436 
Mr. B. Alexander —An Ornithological 
the sun on the naked houghs of dead trees close to the water 
or on snags in mid-stream, the predominant white of their 
breasts betraying their presence a great distance off, long- 
before their forms became visible to the naked eye. Of a 
confiding nature, this Eagle allows of a close approach, 
welcoming the traveller with a beautiful clear-noted cry, 
which reverberates through the deep and rocky places of the 
river’s vicinity, and is uttered with swelling throat and head 
well thrown back. When unnecessarily disturbed the cry 
becomes almost painful, resembling that of a captured fowl. 
Regarding food, this bird is somewhat fastidious, often 
catching a fish merely to drop it again, or to play with 
it by tearing the body rapidly to pieces. When once the 
fish is dropped, it is rarely picked up again. The native 
knows this, and often watches the bird for the sake of the dis¬ 
carded prey. On one occasion one of our boys ran to the spot 
where a Fishing-Eagle was sitting, and brought back a good- 
sized fish weighing nearly two pounds. With the approach 
of the rainy season, when the river begins to rise, the number 
of this species becomes greatly augmented, and more than 
once we met with quite a flock of them, among which were 
several in the immature brown plumage. 
During our short stay at Chinde, in July, the British 
Consul gave us a magnificent adult which he had kept in 
confinement for some time. He was only too glad to get 
rid of it, since its food cost him a good many fowls a week, 
and although he had already released it, the bird refused 
to leave its comfortable quarters for long, but returned again 
the next day. The Consul told us that this Eagle was quite 
as good as a watch-dog, for if any strangers approached the 
house the bird immediately gave vent to vociferous cries. 
195 . Helotarsus ecaudatus (Daud.). 
Adult A (Chicowa, Sept. 16, 1898). 
This Eagle now and again used to take bird’s-eye views of 
our camps, circling high overhead with a graceful flight, 
the deep black of its under surface contrasting strongly with 
the white of its under wings. 
' 
