AFRICA. 257 
its weight ; though I had always taken care, 
after preferving each individual^ to place 
it flat in order to fpare rdoiii. 
On the 15th we crofled the fmall river 
which we had foUovved this far, in order to 
avoid barren and too fteep mountains which 
appeared before us ; after this we were obliged 
to turn off towards the fouth, becaufe, not 
finding any beaten track, we were forced to 
direfl: our courfe according to circumftances 
and the nature of the ground. In the courfe 
of our march I fprung a buftard a little be- 
fore me^ which I killed *. it had been fitting 
on two eggs, which contained young ready 
to burft the fhell, and covered with their firft 
down. I was extremely happy that chance 
procured me this bird, which was entirely 
new to me ; arid it appeared that the male 
and the female fit on the eggs alternately. 
The one I killed^ which was a male^ had a 
very large and thick crefl:, like a capuchin, 
on the hinder part of its head. The female, 
which foon came and hovered around the 
fpot, feemed to watch us, and from time to 
time fent forth a very hoarfe cry. I had flat- 
tered myfelf that I fliould be able to kill her 
alfo, and with this view I left the two eggs 
Vol. II. S in 
