by Mr. Claude Grant in South Africa. 9 



striking of tlie African birds of prey^ the black under parts 

 combined with the white under side of the wings make it a 

 conspicuous bird on the wing. It is usually observed flying 

 high overhead in large circles or travelling across at a terrific 

 pace without any apparent movement of the wings, the flight 

 being most graceful and strong. In the summer season 

 the birds are seen in pairs, and when chasing each other in the 

 air often turn completely over, striking at each other with 

 the feet, probably in play. The cry is a single loud scream, 

 only uttered when in pairs. I have never observed this 

 species to hold its head at such an angle as that described by 

 Millais, but certainly when hunting it has the beak pointed 

 vertically downwards. It is a very wild bird and I have never 

 succeeded in shooting a specimen, that secured having been 

 taken in a trap baited with meat for cats. Its food consists 

 mainly of lizards, mice, and also carrion ; as stated above, I 

 have never seen it attack buck or other game. The following 

 extract from my diary may be of interest : — " 25th February, 

 1907. During my stay around Beira I have seen some 

 numbers of tlie Bateieur Eagle, and most of them I have 

 been able to carefully examine through my glasses ; all 

 have been of the light- backed form [H. leuconotus) , and I 

 have been unable to identify one ordinary H. ecaudatus.'"' 



The soft parts of an adult are : — Irides rich brown ; bare 

 skin round eyes, lores, gape, and cere tomato-red; bill yellow, 

 extreme tip slaty ; legs and toes rich dark tomato-red patched 

 with yellowish.] 



CiRCAETUS CINEREUS. 



Tv. Klein Letaba, Aug. (1) ; Legogot, May 20 (one chick 

 in down) ; P. Coguno, July (1). 



Both these birds are in the completely brown plumage 

 which was considered by Sharpe and many others to be the 

 immature stage of the black-breasted, white-bellied form of 

 Harrier-Eagle described by Smith as Circaetus pecturalis. 



I am inclined, however, to believe that these two so-called 

 plumages represent two distinct species, and that the brown 

 forms are quite distinct from the white-bellied forms. In 



