BIRDS OF PREY IN CAPE COLONY. 151 



valued at the price of two camels. It is not likely, 

 however, in South Africa, where the colonists are 

 only interested in destroying the aquiline race, 

 that the interesting spectacle of a trained hunting 

 eagle will ever be witnessed. 



The crowned eagle {Spizaetus coronatus), very 

 occasionally, was seen in Naroekas. It was pointed 

 out to me on two occasions, but I only witnessed 

 it in flight. In size it much resembles the dassie- 

 vanger, but has a longer tail ; it is of a light 

 colour, especially underneath, the back being dark 

 brown slightly marked with white. The crested 

 eagle {Spizaetus occipitalis) was also an occasional 

 visitant, coming, I think, over the mountains from 

 the forest district of Knysna, which it seems to 

 prefer. This is a dark brown bird, having a long 

 crest of blackish-brown feathers about half a foot in 

 length ; the legs are well feathered, and are in 

 striking contrast to the dark body, being of a pure 

 white. I saw one specimen of this bird which 

 had been shot sitting on a rock ; it is considerably 

 smaller than the crowned eagle. There are at 

 least two fishing eagles in the Colony, Haliaetus 

 vocifer and Haliaetus leucogaster. The commoner 

 of these, the first-named, I once saw on the coast 

 not far from Port Elizabeth, some distance beyond 

 Baakens River. I believe it is abundant on the 

 coast of the Knysna district. This eagle has a good 

 deal of white about it, and is called "wittevisch 

 vanger" (white fish-eater) by the Cape Dutch. 



Passing to the falcons, the lesser peregrine, 

 spervel of the Dutch {Falco minor, or Falco 

 peregrinoides) , was pretty frequently seen and 

 sometimes shot, as it is a great troubler of the 



