SPARROW-HAWKS 61 



The Black-shouldered Kite (Elanus cceruleus), the 

 Witte Sperwel of the Boers (occasionally also called 

 the Blaauw Valk), should, perhaps, not find a place 

 in the present chapter, as it is by far more useful 

 than harmful ; in fact, we know of yery few authentic 

 cases where the present species can be accused of 

 thieving. The farmers will tell you it is a fearful 

 chicken thief, but they may confuse it with several 

 other species. It feeds mainly on mice and rats, reptiles 

 and insects, varied by an occasional small bird or 

 chicken. 



It is slate-grey above with the basal half of the wings 

 black, the remainder of the wings being like the back ; 

 black in front and behind the eye ; lower surface white, 

 tinged with blue-grey on the breast. 



It builds a rough, saucer-shaped nest of twigs in 

 a mimosa or other likely tree, and lays three to five 

 eggs of a pale green ground colour, speckled and blotched 

 with various shades of reddish- and purplish-brown. 



We found it breeding at Modderfontein, Transvaal, 

 and Grahamstown, Cape Colony. 



SPARROW-HAWKS. 



The Sparrow-Hawks are represented in South Africa 

 by four species, only two of which are fairly common 

 birds. 



The Little Sparrow-Hawk (Accipiter minullus) is 

 slaty-black above ; below white barred with narrow 

 brown bands edged with reddish. 



It is a small but fearless little bird, loving the bush- 

 regions, where it nests in a tree in the kloofs. They may 

 often be found resting on a little ledge high up on the 

 face of a krantz in one of the kloofs near Grahamstown. 



