That strange creature, the ant-bear, or Dutch aard vark, orycteropus afer, which lives entirely on ants and termites, is responsible for a good deal of damage caused by its burrowing habits. This animal is confined entirely to Africa. Among other typical African animals are the porcupine; the dassie, or rock rabbit, hyrax capensis, which very much resembles the guinea-pig in shape; and one or two species of meercats.
The Birds
Game birds are fairly numerous. The largest bird is of course the ostrich, which runs wild in many parts of the country. A considerable trade was done in ostrich feathers from Damaraland for many years; shooting of the birds has been wisely prohibited under the German administration. Ostrich-farming has been attempted on a small scale.
There are several species of bustard, notable among them being the big kori bustard, or Dutch pauuw, Otis kori, which sometimes stands as high as 5 feet and weighs 40 pounds; and one of the lesser bustards known as knorhaan, Otis afra, whose irritating, harsh craak is all too familiar to the South African sportsman when stalking his game. The guinea-fowl represents the pheasant tribe, and these fine sporting birds are very numerous in North Damaraland and parts of Ovamboland. The so-called Namaqua pheasant is really a francolin partridge, while the well-known Namaqua partridge is a sand grouse, Pteroclurus namaquus. Soon after sunrise the sand grouse are seen high in the air in immense flocks, coming from all parts of the compass to gather around the vlies or pans where they drink. When hunted in the veld they rise well to the dog and provide excellent sport. It is a much more difficult matter, however, to flush the bustard or the guinea-fowl. Several species of snipe and quail are found, but they are not numerous.
The wild goose, or Egyptian goose, Chenalopex aegyptiacus, one of the most edible of the South African game birds, with several species of wild duck, frequent the watercourses. Herons, storks, ibises, flamingos, and spoonbills are among the wading birds; the flamingos are often in large numbers in North Damaraland and Ovamboland.
Eagles and vultures are among the birds of prey, with owls and several species of the hawk family. The Secretary bird, Serpentarius secretarius, with its curious quill-like crest of feathers, may sometimes be seen stalking in characteristic solemn fashion among the low bush in search of a little animal or a young snake. Those queer birds, the penguins, with their black coats and white waistcoats, thickly inhabit the islands off the coast. The gannet, the smaller cormorant, with the penguin, have been protected by the Cape Government on account of their importance as yielders of guano, and immense flocks exist to-day.
Among the smaller birds are the wattled starling, Dilophus carunculatus, two pratincoles, Glareola melanoptera and G. pratincola, all locust birds, which pursue their prey high in the air, wheeling and darting and turning in wonderfully attractive fashion; hoopoes, honey-guides, swifts, woodpeckers, hornbills, and weavers. The honey-guide (Indicatoridæ) is a most interesting bird. Its intelligence is as remarkable as its pertinacity, and it will give the sportsman no rest until he has followed the twittering creature to the bees’ nest. The remarkable-looking hornbills, with their huge bills, very soon attract the attention of the traveller. The social weaver, Philetaerus socius, is famous for its peculiar nest-building habits. The birds are sociable little creatures and live together in colonies of several hundreds. The nest, really a bird city, is generally a huge mass of grass and sticks, cunningly arranged in a camelthorn tree, and is often as big as a small haystack. A colony of 500 birds may sometimes be found in the nest. The entrance is from beneath as a protection against tree snakes, and there are generally several “doors.” Inside there are a number of “streets” and “compartments,” with individual nests in rows like little homes on each side of a street. The nests are added to year by year, and sometimes they become too heavy for the branches, with the result that the branches give way and the “city” falls to pieces.
The Snakes
The reptile world is represented by a number of exceedingly venomous snakes, but fortunately they are not numerous, and deaths from snake-bite are of rare occurrence. There is the ferocious cobra, one of the most deadly snakes in South Africa, of which there are several species. Anchietas cobra, Naia Anchietæ, attains to an average length of 5 feet, and the well-known Cape cobra, Naia Flava, is about the same length. These reptiles are as active as they are venomous.
With the characteristic hood raised and eyes glittering with fierce anger, an enraged cobra is a fearsome sight. A couple of drops of its venom are quite sufficient to kill a giant. The Ringhals cobra or Spitting snake, Sepedon haemachates, is not quite so long as its cousin, but is highly venomous and very ferocious when roused. The name “ringhals” means “ring-neck,” and has reference to the whitish band or bands across the throat.