244 
OSTRICH-EGGS. 
30 July — 1 Aug. 
it by those who are unable to buy woollen and linen clothing. Such 
dresses were, before the English had possession of the land, the 
common costume of both peasantry and Hottentots ; but since that 
time, the prosperity and riches of the country have increased so 
much, that by far the greater number of the boors can now afford to 
wear a dress, entirely of English manufacture. 
During the night, the violence of the wind often shook the 
waggon so much as to disturb my sleep, an inconvenience which 
custom alone could reconcile, but which, like many others, I acquired 
in time the habit of bearing with patience ; reflecting, that it was 
at the small price of a few bodily comforts, that the gratification 
of traversing and exploring so interesting a portion of the globe, was 
obtained. 
Slst. The next day continued equally windy, and a change of 
weather for the worse seemed about to take place. The air became 
cold and chilly, and those who were acquainted with the climate of the 
Roggeveld, thought it likely to produce a fall of snow on the moun- 
tain ; a circumstance by which my progress might be impeded for 
many days. Not caring to remain longer at this place, where so 
little was to be done, I gave orders to prepare for departure on the Srd. 
In the afternoon, and during the evening, we had some lightning 
and thunder, accompanied with the first rain which had fallen here, 
since two months. 
In crossino' the Karro, it was remarkable that not a single 
ostrich had been seen ; a fact to be accounted for by the parched state 
of vegetation, driving them to some other part of the country, 
where their food, which consists of herbage and vegetables, was 
more abundant. These plains, where they are sometimes seen in 
considerable numbers, are their natural domain ; and that some were 
still remaining, was evident from the circumstance of one of the 
shepherds finding a nest with eggs. On one of these, Snyman, his 
wife and myself, made the principal part of our dinner this day. 
A single ostrich-egg is reckoned equal to twenty-four eggs of the 
domestic hen. We had it cooked in the manner of an omelet : it 
made a very palatable and wholesome dish ; and, though coarser than 
