200 Transactions of the South African Philosophical Society. 
in winter they wear a kind of mantle (cloak of skin); on the 
arms they have rings of copper, and round the neck twisted ox 
sinews ; with the excrements of the latter they (anoint) besmear 
their whole body and thus make themselves hideous; they make a 
(clicking) clapping noise with the tongue and the lipsin their speech, 
and they carry in their hand fox tails to signal with; they do not 
form a stationary population but wander in groups with their flocks 
like the Arabs, using (but not all) portable tents made of sticks and 
mats; they do not cultivate the soil; they offered our people a cake 
looking as if it were flour of roots kneaded with ox dung; the flesh 
of the latter they eat nearly raw, hardly warming it at the fire, 
which they make by rubbing sticks one against the other; the guts 
are to them the nicest part without any other preparation than 
squeezing out of the filth ; for arms they have spears (assagaies) and 
bows; no sign of worship was noticed, but a remarkable thing 
happened in the morning of St. John’s (the Baptist) day, they 
appeared with crowns of various (grasses) green plants. 
16. The soil is very fertile, free from stones, and there are a few 
hills. These hills, and also the valleys, contain much grass and 
plants like rush, red mace, thistle, rosemary, lavender, and other 
varieties of odoriferous flowers. The large and numerous copses 
(? forests) are watered by rapid rivers and by fine and copious 
springs. Spring begins in November. And as we speak sometimes 
of the variableness of the seasons of the year in these climes, we 
must clearly state that summer and winter in these climes, and also 
in India, are not caused by the sun coming near or going from the 
zenith, as happens in Hurope, but by the winds (ltt. by the winds 
that blow). The rainy season is in winter. It is winter when it 
rains, the sun being then at its highest point, and at its lowest when 
there is no rain, in which case it is summer. Winter begins at the 
end of May at the same time as the westerly winds, which bring 
many clouds and much rain, and lasts until September, during 
which time all navigation stops. From September to March blows 
the north-east wind, which keeps the sky constantly cloudless ; it is 
then summer, and every one puts to sea. I return to the descrip- 
tion of this country. 
17. Numberless and of extraordinary size are the wild beasts, such 
as deers, wolves, hippopotami (sea-horses), buffaloes, wild boars, 
monkeys; there are also tigers and elephants, rabbits resembling 
ferrets ; birds, peacocks, all forest-inhabiting ; geese, pigeons, doves, 
partridges, small birds resembling those of our country are found in 
wonderful numbers, but the latter differ in not making their nest on 
he ground or on the branches of the trees, but they suspend them 
