172 FALCON. 



97— BACHA EAGLE. 



Falco Bacha, Ind. Orn. Sitp. ip.iv. Daud.'ii, p. 43. Shawns ZooL v'n. 157. pi. 22. 

 Le Bacha, Levail. Ois. i. pi. 15. 

 Bacha Falcon, Gen. Syn. Sup. ii. p. 22. 



SIZE of the common Buzzard, but longer ; bill lead-colour ; 

 cere yellow ; plumage in general dirty brown ; wings and tail 

 darker ; crown of the head black, the back of it crested with fea- 

 thers, half black, half white, the ends being black, and, at times 

 the bird spreads them horizontally like a tail ; at the bend of the 

 wing and beneath, the feathers are marked with roundish white 

 spots; tail dusky, crossed in the middle with a rufous white band, 

 the tip white; legs the colour of yellow oker. 



The female larger than the male. 



It is a solitary species, except in the breeding season, and 

 frequents only the barren and sultry parts of the Cape of Good Hope. 

 In December, after rearing two or three young-, returns to a solitary 

 life ; builds among the rocks, making the nest of moss and leaves 

 ill put together, and is a shy and fierce species. Found in the 

 country of the Grand Namaqua, and from thence to the Tropic of 

 Capricorn. Preys chiefly on the Klipdas, or Cape Cavy,* but 

 obliged sometimes to be content with lizards, &c. ; is observed to 

 watch the Cavy for three hours together, with the head between the 

 shoidders, immoveable, and springing suddenly on the unsuspecting 

 victim, devours it with great apparent ferocity : when it misses its 

 prey, utters a kind of lamentation, like the words Houi-hi-hi 

 repeated, and directly changes place to watch as before, but by this 

 fruitless attempt, added to its plaintive cry, the Cavies take alarm, 

 and hide themselves, not to appear again for some hours. 



* Hyrax capeasis, Gm. Lin. i. 166. 



