SoMi-; I'l.Ai l-.-XAM i:s OF TSOLO. 613 



M/vikaiic. — The meaning of this name lias been ascribed by 

 various informants to three diti'erent sources. I have been told 

 it was so named on account of the flies in the vicinity, on account 

 of a certain bush which g^rows there, or on account of the mice. 

 The first explanation is the most reasonable. 



Iiiipiikitiikoiia. — This elaborate name, whose prelix is spelt 

 on a different plan to the extent that the initial vowel has not 

 been elided as is usually done in place names, is formed from 

 two words. Whatever difficulty we may have had in the previous 

 name, there is no room for doubt about the presence of the mice 

 in this vicinity. " The mice are here." 



Zingcuka. — Probably also a victim of bad spelHng! i-Ncuka 

 is the name for the brown hyena {Ilycoia brunnca), and ap])ar- 

 ently the name indicates the home of these beasts. 



Before passing to the next section I wash to point out what 

 valuable information is afforded us of the presence of certain 

 animals in this one district. By the time we have covered all 

 2-j districts no doubt we shall have a valuable addition to, and 

 confirmation of our knowledge of the distribution of animals in 

 this region of Cape Province. 



V. — Named after Parts of the Hit man Body. 



This is a seemingly small section, but the paucity of material 

 must not be regarded as being due to the fact that places are not 

 named in this way. The point is that many names are. and have 

 been, suppressed because there is no point in perpetuating unsuit- 

 able and undesirable names. The heathen mind does not hesitate 

 to give publicity to that which is private. We give a few illustra- 

 tions of names of this class which are met with in Tsolo District. 



Goz'ane. — The uvula in the throat, which this ]:)articular place 

 was supposed to resemble. 



B'ele. — Name of a mountain shaped like a female l)reast. 

 Around this mountain are settled large numbers of the Bele 

 tribe of Fingoes. 



Bokzvana Hill possibly owes its derivation to a resemblance 

 to a nose, for the word umhoko means snout, nose, proboscis. 

 Ana is of course diminutive in force. 



\'T . — European Names. 



( )ur study would not be complete if we did not make some 

 reference to the European ])lace-names of the district, 



(a) In the first place mission stations have played a long 

 and honourable part. 



St. Augustine's, founded by Bishop Key. was burned down 

 during Umhlonhlo's rebellion. After the *' war " the main station 

 Avas established at St. Cuthbert's (see Ncolosi), which is now a 

 mission of some importance. St. Bartholomezv's is one of the 

 outstations in the Tsitsa basin. 



Somerville, a mission station of the United Free Church of 

 Scotland, stands on the site of the old Residency. When 



D 



