MELIERAX 363 



Habits. This bird has been surrounded by Levaillant with a 

 somewhat fictitious glamour. He tells us that the male sings most 

 sweetly all day and night perched on a branch near the female. On 

 this account he gave it the name of " Chanteur." Later observers 

 have not noticed this great gift of song, but state that it gives a 

 mellow piping whistle from time to time somewhat resembling the 

 thrilling notes of musical glasses. 



The Chanting Goshawk frequents open or bushy country where 

 it lives a good deal on the ground, running swiftly in pursuit of its 

 prey but rising and settling on a tree when disturbed; its food 

 consists of rats, mice, reptiles and insects. Even such large 

 animals as hares and paauws (Otidce) fall victims to it on occasion. 



The nest is built in the fork of a tree or bush and, according to 

 Atrnore, four eggs are laid. These are nearly true ovals and white, 

 measuring from 2-30 to 2-10 X 1'76 to 1-70. 



y . 546. Melierax mechowi. Mechow's Goshawk. 



Melierax polyzonus(7ze?c Riipp.}, Gurncy in Andersson's B. Damoraland 

 p. 88 (1872) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 88 (1874) (in part) ; id. ed. Lay aril's 

 B. S. Aft: pp. 18, 795 (1875-84); Marshall, Ibis, 1900, p. 256 [Mashona- 

 land]. 



Melierax mechowi, Cohan in, Jo urn. Ornith. 1882, p. 229 ; Shelley, B. Afr. 

 i, p. 151 (1896) ; Sowerly, Ibis, 1898, p. 573 ; Reichcnow, Vog. Afr. i, 

 p. 546 (1901). 



Description. Adult. General colour above, dark slate, the 

 primaries darker, almost black, the secondaries lighter, a bluish-slate, 

 some of the latter slightly mottled with white at the tip ; upper tail- 

 coverts dark slate with narrow transverse bands of white ; tail- 

 feathers black, all but the centre pair tipped with white, and towards 

 the outer pair increasingly barred and mottled with white ; below, 

 throat and chest like the back, rest of the under surface, including 

 the thighs, under wing- and tail-coverts finely banded with dark 

 slate and white. 



Iris brown ; bill horn- black, vermilion at the base ; cere and feet 

 vermilion. 



Length 18-0; wing 12-0; tail 7-75; tarsus 3-5; culmen 1-30. 



The female is somewhat larger ; wing about 13'4. 



The young bird is brown above, mottled and streaked with paler, 

 tail brown, banded with blackish-brown with increasing white on 

 the inner web; throat white streaked with pale rufous, chest clouded 





