32 KLOOF AND KARROO. 



standing far out upon the flat and open karroo. 

 During the latter part of the morning we had seen a 

 good many of the black koorhaan (Eiipodotis afro) 

 and heard their harsh grating call, and had shot one 

 from the road, as well as a brace of the vaal, or gray 

 koorhaan (another of the game-like bustards, techni- 

 cally known to naturalists as Otis vigorsii}, a bird 

 rather scarcer hereabouts than the ubiquitous black 

 species. These gray bustards we had noticed 

 running in the veldt not far from the road. Upon 

 approaching them they had, as we expected, squatted, 

 hoping, from the similarity of their colouring to the 

 ground and karroo vegetation, to escape detection. 

 Sidling round them in a circular movement, we 

 approached within twenty yards of the too-confiding 

 game, and then, as they flushed in. sheer desperation, 

 we had no difficulty in securing the brace of them. 



As we outspanned, Bob and I noticed some more 

 of the black koorhaan some little distance away upon 

 the plain, and in the unthinking ardour of the pursuit 

 of unaccustomed game, we cast aside the prospect 

 of dinner at the farmhouse, and, taking some 

 " biltong " with us, went after the birds, while the 

 others proceeded indoors to see what they could 

 have to eat. Walking across the heathy karroo 

 scrub, we cautiously hastened in the direction of the 

 nearest of the koorhaan, but, alas ! just as we 

 arrived within ninety yards, the artful rogues, which 

 had been previously running, got up and flew off 

 with noisy, scolding " craak," then dropped again 

 upon the veldt. These birds will often run for con- 

 siderable distances, and after approaching them for 

 another quarter of a mile or so the same vexatious 

 tactics were repeated. We now altered our plans, 



