An EigJd Days 3 Ramble in Cape Colony. 249 



the valley at our feet, with its glorious background of high 

 and rugged mountains. 



In due course of time we reached, not exactly the summit, 

 but one of the shoulders of the mountain ; for the former, a 

 somewhat semicircular mass of smooth granite, is not easy of 

 access from the side on which we approached it ; and there, 

 again, we paused to look around us. On our right a small 

 rivulet was winding downwards through a rocky ravine, fern- 

 clothed and shaded by dense clusters of small shrubs, amongst 

 which the elegant and graceful sugar-bush (Protca nana ?) 

 was most abundant; its large rose-coloured blossoms affording 

 immense attraction to many sun-birds, whose weak but pleasing 

 notes we heard everywhere about us. There were three species 

 in tolerable plenty — the dark green one (Ginnyris famosa), 

 one with a green head, orange breast, and grayish body (Gin- 

 nyris violacea), and a third, much larger than the other two, 

 and more plainly dressed, with a long tail (Melliphaga Gaffer).* 

 The scarlet flowers of the wild sacha (Leonotis leonurus) peeped 

 out every here and there from the clumps of rank vegetation, 

 which almost shrouded portions of the little brook from the 

 daylight ; and other blossoms, equally beautiful though of less 

 striking colours, were very numerous. There were not many 

 birds visible, excepting those I have already mentioned ; a few 

 sparrows (Passer arcuata) ; a flock or two of those lovely little 

 long-tailed whidah- finches, the Vidua erythrorhyncha of Swain- 

 son, which is known in some parts of the colony by the extra- 

 ordinary appellation of " king of the Jews" ; and, near the 

 summit of the ridge, a pair of my favourite little gray finches 

 (Fringillaria vittata), called by the Dutch settlers " streep- 

 kopje." I saw very few butterflies; only one specimen of 

 Acrosa horta, aud two or three of the very beautiful and very 

 common Pyramcis cardui, displaying their usual fearlessness, 

 and permitting me to approach quite close to them without 

 any seeming alarm. 



On our left was the summit of the mountain, a huge, naked 

 rock towering up for fully fifty or sixty feet above us, with 

 precipitous sides and, apparently, a rounded top. Behind us 

 the land dipped for a short distance, and then rose again gra- 

 dually, sloping upwards towards two immense semicircular 

 masses of the same imperishable granite, considerably higher 

 than the peak which is visible from the town. Standing within 

 a short distance of one another, and rising far above the sur- 

 rounding vegetation, these two smooth, bald-headed mountains 

 were most striking objects, and we soon resumed our walk 

 and strode over to them. The ascent of the one upon our left 



* I am indebted to the kindness of my friend E. L. Layard, Esq., the Curator 

 of the South African Museum, for the names of these and many other birds. 



