THE STEPPES OF INNER AFRICA. 193 



Such, in briefest statement, are the essential facts in regard to 

 the life-history of the giant bird of the steppe; all the stories which 

 are inconsistent with my summary are more or less fabulous. 



The bird of the night in regard to which I wish to say a few 

 words is the night -jar or goat-sucker, whose race is represented 

 at home by one species, but in the steppe by several somewhat 

 remarkable forms. When the first star is seen in the evening sky 

 these gayest and most charming of nocturnal birds begin to be 

 active. During the day it is only by chance that we ever see one, 

 and we scarce believe in its powers of enlivening the steppe-land. 

 But, when night falls, at least one is sure to make its appearance. 

 Attracted to the camp-fire like the scorpion and the viper, the 

 softly-flying bird flits in ever-changing course around the watchers, 

 alights near them for a moment, delivers a few strophes of its 

 whirring night-song, which reminds one of a cat's purring, is off 

 again into the dusk, only to reappear in a few minutes, and so on 

 until morning. One species is especially fascinating, the flag- 

 winged night-jar, or " four- winged bird " of the natives. Its decor- 

 ative peculiarity consists of a long feather which grows out between 

 the primaries and secondaries 50 of each wing, without any vane 

 except at the broad tip, and far exceeding all the other feathers in 

 length, being in fact almost exactly half a yard in length. Eerily, 

 like some ghost, this night-jar flies and flutters. It looks as if it 

 were being constantly pursued by two others of smaller size, or as 

 if it could divide itself into two or three birds, or as if it had indeed 

 four wings. But it has all the charms of its race, and soon becomes 

 a welcome visitor, contributing, like its fellows, not a little to 

 alleviate most pleasantly the discomforts of the night. 



Like the birds, the mammals of the steppe are rich alike in 

 numbers and in species. The abundant vegetation supports not 

 only countless herds of antelopes, which are justly regarded as most 

 characteristic of this region, but also buffaloes and wild boars, zebras 

 and wild asses, elephants and rhinoceroses, the " serafe ",' or giraffes, 

 as we call them, besides a host of rodents with which we have only 

 a general acquaintance. Against this dense population of herbi- 

 vores, the numerous carnivores of the steppe wage unceasing war, 



(M70) 13 



