Expedition to the Zambesi River . 435 
wing 9, tail 6. Iris brown ; bill bluish black | soft parts 
yellow ; legs and feet yellow. 
192. Elanus casruleus (Desf.). Common. 
193. Milvus a^gyptius (Gm.j. 
This Kite is well distributed, every native village being 
watched over by one or more pairs. Their numbers increase, 
however, in the locality on an advent of a swarm of locusts, 
a food these birds are passionately fond of. Lizards and mice 
are also preyed upon, these being devoured when on the wing, 
while it is not an uncommon thing to see a large whip-snake 
taken, 2 to 3 feet in length, and as the bird mounts into the 
air, the snake, hanging down like a length of stout thread, 
often wriggles loose from the strong claws, but only to drop 
heavily to the ground, hardly reaching it, however, before its 
enemy, in one fell swoop, has again transfixed it. Scarcely 
a day passed without our tent being visited by two or more 
of these rapacious birds, which at times waxed so bold as 
to swoop down in front of our skinning-table and carry 
off the birds we happened to let drop, while on more than 
one occasion the bodies were those of their own fraternity. 
During the breeding-season, in September, it is rare to meet 
with a female, and a long time elapsed before we obtained 
one. At that season we continually came across parties of 
males basking leisurely in the full glare of the sun on sand¬ 
banks in mid-stream. 
This Kite nests on the rocky clefts of high hills, but on 
one occasion we found a nest in one of the topmost forks of 
a tall acacia-tree, around which the two birds were circling. 
It w r as a solid, compact structure of sticks, and about 40 
feet up. When wheeling and circling round the female, the 
male uttered from time to time shrill mew-like cries. 
In the adult male the bill is yellow, in the female it is 
always black. 
194. Haliaetus vocifer (Daud.). 
Wherever the river flowed through wooded country we 
frequently observed specimens of this magnificent Fishing- 
Eagle, either singly or in pairs, sitting lazily in the glare of 
