96 
STOP-A-WHILE THORN TREES. [1820. 
trees and bushes, at a little distance from the 
hills, but without obtaining water ; though we 
saw many footmarks of the cameleopard and 
various animals in the sand. Our shooters re- 
turned in the evening without having had any 
success.. 
25th. The night was cold, and on reaching 
water in the morning we found ice upon it about 
a quarter of an inch thick. We commenced our 
last stage at ten a.m. by ascending a long rise 
between hills, beautified by many mimosa and 
stop-a-while thorn trees. I had only observed 
the latter as bushes before, but here they were 
as large as the mimosa. In the Griqua country,. 
\ afterwards saw some of an equal magnitude. 
On reaching the summit of the rise where we all 
expected to have enjoyed a view of Turreehey, 
an extensive circular valley appeared, covered 
with wood and bounded by hills, but no town 
was to be seen, though, from the number of foot 
paths, we conjectured that it could not be very 
distant. Not having, on my former journey, 
examined the inside of any of the large birds' 
nests, and an opportunity of doing so occurring, 
we halted a short time for the purpose. We cut 
down the limb of a tree on -which one of those 
nests was built. It was not suspended from the 
branch, but firmly attached to it. The nest 
was, about the size of a hogshead, composed of 
