550 Mr. B. Alexander — An Ornithological 



convey us as far as Tete. Owing to an exceptionally dry 

 season our progress was painfully slow, since tlie course of 

 the stream had become complicated through sandbanks, upon 

 which our boat continually stuck ; but stoppages at various 

 stations along the river to take in wood were delays which 

 facilitated our collecting. On August 9, Tete was reached, 

 whence we left for Mesanangue, a little village some 70 miles 

 higher up the river, the furthest point our steamer could 

 reach owing to the impassable Kabrabassa rapids. Here, 

 accordingly, we disembarked, and prepared to trek to 

 Chicowa, distant about 72 miles, whence we would once more 

 have a clear reach of river for our own small boats, which we 

 had brought out from England, and were capable of being 

 carried in sections. From the difficulty of obtaining porters, 

 we stayed at Mesanangue longer than we expected, but it 

 allowed us to form the nucleus of a collection upon which we 

 based our future work. With the help of beads and good 

 calico we at length succeeded in getting our carriers, and we 

 reached Chicowa on September 3, after a four days' trek over 

 a rough country. 



At Chicowa we found ourselves once more on the trade 

 route to the north, while during our encampment several 

 white traders passed through in quest of ivory and cattle. 



On October 16, 1 and Mr. Ramm, my taxidermist, started 

 by river to Zumbo. Our boat was manned by native paddlers, 

 who were extremely good at their work, accomplishing on 

 an average 15 miles a day, and then stopping towards night- 

 fall to camp on some convenient sandbank, where each man 

 cooked his 1 lb. of Kaffir meal, the only food he had in the day. 

 Trained from childhood to paddle in canoes, these men are 

 adepts at the work, and as they sit paddling on each gunwale 

 of the boat, they break out now and again into chants at the 

 signal of a long " whoo-hoop " from the captain of the crew, 

 who stands at the helm. These boating-songs are by no 

 means unmusical, while all seem to know them, since they 

 are handed down from father to son, and a further charm is 

 added to them by the accompaniment of the paddles striking 

 the water with even measure. By means of these paddlers we 



