VENTILATORS OF THE ANT'S HOUSES. 231 



persecutors. These ventilators have an extremely queer 

 effect on the landscape, for they are very numerous, and 

 impress the mind of the beholder strongly with the know- 

 ledge that he is not at home, but in a far-distant land. 



To day I shot in broad daylight an owl, a beautiful 

 bird about the size of our English partridge. Its back 

 is a delicate mottled slate-coloured grey, bearing a 

 strong resemblance to those feathers I used to value so 

 much, and which I obtained from the mallard duck, to 

 make the green-drake fly of the angler. The stomach 

 and under portion of the wings are snowy white ; the 

 talons strong but slender ; the bill longer and finer 

 than in the ordinary species of the family. This bird is 

 diurnal as well as nocturnal ; its flight is peculiarly swift 

 and graceful, and it possesses undaunted courage. In 

 fact, but for its persistent attack upon a bird much 

 larger than itself, and a total disregard of my presence, 

 it would not have lost its life. Having carefully skinned 

 my trophy, I added it to my infant collection, which I 

 hoped soon to see much increased. 



My team of cattle treck admirably; the beasts I 

 have lately procured are strong and willing ; but the 

 tout ensemble of the lot is not what it was when they 

 left Natal. Never mind, " Handsome is that handsome 

 does." 



I forgot to mention that in my fray with the Dutch- 

 man I sustained a most serious injury to my hand. 

 Like a goose, I inadvertently put my finger in his 

 mouth, and he, like a wise man, nearly bit it off ; since 

 then I suffer much from the sore, the wound doubtless 

 resulting from the. rascal not cleaning his teeth. 



