pearance.

They are, however, a remarkably honest and harmless people. They are reckoned to amount to 12,000 families. Their government resembles that of the independent tribes, a circumstance which at first excites some surprise in a people entirely pastoral; but which is perhaps to be accounted for by the peculiarity of their situation. The effect of pastoral habits in introducing despotic power, has long been observed by writers on the history of human society, and their opinions have been strengthened by the example of almost all the tribes of ancient Scythia and modern Tartary; but this observation, and the reasonings of the authors who support it, appear to be derived from the practice of countries entirely pastoral, inhabited by several distinct and independent nations, where the simultaneous increase of the flocks of different tribes compels each to extend its limits, and leads to wars, which oblige each tribe to encamp and march in a body, and to secure the co-operation of all its parts by implicit submission to a common head. These reasons do not exist in a tribe placed in a kingdom chiefly inhabited by husbandmen, and feeding its flocks on waste lands at a distance from those adapted to agriculture; and for this reason perhaps it is that we find the Naussers enjoying the same liberty as most of the other Afghauns. The established government, and the habits of the nation secure their peace, so that when stationary they scatter over an extensive tract, according

dual, and live almost entirely free from the restraint of government, while the temporary appointment of a Chelwashtee is sufficient to provide for the order and safety of their marches. The actual situation of the chief of the Naussers appears to me to afford proofs of the truth of this supposition. When the people are collected into camps, they are governed by their own Mooshirs, without any reference to the Khaun, and when they are scattered over the country, they subsist without any government at all; but when march is contemplated, they immediately look to the Khaun, and where they have to pass an enemy's country, he is appointed head of the Chelwash tees, assumes an absolute authority, and be comes an object of respect and anxiety to all the tribe. A proof of the importance of the Khaun during a march, is shewn by the conduct of the Naussers at one time when Jurrus Khaun, their present chief, refused to accompany them in one of their migra tions. He was anxious to remain in Damaun with 200 or 300 of his relations, to assist Surwur Khann against the Vizeerees; but his resolution occasioned great distress in the tribe, who declared it was impossible to march without their Khaun. So earnest were their representations, that Jurrus was at last compelled to abandon his former design, and to accompany them on their march to Khorassaun,

The Khaun and all the Mooshirs are elected from the head families, and would be deposed if found unfit for their offices. The

Mullik (or Mooshir) settles all disputes, and can expel an offender the camp without a Jeirga: he is also absolute with regard to the movements and stations of the camp; but any four or five people may go and advise him on that head, though, if he is resolved, they must abide by his decision.

The Naussers pay a tax to the King which is at present allotted to Abdooreheem Khaun, and this circumstance appears to counte

nance a pretension which they often advance to a connection by blood with the Hotukees. The Hotukees say that the Naussers have been their Humsauyahs, but not their kindred some even represent them as sprung from the Beloches; and though they speak Pushtoo, and strenuously maintain their descent from the Afghauns, their features and appearance certainly indicate a race distinct from that nation.

NATURAL

gantic birds to leave the plains, and then they pursue their course together in large flocks to heights, where they find themselves more commodiously lodged. At the time of sitting, there are seldom more than four or five seen together, of which only one is a cock, the rest are hens. These hens lay their eggs all together in the same nest, which is nothing more than a round cavity made in the clay, of such a size as that it can be covered by one of the birds when sitting upon it. A sort of wall is scraped up round with their feet, against which the eggs in the outermost circle rest. Every egg stands upon its point in the nest, that the greatest possible number may be stowed within the space. When ten or twelve eggs are laid, they begin to sit, the hens taking their turns, and relieving each other during the day; at night the cock alone sits, to guard the eggs against the jackals and wild cats, who will run almost any risk to procure them. Great numbers of these smaller beasts of prey have often been found crushed to death about the nests, a proof that the ostrich does not fight with them, but knows very well how to conquer them at once by her own resistless powers; for it is certain that a stroke of her large foot trampling upon them is enough to crush any such animal.

The hens continue to lay during the time they are sitting, and that not only until the nest is full, which happens when about thirty eggs are laid, but for some time after. The eggs laid after the nest is filled, are deposited round about it, and seem design

ed by nature to satisfy the crav ings of the above-mentioned enemies, since they very much prefer the new-laid eggs to those which have been brooded. But they seem also to have a more important designation, that is, to assist in the nourishment of the young birds. These, when first hatched, are as large as a common pullet, and since their tender stomachs cannot digest the hard food eaten by the old ones, the spare eggs serve as their first nourishment. The increase of the ostrich race would be incalculable, had they not so many enemies, by whom great numbers of the young are destroyed after they quit the nest.

The ostrich is a very prudent, wary animal, who is not easily ensnared in the open field, since it sees to a very great distance, and takes to flight upon the least idea of danger. For this reason the quaggas generally attach themselves, as it were instinctively, to a troop of ostriches, and fly with them without the least idea that they are followed. Xenophon relates that the army of Cyrus met ostriches and wild asses together in the plains of Syria.

The ostriches are particularly careful to conceal if possible the places where their nests are made. They never go directly to them, but run round in a circle at a considerable distance before they attempt to approach the spot. On the contrary, they always run directly up to the springs where they drink, and the impressions they make on the ground in the desolate places they inhabit are often mistaken for the footseps of men. The females, in sitting,

when

when they are to relieve each other, either both remove awhile to a distance from the nest, or change so hastily, that any one who might by chance be spying about, could never see both at once. In the day time they occasionally quit the nest entirely, and leave the care of warming the eggs to the sun alone. If at any time they find that the place of their nest is dicovered, that either a man or a beast of prey has been at it, and has disturbed the arrangement of the eggs, or taken any away, they immediately destroy the nest themselves, break all the eggs to pieces, and seek out some other spot to make a new one. When a colonist therefore finds a nest, he contents himself with taking one or two of the spare eggs that are lying near, observing carefully to smooth over any footsteps which may have been made, so that they may not be perceived by the birds. Thus visits to the nest may be often repeated, and it may be converted into a storehouse of very pleasant food, where every two or three days as many eggs may be procured as are wanted to regale the whole household.

An ostrich's egg weighs commonly near three pounds, and is considered as equal in its square contents to twenty-four hen's eggs. The yolk has a very pleasant flavour, yet, it must be owned, not the delicacy of a hen's egg. It is so nourishing and so soon satisfies, that no one can eat a great deal at once. Four very hungry persons would be requisite to eat a whole ostrich's egg; and eight Africans, who are used

to so much harder living, might make a meal of it. These eggs will keep for a very long time: they are often brought to the Cape Town, where they are sold at the price of half a dollar each.

In the summer months of July, August, and September, the greatest number of ostriches' nests are to be found; but the feathers, which are always scattered about the nest at the time of sitting, are of very little value. I have, however, at all times of the year, found nests with eggs that have been brooded; the contrasts of the seasons being much less forcible in this part of the world than in Europe, the habits of animals are consequently much less fixed and regular. The ostriches sit from thirty-six to forty days before the young are hatched.

It is well known that the male alone furnishes the beautiful white feathers which have for so long a time been a favourite ornament in the head-dress of our European ladies. They are purchased from the people who collect them, as high as three or four shillings each; they are, however, given at a lower price in exchange for European wares and clothing. Almost all the colonists upon the borders have a little magazine of these feathers laid by, and when they would make a friendly present to a guest, it is generally an ostrich's feather. Few of them are, however, prepared in such a manner as to be wholly fit for the use of the European dealers. The female ostriches are entirely black, or rather, in their youth, of a very dark grey, but have no

white feathers in the tail. In every other respect, the colour excepted, their feathers are as good as those of the males. It is very true, as Mr. Barrow says, that small stones are sometimes found in the ostriches' eggs; it is not, however, very common; and among all that I ever saw opened, I never met with one.

LOCUSTS.

(From the Same.)

We had scarcely passed the northern entrance to the kloof, when we perceived by our side one of those enormous swarms of travelling locusts which I had hitherto wished in vain to see. It had exactly the appearance of a vast snow-cloud, hanging on the slope of the mountain, from which the snow was falling in very large flakes. I spurred my horse up the hill, to the place where I thought the swarm seemed the thickest. When I was within a hundred paces of them, I heard the rushing noise occasioned by the flight of so many millions of insects: this constantly increased the nearer I approached; and when I got into the midst of them, it was, without any exaggeration, as loud as the dashing of the waters occasioned by the mill wheel. Above, below, and all around me, the air was filled with, and almost darkened by, these insects. They settled about the bodies of myself and my horse, till the latter was so much teased and fretted, that he became extremely restless, turning his back constantly towards the side on

which their flight was directed. Every stroke of the riding-cane swept twenty or thirty to the ground, and they lay there so thick that it was impossible to take a step without trampling a number to death. I gathered up some for my collection, but found them all injured; even those who flew before me were obliged almost immediately to settle themselves. Those that settled were indeed only the wounded of the party. such as had a leg or wing broken in their flight by coming in contact with their neighbours: these formed a very small part of the whole enormous mass. Those that flew the highest, rose to fifty or sixty feet above the ground; those which did not rise to more than twenty feet, rested at every hundred paces, and then flew on again. They all took exactly the same course, not going with the wind, but in an oblique direction against it, directly towards the fields of the Hottentots. I was very much alarmed for the young corn; but on my return I learnt that the swarm had done no mischief; it had gone over at the distance of a thousand paces from the fields. They never deviate from the straight line, so long as the same wind blows. The bushes around were already eaten quite bare, though the animals could not have been long on the spot, since an hour earlier our oxen had been grazing, without the persons who attended upon them having seen a single locust. Finally, that I might complete my survey, I rode against the swarm so as to pass them, and found that the train extended in length to between two and three thousand