3348 The Zoologist — January, 1873. 



that period exceedingly prolific. Swarms of migratory hawks and kites may 

 then be observed in pursuit of the myriads of Termites which at this season 

 infest the air, but at the same time brighten it, as it were, with innumerable 

 silvery dots and streaks, as their gorgeous wings and white bodies encounter 

 the fiery sunlight. Here and there a flock of storks may be observed busily 

 chasing the devastating locusts, or performing graceful gyrations in the air ; 

 and whilst the temporary rain-pools often abound with rare and handsome 

 water-fowl, the shores are frequented by the elegant heron, the lively sand- 

 piper, the graceful avocet, and the gorgeous flamingo. The Atlantic on the 

 west, the Orange River to the south, the Okavango Iliver, and the Lake 

 N 'garni, with the watersheds to the north and east, contribute chiefly to these 

 large and varied annual incursions and migrations." — P. xxix. 



It will be seen that all these passages are from the introductory 

 portion of the work : I now proceed to the systematic part, in which 

 the species are treated seriatim, and shall make a few more extracts 

 before I close the book : the quotations are all from the earlier part 

 of the volume, and these give a better and more impartial view than 

 had I culled the sensational only; indeed tho.se who seek this 

 element in Natural History will I trust be satisfied with the per- 

 sonal adventures already selected from the Introduction. It is im- 

 possible to read the selections which follow without perceiving that 

 the writer was as careful and guarded in his conclusions as lie was 

 diligent and untiring in observing. The readers of the 'Zoologist' 

 will be sure to recollect the once-attractive controversy between 

 Waterton and certain American ornithologists on the question 

 whether in its search for carrion the vulture is led by the eye or 

 by the nose. Waterton's admirable papers read as fresh as when 

 they were written, but one feels it impossible to go with him in all 

 his conclusions. It is difficult to believe that if the vulture is led 

 by scent alone, he would indulge in those aerial gyrations which 

 have attracted the notice of all travellers : when distance has 

 reduced him to a mere speck in llie sky, a mote in the sunbeam, he 

 will infallibly descend to a Carcase from which life has even recently 

 departed ; the scent of the dead animal could scarcely ascend to 

 those upper regions of air: there must have been the exercise of a 

 second sense, and most probably that of sight. Waterton's great 

 talent for sarcasm often amuses without convincing, and we are 

 willing to enjoy his satire when we fail to see the force of his 

 reasoning: Andersson graphically records his experience, and 

 leaves his readers at liberty to draw their own conclusions. The 

 manner in which his vultures followed each other reminds one of 



