Page 533
An.1690
Wild Ass striped. Fowl, Fish, Seals.
There is a very beautiful sort of wild Ass in this Country, whose body is curiously striped with equal lifts of white and black: the stripes coming from the ridge of his Back, and ending under the Belly, which is white. These stripes are two or three Fingers broad, running parallel with each other, and curiously intermixt, one white and one black, over from the Shoulder to the Rump. I saw two of the Skins of these Beasts, dried and preserved to be sent to Halland, as a rarity. They seemed big enough to inclose the Body of a Beast, as big as a large Colt of a twelvemonth old.
Here are a great many Ducks, Dunghil Fowls, &c. and Ostriges are plentifully found in the dry Mountains and Plains. I eat of their Eggs here, and those of whom I bought them told me that these creatures lay their Eggs in the Sand, or at least on dry ground, and so leave them to be hatch'd by the Sun. The meat of one of their Eggs will suffice two men very well. The Inha- bitants do preserve the Eggs that they find to sell to strangers. They were pretty scarce when I was here, it being the beginning of their Winter; whereas I was told they lay their Eggs about Christ- mas, which is their Summer.
The Sea hereabouts affords plenty of Fish of di- vers sorts; especially a small sort of Fish, not so big as a Herring; whereof they have such great plenty, that they pickle great quantities yearly, and send them to Europe. Seales are also in great numbers about the Cape; which, as I have still observed, is a good sign of the plentifulness of Fish, which is their food.
The Dutch have a strong Fort by the Sea side, against the Harbour, where the Governour lives. At about 2 or 300 paces distance from thence, on the West side of the Fort, there is a small Dutch Town, in which I told about 50 or 60 Houses; low,