e been shot
weighing about twenty or thirty pounds. They walk about the newly-burnt
grass picking up the fried worms and other animals brought to light by
the fire. These birds being very difficult to approach, I generally
rode round and round them, commencing my circle from a long distance,
and gradually narrowing it, taking care, however, not to look at the
birds. They are so keen-sighted, that, were you to look fixedly at
them, even when distant, they would immediately fly away; whereas, if
they consider that you do not see them, they will crouch down their
heads and remain perfectly still, letting you circle up to them. Having
always one barrel loaded with ball and the other with buckshot for this
work, I was ready to take a long shot with the bullet, if there was any
appearance of the birds taking an early flight. If, however, no signs
of impatience were shown, and the _pouw_ tried the hiding dodge, the
plan was to get within eighty or one hundred yards, dismount, and run in
towards the birds: they could not rise very quickly, and a dose of
buckshot, as they opened their wings, was generally effective in
stopping them.

Upon wounding a young _pouw_ one day, as I was riding home, I was
opposed by a rival sporting gentleman, in the shape of an eagle. The
_pouw_ rose nearly under my horse's feet, but, as I was cantering, he
got some distance off before I could pull up and fire; the dropping of
both hind-legs told a tale of mortal wounds, and he sailed steadily down
to a little clump of bushes. His unfortunate condition had not escaped
the all-observant eye of a hungry eagle, who was sailing about over me;
nearly closing his wings, he dashed after the _pouw_, caught him before
he reached the ground, and flew away with him. To see one's dinner thus
walked off with was too much to bear quietly. I therefore galloped
after the robber, who soon came to the ground, finding that the weight
of his burden did not assist his aerial performances. I reached to
within a hundred yards of him, when he again rose; taking a steady aim
at him, I fired, and sent the bullet sufficiently close to astonish him,
as he instantly dropped my property, and made off, leaving me in quiet
possession.

There are a great many varieties of the eagle and hawk tribe in South
Africa; some specimens are very small, others magnificent fellows. The
wild, shrill scream of the osprey, or sea-eagle, always struck me as
being very characteristic of