during a journey to the Matabili Country. 357 



bullocks and inexperience of the country, it would be madness 

 to attempt it ; so we agreed to try the Matabili country in- 

 stead. At this place we luckily engaged a boy to go with us — 

 a very necessary precaution, as, although the road in most 

 places is well defined, yet, unless you have some one who 

 knows the water-holes, you may often run very short of that 

 necessary article. All the rivers from here to beyond the 

 Tatti, which is the supposed boundary between the Baman- 

 gwato and Matabili countries, are sand-rivers, and water is 

 very often only to be had by digging. At a place called 

 Serule we heard from some Dutchmen there was a short 

 cut thence to the place we wished to go to ; so we tried it j 

 but on arriving at a river called the Mackloetze, we heard 

 from the natives that we had great danger of getting into the 

 " fly " (that is, places infested by the " tsetsi) , " so turned back 

 and went by the regular route to the Tatti. We met with 

 the greatest kindness here from Mr. Neilson, the manager of 

 the Gold-fields, and Mr. Brown, both of whom helped us 

 with bullocks and gave us every assistance and advice. We 

 left the Tatti on the 1st of September, and at last arrived at 

 the Samouqui river, where we made our camp, as this was 

 our furthest point. We stayed here some three weeks, hunt- 

 ing and collecting, and returned early in October, going back 

 by the same route that we came. 



I was very much disappointed as to the birds ; they were 

 few in number ; and (altliough I might have got more, espe- 

 cially among the Warblers and smaller Finches) yet, I think, 

 the collection I brought back wdl be found by any future 

 traveller over the same ground to be fairly comprehensive. 

 Want of water is, of course, the chief reason of this paucity 

 of animal life ; for the same remarks will apply to insects, the 

 only one that was seen in any great abundance being a species 

 of beetle. 



For the benefit of any member of the British Ornitholo- 

 gists' Union who may intend to visit these parts, I here give 

 a list of the rivers crossed, and where water may be found 

 during the end of winter (that is, about August) : — Mahalapse, 

 water above and below the road, easily got by cleaning out 



