Chap. XXV. HORNETS. 499 



these burnings must be sought for. I have sometimes imagined 

 that the lowering of the temperature in the winter, rendered the 

 vapour in the upper current of air visible, and imparted this hazy 

 appearance. 



The amount of organic life is surprising. At the time the 

 river begins to rise, the Ibis religiosa comes down in flocks of 

 fifties, with prodigious numbers of other water-fowl. Some of the 

 sandbanks appear whitened during the day with flocks of peli- 

 cans — I once counted three hundred ; others are brown with 

 ducks {Anas histrionica) — I got fourteen of these by one shot 

 ( Querquedula Hottentota, Smith), and other kinds. Great numbers 

 of gulls {Procellaria turtur, Smith), and several others, float over 

 the surface. The vast quantity of small birds, which feed on 

 insects, show that the river teems also with specimens of minute 

 organic life. In walking among bushes on the banks, we are 

 occasionally stung by a hornet which makes its nest in form like 

 that of our own wasp, and hangs it on the branches of trees. The 

 breeding aroqyn is so strong in this insect, that it pursues any one 

 twenty or thirty yards who happens to brush too closely past its 

 nest. The sting, which it tries to inflict near the eye, is more 

 like a discharge of electricity from a powerful machine, or a 

 violent blow, than aught else. It produces momentary insen- 

 sibility, and is followed by the most pungent pain. Yet this 

 insect is quite timid when away from its nest. It is named Muro- 

 tuani by the Bechuanas. 



We have tsetse between Nameta and Sekhosi. An insect of 

 prey, about an inch in length, long-legged and gaunt-looking, may 

 be observed flying about and lighting upon the bare ground. It 

 is a tiger in its way, for it springs upon tsetse and other flies, and, 

 sucking out their blood, throws the bodies aside. 



Long before reaching Sesheke, we had been informed that a 

 party of Matebele, the people of Mosilekatse, had brought some 

 packages of goods for me to the south bank of the river, near 

 the Victoria Falls, and though they declared that they had been 

 sent by Mr. Moffat, the Makololo had refused to credit the state- 

 ment of their sworn enemies. They imagined that the parcels 

 were directed to me as a mere trick, whereby to place witch- 

 craft-medicine into the hands of the Makololo. When the Mate- 

 bele on the south bank called to the Makololo on the north to 



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