OCR Text |
Show 1905. J MAMMALS FROM ZULULAND. 255 with palnis and thorn-busli, the thorns in places forming patches and thickets interspersed with a few good-sized trees, the surface broken with both dry and swampy pans and vleys, and deep swampy sluits filled with dense reeds intersect the country towards the river. A low range of hills runs along the coast. To the north the country becomes more broken and hills and deeper ravines begin to appear. " About 8 miles to the south of the station is a dense thorn-forest of considerable size, called by the natives the 1 Dukuduku/ which joins and disappears in the great swamps and reed-beds through which the Umvolosi River runs. " Towards the Hlupeuwe and opposite the north end of the Lake the country is broken and hilly, palms are not so noticeable, but the thorns become common and more regular in appearance; often as one looks across some hillside or down a long valley they look park-like in their regularity. One would almost believe they had been planted by hand. Belts of thick bush fringe nearly all the rivers, often being very dense and wide." After putting aside the duplicates, the Zulu collection, which, as in the previous cases, is presented to the Museum by Mr. Rudd, numbers 222 specimens belonging to no less than 49 species. It thus forms not only one of the most important accessions that the National Collection has ever received from this part of Africa, but, owing to the number of the new forms contained in it, affords a remarkable example of the need for such a scientific survey of the fauna as Mr. Rudd is carrying on in South Africa. Mr. Grant, the actual collector, is also to be congratulated on the striking results that have been obtained from his materials. 1. P a p io p o r c a r iu s Bodd. c?. 588. Sibudeni. " Zulu name ‘ Jufyane ' *. " Difficult to secure and more often heard than seen, as they live in large troops in the thick forest. " They feed principally on fruit, and where wild fruit abounds they can sometimes be obtained by waiting under the trees, but they are at all times wonderfully wary."-C. H. B. G. 2. C e r c o p it h e c u s p y g e r y t h r u s C u v . 832,840. 5 . 827,841. Umvolosi Station. j . 846. Hlatwa District. The material at our disposal is at present insufficient to decide definitely as to the relationship of pygerythrus and lalandii, so we provisionally adopt the earlier name. " Zulu name ‘ Nkau.' " Common in the ‘ Dukuduku ' thorn-forest, eight miles to the south of the station. Generally seen in parties of from six to * " In the reading of the Zulu names, C, X, and Q are clicks; I is pronounced as E, A as R, H as S, and E as long A ."- C. H. B. G. P r o c . Z o o l . Soc.- 1905, V o l . I. No. X V II. 17 |