BOTANICAL. INFORMATION. 335 



air has a free circulation ; provided they are not exposed to 

 the influence of snow fields, of which there are none in these 

 yet explored parts of South Africa. It is interesting during 

 winter in many parts of the colony, in a frosty night, to 

 ascend from a low country towards an elevated tract or 

 mountain, where the change that takes place is obvious to 

 every one ; he feels himself transported within an hour or 

 two, from a frosty winter night to a mild and pleasant 

 climate. On account of this equality of temperature, flies 

 and other insects live and enjoy themselves in those regions, 

 as do the several kind of swallows, considered to be migra- 

 tory birds, but which remain during winter where they find 

 their food constantly. They are absent for [some months in 

 the country below, although the temperature is much higher 

 during the middle of the day, but having frosty nights. 



As it was necessary to wait till the period of the horse 

 sickness was over, and as it was necessary for our purpose 

 to get horses of a good quality, we thought it would be 

 desirable to proceed to the mountainous country, to choose 

 amongst many hundreds of these animals, such as would 

 afterwards be worth our purchasing. We expected at the 

 same time, to make comparatively better acquisitions on 

 those mountain regions, belonging still to the high Witte- 

 °erg Mountain chain, in Zoology and Botany. We passed 

 the little Vet River soon after we had left the former; both 

 are nearly of the same size, and join each other some miles 

 further below where we forded it. Immediately after passing 

 tn e little Vet River, we left the main road, leading towards 

 e interior in a north westerly direction, and steered towards 

 east to the distant mountain range, faintly perceptible from 

 °nr position here. We passed several parties of emigrants, 

 immediately we left that route, who had settled near the 

 banks of a small river called « Laayspruit," a tributary of 

 the little Vet River. Some marshy places in this valley 

 ^ere highly ornamented with Gladiolus psittacinus (n. 1624). 

 Bein g just now in full blossom, they formed natural flower 

 gardens in front of some houses of several of the farmers. 



