50 LT. C. G. FIXCH-DAVIES ON THE 



The climate is oood, although during summer the heat is 

 very trying, but there is usually a cool breeze, especially at 

 nioht. The winter is delightful, the niohts beino- then cold, 

 with often a sharp frost. The approximate height above 

 sea-level is 4000 feet. For the most part there is no surface 

 water, all water being obtained from wells, with the excep- 

 tion of springs that occur here and there, notably from the 

 sides of the Waterberg Range. During the rains, which 

 usually occur about November, there are rain pools to be 

 found in the veld^ and some of the farms have dams which 

 contain \a ater. There are several rivers, but these are dry, 

 except after heavy rains when they run for a short time. 

 The country is for the most part level, with isolated kopjes 

 and ridges rising here and there, notably in the Outjo dis- 

 trict, where, in the vicinity of the village, the country is 

 rather hilly. There are only two ranges of hills of any 

 importance, a high range between Okanjande and Outjo, and 

 the Waterberg Range almost due east o£ Okanjande. The 

 country is what may be termed " bush veld," being covered 

 with various kinds of thorn bush^ very dense in parts, in 

 others thinning out and giving place to open grassy flats. 

 In parts "sand veld" occurs. To the north of Outjo, about 

 75 miles, lies the Great Etosha Pan, a vast open pan 70 

 miles long and 40 miles broad, quite dry in the dry season, 

 and with a varying quantity of water during the rains. 

 Apart from the bird-life, the country abounds in big game, 

 principally kudu, gemsbuck, hartebeest and wildebeest, 

 and in some parts, zebra, springbuck, eland, and a few 

 roan antelope, also several of the smaller buck : duiker, 

 steenbuck, klipspringer, and the Damaraland dik-dik (here 

 called bluebuck). In the north-west elephant and giraffe 

 are found ; leopards are numerous, also various wild cats, 

 jackals, wild dogs, etc. Lions are not uncommon in the 

 vicinity of the Etosha Pan, and occasionally stray to other 

 parts of the district. 



I might mention that during the recent campaign I col- 

 lected a few birds at Otavifontein, about 75 miles north of 

 Okanjande, amongst which were two species of great interest, 



