NOTES ON THE EXPEDITION TO KOMATIPOORT, 
16th-28th June, 1916. 
By Dr. H. G. Breyer. 
A small expedition was undertaken to the neighbourhood of Komatipoort to 
procure skeletons and skins of Hippotragus equinus, Bubalis lunatus, and 
Strepsiceros strepsiceros , and to get an idea of animal life there in the beginning 
of winter. 
Members of the expedition were : the Director, F. 0. Noome, taxidermist, 
G. van Dam, and J. W. F. Breyer. 
Camp was made near the kraal of Machabezane, about two miles from 
the police post at Squamman, near the Komati, and 14 miles S.S.W. of 
Komatipoort. The river here is about 100 yards broad, and the banks on 
our side are fairly steep and rocky. We chose this stony spot in order to be 
more or less safe against nocturnal visits of hippopotami. There were about 
fourteen of these in the vicinity ; being never troubled or interfered with, they 
have become rather inquisitive, and just a few days before our arrival they 
had paid a visit at night to some hunters two miles up the river and had quite 
upset their tent. There were many crocodiles in the river and several were 
shot, but their bodies were not recovered. We crossed the river at Inguenhenes 
Kraal (Steinecke’s Drift) on the farm Coopersdale. The drift is good, sandy, 
but deep. Whilst travelling, we saw three Bubalis lunatus , of which one male 
was secured. Between Inguenhene and Machabezane is a long stretch of nearly 
impenetrable bush, not more than 300 yards broad, which is reported to swarm 
with game, mostly bushbuck and koodoo. Wherever the banks of the river 
were stony and rocky there was an abundance of lizards, mostly Gerrhosaurus 
validus and Mabuia quinquetaeniata. Several of them were secured by shooting 
them with a small -410-bore collecting gun. I may mention that, in the 
immediate vicinity of Komatipoort, just behind the soda-water factory, these 
two species can be easily secured in quantities, whilst there is at the same place 
also a magnificent cluster of Sarcostemma viminalis, which when in flower 
attracts many insects. 
The only snake we met was a Sepedon Jiaemachaetes . Near our camp we 
found on the wing : Charaxes aethalion, Ch. brutus, Catopsilia florella, Teracolus 
achine, T. evenina, T. antigone, Hypanis ilithyia, Pyrameis cardui, Danais 
chrysippus, Terias zoe, T. brigitta, Pieris severina, P. mesentina, Hamanumida 
daedalus, Junonia clelia, several Lycaenids, and a few Hesperids , but none of 
these were plentiful except the kinds of Teracolus and Pieris. 
On walking along the banks of the river I discovered a few plants in 
flower : some Vernonias and a kind of Conyza. This last one attracted two 
kinds of A cr acids, Atella phalanta, D. Chrysippus , and fairly many Hymenoptera , 
besides the Noctuid, Egybolis vaillantina, Stoll, the Vernonias being visited 
mainly by Teracoli and Pierids. Under the bushes a Justicia was often found 
in flower and here also settled some Pieridae. Near an ancient cattle kraal 
some specimens of IAppia asperifolia were open, and these attracted Lycaenids 
and Catopsilia. 
In every crevice between the stones, where good soil had been washed in, 
aloes were growing ; a few of them were already in flower, others still developing 
their large succulent flower-stalks. They were visited every morning by green 
