156 SOME BIRDS OF SOUTH AFRICA 



looked carefully for any sign of a nest, but could find 

 none ; possibly, the month being September, we were 

 too early. At Knysna, on a narrow shelf of rock in the 

 face of a disused stone quarry we were one day shown 

 two young birds of this species ; they were almost ready 

 to fly, and it was surprising that they had not been 

 taken out of the nest, as some men were boring for 

 water at the foot of the quarry. We saw nothing of 

 the old birds in this instance, but they were probably 

 concealed in the rough scrub which surrounded the 

 quarry. The remains of small crabs and the skin of a 

 snake were lying on the ground beneath the nest, show- 

 ing what kind of food these birds had conveyed to their 

 young ones. 



I have reproduced several photographs of these two 

 young Eagle-Owls, not so much from a natural history 

 point of view, as because of the really ludicrous expres- 

 sions that are to be seen on their faces. I may say that 

 it was not until I had developed the negatives that the 

 intense humour apparent in the photographs of these 

 young owls occurred to me. 



So far from looking young, however, they might be 

 a hundred years of age, judging from their expressions. 

 If they had been acting a play, in which one of them 

 took the part of husband and the other that of wife, they 

 could hardly have produced more absurd results. 



In illustration number one, for instance, the husband 

 is seeing that all is secure for the night, while in number 

 two they evidently suspect the presence of burglars. 

 Illustration number three rather gives one the idea 

 that the wife, being something of a pessimist, has been 

 expressing doubts as to their ability to last through the 



