184 
F A L C O. 
their own brethren in a civilifed (late, are forced by de¬ 
grees to retreat into the deferts, where their numbers 
leffen as their perfecutors increafe.” Thus the red buz¬ 
zard is rarely feen in the colony of the Cape, but only in 
the barren and deferred parts. It lays the fame number 
of eggs, yet is much lefs numerous; lives on rats, mice, 
moles, and, for want of thefe, on infefts; its cry refem- 
bles the European buzzard. It is more (lender, and lefs 
llout, than the former fpecies; the tail is longer, the bill 
vifibly weaker.. Lefs accuftomed to the fociety of man, 
it is more timid and difficult of approach. In other re- 
fpedts, it refembles the preceding. 
65. Falco bacha, the crefted buzzard. This very rare 
fpecies Vaillant met with only on tire high, barren, and 
burning, mountains of the Great Namaquois, and thence 
to tire tropic of Capricorn. It is generally perched upon 
the top of fome deep rock,'whence it may watch the 
motions of a fniall quadruped very common among thofe 
barren mountains. This animal is called klip-das by the 
colonifls at the Cape ; and, though other rapacious birds 
purfue this in turn, yet it is the conflant employ of the 
bacha to watch for his favourite prey. Thefe animals, 
which are very cunning, and always on their guard a gain ft 
their cruel enemy, peep cautioufly out of their holes, 
and prefently retire if they fee him coming ; then the 
bacha is obliged to make ffiift with inferior food, fuch as 
lizards and infects. But this bird has been feen for three 
hours together refting on the ledge of a rock, with the 
head funk between the fhoulders, and looking like a 
piece of the fame cliff : thus, on the watch, it is ready 
to dart like lightning on its prey, peeping out of its hole 
at the bottom of the rock. If the little animal is too 
quick, and efcapes, the difappointed buzzard returns to 
the fame place, uttering in lamentable tones houi-hi.,. houi- 
hi-ki, houi-hi, hoai-hi-hi , to note its grief and vexation ; 
then flies oft to another place, where it fixes with the fame 
patience and immobility, till, perhaps more fortunate, 
it darts upon one of thefe lucklefs animals, who now, ut¬ 
tering the mod dreadful cries, fcares the reft of his fpe¬ 
cies, that they all run to their holes as fait as poffible, 
and come out no more that day. Vaillant was obliged 
fometimes to hunt this little animal, which he calls daman , 
a fpecies of marmot, for want of better food; but, if a 
buzzard had caught one, it was ufeiefs to hunt any longer 
in that quarter, for not one could be found. As foon as 
tire bacha has fecured its prey, he carries it off to fome 
neighbouring rock, and feems to take delight in tearing 
and devouring it quite alive, as if urged by revenge ra¬ 
ther than hunger. The ferocious nature of the bacha 
feems analogous to the barren and ungrateful foil in which 
it is deftined to dwell : fuch difpofitions feem to announce 
a being, like the eagle, and all the rapacious tribes, formed 
to live alone : and indeed the bacha is a folitary bird, ex¬ 
cept in thofe intervals when nature fo powerfully com¬ 
mands all beings, though never fo unfocialj to feek a 
union for the production of their fpecies. This time is 
December; but the union lafts only fo long as is necef- 
fary for the raffing of two or three young, which are 
hatched in a deep hole in the rocks, the neft confiding of 
dry branches, lined with mofs and dead leaves, but made 
up with very little order or fymmetry. 
The bacha is about the fize of the common buzzard, 
but differs from it in many particulars : it is handfomer, 
more flender, and better fitted for the chafce. It has a 
tuft at the batk of the head, which fpreads horizontally 
like a rounded tail ; this tuft is white, with black at the 
tips, like the red of the feathers on the top of the head. 
The plumage in general is of a brown earth-colour, 
darker on the wings and tail, and lighter on the under 
parts of the body. From the bread to the legs the plu¬ 
mage is interfperfed with fmall white fpots : fimilar fpots 
appear on the pinions; the under tail-coverts and lower 
belly are ftriped brown and white ; and the wing-coverts 
are tipped with white ; a broad ftripe of light fawn-co¬ 
lour runs acrofs the tail, and its feathers are white at the 
2 
extremity. The bill is lead-colour ; at the bale yellow, 
as is the bare (kin which furrounds the eye; the iris is 
darkred. The feet, toes, and claws, are blackifh. The 
female is larger than the male ; her white fpots are not fo 
vifible, being (haded with fawn-colour. 
66. Falco manicatus, the gloved buzzard. This fpe¬ 
cies is eafily diftinguiffied by his legs being covered with 
feathers quite down to the toes; the hinder feathers, or 
breeches, touch the hinder claw, and fometimes fall be¬ 
low it. “ It much refembles (fays Vaillant) a bird of 
prey not hitherto deferibed, but very common in Lor¬ 
raine ; fo that I fuppofe them to be the fame fpecies, 
differing merely in the feathers being more or lefs varied 
with white.” The gloved buzzard, in Afiica, frequents 
woody places: it avoids inhabited places, and lives in 
folitude. Its manners are more fierce than thofe of the 
preceding fpecies : it is not to be driven off' by the (hrikes 
or the ravens. It flies very gracefully; it often catches 
partridges, and watches patiently for them from the top 
of a tree. Vaillant met with this bird only in the Aute- 
niquois forefts; it is ufually perched on the top of a tree, 
where it is not eafily feen; but, if a large decayed tree 
be within the diflridt, it choofes that in preference, efpe- 
cially wlien gorged ; the time for (hooting at it is when 
juft perched. It is about the fize of our common buz¬ 
zard, and (6 much refembles it in plumage, that it might 
be taken for a variety of that fpecies, but that the legs 
are more covered with feathers, the bill is thinner, and the 
claws longer; the tail is longer alfo. The bill is bluifh ; 
its bafe yellow ; toes yellow, nails black ; eyes hazel. 
The general plumage is brown on a reddifh-white ground. 
There is a large (pot of brown on each flank; on the 
breeches, the brown fpots are femicircular, and fymme- 
trically arranged on each feather. The tail is white be¬ 
neath, with a black bar near the tip ; it is white above 
for about half its length, where it takes a (light tint of 
red, which grows ftronger towards the end, where it is 
dark brown, and finally white at the tip. The mantle 
and wings are dark brown, with occafional tints of a 
lighter colour. The wing, when at reft, reaches to the 
end of the tail, which is fomewhat tapering. Vaillant 
calls it bufe gantee. 
67. Falco maculatus, the fpotted African buzzard. 
The manners and haunts of this bird are not known. It 
was (hot by Vaillant’s fervant while they were encamped 
on the borders of the Lion river, in the country of the 
Giraffes : he never met with another in the whole courfe 
of his travels. The Kamouniquois who were prefent 
when it was brought, knew not the fpecies in the lead : 
it is probable, therefore, that it belonged to a more dis¬ 
tant canton, and had ftrayed from its native place. Vail¬ 
lant named it tachard. In (hape it refembles the other 
African buzzards; but the tachard has a longer tail and 
fmaller body than the three preceding fpecies. The bill 
is as weak as- that of the red-and-grey buzzard ; but its 
claws are larger and more ho* ked, Co that it is better qua¬ 
lified for the chafe; an additional facility to which is 
furnifhed by its long tail, and its wings which extend to 
the extremity of it. The tarfus, or leg, is covered with 
feathers rather more than half-way ; the coverts of the 
thighs are not fo thick and ample as in the gloved buz¬ 
zard. The head is light brown, fet oft' by fome white 
ftrokes which appear from the inner parts of the feathers. 
The throat and bread are whitifh with brown fpots, 
with fome longitudinal white fpots ; all the under part 
of the body is reddifh-white with large brown fpots. 
The fcapulars and wing-coverts are dark brown; but 
each feather being edged or bordered with a lighter co¬ 
lour, the ground appears variegated. The tail is dark 
brown above, with blackilh tranf’verfe broad bars; un¬ 
derneath light grey with (hades of a darker colour; and 
the (tripes or bars are not fo vifible. The bafe of the 
bill is yellowifh, the upper mandible black, the lower 
yellow except at the tip which is black. The naked part 
of the leg is yelloyviffi, fo are the toes; the nails cinnamon 
colour. 
