84 
AFRICA AND ITS EXPLORATION. 
,' , « i : t * ■- , you 
eat with bread instead of butter. It 
is used in the preparation of food, and 
sometimes to make candles.” 
After describing the two-horned 
rhinoceros, hitherto unknown, the gnu 
—an animal in form something be¬ 
tween the horse and the ox—the 
gazelle, the baboon, and the hippopotamus, the habits 
of which were previously imperfectly known, Sparrman 
describes a curious bird, of great service to the natives, 
which he calls the honey-guide. 
“ This bird,” he says, “ is remarkable neither in size 
nor colour. At first sight it would be taken for a com¬ 
mon sparrow, but it is a little larger than that bird, of 
a somewhat lighter colour, with a small yellow spot on 
each shoulder, and dashes of white in the wings and 
tail. 
“ In its own interests, this bird leads the natives to 
the bees’ nests, for it is very fond of honey, and it 
knows that whenever a nest is destroyed, a little honey 
will be spilled, or left behind, as a recompense for its 
services. 
“ It seems to grow hungry in the morning and even¬ 
ing. In any case, it is then that it leaves its nest, and 
by its piercing cries attracts the attention of the Hot¬ 
tentots or the colonists. The cries are almost always 
