100 



BAHIA BLANtJA. 



Aug. 1833. 



zebras, and the quaccha, two gnus, and several antelopes 

 even larger than these latter animals. It may be supposed 

 that although the species are numerous, the individuals 

 of each kind are few. By the kindness of Dr. Smith, I am 

 enabled to show that the case is very different. He 

 informs me, that in lat. 24°, in one day^s march with the 

 bullock-waggons, he saw, without wandering to any great 

 distance on either side, between one hundred and one hun- 

 dred and fifty rhinoceroses, which belonged to three species. 

 That the same day he saw several herds of giraffes, amount- 

 ing together to nearly a hundred ; and that, although no 

 elephant was observed, yet they are found in this district. 

 At the distance of a little more than one hour^s march from 

 their place of encampment on the previous night, his party 

 actually killed at one spot eight hippopotamoses, and saw 

 many more. In this same river there were likewise croco- 

 diles. Of course it was a case quite extraordinary, to see 

 so many great animals crowded together, but it evidently 

 proves that they must exist in great numbers. Dr. Smith 

 describes the country passed through that day, as "being 

 thinly covered with grass, and bushes about four feet high, 

 and still more thinly with mimosa-trees.^^ The waggons 

 were not prevented travelling in a nearly direct line. 



Besides these large animals, every one the least acquainted 

 with the natural history of the Cape, has read of the herds 

 of antelopes, which can be compared only to flocks of 

 migratory birds. The numbers indeed of the lion,* panther, 

 and hyaena, and the multitude of birds of prey, plainly tell 

 of the abundance of the smaller quadrupeds. As Dr. Smith 

 remarked to me, the carnage each day in Southern Africa 

 must indeed be terrific ! I confess it is truly surprising, how 

 such a number of animals can find support in a country pro- 

 ducing so little food. The larger quadrupeds no doubt roam 

 over Avide extents in search of it ; and their food chiefly con- 



* Dr. Smith mentioned to me, that one evening seven lions were 

 counted at one time walking on the plain, round the encampment. 



