"WIDOW-BIRDS."
They were only too glad to get off out of that neighbourhood, and at an
early hour they inspanned and treked up the banks of the stream.
Just as on the other side, the road led through a succession of valleys,
with groves of trees scattered over their surface; and as they
proceeded, the mountain-spurs more frequently approached the banks, and
at one or two places they found great difficulty in getting the wagons
across the ridges. One of these was so steep, that for a while the
travellers feared they would not be able to follow the stream any
farther. The oxen refused to trek up the declivity, and neither whip
nor jambok would force them forward.
But Congo knew of a plan by which they were at length induced to
proceed; and both wagons arrived in safety at the top of the pass--not,
however, until Swartboy had clicked and shouted, and Congo had screamed,
till their throats were sore, and both had worn the voorslays of
springbok skin from their long whips.
Congo's mode of making the oxen move forward was a very simple one; and
consisted in his going ahead of them and smearing the rocks along the
path with the "mest" of the oxen themselves--thus leading the animals to
believe that other oxen had gone before them, and that therefore the
passage must be practicable, since some of their own kind had already
made it! This mode is often adopted by the trek-boors of Southern
Africa, when they wish to drive up very precipitous places, where the
oxen are afraid to go of themselves.
The valley, which was reached after climbing through this difficult
pass, was one of very small extent--not exceeding a couple of acres; and
as the river had now become diminished to a mountain-stream, it was
fordable at any point throughout the whole length of the little meadow
in which the travellers encamped. At the head of this valley a ridge
trended across the course of the stream through which the current had
cleft a wide way; and the only road leading out above was along the
channel of the river itself. Fortunately, this channel was nearly dry,
else they could have gone no farther in that direction. As it was, the
pebbly bed of the stream could be traversed by wagons, and they would
easily get through to wider plains that stretched beyond. They had
halted for the night in this little valley, because there was excellent
grass for their cattle; and as wood grew along the sides of the rocky
hills, and clear cool water ran down the stream, they possessed all the
three necessary requisites for a traveller's camp.
It was a curious little place where they had outspanned. As already
stated, the level ground was not over a couple of acres in extent,
though it was nearly of circular form. Through the very centre of it
passed the stream, its bed being only a few feet below the general
surface; and all around were the mountains, their precipitous sides
rising like rocky walls to a height of several hundred feet, and
completely enclosing the mountain within their embrace.
There were no trees upon the surface of the meadow itself, but against
the rocks grew many kinds; some of them hanging with their tops
downward, and some stretching horizontally outwards. A few small shrubs
alone, with some reeds, grew upon the edge of the stream; but these were
low, and would not have concealed a man standing erect.
In the centre of this natural amphitheatre the camp was formed--that is,
the wagons were placed there. The horses and oxen were not fastened in
any way, as it was supposed they would not care to stray out of the
valley.
There were three good reasons why they should not wander. First,
because they were wearied with a long day's work, and one that had been
particularly severe. Secondly, the paths leading out were difficult to
find. And thirdly, because both the grass and water there were of as
good a quality as either horse or ox could have expected to meet with
elsewhere. There was no reason, therefore, why any of them should go
beyond the confines of the valley where the camp was situated.
As usual, no sooner were Klaas and Jan fairly out of their saddles than
they went bird's-nesting. Several kinds of birds had been seen by them
as they entered this secluded valley; and it was likely that some of
their nests would be found at no great distance off.
And some were found. Upon the shrubs and reeds quite a colony of birds
had made their habitations. They were small sparrow-looking birds,
having nests of a kidney-shape, hollow in the inside, which was reached
by little circular entrances, something like the nests of the common
wren. The outside part was constructed of grass; while inside, the
nests were lined with a soft substance resembling wool. This was the
cottony down obtained from some plant that, no doubt, grew in that
neighbourhood, but which the boys could not see anywhere around.
Now these little birds were already well known to the young yagers.
They had met with them before; and all of them knew they were birds of
the genus _Ploceinae_, or weaver-birds. They knew, moreover, that there
are not only many species of weaver-birds, but that there are also many
_genera_, or rather _subgenera_, of them, differing from each other in
size, colour, and habits, but all possessing the curious instinct of
building nests of a very ingenious kind--in other words "weaving" them;
from which circumstance they derive their trivial name. The nests of
all the species differ from each other. Some are constructed of a
globe-shape; others like a chemist's retort; others of kidney-form; and
still another kind of nest is that of the "social weaver-birds." These
last unite in large numbers, and fill one great nest, or "hive," which
often fills the whole top of a great acacia, looking like a haystack
built among the branches of the tree.
The little weavers observed by Klaas and Jan were of the genus
_Amadina_--the _Amadina squamifrons_; and both the boys were glad at
encountering some of their nests at that moment. Not that they were at
all curious to see the eggs, for they had examined them often before.
No: that was not the reason. There was another and a different one. It
was this: the inside lining of the nest of the amadina makes excellent
wadding for shot-guns--quite equal to tow, and even better than the
softest paper; and as both Klaas and Jan were out of wadding, they
expected to replenish their stock by robbing the poor amadinas of their
pretty nests.
They would not have done so wantonly, for Hans would not have permitted
them; but, as hunters, they stood in real need of the article, and
therefore they took it without remorse.
Simple as the thing was, they were compelled to unravel the nests before
they could get at the soft material with which they were lined: and this
unravelling was not done without some difficulty, for the outside work
was woven together like the rods in a fine piece of basket-work. The
entrance which the bird had left for its own passage in and out was so
small, that the boys could not thrust their hands into it; and, what was
singular, this entrance, whenever the bird was absent from the nest, was
so closed up that it was difficult to find it!
Having obtained as much wadding as they required out of a pair of nests,
the boys did not disturb any of the others; but permitting them to hang
where they had found them, returned to the wagons.
They had not been long there before their attention was attracted to
another bird, and one of a rarer and more curious kind than the amadina.
It did not differ much from the latter in point of size, but in the
nature and colour of its plumage--which was most curious indeed. The
bird which now occupied the attention, not only of Klaas and Jan, but of
all the others, was about the size of a canary-bird; but its long
tail-feathers, several times the length of its body, gave it the
appearance of being much larger than it really was.
Its colour was of a very dark glossy brown, or nearly black, upon the
head and over the upper parts of the body. Around the neck was a collar
of orange rufous, which grew paler upon the breast, ending in a buff
tinge over the abdomen, lower parts of the body, and thighs.
But it was in the tail-feathers that the peculiarity of this bird
appeared. Of these, two were immensely long, set vertically, or
"edgeways," and curving far outward and downward. Two others, much
shorter, also stood out edgeways above the first. These were broadly
webbed at their bases, being at their widest rail three inches across;
while their tips, for the length of three inches more, were entirely
without any feathery web, and looked like a pair of stiff hairy spines
projecting outward. Besides these two pairs of vertical feathers, there
were four others on each side of the tail, nicely graduated one above
the other, each being about a quarter of an inch shorter than the one
immediately below it. All these tail-feathers were black.
But one of these birds was seen by the boys at their camp; but they
noticed that it was accompanied by another bird of a rusty brown and
whitish colour, and with a tail of the ordinary kind. This companion
was neither more nor less than the female; while the gaudy creature with
the orange colour and long tail-plumes was the male.
Hans's knowledge was now brought into requisition, for the others had
never seen this curious bird, and knew not to what species it belonged.
Hans told them it also was one of the weaver-birds; known among
naturalists by the name _Vidua_; among the French as "La veuve;" and
among the English as "Widow-bird." All of the party regarded this as a
very singular name for the bird; and at once called upon the naturalist
for an explanation of it. Fortunately, Hans was able to give them this;
and that was more than the learned Brisson--he who baptised it _Vidua_
and _La veuve_--has been able to do.
"Brisson," said Hans, "has named the little creature `widow-bird,'
because he had heard that it was so called among the Portuguese; and the
French naturalist assigns as a reason that it was so called on account
of its colour and long tail! Such writers as Monsieur Brisson and
Monsieur Buffon are never at a loss for reasons. Now it so happens that
neither its colour nor tail had any thing to do with the origin of its
name `widow-bird,' which of itself is quite a misnomer. The Portuguese,
who first drew attention to this bird, called it `Whidah' bird, from the
fact that it was received by them from the kingdom of Whidah in Western
Africa. That is the way in which the bird has received its
appellation."
The Whidah-bird, on account of its livery habits, but more from the
singularity of its tail-plumes, is a great favourite as a pet: and is
often seen in cages, where it hops from perch to perch without fear of
constraint, and alternately depresses and elevates its long tail with
great vivacity. It is usually fed upon grain and several kinds of
herbs, and is exceedingly fond of bathing itself in water. It moults
twice a year; and during one period the male loses the long plumes which
distinguish him from his mate, and altogether becomes so changed in
colour, that the sexes are not then very easily told apart. It is only
during the breeding season that the cock Whidah-bird attains his fine
tail, and the orange and black colours of his plumage.
There are two species of Whidah-birds known to naturalists. The
"Paradise widow-bird" (_Vidua paradisea_) is the one described above;
and another which is called the "Red-billed widow-bird," (_Vidua
erythrorhynca_). The latter is a smaller species, and differs from the
other in the arrangement of the tail-feathers. Its bill is of a deep
red colour--whence the trivial name; and its plumage is of a
bluish-black upon the upper parts of the body, with a white collar
around the neck, white wing coverts, and whitish underneath.
Its habits, however, are precisely similar to those of the species
_Paradisea_; and both are found inhabiting the same countries, viz:
Western Africa. The range of neither reaches as far southward as the
Cape Colony, but one of the species extends to the countries northward
of the great Orange River, and is occasionally, though rarely, seen.
On account of its rarity in these parts, the young yagers, and
particularly the naturalist Hans, were desirous of obtaining its skin;
and for this purpose the shot-guns were levelled, and both the "widows"
were ruthlessly brought down from their perch.