332 FALCONID^ BUTEO 



tip ; below, pale rufous, darker on the sides of the neck, chest, and 

 thighs, where the black feathers are beginning to appear. 



Distribution. —The Jackal Buzzard is one of the commone'st birds 

 of prey in South Africa ; it is very abundant throughout the Colony, 

 Natal, the Orange Eiver Colony and the Transvaal, but becomes 

 rarer in Ehodesia; though occasionally found in Great Namaqua- 

 land it is unknown, according to Andersson, in Damaraland or 

 further north, nor has it yet been recorded from north of the 

 Zambesi. 



The following are definite localities : Cape Colony — Cape, Wor- 

 cester, Caledon, Swellendam and Beaufort West (S. A. Mus.), 

 Knysna (Victorin), Albany common (Grahamstown Mus.), Port 

 Elizabeth and East London plentiful (Eickard and Wood), Port 

 St. John's, (S. A. Mus.) ; Natal — Newcastle (Gates), Pinetown 

 (Stark), and Zululand (Woodward) ; Orange Eiver Colony — Near 

 Bloemfontein (Barratt) ; Transvaal — Lydenburg (Barratt), Potchef- 

 stroom (Ayres) ; Ehodesia — Near Salisbury (Marshall). 



Habits. — This species derives its name from its shrill cry which 

 is something like that of the black-backed Jackal {Ganis mesomelas). 

 It is a common bird and is often seen seated motionless on a 

 solitary tree or some prominent rock ; hence it keeps a good look- 

 out for its prey which it takes from the ground ; sometimes it will 

 hunt over the ground alternately flying and hovering, and swooping 

 down with great force ; though a heavy flyer it sometimes ascends 

 to a great height in widening circles uttering its loud characteristic 

 cry. 



This bird lives chiefly on small mammals, lizards, snakes, and 

 frogs ; although this has been disputed, it occasionally kills game 

 birds. Ayres found a snipe in the stomach of one, and Butler 

 observed a pair stoop at a brace of Prancolin and capture one of 

 them. When flying they keep their legs stretched out underneath 

 their tails. 



Butler found a nest near Newcastle in Natal on July 80 ; it was 

 placed in a bush growing out of a rock on the side of a cHff about 

 six feet from the top ; the nest was constructed of sticks well lined 

 with tufts of grass and green leaves; it contained two eggs, one 

 plain white, the other marked at the large end with light yellowish- 

 brown. 



Stark found a nest at Hoetjes Bay in the Malmesbury division of 

 the Colony on September 26, and again near Pinetown in Natal on 

 September 7 ; in the latter case it was placed on a ledge of rock 



