160 THROUGH ANGOLA 



west portion of that continent by turning the 

 rivers dry, have driven away the animals that once 

 lived in them, for hippopotamus teeth and tracks 

 have been found in dry river-beds in Angola and 

 the countries to the south and west. 



The animal life of this region, once number- 

 ing thousands of graceful spring buck, oryx, and 

 zebra, numerous eland and duiker (and sometimes 

 even elephant and rhinoceros near the foot-hills), 

 used to attract a large number of lions and 

 leopards : and wild dogs were abundant here 

 fifty years ago. To-day nearly all these have 

 gone, but there are still some of the smaller animals, 

 ratels, jackals, and genets ; while I found a few 

 birds, including the sand grouse and guinea-fowl, 

 and heard that duck of many kinds and even 

 flamingos and pelicans came here in the rainy 

 season, when there was water in the country. Of 

 other birds I saw several long-tailed doves, and 

 near the sea the white-headed crow. 



Where the scrub commences there are stunted 

 acacias and tamarisks, but very few euphorbias ; 

 while the baobab is not met with till well within 

 the zone of scrub. To the south of Mossarnedes 

 is that curious octopus-like plant, the Welwitschia 

 mirabilis, which is described in the chapter on 

 the plant life of Angola. 



The people of the southern coastal zone include 

 the Mondombes, whom we have already met. 

 Farther south are two coast tribes, the Ba Cuando 

 and Ba Cuisso, and still farther south the Ba 

 Chimba. All these people appear to be an ad- 

 mixture of the Irishman with the "Banf.ii. These 



