KT7NGL. SY. VET. AKADEMIENS HANDLINGAR. HAND 47. \:o 5. 59 



oii rodents and is thus without doubt a very useful bird from an agricultura] poinl 

 of view. 



One evening just before sundown at Embu borna I perceived an Elanvs \\ liidi ll< u 

 rather high in the air. Suddenly it stopped still with fluttering wings, then after a few 

 seconds it sank down vertieally with outstretched talons, but not with very great speed. 

 It alighted on the ground in the bush but arose soon again with a rat in its claws and 

 perching on a dry tree it began to eat of its prey. A shot gave me the proofs. The prey 

 was an Arvicanthis, and its head had already been devoured by the Elanus. 



Iris 9 mm, orange yellow, cere and feet yellow. 



Cerchneis tinnunculus (L.). 



Rchw. I, p. G41. 



The Kestrels were very commonly seen round Nairobi as well hunting their prey in 

 the wellknown manner as resting in the tops of trees. Still in the beginning of April 

 Kestrels were present there. Kestrels were also shot at Juja farm, Blue Post, Kanyakeni 

 south of Meru borna, and at the last mentioned locality. 



Poliohierax semitorquatus (A. Sm.). 



Rchw. I, p. 645. 



This pretty little Falcon was only observed and shot once viz. north of Guaso Nyiri 

 in the thornbush country not far to the east from the crossing of the Marsabit road. Not 

 only eyelid-ring, cere and feet but also a stripe round the lower jaw were red in this spe- 

 cimen. Iris dark brown. 



Strigidse. 



Bubo lacteus (Tem.). 



Rchw. I, p. 650. 



When passing a dry river-bed surrounded by doum-palms I saw a Bubo lacteus the 

 17 tfl of Febr. It did not suit me to shoot it then, as we were af raid to scare off Elephants, 

 but I went to the same place 10 days låter intending to secure it if possible. It was also 

 present in the same place and shot when it flew from a palm. This incident proves 

 how stationary these birds are. 1 They appear to occur in pairs. I saw the female at 

 the same place, but did not secure but the male. Length of wing only about 410 mm. 

 The locality where it was shot was not far from Njoro in the thornbush country north 

 of Guaso Nyiri. This species appears to see quite well at daytime. 



1 I heard from a gentleman residing uear Nairobi that an Eagle-owl was always to be found in a big 

 banyan tree standing in the shambas as a rest of the former forest. I saw that bird once at a distauce and it 

 may have been a member of this species. 



