336 BOTANICAL INFORMALTION. 



As they grow for the most part on an arable soil, destined 

 by the emigrants for kitchen gardens, they must make room 

 by and by for more useful culinary purposes. We entered 

 into a trackless, but open wilderness, directly we had passed 

 the little colony of the emigrants, being without trees or 

 bushes, but covered with dense carpets of grasses. The 

 country presented a vast undulated surface, as far as the eyes 

 could reach, sparingly interspersed at remote distances, with 

 rocky hills. This extended desert was seemingly only 

 inhabited by thousands of game, and animals of prey, as we 

 did not fall in with any human being, nor with any traces 

 of a recent visit by them, we took up our quarters the first 

 night near a periodical pool, filled with water during the 

 rainy season. Many a bulb of the beautiful Crinum roseum, 

 showed their long narrow leaves above the surface of the 

 water. As they flower early in the spring, we were not so 

 fortunate to see the ponds ornamented with those splendid 

 flowers. The favourable opportunity amongst crowds of 

 game, invited us to remain one day on that spot. On an 

 excursion the next day towards a depressed tract, I started 

 three lions out of the dry bed of a small periodical river, just 

 as I was collecting specimens of Crotalaria distorts, Benth., 

 flowering on its immediate banks. They were much alarmed on 

 seeing me standing nearly perpendicularly above their heads, 

 as they had taken shelter in the shade beneath some steep 

 rocks, against the effect of a burning sun, for no trees or 

 shrubs could be seen here. Although the two females took 

 flight, and soon disappeared ; the male, which was a fine 

 full-grown specimen of the black-maned variety, as soon as 

 he recovered from the first impression of fear, and seeing 

 no other opponent than me, walked off with great dignity, 

 looking back over his shoulders at me at intervals, till he 

 entered again the channel about a mile higher up. I went 

 to the waggons, and returned with several of our party to 

 the spot again, but we were disappointed, as he started again 

 just as we were nearly within gun-shot of him, giving no 

 chance to us of becoming proprietor of his long black-maned 

 skin. 



