172 THE CROW USED IN DIVINING EVENTS.
that day been presented with. He, no doubt, bad
never seen tbe bird before, although it was shot by
bis own lake. We, of course, observed the rhinoceros-
bird, which sits as calmly on the animal’s back as a
man does on the top of a coach ; he is the size of a
“ mfna ” or a blackbird, and has black wings, with a
grey or white rump ; they are partly gregarious, three
being seen together; and they must feed upon the
tics which infest the skin of the rhinoceros. Here we
came across a new swallow skimming the grasses of
the hillsides—black or dark-brown wings of a slate
tinge, white belly, black ring at neck and round the
rump, tail-feathers not forked but slightly convex,
body sparrow-size, and not so fish-shaped as swallows
generally are. The golden-headed ' and crimson-
backed little finch perched here, as in Unyanyembe, on
the stalks of the Indian com near dwellings. Another
bird had, as Speke described it, a black coat and plush
waistcoat; its colours harmonised beautifully with
the tree on which it sat, a thorny species of jasmine,
then (December) in rich pink-and-white bloom. We
had no songsters at Karague, but we had a “ bugler,”
who had one very rich note. There never were more
than from two to four crows (handsome birds, with a
ring of white round the neck) seen together, and the
natives like killing them, as they eat up the red bitter
sorghum, and prevent the people from sowing the
white or sweet variety. The crow was used here by
the sultan as supposed to be useful in divining events.
The crops are protected from the barn-door fowl by a
barbarous practice—the toe-nails of the fowl are cut
off to prevent them from scratching the ground. This
is done also in Zanzibar, but here it first attracted
SNAKES, VERMIN, AND PISH. 173
our notice in consequence of the peculiar crippled gait
of the poultry.
A snake was caught amongst the rocks, measuring
six feet five inches; it was of a bluish-black colour.
M’nanagee brought it in a wicker basket to show me.
He said he had had it for three days, and meant to
keep it as a pet. Although one of his men held it
fearlessly by the neck, they were afraid to allow me
to do so, because they called it poisonous; however,
no fanes were visible. I t was one of the few snakes
seen in Karague. Rats were in swarms, and were
very troublesome to the traders, stealing their beads
and cowries in considerable quantities, and concealing
them in their holes $ unfortunately we had no poison
with us when asked for some by M’nanagee. This
shows that the natives have no means to rid themselves
of them; some pills of flour and pounded
caustic were made up, but we never heard whether
they were effectual. In the low flat valleys near the
lakes, large grey-legged musquitoes bite through your
socks and trousers, keeping your limbs in constant
motion; but on the higher ground, where wind blows,
we were never annoyed by any. The bee that produces
the honey of the country resembles our common
hive-bee at home; and although beautifully granulated
honey was brought for sale, we observed no hives.
It certainly is not a productive country in this respect
—the bills are barren of flowers. There are quantities
of fish in the lake; but during my residence no
fisherman was ever seen or heard of. Except one
fish, the makambara, brought me by the sultan as a
curiosity alive in a jar, and a half-pound-weight
macquareh, caught by a Seedee in the Kishakka lake,