitants consider rain as near at hand. 



Hali.'eetus blagrus. Fishing Eagle of the Colonists. 



Falco blagrus, Shaw 7, p. 96; Le Blagre, Le. Vaill. 0>y 

 Afr.pl. 5. 



H. fuscus, capite, collo, cauda, corporerjue subtus albis home' 

 risfuscis; iridibus fuscix ; tarsis Jlavis ; wiguibus nigris. 



" Bill brownish ; eyes deep brown ; head, neck, breast, 

 belly, and thighs satin white, with the feathers of the head 

 and back of the neck edged with brown. Scapulars and 

 secondary wing coverts light grayish brown; tail the same, 

 with the exception of the tip, which is white. Primary wing 

 feathers blackish ; outer vanes of secondaries like the scapu- 

 lars ; legs and feet yellowish; claws black." Length about 

 ' two feet." 



" This bird is found inhabiting the sea coast and the banks 

 pf rivers abounding with fish ; and is hence seldom met with 

 n the interior." Near the mouth of the Boscheman river 

 1 once saw a bird of prey, which was, evidently, one of the 

 species above described ; and on another occasion one perched 

 upon a large tree over-hanging the Keiskamma. I have 

 Mi.ver, however, been able to procure specimens for examina- 

 tion 



