SOUTHERN AFRICA. 27 
Table Mountain alone, a circumftance that led to the fuppofition 
of its not being indigenous to the Cape : it has never yet, how- 
ever, been diicovered in any other part of the w^orld. The 
tribe of heaths are uncommonly elegant and beautiful : they are 
met v^'ith equally numerous and flourifhing on the ftoney hills 
and fandy plains ; yet, unlefs raifed from feed, are with diffi- 
culty tranfplanted into gardens. Little inferior to the heaths 
are the feveral fpecies of the genera to which botanifts have 
given the names of Polygala^ Brunia^ Diofma^ Borbonia^ Cliffor- 
t'la^ and Afparagus\ to which might be added a vaft variety of 
others, to be enumerated only in a v/ork profefTedly written on 
the fubjed:. 
The peninfula of the Cape affords but a narrow field for the 
inquiries of the Zoologift. The wooded kloofs or clefts in the 
mountains Hill give fhelter to the few remaining troops of 
wolves and hyenas that not many years ago were very trouble- 
fome to the town. The latter, indeed, generally fhuns the ha- 
bitations of men ; but the former, even yet, fometimes extends 
his nightly prowl to the very fkirts of the town, enticed by the 
dead cattle and offals from flaughter-houfes that are fhamefully 
fuffered to be left or thrown even at the fides of the public 
roads. In the caverns of the Table Mountain, and indeed in 
almoft every mountain of the colony, is found in confiderable 
number a fmall dufky-colorcd animal about the fize of a rab- 
bit, with fhort ears and no tail, called here the Das, and de- 
fcribed in the Syjiema Natura of Li??nceus under the name of 
Hyrax Capenfis^ and by Pennant under that of Cape Cavy. The 
flefh is ufed for the table, but is black, dry, and of an indifferent 
E 2 flavour. 
