ig20.] ,inuth African AccipitreR. 42? 



series of dives with closed wings, after each dive shooting 

 up a little way and at the same time uttering a kind of 

 mewing cry — evidently a kind of " love flight." 



I liave nothing to note as regards tlie juvenile plumage, 

 but it seems to me that there is a distinct difference 

 between the sexes when adult. Females usually have a 

 white or buffy-white band across the hreast, and the 

 featliers of the n;ipe and lesser wing-coverts much more 

 marked with w liite than the males ; old males also have 

 the central tail-feathers strongly shaded with grey. There 

 is a very handsome specimen of what I take to be a very 

 old male biid in the Transvaal Museum, which lias not only 

 all the tail-fcatliers grey, barred with very dark brown, 

 bnt all the primaries, primary-coverts, bastard wing, and 

 secondaries of the same colour. 



21. Melierax canorus (Risk). Chanting Goshawk. 



I have not met with this exceedingly handsome species 

 in the eastern Cape Colony, but in the South- West Protec- 

 toiate it was fairly common, especially in tiie tliorn-bush 

 country, which covers most of the central and northern 

 districts. It is usually seen in pairs or singly, perched on 

 the top of some conspicuous thorn-tree on the look-out for 

 its prey, which consists, so far as I have observed, principally 

 of small mammals, lizards, and small birds; but on several 

 occasions when I have been out shooting guinea-fowl and 

 partridges, a few individuals have appeared, evidently 

 on the look-out for wounded birds or dead ones that had 

 been lost. Its musical call has often been noted, but its 

 singing powers as described by Levaillant are evidently a 

 fiction. 



In juvenile [)luraage this species seems to be subject to a 

 certain amount of variation, but I have not been able to 

 handle a sufficient luunljcr of specimens to discuss the 

 question thoroughly. 



22. Melierax mechowi (Cab.). Mechow's GoshaAvk. 



jNIy experience of this s})ecies is very small. 1 have only 

 met with one or two specimens in the northern parts of the 



