376 
SAVAGE SUDAN 
euphorbia replaces the northern pine ; the same red-roofed 
wood-built houses, some gaily painted, and all raised on 
stone pillars, peep through a similar rude environment 
of dark foliage, with lichen-clad boulders broadcast. 
Erkowit lies sheltered in a basin-like depression, en¬ 
circled by serrated peaks rising to 5000 or 6000 feet in 
height. Most kindly the Sirdar, Sir Reginald Wingate, 
had placed a luxurious “rest-house” at our disposal, and 
from its verandahs we surveyed a scene almost Swiss-like. 
A feature of this mountain-region was its eagles—and 
eagles, with all big birds of prey, have ever attracted me. 
Of the eagle-tribe we had already in the Sudan secured 
or safely identified no less than ten species, to wit:— 
(1) Tawny eagle (. Aquila rapax). 
(2) White-footed forest-eagle (A. albipes , supra, p. no). 
(3) Wahlberg’s eagle (A. wahlbergi , new to the Sudan). 
(4) Booted eagle (A. pennata, new to the Sudan). 
(5) Crested hawk-eagle ( Lophoaetus occipitalis). 
(6) White-headed river-eagle ( Haliaetus vocifer). 
(7) Serpent-eagle—white-breasted (Circaetus gallicus). 
(8) Serpent-eagle—dark-breasted (C. cinereus). 
(9) Bataleur eagle ( Helotarsus ecaudatus). 
(10) Osprey ( Pandion haliaetus). 
Besides these ten, I felt convinced of having recog¬ 
nised a golden eagle (Aq. chrysaetos ) on White Nile, 
as mentioned at p. 168; and among these Red Sea hills 
we also observed large dark eagles which we believed to 
be imperial eagles. Should these two assumptions be 
correct, our census of Sudan eagles would reach the 
round dozen. 
The great euphorbia - clad ranges that encompass 
Erkowit are daily, hourly surveyed and plundered by 
these majestic Raptores—Row defenceless denizens survive 
is an obscure problem. The lives of the big francolins 
and dikdiks, of young ibex, klipspringers, and gazelles 
must be held on a day-to-day tenure. At certain out¬ 
standing crags that commanded accustomed fly-lines, we 
