ig20.] South African Accipitres. 619 



brown as is usual, are almost uniform, the dark brown 

 edges predominating over the rufous. 



50. Poliohierax semitorquatus (Smith). African Pigmy- 

 Falcon. 



I have met with very few specimens of the Pigmy Falcon, 

 and know very little from personal observations of its habits. 

 The only part of South Africa where I have met with it is in 

 the South- West Protectorate, where it is far from common. 

 It appears to be a rather tame little bird. One I saw was 

 sitting on a branch of a low thorn-tree close to the road, 

 eating what looked like a large grasshopper, and took little 

 or no notice of me as I rode past within a few yards of it. 

 Neither Sharpe nor Sclater gives any description of the 

 young of this species. Tliese, both male and female, 

 resemble the adults in plumage, but the grey parts are 

 a good deal suffused with rufous owing to the edges of 

 most of these feathers being more or less rufous. The 

 flanks are buffy white with streaks of pale brown or grey; 

 the tips of the feathers of the secondaries, median wing- 

 coverts, and tail are bright rufous. 



51. Dissodectes dickinsoni (Sclater). Dickinson's Kestrel. 

 I have never met with this species, and have nothing to 



note with regard to habits or plumages. There appear 

 to be no juvenile specimens in any of the South African 

 museums. 



52. Tinniinculus rupicolus (Daud.). South African Kestrel. 

 This is, I should think, the commonest Hawk in South 



Africa, and is to be found everywhere in suitable localities, 

 that is, wherever rocky hills or cliiFs occur. It Avill also, 

 however, often take up its residence in the steeples of 

 churches or other suitable buildings in towns. InWindhuk, 

 in the South- West Protectorate, a pair used to breed regu- 

 larly on the Government Buildings, making their nest at the 

 top of one of the large columns. When left in peace it is a 

 tame bird, and often to be seen about farms, where it is most 



