358 EASTERN ETHIOPIA xxix 
‘Hliere were found one tortoise, eight chameleons, twelve 
lizards of two species, three frogs, one adder, two 
locusts, two quails, and remains of other animals ” (Stark 
and Sclater). Bones, feathers and other hard parts of 
the food formed into pellets are ejected from the 
stomach. In its encounters with poisonous snakes the 
secretary bird is sometimes fatally bitten. 
The Secretary Bird [Serpentarius reptilivorus) resembles 
cranes and storks, bnt those who have carefully studied 
its structure prefer to regard it as essentially a hawk 
on stilts. It is a striking object on the plain. 
Ornithologists have been puzzled in regard to the 
systematic position of this long legged bird which out¬ 
wardly resembles the cranes and storks. Those who 
have closely studied its structure prefer to regard the 
secretary bird as essentially a hawk on stilts. 
Among birds with feathery crowns in Africa the 
