102 THE farmer's foes 



It is a bird with a very wide range, migrating from Southern 

 Europe and Western and Southern Asia. In the Transvaal 

 it is far from uncommon, and several examples, in both 

 young and adult stages of plumage, were obtained on the 

 Modderfontein Dynamite Factory, in the neighbourhood of 

 one of the dams. 



These birds are, as Distant states, very partial to telegraph 

 poles, but may often be seen perched on a fence pole in a 

 somewhat sleepy condition, allowing one to get quite close 

 ere taking flight. When hunting the flight is somewhat 

 sluggish. Small birds, insects and lizards seem to be the 

 staple diet, but an occasional chicken or duckling does not 

 come amiss. 



KITES 



The Yellow-bUled Kite {Milvus cegyptius) is a migrant 

 from North Africa and Arabia. It is 'a sepia-coloured bird 

 with a grey forehead and throat, and a strongly forked tail. 

 Length, about 21 inches. According to Major Stevenson 

 Hamilton, the Game Warden of the Transvaal Game Re- 

 serves, its Dutch name of Kuikendief (Chicken-thief) is not 

 merited, as his experience of them is that they do not steal 

 poultry. Be that as it may (we cannot verify or contradict 

 this in toto ; we have seen them hawking and . devouring 

 locusts), it has a bad reputation amongst the populace, 

 whose ignorance is, however, proverbial. The nest is either 

 placed in a tree or in a krantz, and the eggs are white, 

 blotched and streaked with blood-brown. 



The Black-shouldered Kite {Elanus ccerulens), the Witte 

 Sperwele of the Boers (occasionally also called the Blaauw 

 Valk), should, perhaps, not find a place in the present 

 chapter, as it is by far more useful than harmful ; in fact, 

 we know of very few authentic cases where the present species 

 can be accused of thieving. The farmers -will tell you it is a 



