858 MR, A. LOVERIDGE : NOTES ON 



minute later it rose from the mealies two hnndred yards from the 

 tree, with a snake in its talons. It came so low over my head 

 that I was able to recognise the snake as a Hissing Sand Snake. 

 The Eagle then ascended in great spirals, taking the snake from 

 its talons with its beak and gulping it down as it ascended. I 

 was so interested that I forgot to shoot till the bird had finished, 

 and then when I did fire, missed, so that I was unable to 

 identify the Eagle, which was an unfamiliar one (Morogoro, 

 4&8.vi. 17). 



ASTURINULA MONOGRAMMICA Temm. 



Variously known as the African Buzzard- Eagle, Lesser Whist- 

 ling Hawk, and One-streaked Hawk. The fii-st name from a 

 popular point of view is a very absurd appellation conveying 

 the idea of great size. One-streaked Hawk seems to me the best 

 popular name conveying some idea of the bird. A female shot 

 at Morogoro had a ^Side-walking Spider [Palystes sp.) in her 

 stomach. A male was obtained a few months later (Morogoro, 

 2. iv. & 9.vii. 17). 



Circus macrurus Gmel. 



In the stomach of a Pale Harrier was found a young snake 

 (JRhatn'phiophis oxyrhynchus) and a skink {Mahuia striata), whilst 

 in that of a second were three species of lizards (Eremias 

 spekii, Gerrhosaurvs flavigularis, and Mahuia striata). Here 

 the Pale Harrier seems to prefer a reptilian diet (Morogoro, 

 31.i. &28. ii.l8). 



Melanophoyx ardesiaca Wagl. 



The Black Heron feeds along the shore at Dar-es-Salaam when 

 the tide is out; it was there very difficult of approach. On one 

 occasion, as I was returning home, one of these small Herons flew 

 over the causeway and dropped on a muddy flat not far from 

 where there was some grass. I was on the far side of the water 

 and immediately made for the place. The bird 1 found was 

 performing some very curious antics. Running swiftly forward 

 for about six steps, it abruptly halted, placed its beak to the 

 ground, and raising its wings, brought them forward and 

 downwards, so that for a moment its head was entirely hidden 

 by the outspread wings which were brought down to the 

 mud. This it repeated again and again until, reaching the 

 water, it turned about and practised its steps in the opposite 

 direction. 



I imagined that it was a cock performing some courting display, 

 but on skinning found it to be a hen. Taking advantage of each 

 moment when its head was concealed, I wriggled forwards through 

 the grass till within range, when I di'opped it, very dead indeed, 

 but a perfect specimen (Dar-es-Salaam, l.vii. 18). Six months 

 later I saw these birds performing the same antics on the fore- 

 shore opposite the ruined Governor's Palace. 



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