CiiAr. XIV. BIRDS- LIBONTA. 171 



These banks harbour a pretty species of bee-eater,* of gre- 

 garious Labits. The face of the sandbank is perforated with 

 hundreds of holes leading to their nests, each of which is about 

 a foot apart from the other; as we passed they poured out of 

 their hiding-places, and floated overhead. 



A speckled kingfisher builds in similar spots, and attracts 

 the attention of the herdboys, who dig out its nest for the sake 

 of the young. It is seen everywhere along the banks with 

 a most lovely little blue-and-orange kingfisher, darting, 

 like arrows, into the water after their prey. A third species, 

 about the size of a pigeon, and of a slaty colour, is more rare. 

 Another denizen of the banks, the sand-martin, is also of gre- 

 garious habits. It never leaves this part of the country even 

 in the depth of winter. 1 have seen them at the Orange river 

 during a frost; so that they probably do not migrate even 

 from thence. 



Fresh-water sponges were occasionally seen encircling 

 the stalks of the reeds which in some parts line the banks. 

 They are hard and brittle, and present numbers of small 

 round grains near their circumference. The river was running 

 at the rate of five miles an hour, and carried bunches of reed 

 and decaying vegetable matter on its surface. This was con- 

 sidered unhealthy, and on one occasion, when I felt no 

 inclination to leave my canoe for the land, my head boatman, 

 Mashauana, told me never to remain on board while so much 

 vegetable matter was floating down the stream. 



11th December. — At Libonta. We were detained for days 

 together collecting contributions of fat and butter, as presents 

 for the Balonda chiefs. Fever and ophthalmia prevailed, as is 

 generally the case before the rains begin. Some of my men 

 required my assistance, as well as the people of Libonta. A 

 lion had done much mischief here, and, when the people went 

 to attack it, two men were badly wounded ; one of them had 

 his thigh-bone broken, and the other died of the inflammation 

 produced by the teeth-wounds. We here demanded the re- 

 mainder of the captives, and got our number increased to 

 nineteen. They consisted of women and children, and one 

 young man of twenty. 



Libonta is the last town of the Makololo; a few caltle- 

 * Merops apiaster and M; bullochoidcs (Smith). 



