FALCONID^ SPIZAisTUS 305 



parts black, the feathers of the breast and uader tail-coverts banded 

 with white, those of the breast with a rufous tinge in addition, so 

 that the whole is much mottled, thighs and tarsal feathers also 

 mottled black and white but the black spots much smaller ; under 

 wing-coverts rufous. 



Iris yellow ; bill black ; cere dusky ; gape yellow ; feet yellow. 



Length 36-0 ; wing 20-25 ; tail 13-75 ; culmen 2-60 ; tarsus 4-0. 



The male is smaller ; wing 17-75 ; tail 12-0 ; tarsus 3-80. 



A young bird has the crown, sides of the head and throat pure 

 white ; the feathers of the back, wings and upper tail-coverts are 

 pale ashy-brown with well-developed white margins and occasional 

 dark brown spots and shaft marks ; the wing-quills are much as in 

 the adult but rather lighter ; tail ashy, conspicuously tipped with 

 white and with five black cross bands instead of three, above and 

 below ; under parts white, the breast and flanks with pale rufous 

 centres to the feathers ; thighs and tarsal feathers at first pure 

 white, but very early developing the spotting so characteristic of 

 the adult bird ; under wing-coverts pale rufous. 



Iris greyish-brown. 



Distribution. — Essentially a forest-loving bird, this Hawk-Eagle 

 is by no means common in South Africa and is only found in the 

 southern and eastern districts of the Colony and in Natal, so far as 

 our present knowledge goes ; beyond our limits it has been obtained 

 in Angola and west Africa and probably extends throughout the 

 great forest-districts of the interior. 



South African localities are : Cape Colony — Prensch Hoek in the 

 Paarl div. (Layard), Knysna (Levaillant and S. A. Mus.), Albany 

 div. (Stark) ; Natal — Clairmont near Durban, Karkloof near 

 Howick (Woodward), Maritzburg (Fitzsimmons). 



Habits. — This Hawk-Eagle, easily distinguished even on the 

 wing by its long tail and short rounded wings, is a bold and 

 rapacious bird attacking and killing animals a good deal larger than 

 itself, such as monkeys, pigs, cats, lambs, and geese, as well as blue 

 bucks, and rock-rabbits or dassies. It drops on its prey from 

 above, waiting patiently for hours for a chance of so doing and 

 descending with a heavy swoop ; at other times it may be seen 

 hovering in the air stationary, head to wind, with wings partly 

 drawn in and then slowly gliding on again and hunting over the 

 ground. 



Dr. Stark was shown a fine nest of this bird by Mr. E. H, Ivy 

 near Grahamstown in 1897. This nest is said to have been occu- 

 20 VOL. III. 



