NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA 



drifting sand which threatened to bury a portion 

 of Port Elizabeth. At intervals through this forest 

 broad belts or roads have been cut to act as fire 

 breaks. On these open spaces the meerkats may 

 be seen at any time of day lying stretched out in the 

 sun, sporting with one another, or in the act of stalk- 

 ing a Bush Pheasant (Red-necked Francoliri) . They 

 are often seen in the public roads scratching and 

 turning over the dung in search of beetles, which 

 they greedily devour. 



Until recently, colonies of these meerkats lived 

 on the outskirts of Port Elizabeth, but, owing to 

 continued persecution, these colonies have vanished, 

 and the individual meerkats composing them have 

 scattered and now live in pairs. 



Out upon the karoo, away from the habitation of 

 man, the Bushy- tailed Meerkat exists upon Otomys, 

 mice, the eggs and young of ground birds, lizards, 

 small tortoises, and insects. They at times attack 

 and devour larger prey, for if any Ground Squirrels 

 should be in the neighbourhood they do not hesitate 

 to follow them down their burrows and attack and 

 kill them. Even the Springhaas or Jumping Hare 

 falls a victim to these little carnivorous creatures. It 

 is a common occurrence to find a pair of these meer- 

 kats in possession of a burrow of a Jumping Hare 

 or a Ground Squirrel, the rightful occupants having 

 either been devoured or driven out. 



There are many species of land tortoises in South 

 Africa. They all lay eggs. The parent excavates 

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