. British Central Africa; an attempt to give some account of a portion of the territories under British influence north of the Zambezi. Natural history. 346 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA by having a tail so short that it is scarcely visible, but the bird appears to full advantage when soaring with outspread pinions, as with the exception of the head its shape is then almost that of a crescent moon. It is perhaps the most brightly coloured of all raptorial birds, being a combination of reddish-brown, black and dove-grey with a sheen of bronze over part of the plumage. The naked skin about the cheeks a
. British Central Africa; an attempt to give some account of a portion of the territories under British influence north of the Zambezi. Natural history. 346 BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA by having a tail so short that it is scarcely visible, but the bird appears to full advantage when soaring with outspread pinions, as with the exception of the head its shape is then almost that of a crescent moon. It is perhaps the most brightly coloured of all raptorial birds, being a combination of reddish-brown, black and dove-grey with a sheen of bronze over part of the plumage. The naked skin about the cheeks and the beak is crimson-scarlet which is also the colour of the legs. The tip of the beak is black and the glossy black feathers of the head can be raised into a casque-like crest. This bird is not nearly as common in British Central Africa as it is to the east or to the south. It prefers an open country of thin vegetation where it can easily sight its prey. The Gypohierax which for many years was classed as a vulture but which is now known to be an aberrant fishing eagle, is found on the northern half of Lake Nyasa but not any distance to the east of that lake. It has been stated, I believe, that it is met with on the Island of Pemba, near Zanzibar, but I fancy this is a mistake. Gypohierax is found throughout the forest region of West Africa and its extension to Lake Nyasa I have already cited as one of the instances of western forms penetrating into British Central Africa. The Osprey is common, so is the Egyptian Kite ; and most of the genera of hawks, buzzards, and falcons are represented by various species. A remarkable bird from its affinities is the Naked-Cheeked Serpent Hawk {Polyboroides typicus). This bird is very closely allied to the parent form from which the Old World vultures originated, and is also connected with a still more primitive Accipitrine, the Secretary bird of South and East Africa. Strange to say the Secretary Vulture which is so common in South Africa
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectnaturalhistory, booky
