420 



Messrs. R. B. & J, D. S. Woodward's Journeys 

 )f the trees, eiviii": tliera a siiowv crown that is ^ 



sorae of the trees, giving thera a snowy crown that is visible 

 a long way off. We continued our journey over low hills 

 and through ugly country till we came to the junction of the 

 Hlabisa public road, near which are the St. Lucia coal-fields. 

 A pretty deep shaft has been sunk and some good coal 

 brought to the surface. No doubt this discovery will prove 

 of great value when the projected railway through Zululand 

 is made. At last, after proceeding some miles further, we 

 reached the banks of the great river Umfolosi, where we 

 found a good place to rest under a huge fig-tree. This drift 

 is considerably below the junction of the Black and White 

 divisions of this stream. At this time we had some difficulty 

 in getting boys toAvork : the Zulu Kafirs are too well off and 

 their wants too few for them readily to take to labour, and the 

 offer of high wages often fails to tempt them. A transport 

 waggon passing afforded us the help we needed, and crossing 

 the river we were soon outspanned near Mr, Rodseth's 

 Norwegian station. At his recommendation we decided to 

 visit the locality called Umbonambi, near the sea. On July 

 the 22nd we left these bare grassy hills, and gradually 

 descended to the coast-Hats by a track not very well defined. 

 On the way we passed the Umango, a small wood of tall trees, 

 mostly yellow-wood [Podonarpus thunberfjla), and rested here 

 awhile. Not finding many birds we continued on our way 

 seawards and soon reached the line of sandy bush- covered hills 

 that here skirt the shore. This turned out to be a very pretty 

 part of the coast — steep sandy hills and deep valleys, dark 

 with thick bush, extending for sorae miles, with the mouth 

 of the Umfolosi in the distance. The " Hadadah " is com- 

 mon here, and by careful stalking we managed to secure 

 several. The beautiful Yellow-billed Cuckoo, with its extra- 

 ordinary cry, inhabits the thick scrub ; Black-and- White 

 Barbets [Smilorhis leucotis) perched on the higher branches 

 of the taller trees, and there were plenty of fat green 

 Pigeons, as well as Trogons and Klaas's Cuckoos. The 

 natives grow a small species of German millet here, which is 

 very hardy, but the grain is poor and husky. We shot a 

 fine White Heron [Herodias alba), 3 feet long, and saw 

 several of the Sacred Ibis. After remaininsr here a short 



