86 BAHIA BLANCA. [cHaP. v. 
notion of the scantiness of the vegetation. Now, if we look to 
the animals inhabiting these wide plains, we shall find their 
numbers extraordinarily great, and their bulk immense. We 
must enumerate the elephant, three species of rhinoceros, and 
probably, according to Dr. Smith, two others, the hippopotamus, 
the giraffe, the bos caffer—as large as a full-grown bull, and the 
elan—but little less, two zebras, and the quaccha, two gnus, and 
several antelopes even larger than these latter animals. It may 
be supposed that although the species are numerous, the indivi- 
duals of each kind are few. By the kindness of Dr. Smith, I 
am enabled to show that the case is very different. He informs 
me, that in lat. 24°, in one day’s march with the bullock-wag- 
gons, he saw, without wandering to any great distance on either 
side, between one hundred and one hundred and fifty rhinoceroses, 
which belonged to three species: the same day he saw several 
herds of giraffes, amounting together to nearly a hundred; and 
that, although no elephant was observed, yet they are found in 
this district. At the distance of a little more than one hour’s 
march from their place of encampment on the previous night, 
his party actually killed at one spot eight hippopotamuses, and 
saw many more. In this same river there were likewise croco- 
diles. Of course it was a case quite extraordinary, to see so 
many great animals crowded together, but it evidently proves 
that they must exist in great numbers. Dr. Smith describes the 
country passed through that day, as ‘‘ being thinly covered with 
grass, and bushes about four feet high, and still more thinly 
with mimosa-trees.” The waggons were not prevented travelling 
in a nearly straight line. 
Besides these large animals, every one the least acquainted 
with the natural history of the Cape, has read of the herds of 
antelopes, which can be compared only with the flocks of 
migratory birds. The numbers indeed of the lion, panther, 
and hyzena, and the multitude of birds of prey, plainly speak of 
the abundance of the smaller quadrupeds: one evening seven 
lions were counted at the same time prowling round Dr. Smith’s 
encampment. As thisable naturalist remarked to me, the carnage 
each day in Southern Africa must indeed be terrific! I confess 
it is truly surprising how such a number of animals can find 
support in a country producing so little food. The larger qua- 
