68 
TRAVELS IN 
poultry in a farm-yard ; and of korhaens, the otls afra of 
Linnseus, and white-eared baftard of Latham, which, unlike 
the partridge, not only fly to a diftance at the approach of the 
fportfman, but keep up, while on the wing, a violent fcream- 
ing, as if to give notice to other birds of the impending 
danger. There are alfo plenty of Cape fnipes, Scolopax Capen- 
fis^ and three fpecies of wild ducks, the anas CapenCiSy or Cape 
widgeon, the Dominican duck, and the common teal. Among 
the quadrupeds that inhabit the valley are the duiker and the 
griefbok, already defcribed ; and the mountains abound with a 
curious fpecies of antelope, which, from its amazing agility, is 
called the klip-fpringer^ or rock-leaper. Its cloven hoofs are 
each of them fubdivided into two fegments, and jagged at the 
edges, which gives it the power of adhering to the fteep fides 
of the fmooth rock without danger of flipping. The color is 
cinereous grey, and its black horns are fl:iort, ftreight, eredl, and 
annulated one third of their length from the bafe. The hair is 
very Angular, being fo brittle that it breaks infl:ead of bending, 
adheres loofely to the fkin, and is fo very light that it is ufed as 
the bell article that can be procured for fliuffing faddles. 
A few miles beyond the Paarl, the Berg or Mountain-river 
croflTes the road. It is here fo large and deep in the winter fea- 
fon as to make a pont or floating bridge necefl!ary. A little 
lower down, however, it is fometimes fordable ; and the pea- 
fants, to avoid the toll at the ferry, frequently crofs it, though at 
the hazard of their own lives and of their cattle. At this time 
the river was pretty full; yet two farmers, rather than pay four 
fliillings for the paflTage at the ferry of their two waggons, 
ventured 
