CASSANGE VILLAGE. 469 



species of lark are seen. They are black, with yellow shoulders. 

 Another black bird, with a long tail ( Centronics Senegalensis), floats 

 awkwardly, with its tail in a perpendicular position, over the long 

 grass. It always chooses the highest points, and is caught on 

 them with bird-lime, the long black tail-feathers being highly es- 

 teemed by the natives for plumes. We saw here also the " Le- 

 hututu" {TragojMn Leadbeaterii), a large bird strongly resem- 

 bling a turkey ; it is black on the ground, but when it flies the 

 outer half of the wings are white. It kills serpents, striking them 

 dexterously behind the head. It derives its native name from 

 the noise it makes, and it is found as far as Kolobeng. Another 

 species like it is called the Abyssinian hornbill. 



Before we reached Cassange we were overtaken by the com- 

 mandant, Senhor Carvalho, who was returning, with a detachment 

 of fifty men and a field-piece, from an unsuccessful search after 

 some rebels. The rebels had fled, and all he could do was to 

 burn their huts. He kindly invited me to take up my residence 

 with him ; but, not wishing to pass by the gentleman (Captain 

 Neves) who had so kindly received me on my first arrival in the 

 Portuguese possessions, I declined. Senhor Rego had been su- 

 perseded in his command, because the Governor Amaral, who had 

 come into office since my departure from Loanda, had determined 

 that the law which requires the office of commandant to be exclu- 

 sively occupied by military officers of the line should once more 

 come into operation. I was again most kindly welcomed by my 

 friend, Captain Neves, whom I found laboring under a violent in- 

 flammation and abscess of the hand. There is nothing in the sit- 

 uation of this village to indicate unhealthiness, except, perhaps, 

 the rank luxuriance of the vegetation. Nearly all the Portuguese 

 inhabitants suffer from enlargement of the spleen, the effects of 

 frequent intermittents, and have generally a sickly appearance. 

 Thinking that this affection of the hand was simply an effort of 

 nature to get rid of malarious matter from the system, I recom- 

 mended the use of quinine. He himself applied the leaf of a plant 

 called cathory, famed among the natives as an excellent remedy 

 for ulcers. The cathory leaves, when boiled, exude a gummy 

 juice, which effectually shuts out the external air. Each remedy, 

 of course, claimed the merit of the cure. 



Many of the children are cut off by fever. A fine boy of 



