18 NATURE AND SPORT IN SOUTH AFRICA 



feeding close to the doors of a dwelling, and in the 

 midst of people working on the werf." It is a strong, 

 bold flier, gifted with immense speed. Its stoop is 

 liohtninof-like. I have seen one of these birds dash 

 at a covey of Orange River francolins, not far from 

 where I have been shooting, and secure its booty. 



It is marvellous, considering the immense varieties 

 and numbers of hawks, falcons, and eagles in South 

 Africa, how feathered game manage to keep up their 

 numbers. They must lose heavily in the course of a 

 single season from the assaults of these aerial foes. 

 They have, too, to defend themselves from many 

 jackals, wild cats, lynxes, civets, meerkats, and others 

 of the Viverridce, as well as snakes. And yet, in spite 

 of the persecution of these wild-bred foes, and the 

 attacks of the half-starved Kaffir dogs near native 

 kraals, francolins, bustards, guinea-fowl, and other 

 game are found everywhere in plenty. Go where 

 you will in the veldt — save in the most waterless 

 recesses of the desert — you may always rely upon 

 having fair bird-shooting. Near water and river- 

 courses the shooting is often excellent, but you must 

 have with you a decent pointer, or in the long grass 

 veldt and thick brush you are likely to be hard put 

 to it to discover the aggravating game birds (some- 

 times almost impossible to kick up, sometimes run- 

 ning far in front of you) of South Africa. 



I now descended the kopje, and followed the 



