SEEPBNTARIIDiB SEEPENTAEIUS 403 



Otis secretarius, Scop. Del. Favm.. et Flor. Insuhr. ii, p. 93 (1786). 



Le Mangeur de Serpens, Levaillant, Ois. d'Afr. i, p. 103, pi. 25 (1799). 



Secretarius reptilivorus. Baud. Traite, ii, p. 29, pi. 11 (1806). 



Serpentarius reptilivorus, Verreaux, P. Z. 8. 1856, p. 348; Gurney, 

 Descrij). Cat. Hapt. Bds. p. 8 (1861) ; Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 33 

 (1867) ; Hohob Sr Peh. Oni. Siid-Afrikas, p. 36 (1882). 



Gypogeranus serpentarius, Grill, K. Vet. Al-ad. Hnndl. StocTch. ii, 

 no. 10, p. 50 (1858) [Knysna] . 



Sagittarius secretarius, Gurney, Ibis, 1859, p. 237, and 1860, p. 203 

 [Natal]; Gurney in Andersson's B. Damaraland, p. 34 (1872). 



Serpentarius secretarius, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 84 (1872) ; Buckley, 

 Ibis, 1874, p. 359 [Limpopo] ; Sharpe, ed. Layard's B. S. Afr. pp. 

 8, 794 (1875-84) ; Barratt, Ibis, 1876, p. 194 ; Butler, Feilden, and 

 Beid, Zool. 1882, p. 167 [Newcastle] ; Bendall, Ibis, 1896, p. 166 

 [Barberton] ; Sowerby, Ibis, 1898, p. 573 [Mashonaland] ; Wood- 

 ward Bros. Natal B. p. 255 (1899) ; Marshall, Ibis, 1900, p. 255 

 [Mashonaland] . 



Serpentarius serpentarius, Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 154 (1896) ; Sharpe, 

 Hand Ust, i, p. 241 (1900) ; Eeichenow, Vog. Afr. i, p. 528 (1901). 



Other references are Edwards, Phil. Trans. Ixi, p. 55 (1771) ; Moodie, 

 Ten Years in South Africa, i, p. 319 (1835) ; Martin, Home Life on 

 an Ostrich Farm. p. 26 (1890) ; Distant, Transvaal, p. 68 (1892) ; 

 Nicholls and Eglington, Sportsman, S. Afr. p. 99 (1892) ; Bryden, 

 Gun and Camera, p. 68 (1893) ; Millais, Breath from the Veldt, 

 p. 26 [sketches] (1895) ; Kirby, Haunts Wild Game, p. 559 (1896) ; 

 Newton Diet. Birds, p. 822 (1896) ; Bryden, Nature and Sp)ort, p. 53 

 (1897) ; Harris, Essays and Photographs, p. 107, pi. xxvi. (1901). 



" Slaang vreter" (Snake eater) or "Secretaris" of the Dutch. 

 " Inxanxosi " of Amaxosa (Stanford). " Intungunono" of the Natal 

 Zulus. 



Description. Adult male. — General colour above, ashy-grey ; eye 

 with a strongly marked row of black eye-lashes ; at the back of the 

 head a number of outstanding black feathers of unequal length 

 erectible at will ; wing- feathers and primary coverts all black, the 

 other coverts like the back ; lower back black narrowly barred with 

 white ; upper tail-coverts white ; tail-feathers silvery-grey, with 

 a subterminal black and terminal white portion ; the two median 

 feathers much elongated, the others duller ashy with two black bars, 

 the subterminal one much the broadest and best marked ; below, 

 paler than the back, the feathers of the throat and lower cheeks 

 with pure white shaft marks ; tibial feathering and sides of the 

 abdomen black ; centre of abdomen and under tail-coverts white. 



Iris hazel ; upper mandible bluish-white ; lower mandible dirty 

 yellowish with a white tip ; cere greenish-yellow, naked skin round 

 the eye rich orange ; legs and toes pale flesh-coloured, claws 

 black. 



