1920.] South African Accipitrea. 433 



vicinity of houses or iialivc kruals, it Avill often take fowls 

 and otlicr domestic birds. I once saw it hovering, like 

 a gigantic Kestrel, over some terrified fowls that were 

 taking cover in some long grass and low bushes, and I have 

 heard of several undoubted cases of its having attacked and 

 sometimes killed young pigs. Anyone M'ho lias examined 

 a specimen in the flesh, cannot fail to have been struck by 

 the immense muscular strength of the legs and feet, armed 

 as the latter are with liuoe talons. In an adult female 

 the hind claw measures as much as three inches round the 

 curve, and for its size I think this species must be one of 

 the most powerful Eagles in the world. 



Theie is a very fine series oC specimens of this ]']agle in the 

 Transvaal Aruseuni, in all stages of plumage; and from an 

 examination of these and others, I have come to the con- 

 clusion that there is a distinct sequence of plumages between 

 the juvenile and adult dress, of which I will give a brief 

 summary. 



In the first ])lumage the whole head, neck, and nnder 

 surface are white, with a faint tinge of rufous on the bases 

 of the breast-feathers, and a few !)rown streaks on the longer 

 feathers of the thighs. The upper surface is ])ale greyish 

 brown, barred with (lark l)rown, and all the feathei's are 

 broadly edged with white. The next stage is very simihir, 

 but the longer feathers of the crest have longitudinal marks 

 of dark brown along tiie shafts. The breast is moi'e strongly 

 suffused with rufous, and the flank-feathers have dark brown 

 shalt-streaks. The feathers of the taisi have a good many 

 dark brown spots appearing amongst the whit(\ la the 

 thii'd stage all the feathers of tlie head and neck have dark 

 brown centres, and the whole u[)per surface has become much 

 darker owing to the dark brown markings predominatiu"- 

 over the light. The feathers are, however, still broad Iv 

 tipped and edged witli white. The whole of the under 

 parts are now rufous with paler edges to the feathers. 

 There are one or two dark Ijrowii spots on the feathers 

 on tiie sides of the bi'cast. and the tarsi have completely 

 assumed the spotted feathers of matui-ity. Jn the fourth 



