360 Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant on 



passes through civilized coimtry all the way, and water 

 is obtainable at farms every day. Morokwen is a large 

 native stadt, which is placed around the edge of one of the 

 huge flat salt-pans so characteristic of the Kalahari Desert 

 proper, which may be said to begin at that place. The 

 next stage, to the Molopo, nearly a hundred miles, is a very 

 unpleasant bit of travelling, the road, with the exception of 

 the last thirty miles, being terribly stony and passing through 

 a great deal of low " hock dorn " scrub, by far the most im- 

 penetrable and destructive thorny vegetation met with in 

 South Africa. Water is only to be had at long intervals, 

 and is very bad ; in fact, at one halting-place, which had 

 been deserted by the natives, the water we were obliged to 

 use was the worst met with during the whole journey. It 

 had to be boiled with alum and the green slime allowed to 

 deposit several times before it was possible to use it, and 

 even then it had a most disagreeable flavour. 



At Morokwen the open veldt is left behind, while the tall 

 " Kameel-thorn " forest and bush-veldt, so typical of the 

 Kalahari, begins, and extends right up to and beyond 

 Ngamiland, with only a few short breaks of more or less 

 open coiintry. As soon as this forest-country is entered 

 many birds are met with which are not to be seen in the barer 

 district to the east. A fine lled-legged Francolin [Franco- 

 I'mus adspersus) is very conspicuous, being a very noisy bird 

 in tlie mornings and evenings. A Hornbill {Lophoceros 

 leucomelas) and the Long-tailed Shrike [Urolestes melano- 

 leticufi) are also very noticeable. 



At night the Pearl-spotted Owl and Erlanger's Scops- 

 Owl may be heard calling in all directions. Both of these 

 small Owls were particularly common along the Molopo 

 River, and are most delightful little birds. In Ngamiland 

 we were fortunate enough to get young ones of both species, 

 which travelled safely home to England and lived for some 

 time in the Zoological Gardens. They were, I think, the 

 most amusing and charming pets I have ever had. 



We spent some time on the Molopo River, as the oxen's 

 feet had been much cut and knocked about on the bad 



