EAGLES 



single egg of a dirty white colour, sometimes blotched 

 with reddish-brown. 



The African White-backed Vulture (Pseudogyps afri- 

 canus) is a little-known bird, differing mainly from the 

 other species in the possession of a pure white lower 

 back and rump. 



It is brown above and pale brown below. It is essen- 

 tially a Tropical African species, but was found breeding 

 in some number in June, near Potchefstroom, Transvaal, 

 by Major Sparrow, of the 7th Dragoon Guards. Some 

 doubt was expressed by Mr. W. L. Sclater, in his Check- 

 list, as to the identification of the species, one specimen 

 forwarded to the South African Museum by A. Roberts 

 possessing fourteen tail feathers, whereas the genus 

 Pseudogyps is characterised by the possession of twelve 

 only. There is, however, a specimen from Potchefstroom, 

 now in the Transvaal Museum (received JTune 6, 1907), 

 which is an undoubted example of the White-backed 

 Vulture, with twelve tail feathers. 



The last of the Vulture tribe which concerns us is 

 the Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus), a much 

 smaller bird than Jcolbii or auricularis, and immediately 

 distinguishable by the bristle-like ruff on the back of 

 the head. It is somewhat evenly distributed over South 

 Africa, being, however, according to Major Kirby, more 

 common in the Eastern Transvaal. There are specimens 

 in the Pretoria Zoological Gardens from the Ermelo 

 district. 



EAGLES. 



Several of the Eagles feed on carrion, but as they are 

 nothing like exclusively carrion-feeders, we shall not 

 describe them in this chapter. 



