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kick an unfortunate or a diseased one. It is intended by this instinct, 

 that none but the perfect and healthy ones should propagate the species. 

 In this case they manifested their usual propensity to gore the wounded, 

 but our appearance at that moment caused them to take flight, and this, 

 \Yith the goring being continued a little, gave my men the impression that 

 they were helping away their wounded companion. He was shot between 

 the fourth and fifth ribs ; the ball passed through both lungs and a rib on 

 the opposite side, and then lodged beneath the skin. But though it was 

 two ounces in weight, yet he ran off some distance, and was secured only 

 by the people driving him into a pool of water and kilhng him there with 

 their spears. The herd ran away in the direction of our camp, and then 

 came bounding past us again. We took refuge on a large ant-hill, and as 

 they rushed by us at full gallop, I had a good opportunity of seeing that 

 the leader of a herd of about sixty, was an old cow ; all the others allowed 

 her a full half-length in their front. On her withers sat about twenty 

 Buffalo-birds {Tex tor crijthrorhynchus, Smith), which act the part of 

 guardian spirits to the animals. When the buffalo is quietly feeding, this 

 bird may be seen hopping on the ground picking up food, or sitting on its 

 back riddinof it of the insects with which their skins are sometimes infested. 

 The sight of the bird being much more acute than that of the buffalo, it 

 is soon alarmed by the approach of any danger, and, flying up, the buffaloes 

 instantly raise their heads to discover the cause, which has led to the 

 sudden flight of their guardian. They sometimes accompany the 

 buffaloes in their flight on the wing, at other times they sit as above 

 described." 



Amoag the ' Notes on the Birds of the territory of the Trans-vaal 

 Republic' Mr. T. Ayres says : — 



" This Finch inhabits the bush, and is not, so far as I know, ever 

 found in the open country ; we met with but few of them, and then always 

 in company with the little blue Hoopoe {Iirisor ci/anotnelas) in twos and 

 threes. The stomach of the bird sent contained insects ; but berries, 

 seeds and fruits, were not to be had at that season, our trip being in mid- 

 winter." 



