172 BOLDNESS OF THE EAGLE. 



before I could pull up and fire ; the dropping of both 

 hind-legs told a tale of mortal wounds, and he sailed 

 steadily down to a little clump of bushes. His unfortu- 

 nate condition had not escaped the all-observant eye of 

 a hungry eagle, who was sailing about over me; nearly 

 closing his wings, he dashed after the pouw, caught him 

 before he reached the ground, and flew away with him. 

 To see one's dinner thus walked off with was too much to 

 bear quietly. I therefore galloped after the robber, who 

 soon came to the ground, finding that the weight of his 

 burden did not assist his aerial performances. I reached 

 to within a hundred yards of him, when he again rose ; 

 taking a steady aim at him, I fired, and sent the bullet 

 sufficiently close to astonish him, as he instantly 

 dropped my property, and made off, leaving me in quiet 

 possession. 



There are a great many varieties of the eagle and hawk 

 tribe in South Africa ; some specimens are very small, 

 others magnificent fellows. The wild, shrill scream of the 

 osprey, or sea-eagle, always struck me as being very 

 characteristic of this bird ; there is a defiant and bold 

 sort of sound in his voice, heard so plainly, while he, thou- 

 sands of feet high, is almost, if not quite, invisible to the 

 eye. Then coming down suddenly, like a bolt from heaven, 

 he pounces on some victim, whom he clutches in his talons, 

 and again soars aloft with a triumphant piercing shriek. 

 I obtained a fine fresh mullet, on one occasion, from one 

 of these feathered fishermen, whom I saw passing high 

 over-head with his prize. I sent a bullet whistling by his 

 ear, which made him drop the fish; it came down 



