Chap, vi.] VENOMOUS SNAKES. I3I 



A kick from an ostrich is well known to be very dangerous. 

 The only thing to do when attacked without means of defence, 

 Mr. McKellar said, is to lie flat down and let the bird walk on 

 you till he is tired. I was astonished at the brightness of the 

 red colouring developed on the front of the legs of the cock 

 bird during the breeding season. 'I'he ornamental appearance 

 of the bird is greatly enhanced by it. 



A narrow but strong and high pen was provided for plucking 

 the birds in. They are driven into it and held fast. It is 

 found better to pluck the feathers out than to cut them off. 

 The stumps, if left in, are apt to cause trouble. 



Young ostriches, on first emerging from the egg, have curious 

 horny plates at the tips of their feathers, like those in the 

 feathers of one of the Indian jungle fowls, and some other 

 birds not in the least related to one another. 



The Cape Peninsula becomes very narrow towards its ter- 

 mination, and ends in two capes. Cape Point, on which is the 

 lighthouse, and the Cape of Good Hope. The Cape of Good 

 Hope itself is a mass of rock terminating in perpendicular 

 cliffs tovv-ards the sea, but with ledges here and there on which 

 numbers of cormorants {Phalacrocorax capensis) nest. 



Behind the terminal rocky mass is a waste of white sand, 

 horribly dazzling to the eyes in bright sunshine. Similar sand, 

 loose and deep, so that one's foot sinks into it at every step, 

 lies all around the farm-house, but is more or less covered 

 with bushes. This sand is terribly tiring to walk on, but after 

 a little rain the various animals can be tracked on it as easily 

 as on fresh snow, and it is thus that they are best hunted. 



The boys thus find numbers of small tortoises {Tesfndo 

 geojueirica), which are here in great numbers, extremely pretty 

 ones with embossed shells. These shells are often made to 

 do duty as ornamental paper weights, being filled with lead. 

 Besides these there are the tracks of the various snakes. A 

 broad groove with a much narrower groove in its centre, marked 

 by the tip of the tail, is made by the terrible Puff-adder {Clotho 

 arietans), on which one always stands a chance of treadmg 

 when walking about. Then there are Cobra tracks, and tracks 

 of numerous other snakes. Both Cobras {Naja haje ?) and 

 Puff-adders are sufficiently abundant about Simons Town. I 

 had four or five adders and two Cobras brought me to preserve. 

 One Cobra was caught swimming in the sea, just off the dock- 

 yard. 



Again, there are tracks of the Ichneumon {Herpestes), called 

 by some name sounding like " moose haunt," and those of the 

 Musk-Cat {Genetta feli?ia), both extremely destructive, and 

 trapped and hunted with all energy by the farmers. There are 



