290 
LAZY POPULATION. 
rather, the wool takes the appearance and substance 
of hair, like that of a dog ; and their tails, too, are 
like those of dogs ; but, indeed, the Soudan sheep 
are well known. No fruit or vegetables are found 
in these villages : not even onions, common in most 
t places. The birds have all a strange appearance. 
I am no naturalist, and wonder when I should 
examine. That filthy species of vulture, the sca- 
venger of Zinder, is seen in twos and threes. The 
woods abound in turtle-doves. I gave the Kashalla 
a ring for himself and his female slave, or wife, as it 
may be. Very few men of this sort have wives : 
all their women are slaves. He was greatly pleased 
with the present. 
10th. — My thermometer remains behind with 
the baggage at Zinder, expected to-day. Here we 
wait for it, and the rest of the caravan. I oiled 
myself well last night with olive oil, and feel much 
better this morning. During a walk through the 
villages, I observed that two-thirds of the male 
population, as in Zinder, are quite idle, lounging 
about, or stretched at their full length upon the dust 
of the ground. A third find something to do, either 
in working on cotton, or making matting, or in the 
gardens, where tobacco, pepper, cotton, and indigo 
are grown. These are the staple products of the 
gardens in this part of Africa. The women have 
always something to occupy their time, suckling 
their children, fetching water, cooking, or else pick- 
ing cotton. All the males, I imagine, at some 
