96 DEL AGO A BAY. 



The Kafirs call them Chinanas. In shape 

 they are like a flattened hen's egg, with four 

 little short legs, and a small slit for a mouth 

 at the narrow end. They live underneath the 

 sand, and I often turn them up with my trowel 

 when planting, always quite wet and shining 

 out of the hottest sand. They usually swell 

 themselves out to an enormous size when 

 handled, sometimes emitting a shower of liquid, 

 and quickly disappear backwards into the sand 

 when released. Many little frogs also live under 

 the sand, not a trace of them being visible till 

 rain comes, when they appear as if by magic, 

 merrily singing their happy song till the rain 

 is over ; then they too scrape themselves back- 

 wards into the sand, and all is silent till the 

 next shower. 



After 1 had looked for some time at the dear 

 little Chinanas I amused myself by watching 

 the proceedings of the ants. The females, after 

 flying about for a little while, settled on the 

 ground with their bodies upturned, and in a 

 state of tremor, shaking their wings violently, 



