BIRDS OF PREY 33 



legs feathered less than half-way down, and they live 

 principally on frogs and reptiles. I found a night adder 

 and a young cobra in the stomach of one of the former. 



The Bateleur Eagle is more akin, both in appearance 

 and habits, to the buzzards than to the eagles. It is 

 widely distributed in Africa, and is a bird easily recognized 

 on the wing by its very short tail and its manner of 

 flight, which consists in sailing along, with first one 

 wing, and then the other, elevated. The full-grown 

 bird is glossy black below, and rich chestnut above, 

 while the legs are coral red. 



Contrary to the generally accepted idea, I do not 

 believe that the bateleur attacks either live mammals 

 or birds. Its food seems to consist of reptiles and 

 carrion. I have often noticed it coming down to kills 

 with the vultures, and it frequently gets there before 

 them, and picks the eyes from the carcase. Ranger 

 de Laporte observed one driving away several vultures ; 

 on going to the spot he found a five-foot python with 

 both its eyes picked out, presumably the work of the 

 bateleur. I kept one at Sabi Bridge for several months ; 

 it became quite tame, and ate any carrion given to it 

 greedily. In the same large cage were confined a number 

 of small birds, and during the whole time the bateleur 

 never attempted to do them any harm, nor did they 

 display any fear of it. When, however, as occasionally 

 happened, one or other of them died from natural causes, 

 it lost no time in eating the body. I found also that 

 while a live rat was disregarded, a dead one was taken 

 immediately. Of course, the actions of any creature 

 in captivity are not always criteria of what it will do 

 when in a wild state ; but, at all events, it is safe to say 

 that though many bateleurs come sailing over my station, 

 not one has ever attempted to touch the fowls, nor have 



