A PLETHORA OF GHOONYAS 219 



extraordinary parasite; also a small, speckled 

 toac l — a novelty, I thought — and a scorpion 

 which, when stretched out, measured eight and 

 a half inches. Well done, Fauna ! 



Hendrick had roasted a pheasant to a turn. 

 I was savagely hungry; just as I was about to 

 begin eating I noticed some people approach- 

 ing along our trail. These comprised a man, 

 two women and several children. I was filled 

 with foreboding. The strangers approached, 

 each carrying something with carefulness. 

 They set offerings before me. These con- 

 sisted of ghoonyas, and nothing else. 



What did these people take me for; did 

 they suppose I lived on a ghoonya diet — that 

 I fed my caravan on ghoonya soup? Was I 

 to have the extinction of an innocent species 

 of orthoptera on my already burthened con- 

 science; or would the result of all this be the 

 adoption of the ghoonya as the totem of the 

 Richtersveld Tribe? Those unlucky three- 

 penny pieces, — my unfortunate enthusiasm 

 over the first specimens — these seemed to 

 have set the whole of the local population on 

 the hunting trail for ghoonyas. Anger gave 

 way to despair. I spoke a few words of appeal 

 to Hendrick, seized my fragrant pheasant and 

 hurriedly made for the open veld. When I 



