NATURE AND SPORT IN BRITAIN 



known to the Dutch as spervel. The hobby is fairly 

 well known south of the Zambesi, making its appear- 

 ance, in common with the majority of the migrants, 

 towards the rainy season. Like so many of the nu- 

 merous raptorial birds in South Africa, it is extremely 

 partial to locusts and white ants. After warm rain 

 swarms of the last-named pests will often suddenly soar 

 upon the wing and fill the air. Enormous numbers of 

 hawks and kites then appear to prey upon them. I 

 myself have seen certainly many hundreds of red-footed 

 falcons and other hawks thus engaged. The number 

 of birds of prey in South Africa is to the naturalist one 

 of the greatest of marvels. How they all manage to 

 obtain a living is, in truth, one of nature's supremest 

 puzzles. The red-footed falcon {Falco vespertinus)^ just 

 referred to, sometimes called the orange-legged hobby, 

 which appears in such astonishing numbers, has been 

 observed at least a score of times in England, and is 

 counted amongst the rarer British birds. Our familiar 

 kestrel occasionally strays so far south as South Africa, 

 and has been shot in Damaraland. Other kestrels, not 

 known in England, are found in that and various other 

 parts of Africa. The sparrow-hawk breeds in North 

 Africa, but is not known in South Africa, although it 

 is there represented by several near relations. The 

 honey buzzard {Pernis apivorus), a summer visitor to 

 England, has been identified in Natal, but seems to be 

 rare in the south. The black kite {Milvus migrans) has 

 occurred at least once in England. This bold and fear- 

 less bird is in South Africa extraordinarily abundant, 

 and, like many other migrants, arrives there towards 

 the end of the year, when the rains fall. It is more 

 partial to the western side of the country than any 

 other. The common kite, once well known in Britain, 

 and still occasionally to be seen, is found in North 



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