exchange their tent of mats, for any dwelling of solid and immoveable
cohstruction.
18th. We were visited this morning by a party of ten Bushmen,
who had been obliged to cross the river to us. I neglected no
opportunity of making friends with this nation, and had already discovered
that in negotiating a treaty of peace and alliance with them,
tobacco is a most successful plenipotentiary, or rather a sine-qua-non.
They were all armed with a hassagay, and a bow and arrows. Their
clothing was greasy leather, reddened with ochre, and the apparent
color of their skin was the same. In their manners, they were less
reserved and timid than the Bushmen whom we saw at the Bock Fountain.
They remained with us the greater part of the day, and seemed
to consider it no difficulty to have to wade through the river to
return home.
I took a ramble with my gun, through the groves a little lower
down the river, to a fall, where the water, broken in an easy
descent, ran over large pebbles or stones rounded by the force of
the current. Just below the fall, a heron stood near the shore, patiently
watching for fish, and perfectly motionless, except when
making a sudden dart at his prey, which, it appeared, never was so
fortunate as to escape his aim.
No hippopotami frequent this part of the river, it being too
shallow, and the bottom too rocky. The only fish which the Hottentots
had seen here, were the Geelvisck (Yellow-fish); and one
which they called Plattekop (Flat-head), which, at . this time, I had
no opportunity of seeing.
I passed some hours amongst the trees, with the view of en-
creasing the ornithological part of my collection, and procured a
new and beautiful Hoopoe, entirely of a deep purple *: a small long*
Upupa purpurea, B .— Fcemina. Tota purpurea, exceptis corporis parte inferiore
nigra, et macula alba mediis in remigibus primariis. Cauda elongata utrinque purpurea.
Crista nulla. Rostrum, pedes et irides, nigra.' Lingua brevissima.
Mas, coloribus iisdem gaudet, exceptis pectore, juguloquè nigro-fuscis : magnitudine
foeminam vix sequat.
tailed pigeon * seen only in pairs, generally running along the
ground as it picks up its food; a very small bird, resembling the
golden-crested wren f , and of a yellowish green ; a small blackish-
brown bird J, singing with very soft and sweet notes, frequently met
with, and apparently not shy; the barbet already mentioned §, now
seen in greater number; and a small familiar bird, resembling the
Redstart, generally observed hopping under the bushes. ||
The weather being too hot for travelling by day, our departure
was delayed till sunset. The air continued very sultry, an effect
attributable to the moisture exhaled by the river. At ten in the
morning the heat was 79°; at 2 p. m. 89°; and at sunset 81£° (26°T
—31°*6—and 27°*3. Centig.). But at six on the following morning,
it had sunk to 44 (6°*6 Cent.).
Our road, for the first part, was through loose heavy sand, which
ceased as soon as we quitted the region of Acacias: after this the
ground continued hard during the whole night’s journey, and, ex^
cepting a solitary one here and there, not a tree was to be seen.
The sands near the river were inhabited by insects of some
importance, if we may judge of them by the noise they made. As
soon as the sun had set, or within ten minutes afterwards, there
commenced a din so loud and continuous, as quite to deafen the
ear ; and this teaming and stunning sound lasted for about a quarter
of an hour, or till the end of twilight. It seemed to proceed out of
the earth, and, though I often sought in the very spot whence it
came, I was unable, at this time, to get a sight of one of them to
satisfy my curiosity ; but afterwards ascertained that this remarkable
noise was made by a species of Cricket^[, much resembling the do*
Columba Capensis■ Gm. Sys. Nat. — “ L a Tourterelle a cravatte noir.” Le Vaili.
Ois. d’Afr. pi. 278, 274.'. — This is generally called the Naniaqua Dove.
f Or Regulus vulgaris. — Motacilla Regulus, Linn.
t Turdus Capensis, ß. Gm. Sys. Nat. — “ Le Brunoir.” Le Vail. Ois. d’Afr. pi.
106. f. 1.
§ Pogonias. — Bucco niger. Gm.
|| Turdus.—L e Jan Fredric. Le Vaili. Ois. d’Afr. pi. 111.
% Acheta.