76 MATABELE LAND. 



the green of spring, a camp was formed, where the 

 party remained about a fortnight hunting. The boys 

 made themselves some snug huts of branches and 

 dry grass to sleep in. Here the Journal again takes 

 up the story : — 



" October i^tk. — . . . Nelson came up to the 

 waggon when we were outspanned. He had not 

 left, but had stopped about near the place where we 

 had outspanned when we first came through the 

 thick bush. He had come on a herd of many (he 

 says forty) elephants, driven six out of the herd, and 

 shot four, but lost two of them — one a large bull. 

 He had killed two bulls. This occurred the day 

 before yesterday. I walked away with him in the 

 evening towards his waggon. We found some 

 nests of amadavats — the little pink ones, I fancy. 1 

 Some were in course of construction, some finished ; 

 all hanging like fruit from a tree. One I took con- 

 tained two eggs, white speckled with red. Mat- 

 lauli 2 gave me this evening two goatsucker's eggs 

 he had found, partly sat on. The nest is very slight 

 and placed on the ground. 3 



1 Probably the Little Ruddy Waxbill {Lagonosticta minima). 



2 The guide. 



3 Frank Oates collected, during his wanderings, a considerable 

 variety of birds' eggs and nests, some of the latter very remarkable in 

 their construction. Two of these are represented in the accompanying 

 woodcut, the first of which — probably that of an ALgithalus or Pendu- 

 line Titmouse — is of the consistency and texture of fine blanket, and 

 nearly white in colour. It appears to be made from white cotton, or 

 some similar vegetable substance. The second, which is the nest of 

 a Bishop-bird (Euftlectes), is ingeniously composed of the finer por- 

 tions of reeds, in the manner of close basket-work, and is found in 



