THE PLAINS OF AFRICA. 155 



The farmer in that part of the world has, in 

 some small degree, his revenge on the antelopes. 

 He kills a great many of them with his gun ; for 

 the flesh is as good as venison, and the skin is 

 useful to him for clothing and a variety of pur- 

 poses. When the rain comes, the great plain that 

 looked like a desert changes its appearance. It 

 blooms like a garden ; all kinds of flowers and 

 heaths burst forth in a sheet of colour. 



Clouds of brilliant Sun-Birds come to feast 

 upon the nectar they contain, and the butterflies 

 and radiant insects of the Tropics flutter about 

 and enjoy their little day. 



Sometimes a black object will appear in the 

 horizon, that gets larger and larger, and at length 

 darkens the sky. The locusts are come; and 

 they fall upon the verdant plain as if resolved to 

 destroy every green blade. 



The birds in their turn attack the locusts, and 

 pursue them on the wing, and drive them from 

 place to place. While the scourge of locusts lasts, 

 however man may suffer, the feathered tribes have 

 a continual banquet. 



