circular fpots; upper part of the tail fulvous, with oblong black
j/pots ; under part barred acrois with alternate black and white
bands; vibriffse or ftrong briftles about the mouth, fiiv-ery
white ; a black line along the fore part of the Ihoulders to the
cheft; length from the nofe to the end of the tail feven feet
four inches; length of the tail two feet ten inches. The de-
fcription anfwers very nearly to that o f the leopard, of which I
believe it to be a variety only. The tiger of the plains is evidently
the fame fpeeies, the only difference being in the fuse,
which is a little larger than that of the former, and in the color
of the ground which is a little lighter, both of which probably
may arife from local circumftances. To another fpeeies of the
feline tribe they give the name of leopard. It is not fo long,
but thicker, taller, and much ftronger than thofe defcrihed
above : the color is cinereous, with fmall black fpots; the neck
and temples covered with long crifp hair like that of the mane
of the lion ; tail two feet, flat, vertical, fpotted half way from
the root, and the other half aanulated ; a thick black line from
the interior angle of the eye extends to the opening of the
mouth. Of this fpeeies we procured a young one;, it became
inftandy tame, and as playful as the domeftlc kitten. Moll
beafts of prey, if taken young, may almoft inftandy be rendered
tame. The fierce lion, or the tiger, is fooner reconciled
to a ftate of domeftication than the timid antelope'; and the
cadaverous crocuta, the wild dog, has lately been domefticated
in the Sneuwberg,, where it is now confidered as one of the beft
hunters after game, and as faithful and diligent as any of the
common fort of. domeftic dogs.
Birds,
Birds, as well as beafts of prey, are attracted to fuch places
as abound with game. By the Sea-Cow river, vultures were
more numerous than they had hitherto been feen in any part
of the country. O f thefe were diftinguiihed three forts; the
large black condor, thepercnopterus, or Egyptian facred vulture,
and a third that feemed to differ from the fecond only in fize,
being no more than two feet long. The female alfo of this
bird, as well as that of the percnopterus, is diftinguiihed from
the whitiih-colored male by its plumage of dulky brown.
This fmall fpeeies is called by the peafantry the white crow.
The facred fcavenger o f Egypt meets not here with that protection
which was afforded it on the banks of the Nile, where,
according to Herodotus, to deftroy it was a capital crime.
The percnopterus is a gregarious bird. They fly in troops
that feldom confift of fewer than fifty ; and they are generally
attended with two or three condors, as many of the fmall white
kind, and a whole flock of the vulturine crow. An animal is
no fooner foot than they appear hovering at an immenfe height
in the air, from whence they plunge down the moment that the
carcafe is left alone.
Snakes of different forts were feen and killed daily, all of
them, according to the Hottentots’ information, more or lefs
venemous. Thefe people are not unacquainted with feveral
interefting particulars as to the nature and habits of the animal,
as well as the vegetable part of the creation. From one I
learned a very extraordinary effe£fc produced by the application
of the oil of tobacco to the mouth of a fnake. One of
thefe reptiles, about two feet in length, and of a blueiih color,
m m 2 had