«775- July. parts I firft faw it in its wild ftate. It is not a very ihy bird, but when feared, begins at firft to endeavour to fave itfelf by hopping and fcudding along very fwiftly, and afterwards does it more effeótually by flight. In external appearance it partly refembles the eagle, and partly the crane, two birds certainly very unlike each other, and in my opinion ought to be referred to neither of thefe genera. The Hottentots give it a name moft fuitable to its nature, v iz. as tranflated into Dutch, Jlangen-vraater (or fer- pent-eater;) and, in faót, it is for the purpofe o f keeping within due bounds the very extenfive race o f ferpents in Africa, that nature has principally deftined this bird. It is much larger than our crane, with legs two feet and a half long, and the body in proportion lefs than the crane’s. Its beak, claws, ftout thighs covered with long feathers, and ihort neck, are like thofe o f the eagle and hawk kind. The head, neck, beak, the leffer coverts of the wings, and the greater part of the tail, are of a grey leaden colour; the longer quills of which latter, a little way from the tips, are moreover marked with a black ipot 5 but the two middle quills are longeft of all, and are white at the tips; its breaft is o f a yellowiih white (fordide albidum\) the vent- feathers, wing-quills, thighs, claws, pupil, and the retro- verted feathers under the eyes are black; its thighs are of a fleih-colour, its eyes large and prominent, the iris of an orange-yellow, the cere> and the region of the eyes naked and yellow. A tuft or comb compofed o f about twelve feathers,' with which, placed in two rows, this bird is adorned, lies down moftly on the hind part o f the neck. 4 This This bird has a peculiar method of feizing upon ferpents. «775- When it approaches them, it always takes care to hold v J vV the point of one o f its wings before it, in order to parry off their venomous bites; fometimes it finds an opportunity of fpurning and treading upon its antagonift, or elfe o f taking it up on its pinions and throwing it into the air; when by this method of proceeding it has at length wearied out its adverfary, and rendered it almoft fenfelefs, it then kills it and fwallows it at leifure, without danger. Though I have very frequently feen the fecreta- ries bird both in its wild and tame ftate, I have yet never had an opportunity o f feeing this method it has o f catching ferpents; however, I can by h o means harbour any doubt concerning it, after having had it confirmed to me by io many Hottentots as well as Chriftians; and fince this bird has been obferved at the menagerie at the Hague, to amufe and exercife itfelf in the fame manner with a ftraw. If, finally, this ferpent-eater is to be referred to the accipitres, or the hawk-kind, the name o f falco ferpentarius appears to be the moft proper to diftinguiih it by in the Syjiema Na- attiree. It has even been remarked, that thefe birds, when tame, will not difdam now and then to put up with a nice chicken. I will not venture at prefent to try my reader’s patience longer, with accounts o f any more o f the feathered inhabitants o f Africa, at leaft not o f the fmaller fo rt; yet if may not be improper to mention by the bye, that they are of many different forts, and moft of them unlike thofe which are to be found in other parts of the world, and at the fame time that many o f them are yet unknown to natura- X 2 lifts.
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