four-feet-high grasses, is from three to four miles
broad, and probably twenty miles long, evidently once
forming part of Victoria Nyanza. We counted fourteen
rhinoceros upon the plain below; they were so
numerous that while marching they were often within
gunshot, affording us excellent sport had we chosen
to follow them up. Instead of being frightened, one
of these rhinoceros walked up towards me till I whistled
at sixty paces, which was close enough; but the bullet
from one of the men’s rifles only made him put
a twist in his tail and trot off proudly over the grassy
plain for three miles, tripping repeatedly, and halting
for an instant to give himself a shake, as if he had been
stung. No elephants were seen—it was too open a
country for them; hyena were rarely heard; porcu-
pine-quills were picked up in the woods; serpents, we
saw few or none; beeswax was never met with, though
hives made out of logs were occasionally. Of gamebirds
the most plentiful was the guinea-fowl near the
cultivations. The natives of Usui will not eat the
fowl, but the Waiinga, a class of people who work in
iron and its nodules, have no objection. Florikan were
shot; also a species of partridge quite new to me. I
was attracted by their curious gait in running with
their bodies thrown back : their call, too, was strange
s—“ cock, cock, ko-cock,” or “ chick-a-chick, chick-a-
ehick,” not unlike the Himalayan cheer-pheasant’s
voice; our Seedees called it the “ Booee.” Its throat
and round the eyes were an orange red; one was
double-spurred, and weighed 1^ lb.
While delayed by the sultan of Usui for fifteen
days in settling his tax, we found the above partridge
amongst the bushes of the valley; also numbers of
pretty birds of no value except as specimens. We
observed three fine species of swallow on the wing;
the prettiest was entirely black, except on the forehead
and under the lower mandible, where it was
snow-white; a smaller was black all over, and both
had forked tails, and frequented craggy ground.
A larger species have red belly and chest, whitish
throat, some white under the wings, long forked
tail and general colour black, frequenting ground
covered with brushwood. The smallest seen was
black with white belly, red over forehead and under
the lower mandible, with forked tail. Black birds
the size and shape of robins flew from tree to
tree; water-wagtails were familiar with our camp;
creepers hopped amongst the bushes; smaller genera
were in flights; and a peculiar-looking bird, with
plain brown plumage and long tail, was shot amongst
the rushes. Though mentioned last, our Seedees
considered this' the king of birds. He is called the
“ M’linda,” and he moves escorted by a staff of little
birds, whose duty it is, should a feather fall from the
king, to tear it to pieces, thus preventing its being
put upon an arrow. A similar tale is told with reference
to the tippet-monkey, who is said to believe his
handsome skin so much coveted, that when wounded
he tears out all his beautiful long hair, to prevent
your making use of i t ! The skin of the M’linda
is as thick as that of a mouse, the feathers might be
called hairy, the bill is stronger than a linnet’s, and
the feet are soft and red. Our men were much pleased
during a march to meet with a bird they called the
“ kong-ot’a we were certain to have luck attending
us when it was seen!