142 FALCON. 



63— MARTIAL EAGLE. 



Falcobellicosus, Tnd. Orn. i. p.9. Daud.u. p. 38. 



armiger, Shaw Zool. vii. 57; 



Le Griffard, Levait. Ois. i. pi. i. 

 Martial Eagle, Geii. Si/n.Sup> n. p. 16. 



SIZE of an eagle — weight from 25 to 30 pounds ; breadth 7ift. 

 Bill moderately curved and pale ; irides bright hazel ; plumage 

 brown, the edges of the feathers paler, with a mixture at the nape 

 of the neck ; under parts nearly white ; quills black, reaching three- 

 fourths on the tail, which is even at the end ; legs pale, and feathered 

 to the toes. 



The female is 12 in. longer than the male. 



Inhabits Africa, frequenting the great Namaqua, lat. 28, chiefly 

 inhabited by whites ; preys on antelopes, hares, &c. and in its turn 

 is attacked by crows and vultures to deprive it of the prey ; is mostly 

 seen in pairs, and makes a flat n€st, of large sticks, on the tops of 

 high trees, and of such compact structure, as to bear the weight of a 

 man to stand firmly upon it ; the part lined with dried leaves, moss, 

 and other soft materials, and may serve for many years. This bird 

 will sometimes build the nest upon a rock ; has a sharp cry, to be 

 heard far off". It is a high flyer, sometimes mounting upwards so as 

 to be nearly out of sight. 



