94 THE farmer's foes 



fondness for Eock Babbits {Procama capensis). It is coal- 

 black with a snowy-white patch in the centre of the back. 

 It is a bird of the naountain regions, and is fairly well 

 distributed in South Africa, excepting German South- West 

 Africa and Ehodesia. Length, about 33 inches. 



This handsome bird preys on lambs and kids, and even 

 on sick sheep. It nests on high cliffs, building a huge nest 

 of sticks, and lays, during the month of July, one or two eggs 

 of a bluish-white colour, sparingly blotched with red-brown. 



The Tawny Eagle {A. rapax) — ^the Coo-vogel of the Boers — 

 is reddish-brown above and tawny-brown below. 



Like its much larger congener, the Black Eagle, it will 

 kill and eat sheep and goats, and has also been observed 

 devouring carrion. It nests in trees, also during winter, 

 and its eggs resemble those of the foregoing species, but are 

 considerably smaller. Length, 27 to 31 inches. 



The Brown Crested Eagle {Hieraaetus wahlhergvh) is dark 

 sepia-brown in colour, and possesses a crest. Length, 21 to 

 28 inches. This bird is not uncommon on the Magaliesberg 

 Range and the Pretoria Bushveld (Central Transvaal). 



The African Hawk-Eagle {Hieraaetus spilogaster) is 

 brownish-black above spotted with white ; under parts 

 white, streaked with black. The young plumage is tobacco- 

 brown above and reddish-fawn below. Length, 26 to 27 

 inches. This Eagle is very destructive to poultry. 



The Martial Eagle {Spizaetus iellicosus) is dark sepia above 

 and below, except the abdominal regions, which are white 

 spotted with brown. Length, 31 to 33 inches. 



This bird is as large and powerful as the Black Eagle, 

 and resembles it in its depredatory habits. Its chief prey 

 consists of the smaller antelopes, hares, and the smaller 



