357 
during a journey to the Matabili Country. 
bullocks and inexperience of the country, it would be madness 
to attempt it; so we agreed to try the Matabili country in¬ 
stead. At this place we luckily engaged a boy to go with us— 
a very necessary precaution, as, although the road in most 
places is well defined, yet, unless you have some one who 
knows the water-holes, you may often run very short of that 
necessary article. All the rivers from here to beyond the 
Tatti, which is the supposed boundary between the 13am an- 
gwato and Matabili countries, are sand-rivers, and water is 
very often only to be had by digging. At a place called 
Serule we heard from some Dutchmen there was a short 
cut thence to the place we wished to go to; so we tried it; 
but on arriving at a river called the Mackloetze, we heard 
from the natives that we had great danger of getting into the 
fly 33 (that is, places infested by the “ tsetsi), 33 so turned back 
and went by the regular route to the Tatti. We met with 
the greatest kindness here from Mr. Neilson, the manager of 
the Gold-fields, and Mr. Brown, both of whom helped us 
with bullocks and gave us every assistance and advice. We 
left the Tatti on the 1st of September, and at last arrived at 
the Samouqui river, where we made our camp, as this was 
our furthest point. We stayed here some three weeks, hunt¬ 
ing and collecting, and returned early in October, going back 
by the same route that we came. 
I was very much disappointed as to the birds; they were 
few in number ) and (although I might have got more, espe¬ 
cially among the Warblers and smaller Finches) yet, I think, 
the collection I brought back will be found by any future 
traveller over the same ground to be fairly comprehensive. 
Want of water is, of course, the chief reason of this paucity 
of animal life ; for the same remarks will apply to insects, the 
only one that was seen in any great abundance being a species 
of beetle. 
For the benefit of any member of the British Ornitholo¬ 
gists^ Union who may intend to visit these parts, I here give 
a list of the rivers crossed, and where water may be found 
during the end of winter (that is, about August):—Mahalapse, 
water above and below the road, easily got by cleaning out 
