Cornell University

Library

The original of this book is in
the Cornell University Library.

There are no known copyright restrictions in
the United States on the use of the text.

http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924024736666

ity

TN

VIEW OF THE AMBA

,GO-GROD®

“ye as
a“ "ak.

s wr

at
¢

ie

, te rf

eat peol ae a) tak ¥

4 . & ee iid

;
“a
.”
i .
< ’ ~ i ~
ie
- ~ ‘ %
%.
ee ; =e
. . ~ . ~~ re “

Yen. ee ae -?
sins ; p'

2 & ce wg

ee Henn te >

Ce ml aiken ae | alan 4

OBSERVATIONS

ON THE

GEOLOGY AND ZOOLOGY OF ABYSSINIA.

OBSERVATIONS

ON THE

GEOLOGY AND ZOOLOGY

OF

ABYSSINIA,

MADE DURING THE PROGRESS OF THE BRITISH
EXPEDITION TO THAT COUNTRY IN 1867-68.

BY

W. T. BLANFORD,

Associate of the Royal School of Mines; Fellow of the Geological Society of London ;
Corresponding Member of the Zoological Society of London, and of the Isis, Dresden ;
Deputy Superintendent of the Geological Survey of India ;

LATE GEOLOGIST TO THE ABYSSINIAN EXPEDITION,

WITH ILLUSTRATIONS AND GEOLOGICAL MAP.

London :
MACMILLAN AND CO.
1870.

G@

LONDON :
R. CLAY, SONS, AND TAYLOR, PRINTERS,
BREAD STREET HILL.

PREFACE.

‘Tae present work contains an account of the Geolo-
gical and Zoological Observations made by the author in
Abyssinia, when accompanying the British army on its
march to Magdala and back in 1868, and during a short
journey in Northern Abyssinia, after the departure of
the troops.

The book is divided into three parts. The first of
these contains a brief description of the journey, and of
some of the principal Geological and Zoological features
of the countries visited. The second part is devoted to
Geology ; it comprises a brief notice of the observations
made by previous explorers, a general account of the
formations examined, and a few remarks on the geolo-
gical configuration of the country. The third part con-
tains the Zoological observations, and consists of an
enumeration of the various animals collected, with

remarks on their habits, distribution, &c., preceded by a

vi PREFACE.

short account of the principal works on Abyssinian
Zoology hitherto published, and some brief observations
on the relations and distribution of the Abyssinian
fauna. A few species of Vertebrata which appear to
have escaped the researches of previous explorers are
described and figured.

In the map compiled by Messrs. Stanford and Co.
which accompanies the Geological part, an attempt has
been made to represent the physical features of the
Abyssinian highlands in a more definite manner than
has previously been done, and to distinguish between
the great eastern scarp of the plateau and the minor
irregularities of its surface.!

Although the time spent in Africa by the author
was only eight months, the advantages which he
enjoyed in consequence of being especially deputed by
the Indian Government enabled him to make a con-
siderable series of observations in both the branches of
science to which his attention was directed, and to
obtain a valuable collection, comprising more than 1,600
specimens of Vertebrata alone, representing about 360
species, besides Mollusca, and a few Articulata.

The time which has elapsed since his return from
Abyssinia to India in September 1868, has been prin-

1 This has been done at the suggestion of Mr. Trelawny Saunders, and in
a great measure by his aid.

PREFACE. vii

cipally devoted to the examination and comparison of
these collections. The Government of India has not
only most liberally relieved him from his duties on the
Geological Survey, in order to enable him to prepare
the present work, but has also permitted him to com-
plete the same in England, in order to afford him
access to the museums and libraries of Europe.

The Government of Bombay, under whose orders the
writer was acting whilst in Abyssinia, and for some
time subsequently, has also afforded him every facility

and aid.

CONTENTS.

PART I.
PAGE
PersonaAL NARRATIVE . . . . . 1. 1 ; i 8 1
PART II.
GEOLOGY.
INTRODUCTION 2 ke ea we we ee ae ee eS
SECTION
I—Physical Geography of Abyssinia, and its Relations to the
Geology, with Remarks on Denudation and on Lake
Ashangi. . ae ael aU gece!) eae eae! is Sa ie ee ST
II.—List of Geological Formations. . . . . . ..... . 162
WWI—Metamorphics . . . ©... 1 ee ee ee ew. 164
IV.—Adigrat Sandstones . 2... 1 ee eee ee eee 170
V.—Antalo Limestones . . . . . 1. 1 ee ee ee ee 176
Vi—Trappean Series 2 . 1 1 1. 1 ee ee eee 8
VII.—Aden Series of Volcanic Rocks . . . . . ..... . 190
Vill—Recent Formations . . . . . ee) eee ew we. . 194
AppENDIx.—Descriptions of the New Species of Fossils from the
Antalo Limestone . . - - s/s + ee ew... 199

‘NTRODUCTION
VAMMALIA
LvEs

tEPTILIA
-ISCES .

fouLusca .

NDEX

UULIVLALV ID.

PART III.

ZOOLOGY.

PAGE

207
222
285
444
460
462

479

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

LITHOGRAPHS.

To face page

View or THE Amba or Hitu-Fort or Daca, AND OF THE NEIGH-

BouRING MouNTAINS, TAKEN FROM THE Britisa CampPina-

GrounD aT Benaco. . .. . . . . Ooloured. Frontispiece

GroLogicaL View oF THE Portion oF ABYSSINIA TRAVERSED BY
THE British ExpEDITION In 1868, rrom ANNESLEY Bay To
MaGDALA, AND OF THE COUNTRY BETWEEN Massowa AND
THE ANSEBA VALLEY ....... . . . Coloured.

PLATE

I—1. Gazetta porcas, 1% Ditto ¢. 2 G. BeEnnertt.

3. G. aRABIcA. 4, G. suBaUTTUROSA. 5. G. SPEKEI.

5%. Dirto ¢ Ropes, 3. %
II.—Hirvunpo z#rutorica (W. Blanf.) . . . . . . Coloured.
II].—1. ERemomEna GRISEO-FLAVA (Heugl.) :
2. Parzioscorus AByssinicus (W. Blanf.) . . . } Coloured
IV.—Roriciuua (7) Fuscicaupata (W. Blanf.) . . . Coloured.
V.—PratiNncoLa sEMITORQUATA (Heugl.). . . . . Coloured.
VI.—ALAUDA PRETERMISSA (W. Blanf.) -. . . . . Coloured.
VII.—CritHaGRA FLAVIVERTEX (W. Blanf.) . . . . Coloured.

VIII.—1. Hemiciparis apyssinica. 2. MopioLa rmpricaRia (Sow.
var.). 3. Myritus (? Mopios) TicRENsIs. 4, PHOLADOMYA
GRANULIFERA. 5. PHOLADOMYA SUBLIRATA. 6, CEROMYA

PAUCILIRATA .

143

261
347

355

359
365
388
414

199

xii LIST OF WOOD ENGRAVINGS.

WOOD ENGRAVINGS.

FULL-PAGE, To face
PLATE page
I.—View or tue Brivish Camp at Senarz, FRoM THE NortH- 35

Il.—View or ruzt Hamas VALLEY, WEST OF SENAFE . ... 4/1
II].—Virw or tos PLaTEAUX AND VALLEYS WEST OF Foxapa . 57
IV.—View or Laxe AsHANGI, FRoM THE NorTH. . . . . 77
VIGNETTES.
PAGE
Section of Trachyte, Sandstone, and Metamorphic Beds . . . . . 42
Section of the Halai and Asawat Plateaux . . . ? 50
Section of Relations between Trap, Limestone, jarrah ad "Meta:
morphics, near Dongolo. . . . Se BY . 172
The Head and Horns of a young Female fre einoe ae 244
The Horns, with a portion of the Skull, of an adult Female ieee
with the back view of the hinder Horn. . . . . .. . . 245
Sections of the Agama annectans . . . 2... we, : . 447
Sections of the Lacerta samharica. . 2 2. ww ww 4B
Sections of the Lacerta Sturtt . . . . Ga See ty, Bu. wh 453

Sections of the Acanthodactylus iiceenstieas a ty eat » oe. 464

PART I.

PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

I tert Bombay harbour for Abyssinia on the 4th of
December, 1867, in the good ship Bucentaur, Captain
Babot, one of the large fleet of transports engaged by
the Government for the expedition. At the first notice
of the expedition being ordered, in the middle of August,
I had applied to the Government of India to be allowed
to accompany it as geologist, an application which was
immediately granted; but, owing to the large staff of
officers urgently required at the seat of war, and the
comparatively small number of vessels which were started
in October and November, I was not able to obtain a
passage earlier. The vessel in which I sailed carried
commissariat | “ followers,”—clerks, bakers, butchers,
dhooly-bearers, &c., from all parts of India, Parsees
from Bombay, Mahrattas from the Dekkan, Teloogoos
from the Northern Cirears, Tamuls from Madras, and
Hindustanis from the North-west Provinces, under the
command of Major Bardin, the chief of the excellent
B2

6 PERSONAL NARRATIVE,

thought superfluous. Yet, like many places frequently
visited, it is very rarely, if ever, carefully examined, and
its fauna especially might be much more completely
ascertained with advantage. Except Neophrons, kites,
and a few crows (?Corvus umbrinus), the only other
common birds about the hill in December were Sasicola
(Cercomela) melanura and another Saaicola, doubtless
S. isubellina. I also saw a crag martin (Cotyle rupestris),
We left Aden on the evening of the 16th December,
and early the next morning ran with a fair wind through
the “Gate of Weeping” into the Red Sea. In the
evening of the 18th we were off Amphila, but light
winds setting in, we only reached the flat coral islands of
Ajusé, forty miles further, on the 20th. Here we found
two or three other vessels waiting to be towed to the
anchorage at Annesley Bay, while H.M.S. Star was
lying in apparently most unpleasant proximity to the
breakers, though really in deep water; the officers and
crew being busily engaged in completing a temporary~
lighthouse. Another had already been finished nearer
to the entrance into Annesley Bay. A singular circum-
stance had taken place a day or two before we arrived.
A small boat from the ship had attempted to anchor
close to the island, when the anchor was seized and the
boat dragged violently along by an enormous fish ; evi-
dently, from the men’s description, a huge ray. Whether
the anchor had caught in the fish, or whether the latter
had swallowed the anchor, could not be told. To save

the boat the men on board were obliged to cut the rope
attached.

VOYAGE TO ANNESLEY BAY—AJUSE. ri

I landed the next day on Ajusé with some difficulty,
the boat being nearly capsized in the breakers. The
island is quite flat, not more than twenty or thirty fect
above high-water mark, and composed of a calcareous
rock formed by the consolidation of blocks of coral and
shells. The edges are quite vertical and cliff-like,
although of course only twenty or thirty feet high; a
shoal, over which there are only two or three feet of
water at low tide, runs out for a varying distance, from
a few yards to a quarter of a mile, and terminates
abruptly. Outside the reef the water is generally about
ten to twelve fathoms in depth. Other islands in the
neighbourhood have precisely the same formation. On
the flat stony surface of the island stunted bushes are
thinly scattered, and afford sustenance to some of the
most miserable-looking goats it was ever my fate to set
eyes upon, dwarfed in stature, wretchedly thin, and,
apparently without exception, affected with chronic
catarrh.

On the evening of December 21st, two steamers came
in from Bombay and Aden, each with a ship in tow,
and next morning one of the steamers took our vessel
also, and all started for our destination, which we
reached in the evening. The course lay round the Buri
peninsula, through comparatively narrow channels be-
tween coral islands similar to Ajusé, until turning
sharply to the south, we entered the great lake-like
expanse of Ghubbet Daknoo, or Annesley Bay, as it was
named by Lord Valentia, through the narrow eastern
channel between the little gneiss island of Dissee and

8 PERSONAL NARRATI EL.

the volcanic mass of the Buri peninsula. The bay is
well known as one of the most lovely spots in the Red |
Sea. Hills rise around it on all sides, and, to the
westward, range towers over range in the great scarp
of the Abyssinian highlands. The coast is fringed by
rich green bushes, giving a deceptive appearance of
fertility.

It is unnecessary to dwell upon our landing, or to
describe the camp of Malkatto or Zulla, with its dust
and flies, its polyglot inhabitants, its vast energy, and
its busy, excited population. All its peculiarities have
been related by abler pens, and I would rather refer to
the excellent letters of Dr. Austin in the Zimes, and of
Mr. Shepherd in the Times of India, and to the descrip-
tions in Mr. C. Markham’s “ History of the Abyssinian
Expedition,” and other published accounts, than attempt
to repeat what would certainly not, at this time, have
the merit of novelty. I remained in Zulla and its
neighbourhood until the 10th of January, making a few
excursions ; and on this and subsequent occasions I had
a fair opportunity of studying the rocks and fauna of
the surrounding country. The camp itself stood upon
an extensive sandy plain of alluvial origin, which ex-
tends for several miles along the coast, and inland as
far as the base of the great ranges, interrupted, however,
here and there, by small craggy hills. Two of these are
about two miles south of the spot occupied by the camp,
and consist of a succession of lava flows and scoriaceous
ash beds, much disturbed and very irregular in dip,
being evidently merely the remains of a large volcanic

ANNESLEY BAY. 9

mass, of which the greater portion has been removed by
denudation.

An account of one or two short excursions made from
the camp may serve to give a slight idea of the country
around the bay, and its fauna. On the 28th December
T joined a small shooting-party, consisting of Captain
Daniels of the Transport Train, Captain Chrystie of the
Engineers, and Lieutenant Protheroe of the Madras
Sappers. We left at nightfall in a small Arab boat for
the head of the bay, about eight or ten miles distant.
It was a calm night when we started, but a strong wind
sprang up, and we were obliged to anchor off the oppo-
site shore, with an uncomfortably rough sea. Our boat’s
cables, however, were none of the best: two parted, one
after the other; the waves meantime, to make matters
pleasant, breaking on some rocks just astern of us; and
after drifting nearly into the breakers, our Arab crew,
with that amount of noise which only Orientals can
make when they consider themselves in danger, suc-
ceeded in getting up sail and beating off. We tacked
about until daylight. In the morning we had to wade,
more than waist-deep, to the shore; however, we suc-
ceeded in landing our guns, and found ourselves on a
very rocky coast quite at the bottom of the bay. There
were no cliffs of any height, but black basaltic masses
rose forty or fifty feet from the sea in most places, here
and there receding into little sandy bays, with patches
of mangrove bushes. In one of these we landed,
and as soon as we could started inland in search of
game.

10 PERSONAL NARRATIVE 5

We had not left the shore before one of the men with
us descried a pig, and stalking up I caught sight of a
beast certainly more curious than beautiful. A pair of
immense tusks issued from a huge misshapen head, with
great knobs protruding at the side, and a dispropor-
tionately broad muzzle. The body was not unlike that
of other wild pigs, except that the tail was longer, with
a larger tuft of hair at the end. A bullet rolled him
into the bottom of a ravine for the moment, but he
ultimately escaped, his courage being evidently by no
means equal to his highly ferocious appearance. It was
an Ailian’s wart-hog (Phacocherus Atlant), a form of
pig peculiar to the African continent, and bearing a most
comical resemblance to a hippopotamus in its enormously
broad head.

Shortly after a small herd of five or six smaller wart-
hogs passed near us. They kept in single file, with their
tails straight in the air. We then turned up a nearly
level plain, covered with bushes and thorny acacia trees,
and soon came upon an abundance of smaller game. A
large partridge, with the skin of the throat naked, and
of a bright red or orange colour (Pternestes rubricollis),
rose in coveys. ‘Two or three hares, with very large ears
and long legs, but small bodies (Lepus egyptius), were
turned up and shot. The next game which appeared
was a large flock of guinea-fowl with blue wattles
(Numida ptilorhyncha), about two hundred in number,
which however ran ahead of us, keeping out of shot,
until we succeeded in surrounding them amongst some
bushes. Several bustards (Otis Arabs) were seen, but

ANNESLEY BAY—SHOOTING EXCURSION, 11

only one was killed. We also saw numerous traces of
wild elephants, but they were said only to visit this part
of the country after the spring rains.

Passing over a little rocky range of basaltic hills and
traversing some stony ground, we entered another small
plain, on which the bushes were less thick, and saw
a numerous herd of a kind of large gazelle (Gazella
Semmeringit), of which two bucks soon fell to our rifles.
They were fine animals, equal in size to the common
antelope of India, but with longer legs. Both males and
females had rather short lyre-shaped horns.

It was now getting hot, and we had shot over some
miles of ground, so we began to return towards our boat.
On our way, however, which Jay over undulating, rocky
ground, we met with new kinds of game. Several
Beni Israel (Neotragus saltianus), one of the very
smallest antelopes known, a most elegant animal, of an
ash-grey colour on the back, passing into rufous on the
flanks and legs, and white beneath, and short straight
horns in the male only, ran out from the bushes like
hares, but at far greater speed. I saw a few red-wattled
lapwings (Sarciophorus tectus), and a large flock of
painted sand grouse (Pterocles Lichtensteini). While
scrambling over the rocks close to the shore I suddenly
startled a number of little animals about the size of
small rabbits, which scuttled over a pile of stones and
hid in the crevices. I rolled one over, and on picking
him up recognised a small hyrax, one of the most sin-
gular mammals known, with the body of a rabbit, the
head of a marmot, no tail, and the dentition of a rhino-

12 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

ceros, to which utterly dissimilar animal, strange to say,
this little “dweller amongst the rocks” has been found
to be closely allied. To what particular species the
specimen (the only one shot by me in the immediate
vicinity of Annesley Bay) belongs, it is rather difficult
to say; but I shall enter into the subject in the part
especially devoted to Zoology.

We re-entered our boat, and beat slowly back to the
camp against a light sea-breeze. Soon after our visit
it became generally known that game abounded at the
head of the bay, and, in consequence, so many shooting- -
parties visited the spot that the animals became too
wild to allow any one to-approach within a reasonable
distance.

For several days I remained at the Malkatto camp,
and occupied myself in collecting specimens of birds, &c.
The most common land birds were larks, chats, and
shrikes, Of larks, no less than four species were com-
mon, Galerita cristata, Calendrella brachydactyla, Cer-
thilauda desertorum, and, perhaps most abundant of all,
a pretty little finch-like Pyrrhulauda (P. melanauchen,
Cab.). Two Saxicole abounded, S. deserti and S. tsabel-
lina. Two shrikes also were common ; and, singularly
enough, both appear to belong to species hitherto almost
overlooked: the one a variety or local race of the Indian
Lanius lahtora, for which Dr. Finsch proposes the
name of LD. fallax, and the other, the rare Z. isabel-
linus of Hemprich and Ehrenberg. A small Drymeca
(D. gracilis, Ritpp.) hid itself amongst the bushes. The
only other common land birds were wagtails (Motacilla

ANNESLEY BAY—FAUNA. 13

alba and Budytes melanocephala), white-breasted crows
(Corvus scapulatus), kites (Milvus migrans), the small
red-headed vulture (Veophron pileatus), and the scavenger
vulture (N. percnopterus). A little green bee-eater
(Merops viridissimus), very closely resembling the bird
so abundant in India, was common in the mangroves on
the shore; and at the hot spring of Atzfut I obtained the
handsome red M. nubicus. The shore abounded with
gulls (Larus fuscus, L. Hemprichii, L. leucophthalmus,
&c.), pelicans (P. phillipensis), terns of several species,
ring plovers, curlews, egrets, stints, and sandpipers, and
flocks of Dromas ardeola were not uncommon. It will
not a little surprise an ornithologist to observe that
several of the birds mentioned are comparatively rare
species, much less known than those of the less accessible
Abyssinian highlands.

Farther inland, amongst the thorny acacia trees,
the fauna was more varied. A most lovely little
Nectarinia (N. habessinica, H. and E.) was fre-
quently seen, but at this season was the only species
met with. The red-breasted bush shrike (Laniarius
eruentatus), the long-tailed robin (Cercotrichas erythrop-
terus), the black-tailed chat (Cercomela melanura), a
weaver bird (Hyphantornis galbula), and two species
of avadavats (Pytelia citerior and Estrelda rhodopyga),
were some of the kinds most frequently seen.

Mammals were not numerous. Hyzenas were con-
stantly heard at night; they frequently came into the
camp, and occasionally attacked the mules. I never saw
one close to the coast in daylight, but I believe that the

14 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

spotted species (H. crocuta) was that most prevalent.
H. striata is also said to occur. Jackals were common
enough, but by some singular fatality I could never
succeed in securing a specimen. When on horseback
without a gun, I have often passed within a few yards;
but when looking for specimens, I rarely saw more than
a tail retreating at full speed amongst the bushes fifty
yards away. All I can state of the kind is that it is
quite different from the jackal of India, and also from
that of the Abyssinian highlands, being a much more
slightly-built animal, with longer legs and a much
greyer colour. The cry, too, is very distinct. It is
probably Canis riparius of Hemprich and Ehrenberg ;
but species of jackals, like cats, Hyraces, and many
other animals, have been confused by naturalists, many
of whom only know them in the form of dried skins,
to an extent which renders identification difficult.
I once obtained a fine wild cat (F. maniculata),
which took refuge in the camp amongst a pile of pack-
saddles, and was caught, singularly enough, on one of
the hooks intended for holding the loads. Hares were
common until they met their fate at the hands of the
British soldier and his dog, and the only mammals except
the hyzenas and jackals which profited by the British
occupation were some small bright rufous jerboa mice,
with very long hind legs, which found unwonted supplies
of food in the commissariat stores, and increased and
multiplied until the ground around the huts and tents
was riddled with their holes. Besides the large Scemmer-
ing’s gazelle previously mentioned, the Dorcas gazelle was

MARCH TO MAO, 15

not uncommon, but, as is the wont of the group to
which it belongs, it was much more solitary in its
habits than its congener. It is almost identical with
the common “chinkara” or “ravine deer” of India
(Gazella Bennetti).

The only common reptiles were a small lizard (a
species of Acanthodactylus), and a very venomous little
viperine snake (Echis arenicola), several of which were
killed in the camp, and which were at one time so pre-
valent that it is surprising no accidents occurred from
their bite. All seen by me were, however, too small to
have rendered it probable that they could have caused
death to a man. Their presence in the camp, though
decidedly objectionable, was not much noticed amongst
the rather numerous annoyances which life at Zulla
entailed.

On the Ist January, 1868, I rode over to Hadoda,
sixteen miles distant to the westward, at the entrance
of the Haddas ravine, up which one of the best-
known passes leads to Halai, Dixa, and Takonda or
Degonta, on the Abyssinian highlands. Water occurs
here, and the post, together with another, four miles
further north, at Ooah or Wia, had been occupied by
strong detachments of the 3d Bombay Cavalry, the
majority of whom, however, in consequence of great
mortality amongst their horses, had already been re-
moved to the highlands, leaving only a small guard of
dismounted sowars in charge of the commissariat stores,
tents, &c. Major Bardin having been sent to arrange
about the removal of surplus stores, I accompanied him.

16 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

The road was pretty well marked across the plain,
through a narrow gorge between basalt rocks, where the
Haddas has cut its way through the little spur of
volcanic beds stretching south from the Gadam range,
and thence along the dry sandy watercourse, to the base
of the hills. Along the banks of this watercourse are
some fine tamarisk trees, affording shelter to numerous
bulbuls (Pycnonotus arsinoé), hornbills (Tockus ery-
throrhynchus), barbets (Trachyphonus margaritatus),
and other birds, whilst under their shade the red-throated
francolins (Pternestes rubricollis), Beni Israel antelopes,
and hares abounded, and on the surrounding plain we
saw a few of both kinds of gazelle. I shot a doe Scem-
mering’s gazelle, and could have killed another, but,
having no means of carrying the animal in, I let it go.
At the base of the main mass of hills the road entered
upon metamorphic rocks, and traversed a small gorge
cut through them, in which, for the first time since land-
ing on the African coast, our eyes were gladdened with
the sight of running water, and immediately after we
reached the camp at Hadoda.

It was far from a lively sight. A few very dusty
tents were surrounded by a thorn fence, and some very
miserable-looking Indian native troopers lounged about,
backed by a huge herd of camels, the most helpless,
stupid, and melancholy-looking of all the beasts of the
universe. A dismounted dragoon is proverbial, and
certainly a dismounted sowar, if those who garrisoned
the posts at Hadoda and Wia be taken as fair specimens,
is not an improvement on the European prototype. No

HALODA—BABOONS. Le

wonder that the men were not sanguine. They had lost
their horses by the epidemic which at that time raged
amongst the animals, and they were left isolated, whilst
their fellow-soldiers had proceeded to the front. No
human being has fewer resources in himself than the
native of India. Many of them were suffering from
fever, mainly cause:l, I expect, by disgust. They were
removed and sent to the front shortly after.

On rising the next morning I saw a singular spectacle.
A large troop of baboons, at least 200 in number, were
hunting for any corn dropped upon the ground in the place
where the horses had been picketed. They were the first
T had seen, though the sight of these uncouth monkeys
soon became familiar enough. The species (Cynocephalus
hamadryas) is the well-known dog-faced baboon of
North-eastern Africa and Arabia, the same which is
frequently represented on Egyptian monuments. The
male is a most formidable-looking animal, something
between a lion and a French poodle in appearance, with
long hair over his shoulders and foreparts. The day
before they had come into the commissariat enclosure,
and commenced pilfering the grain.

The road from Hadoda to Wia was uninteresting. It
traversed an undulating plain of metamorphic rocks,
with thin jungle of thorny acacia trees. On the next day
I returned to Zulla, but before doing so I climbed a high
hill close to Hadoda, in order to make out, so far as
possible, the general strike of the rocks, which, as is
commonly the case in metamorphic countries, especially
where the dip is low, appeared irregular. On my way

c

18 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

up the hill a small animal, apparently a squirrel which
had lost part of its tail by accident, ran into a hole
amongst some rocks before I could shoot it. As I was
sitting down on the top of the hill taking some bearings,
I saw another, and presently a third, all with equally
short tails, on some very precipitous rocks, and creeping
down cautiously I succeeded in shooting both ; but after
having, with no small difficulty, climbed down a rather
ugly piece of cliff to the spot, I could only find one. It
was evidently no squirrel: its rather differently shaped
head, singularly soft close fur, and short tail, which was
evidently natural and not accidental, showed it to be
some other animal; and on comparing it afterwards
with Mr. Blyth’s description, I was delighted to find
that I had rediscovered the rare rodent Pectinator
Spekei, first found by the late gallant and distinguished
African traveller, after whom it is named, in his explora-
tion of the Somali country in 1854.

The remainder of my stay in Zulla or Malkatto camp
was principally occupied in collecting animals and ex-
ploring the geology. Although there was no risk whatever
in riding about the country, there was a great drawback
in the difficulty of procuring water, and the necessity
for horses to be in camp morning and evening, as
otherwise they ran the risk of going without. The
commissariat arrangements also, which necessitated
the drawing up of a long document, as_ elaborate
and formal as a mercantile invoice, before any rations
could bé obtained, involved a considerable loss of
time at first.

GEOLOGICAL FEATURES OF ANNESLLY BAY. 19

Beir. proceeding to describe any part of my subse-
quent journey, a brief sketch of some of the geological
features observed in the neighbourhood of the landing-
place may be given.

The eastern shore of Annesley Bay appears to consist
mainly, if not entirely, of voleanic rocks, The island of
Dissi, however, at the entrance of the bay, is entirely
composed of metamorphics, the strike of which is nearly
north and south.

The high range of Gadam, the peaks of which are
about 3,000 feet above the sea, rises sharply from the
west shore of the bay near its entrance, and is entirely
composed of metamorphic rocks, with the same general
strike as Dissi The hill is comparatively isolated, the
usual road from Zulla to Arkiko passing behind it. At
the base of the main range of the Abyssinian highlands
a few miles farther west, the rocks near Hadoda, at the
entrance to the Haddas pass, consist of mica-schist and
hornblend schist. At Wia granitoid gneiss occurs.
These rocks have a low dip to west-south-west, variable
in amount, but not exceeding 30° or 40°.

Between Hadoda and the southern portion of the
Gadam range there is an alluvial plain covered with sand
and gravel, evidently deposited by the torrents from the
hills) Between this and the ccast plain around Zulla
alow spur extends for some miles from the south end
of the Gadam range, composed of volcanic rocks, similar
to those forming the low hills already mentioned
near Zulla. Through these the Haddas torrent cuts
a small gorge, with precipitous basaltic cliffs of no

cz

20 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

great height on each side. The road from Malkatto to
Hadoda passed, as already mentioned, through this
gorge ; the beds intersected appear to be horizontal ;
farther south, at the extreme end of the spur, they dip
east at about 20°, but the dip is not constant, and
there has been much disturbance. One stratum, a little
north of the road from Zulla to Komayli, consists of
soft lapille ; it is stratified, and presents the appearance
of having been deposited from water, as it contains flakes
of mica and fragments, rounded apparently, of volcanic
ash. None of these hills present the appearance of
having been parts of a distinct cone.

The plain formed by the alluvial deposits of the
Haddas, the Komayli stream, and another torrent further
south, extends along the coast for about eight miles
south of Zulla, as far as the hot spring of Atfé or
Atzfut, which rises at the edge of a dense cluster of man-
grove trees, close to the seashore. The water is brackish,
but not sufficiently so to prevent its being drunk’ by
animals. The rocks which here approach the shore are
volcanic, and similar beds skirt the hills for some dis-
tance to the west. Farther inland, gneissic rocks crop
out, and the range along the edge of the bay to the
southward, as far as the Turkish outpost at Arafilé, is
composed of metamorphics. On one hill, south of Atzfut,
trap rests upon the gneiss at some height above the base
of the hill. At Arafilé trap comes in again, a small
alluvial plain intervening near the sea, on which, at the
time of my visit, there was an immense herd, 400 or
500 in number, of the fine antelope Gazella Scammer-

KOM AYLI—WATER-SUP PLY. 21

ingv, which at first abounded around Zulla also, but
was gradually extirpated or driven away. Just south of
the Turkish military camp at Arafilé is a very perfect
volcanic cone, evidently of much later date than the two
other volcanic hills. It is about 300 feet high, and com-
posed mainly of fine volcanic ash.

On the 7th of January, at the desire of Colonel Wil-
kins, I rode to Komayli, the first march on the road laid
out to the highlands, to examine the water-supply. The
road was similar to that to Hadoda, but much more
dusty, in consequence of the traffic. Long strings of
mules and camels, laden with stores of all kinds, were
constantly to be seen going and returning. The railway
was as yet in embryo, the first steam-engine being landed
about this time. Komayli lies at the entrance of a better-
defined gorge than that which debouches at Hadoda ;
and when the pioneer force first examined the locality,
there was running water here also. This had disap-
peared ; but wells of no great depth had been dug in the
torrent bed, and the little American Norton’s pumps,
afterwards so largely used, had been employed for the
first time. A brief examination of the wells convinced
me that there was very little fear of the water failing ;
and I was enabled to report most favourably on the
prospects of what was, at the moment, one of the most
important necessaries for the progress of the army. My
report only confirmed that of the engineer officers, who
had already examined the spot, and was fully borne out
by the results. The wells at Komayli not only supplied
amply the immense camp of both men and animals

22 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

which was concentrated there, but had the campaign
lasted longer, it was intended to have taken the water in
pipes to Zulla.

The temperature of the water was remarkably high,
so much so that I suspected part of the supply was
derived from a hot spring. But all wells in this neigh-
bourhood are singularly warm. In one which was sub-
sequently dug by the Punjab Pioneers, about six miles
from Zulla, the water was far hotter than at Komayli,
and certainly much above the average temperature of the
air. Coupling these facts with the presence of a hot
spring on the shore at Atzfut already mentioned, and
with that at Ailat to be subsequently noticed, it appears
probable that nearly all the subterranean waters in the
neighbourhood of Zulla and Massowa have an unusually
high temperature; a fact perhaps connected with such
evidence of geologically recent volcanic action as is
afforded by the cone at Arafilé.

I rode back to Zulla the same evening. The Com-
mander-in-chief, Sir Robert (now Lord) Napier, had
landed in the morning, and, on hearing my report,
directed me to proceed to Mayen or Undul Wells, two
marches beyond Komayli, and ascertain all I could con-
cerning the water-supply there. The pass which had
been selected for the road to the Abyssinian highlands
consisted of a ravine running nearly north and south,
or parallel to the general direction of the great scarp
bordering the high country, from Komayli to Senafé, a
distance along the bed of the torrent of about fifty miles.
In two places, at Suru, twelve miles beyond Komayli,

KOMAYTI. 23

and at Rahaguddy, or, as it was more commonly called,
Rereguddy, ten miles below Senafé, running water was
found ; but between these two a march of twenty-nine
miles intervened. In order to break this, a well had
been dug by the engineers at a place called by the
natives Mayen, but subsequently known in the army as
Undul Wells (the Undul being a torrent which enters the
main ravine a little above). Aly particular duty was to
ascertain, as far as possible, the prospects of the water-
supply at Mayen, and to inquire if it could be supple-
mented in case of failure.

After some difficulty in obtaining mules, I started on
the 10th, and rode across to Komayli. The next morn-
ing I started up the pass, with Captain C. B. Smith, of
the Commissariat, and Lieut. St. John of the Engineers,
who had charge of the telegraph in course of construction.
The latter is an excellent ornithologist, and both on this
occasion and often subsequently gave me information
and specimens.

Komayli, as already mentioned, lies at the spot where
the long ravine ends, on the verge of the coast plain.
The road, on leaving the camp, enters a valley, about
half a mile broad at first, but much narrower afterwards,
its bottom composed of a deposit of boulders, pebbles,
and sand brought down by the torrent, upon which a
tolerably dense vegetation has sprung up. The hills rise
abruptly from the side; they are entirely composed of
metamorphic rocks. Close to Komayli, gneiss and mica-
ceous schist, with garnets, are seen, the lamination
dipping east on the south side of the ravine, and north-

24 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

east on the north, at a low angle. About three miles
up the ravine its course, which has so far been nearly
due west, turns suddenly to the south, and assumes the
direction which, with many local changes, continues
to Senafé; and here the foliation of the gneiss rolls
over, and dips first north-north-west and then west.

The road at this time was only very imperfectly made.
The process of road-making, by the various regiments
employed, consisted in marking out a trace twenty feet
broad, felling any trees which might be in the way,
cutting down steep banks, and removing the boulders.
The road thus formed was, of course, rather heavy, being
often over gravel, but still a great improvement on the
mere torrent bed. But in January a commencement
only had been made, the whole efforts of the Sappers
being devoted at first to rendering practicable such diffi-
cult parts as the Suru defile: It was not always very
easy to tell the road, as lateral valleys of considerable
size sometimes entered the main one. The path, how-
ever, was pretty well marked in general, and could
usually be recognised by the carcases and skeletons of
mules and camels scattered along it. We passed several
of the Shoho inhabitants of the country—uncouth-looking
beings, mostly with bushy masses of hair transfixed by
wooden or horn skewers, little or no beard, and a small
quantity of very dirty cotton clothing. The women had
invariably a leathern petticoat, frequently ornamented
with cowrie shells. They were, if anything, more ill-
favoured than their lords and masters. At a subse-
quent period of the expedition, these people became

SHOHOS—FAUN4 OF THE P_15S. 25

so far civilized as to dress themselves in an outer
garment made of old gunny hags, the coarse Indian
fabric in which grain is packed. In January, such
proofs of advanced civilization had not extended beyond
Zulla.

These people are genuine Arabs, their hands against
every man’s, arrant thieves and cut-throats, but still
with some principle of honour. Owing to the influence
Mr. Munzinger had with them, he succeeded in inducing
them—for payment, of course—not only to cease from
plundering to a great extent, but to become carriers
to the army : and enormous quantities of commissariat
stores were conveyed by them. Some petty pilfering, of
course, took place, but, I am convinced, far less than
was generally supposed.

There i: no cultivation in or about the pass, so far as I
saw. The people live mainly on the milk of their herds,
and on “durra’’ or millet (jewar?) brought from the
highlands. The cattle are small, but well formed and in
good condition, all being humped, and having horns of
moderate size spreading from the side of the head, not
rising in a curve as in Indian humped cattle. The goats
are rather fine, the males being magnificent patriarchal
fellows, with grand twisted horns two feet and upwards
in length.

The fauna in the lower portion of the pass was not
remarkable. Vultures, of course, abounded, and I once
or twice saw a lammergeyer (Gypaétos imeridionalis),
conspicuous by his pointed wings and tail and great size.
The most interesting novelty to me was a kind of

26 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

ground squirrel (Xerus rutilus, Riipp.), of which we
saw several together running over the rocks. It has
rather long, coarse, harsh, almost bristly hair, and a fine
bushy tail.

About six or seven miles from Komayli we met a
native of India with a camel and a mule, who com-
plained of having been robbed by two Shohos. The
thieves had run into a small ravine close by, and we
immediately afterwards saw them climbing up the rocks.
I slipped a couple of bullet-cartridges into my breech-
loader, but my companions begged me not to shoot the
thieves, and I felt no particular inclination to draw the
first blood in the campaign, so I contented myself with
frightening the Shohos by sending five or six bullets as
near to their heads as I could without risk of hitting
them. I was rather glad I had let them off when
I found that the whole plunder consisted of a small
bag of rice, which, of course, they had to abandon in
their flight.

About ten miles from Komayli the ravine suddenly
contracted, owing to the greater hardness of the rocks,
and we entered the magnificent gorge known as the Suru
pass. Here the formation consists of a very hard,
massive rock, chiefly composed of felspar and quartz;
almost all trace of foliation is lost in general, but where
it can be made out, it is generally nearly vertical. The
water, which in other parts of the ravine runs beneath
the gravel, is brought to the surface, and forms a little
stream containing small fish. The bed of the torrent
consists of immense blocks of rock, some of which were

KOMAYILI PASS—SURU. 27

being removed by blasting, whilst over others a ramp
was made to carry the road. A large number of Bombay
Sappers and Beloochees were occupied in this work, and
the narrow gorge resounded with the hum of voices and
the ring of hammers and crowbars, as it had certainly
never done before since the torrent first cut it out of the
solid rock.

On each side of the ravine rose steep beetling cliffs to
a great height. They are in most places quite inaccessible,
and on one occasion, in May, towards the close of the
expedition, a flood came down from the highlands, and
some mules and men were swept away.

We reached the top of this gorge, and found the camp
at Suru, with the Beloochees under Major Bevill. It was
in a narrow cramped space, and uncomfortably hot in
the middle of the day. The lovely little Nectarinia
habessinica abounded in some small trees, and numerous
Hyraces inhabited the rocks around. I here also again
came upon Pectinator Speke, the peculiar rodent first
seen at Hadoda.

The next morning Dr. Boustead, of the Beloochees, who
had been out to look after elephants, returned, having
killed two in a valley about ten miles away to the east-
ward. I was busy skinning two or three squirrels and
other animals which I had shot the day before, and did
not start till mid-day. Owing to the reports of Shoho
thieving, I did not like to leave my mules alone, and
accompanied them. Soon their wretched condition began
to tell. One fell, and J transferred the greater part of
the load to my horse ; then another dropped ; and finally,

28 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

after endless delay, I only reached the camp at Mayen or
Undul Wells after nightfall.

A great change took place in the fauna on this part of
the road. Suru is 2,000 feet above the sea, Undul Wells
about 3,400, and the sub-tropical fauna is entered, con-
taining some of the animals peculiar to the Abyssinian
highlands. Instead of the white-breasted crow of Zulla,
a black, short-tailed bird (Corvus affinis) occurred. It is
very raven-like ; indeed, it is classed as a raven by some
naturalists. A king crow (Dicrurus divaricatus), a very
noisy yellow-billed hornbill (Zockus flavirostris), a crate-
ropus (C. lewcopygius), a large partridge (Francolinus
Erkelii), and a very handsome bee-eater (Merops
Lafresnayt) were conspicuous.

The next morning was devoted to the wells. Two
had been dug in the gravel of the torrent bed, and
Lieut. Le Mesurier, an old acquaintance, who was in
charge, was busily engaged enlarging and deepening
them, and adapting one for a kind of chain-pump.
The rocks at Mayen, though not quite so hard as
at Suru, are very massive and quartzose, striking
north-north-west and dipping at a high angle to the
westward. They consist of various kinds of gneiss
and hornblend schist, with quartz veins and a few
greenstone dykes.

Our examination of the well was interrupted by the
return of a corporal of Sappers, who had started for
Senafé, but after going about two miles, had been knocked
off his mule by some Shohos, and both his mule and his
rifle had been carried off. A chase was soon organized,

GUINEA-FOWL PLAIN. 29

but was fruitless; neither mule nor rifle was ever
seen again.

About a mile and a half up the ravine above Mayen, at
a spot where several smaller valleys enter it, is a little
plain, about a quarter of a mile across, and rather more
than half a mile long, tenanted by many guinea-fowl
when the pioneers of the army passed by, and hence
always known as Guinea-fowl Plain. It is a flat, formed
of boulders and granite deposited from the streams, and
covered partly with thick thorny bush-jungie, partly with
a very prickly aloe-like plant. It was much naunted by
wart-hogs, hyzenas, and Beni Israel, until, like the guinea-
fowls, all, except the hyzenas, found their way into the
camp cooking-pots, and served to eke out the tough beef
of commissariat rations. Small as it is, this plain is the
broadest piece of level ground met with in the pass, and
from it a view is obtained up some of the side valleys ;
one of these, the Undul torrent already mentioned, ex-
poses at its head some noble cliffs of sandstone, part of
the scarp of a plateau near Takonda between the Haddas
and Komayl valleys. This small plain is also note-
worthy as being the first place on the road to the high-
lands, where that fine and remarkable euphorbiaceous
plant, the kolqual, was met with. To Anglo-Indians this
plant was perhaps less striking than to Europeans, as a
closely allied species abounds in parts of the Bombay Presi-
dency ; but the Indian plant is inferior in size and beauty.

It struck me that the base of these sandstone cliffs
might be a very likely spot for a copious supply of
water, and that it was at least worth the trouble to

30 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

examine them. Inquiry from the Shohos was not satis-
factory, especially when conducted, as in the present
instance, through the medium of an Arab interpreter,
who spoke very little Hindustani, and an old Shoho
woman, who understood still less Arabic. However,
having procured a guide, Le Mesurier and I started to
explore the Undul valley, taking with us a small tent
and a day’s provisions on mules.

We had a most delightful and profitable ride, although
the quantity of water found was small. For about six
or eight miles we found a well-marked cattle-track
leading up the torrent bed, at the sides of which were
small flats, covered with fine acacia trees. Gradually
the valley contracted, and the hills at the sides became
higher, and in many places covered with huge tufts of
coarse grass. At first these were all at a considerable
elevation above our path, but we soon ascended to their
level. The quantity was large, and the discovery—for it
was a discovery—most important, since all forage had
hitherto been brought from the seaboard, employing
many mules, and, in fact, taking up a very large pro-
portion of the carriage required for transporting pro-
visions and stores to the highlands.! The grass was
coarse, but the mules, and even the horses, ate it; and
soon afterwards arrangements were made by Sir Robert

1 Although the mules were, at this time, very poorly fed, it was calculated
that in going from the camp at Zulla to Senafé and back they consumed more
than half their load. I pointed out the grass in the Undul valley to Lieut.
Sturt, of the Transport Train, who brought it to the notice of the Commander-

in-chief, and was placed in charge of the arrangements for collecting it by
means of Shohos,

UNDUL RAFINE. 31

Napier, by which all the camps in the pass were supplied
from the locality discovered by us, and others in the
neighbourhood, thus effecting an enormous gain in the
carrying power of the transport animals.

A large number of birds which I had not previously
seen made their appearance a little above 5,000 feet.
Amongst these the most conspicuous was the Abyssinian
plantain-eater (Turucus leucotis), which flew from tree
to tree, high above our heads for the most part, dis-
playing its gorgeous crimson quill-feathers in its flight.
I was somewhat surprised at seeing a green pigeon
(Treron abyssinica) in small flocks. The handsome
francolin (£. Erkelii) was very abundant; at almost
every turn of the valley one or more were seen, which
on our approach ran into the bushes, or up the sides
of the hills, rarely taking to flight. This francolin is
a noble game bird, the male being at least equal to
a pheasant in size. A few Beni Israel showed them-
selves, and several Hyraces scampered away amongst the
rocks ; but four-footed animals were not numerous. <A
considerable change took place in the vegetation, two
or three kinds of Ficus appearing, two of which were
scarcely distinguishable from the peepul and banyan of
India. The temperature also, towards evening, was
decidedly cool.

Our Shoho cuide had for some time persisted that
there was no possible road, and that we should find no
water; but, as there was an excellent cattle-track, we
preferred seeing for ourselves, and at last he admitted
that there was a very little water in one place. About

32 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

evening we emerged from the narrow valley we had been
traversing, at the very base of the sandstone cliffs which
had attracted our attention in the distance, and found a
small spring of excellent water. Of course this was of
no practical value to the army ascending the pass: it
was amply sufficient for our wants, however, and that of
our animals, as well as supplying a Shoho village close by,
the people from which brought us milk, and were very
civil for Shohos. They called their village Undul—a
name which has been applied to the camping-ground in
the main pass, ten miles away.

The next day we attempted to climb the sandstone
plateau. It was a most fatiguing ascent, through bushes
and creepers, most of them thorny, and over very bad
ground. We reached the sandstone, however ; but, finding
that another long descent and ascent intervened, did not
go on to the plateau. I afterwards found that this spot
was near Azawat, nearly north of Takonda. The view
was very extensive. Over the ranges which hem in the
Senafé pass a portion of Annesley Bay and its eastern
shore could be seen. The extreme horizon was misty ;
but, looking to the southward, it was just possible to
distinguish a vast sandy expanse, with a peculiar whitish
colour, the northern portion of the great salt plain near
Amphila.

The metamorphic rocks extend for a long distance up
the hill, and are capped by about 500 feet of coarse
white sandstone. They are much contorted, but preserve
a general north and south strike. Close to the spring ir
the valley are some highly bituminous schists.

VALLEYS AROUND MAYEN. 33

In this ramble I obtained a few land-shells, the first
I had met with. There were not many kinds. Helix
Darnaudi, Vitrina Riippelliana, a single specimen of
Bulimus Olivieri, and two small Pupe, were all I could
find. They appeared more abundant on the upper parts
of the hill-side.

We returned to our camping-ground, and found it was
too late to go back to Undul Wells that day, so deferred
doing so till next morning. On reaching it, I found one
of my horses ill with the disease which had proved so
fatal to the cavalry and baggage animals. For two or
three days he was most dangerously ill, but at length
recovered, and I subsequently used him throughout the
campaign. Rum-and-water and quinine were the re-
medies used. At first the horse objected to them ; but
after a day or two he took a strong liking to grog, and
swallowed his dose with the greatest satisfaction.

I spent three or four days in searching the side valleys
around Mayen, and ascertaining the presence or absence
of springs. Small quantities of water occur in several
instances, usually at a place where a band of very hard
compact rock crosses the valley, and causes a very small
stream, which elsewhere runs beneath the gravel at the
bottom of the ravine, to appear at the surface. There
is almost invariably a sudden drop in the valley at this
spot, so that after rain there must be a waterfall, and
in the dry season the water trickles slowly over the
rocks. All the springs appear to contain carbonate of
lime, which is deposited in immense masses of calcareous

tufa.
D

34 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

One spot struck me as very remarkable. I followed a
ravine which enters the main pass at Guinea-fowl Plain
for about three miles. Some Shohos tried to turn me
back, but, although I was alone, I was well armed, and
found it convenient to misunderstand them. At length
I reached a spot where the valley appeared absolutely to
terminate. On one side was a precipice of granitoid
gneiss about a hundred feet high, on the other a still
higher wall of tufa overhanging at the top. Down the
granitic rock trickled the smallest of streams, sufticient,
however, to attract numerous hamadryas monkeys, who
sat.on the rocks around. The tufa cliffs were the roost-
ing-place of a large colony of Amydrus- Blythi, a rare
bird, something like a starling with a long tail, black,
with chestnut wings. In the evening these birds were
flying around in considerable numbers, keeping up a
constant chattering cry. I subsequently revisited the
spot, and shot several specimens, to the consternation
of the monkeys, who howled at me from the rocks
above.

In Lieutenant Sturt, who arrived some days before at
Undul Wells in charge of the transport train at that
camp, I found a capital ornithologist, and we had many
rambles together in search of birds. At a subsequent
period the same officer took charge of one of my native
collectors. The fauna of Undul Wells and its neigh-
bourhood is very interesting, comprising several birds
which are found neither on the highlands nor on the sea-
coast, such as two woodpeckers (Picus Hemprichw and
P. nubicus), a little barbet (Barbatula pusilla), and a

i

PLATE

me
ie

HATA HM
il ie EE
| ih) li Mii ti it |
Hil Wl wl il | MI i

: anit
i | a

| Ht
Hid iith

Ca AL |
ae Mu
Hl Hi!

{NNN HI | |

x
Mi
i Hl Hl Hi i

fy | ti i sul

i |) 11] Ht
ii WA Ml A HH UE
ye
AW
Hil
Mi

;

ATTRA
AMM My | li hull
WN) )

Il ill ml | i
Hit Wa i |
Ni ‘li! a PHVA {lil

iil I Ny |
E

He
i ii Hi

i
i“ i i

i
i i

i

HT

Mi || i {|| |

. ‘

-
q
a
fs
°
4
[=
q
a

~
ab
iS)
4
fa}
=

FROM

wt

THE BRITISH CAMP AT SENAFR,

VIEW OF

(From a Phe

” (trachyte) to the right.

Rocks

“ Senafé

The

PASS BETWEEN UNDUL WELLS AND SENAY. 35

wren (Oligocercus micrurus), almost all of which I sub-
sequently found in the Anseba valley.

On the 21st of January I rode up the pass to Senafé.
Except that the ravine gradually contracts, there is
no great change in its appearance for some miles above
Undul Wells. The hill-sides become greener, and
similar changes take place in the fauna and flora to
those already noticed in the Undul ravine, plantain-
eaters, green pigeons, and other birds making their
appearance. About Rahaguddy, at an elevation of
‘6,000 feet, the alteration is much greater. The meta-
morphic rocks have become much more slaty, a cha-
racter which they maintain till beyond Senafé. The
road close to the camping-ground at Rahaguddy traverses
a very narrow gorge with a small stream of water trick-
ling through it, which stream, however, is not, like that
at Suru, constant throughout the year.

Ascending beyond Rahaguddy, the path traverses more
open ground, the immediate sides of the ravine being
lower and less steep, so that the hills beyond are visible.
To the south tower the sandstone precipices of Mount
Sowera; on all other sides are fine hills, of varying
form, composed of metamorphic rocks, sandstone or trap,
covered with forest, still thin, but much finer than that
in the lower portion of the pass. Leaving at length the
torrent bed, the road ascends through what was, in
January, a wood of high juniper trees. Here I found a
large party of the Punjab Pioneers engaged in making
the cart road, which was finished soon after. It was
afternoon, and the air was delightfully cool, even cold,

D2

36 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

producing the exhilarating effect peculiar to a mountain
atmosphere, and which is nowhere felt so thoroughly as
within the tropics.

At the commencement of the ascent from the ravine,
trachytic rock, approaching claystone in mineral cha-
racter, appears, and continues nearly to the top of the
scarp, where basalt replaces it. The trachyte is so much
decomposed that it resembles argillaceous sandstone, and
it was not till afterwards that I distinguished its real
‘character. The opposite side of the ravine consists of
metamorphic rocks, with, in one spot, an isolated block
of sandstone.

I soon reached the top of the scarp, and found myself
fairly on the highlands of Abyssinia. A broad flat open
valley with some fine isolated hills on each side led to
Senafé, and I cantered pleasantly along a good even road.
The ground around had been recently in cultivation.
No villages were to be seen at first, but soon under the
precipitous sides of the hills a number of flat terrace-like
projections became visible, and these on a nearer approach
proved to be flat-topped huts, the walls built of stones,
and so closely resembling the hill-sides in colour that
they might easily be taken for a portion of them. About
two miles from the top of the pass the valley expanded
into a plain dotted over with the white tents of the
British camp. To the right hand, west of the camp,
were a number of barren craggy hills of most singular
form, apparently of sandstone, but really of claystone
and trachyte. These hills will be described in a subse-
quent page.

RETURN TO ZULLA. 37

I only remained a night in Senafé. It was bitterly
cold, and in the morning the ground was white with
hoar-frost. The next day I redescended the pass, examin-
ing on my way several places, where small quantities of
water were found. The supply was in no case sufficient
to prove of much service in supplementing the resources
of Undul Wells.

At Mayen I found much improvement. The well had
been deepened, and an improved kind of chain pump
(Brasyer’s) substituted for the little American pumps
(Norton’s) which had hitherto been used. A careful
test of the supply by Lieut. Protheroe and myself
showed that the well could yield about 700 gallons
an hour.

After a day or two spent at Undul Wells, I. returned
once more to the sea-coast. I had not been able to take
any of my appliances for collecting skins, &c. with me,
and had consequently left my native taxidermist with my
tents at Zulla. On my way down I met Sir Robert
Napier, who was on his road to the highlands, and
I reported on the prospects of water-supply in the
passes.

I found the camp at Zulla enormously increased in
size. There were now about 10,000 troops encamped,
and at least as many camp-followers of all kinds. A
splendid fleet of upwards of 100 large ships and
steamers lay at anchor in the roadstead. A large bazaar
had been established, and shops filled with supplies of
all kinds abounded. I found also that Dr. Cook, the
meteorologist, had arrived from Bombay, bringing with

38 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

him a second native taxidermist sent to me by Dr.
Anderson, of the Indian Museum. The two men hau
collected a considerable number of birds, many of them
of great interest.

With Dr. Cook I made another excursion of three days
to the head of the bay, and obtained several mollusca and
a few birds. The game had become very wild. For
several days I occupied myself geologizing and collecting
around Zulla. A change took place in the weather: a
little rain fell, and the hills were covered with dense
masses of clouds. We heard that heavy rain was falling
almost daily about the lower portion of the pass.
Meantime troops and stores were being rapidly pushed
on to the front, and the camp was once more diminishing
in size.

It was not till the 12th February that I could obtain
carriage with which to start again for the highlands, and
even then it was with great difficulty that I could
manage to take with me sufficient stores for collecting.
I remained two days at Komayli, where a considerable
change had taken place, grass having sprung up and the
trees put forth fresh leaves. The only conspicuous
change in the fauna, however, was the presence in large
numbers of the black Abyssinian crow (Corvus affinis),
which, a month before, I had not met with below Undul
Wells. Subsequently, several kinds of birds immigrated, -
many of which were still to be found in May.

Rain fell so heavily on the road from Komayli to Suru
that my camels could not get on, and remained out all
night. This necessitated another day’s halt. At Undul

RE-ASCLND TO THE WIGHLAN DS. 39

I again stopped for a couple of days collecting, and I
finally reached Senafé once more on the 21st February.
The rains did not extend into the hills quite so far as
Undul Wells, and above the weather was fine, but less
cool than in January.

By this time the advanced guard had reached Antalo.
The Commander-in-chief was about two marches beyond
Adigrat. I took up my abode in the commissariat lines
near Major Thacker’s tent, one of the best parts of the
camp, and whilst awaiting permission to go on to the
front I set to work to examine the geology of Senafé and
the neighbourhood, which was very interesting, and to
collect as usual.

I have already briefly mentioned the position of Senafé
in a plain with hills at both sides. Beyond the craggy
rocks, just west of the camp, lies the head of a deep
valley. To the north-east is the great mass of Sowera,
entirely formed of sandstone ; but south of it, separated
by a small valley, is a trachyte hill. The majority of the
other ris¢s are volcanic in origin, consisting of basalt or
trachyte, the latter greatly predominating. The greatest
extent of these rocks is north-west of Senafé, in which
direction they stretch more than half-way to Takonda.
The culminating point, Akub Teriki (or Arabi Teliki), is
a most conspicuous object from all the country around.
It lies nearly due north of Senafé, and west of the road
at the head of the Komayli pass. From the spot where
trap first appears, at the base of the last ascent in the
pass, to the top of this hill, is a height of 2,000 feet, and
the whole consists of trachyte or basalt. It is by no

40 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

means clear whether this mass is intrusive, or whether it
fills a hollow in the metamorphics.

The hill (Aktb Teriki) is flat at the top, the uppermost
portion consisting apparently of a trachyte lava flow,
rather coarse and gritty, resembling sandstone. It is of
a greyish colour on a freshly fractured surface, but
weathers brown. It contains grains of magnetic iron,
which affect the compass. The lower portion of the hill
consists partly of basalt and partly of trachyte.

A band of hills to the north-west is composed of hard,
greenish-black basalt, compact and fine-grained, contain-
ing a little quartz and agate in irregular nodules.
Beyond these again to the west, and also to the south,
there is a considerable hilly tract of trachyte. There is
nothing like bedding nor any regular superposition of one
rock upon the other, such as is seen near Adigrat and
south of Antalo ; the basalt is seen in one place about five
miles north-west of Senafé abutting against the trachyte
as if faulted, in another spot it appears to emerge from
beneath it. Some volcanic ash is seen, which adds to the
probability of a volcanic vent having existed in the im-
mediate neighbourhood, but the rocks are far too confused
for their history to be made out satisfactorily.

The trachyte forms cliffs of great height on the side of
the deep valley west of Senafé and south-west of Akub
Teriki, the bottom of which consists of metamorphic
rocks, (See Plate I].) The same rock forms a low ridge
bounding the little cultivated plain at Senafé on the
west. It is very compact and hard, greatly resembling
a hardened sandstone.

(xN0OD "Nd
ne ayy fo

YL “aunsip ayy we (apiyoosy wouunjoo) 70H qokiays) fy

Yy WO aor.

Jog ayy apr

HIVNUS AO LSAM “AATIVA SVAVH AHL JO MAA

GEOLOGY OF COUNTRY AROUND SENAFE. 41

This ridge joins the Senafé rocks, the remarkable crags
already referred to (see Plate I), which are immediately
west of the position occupied by the British camp during
the campaign. The rock composing these hills is softer
and more earthy than that of the other rises, and the
resemblance to au argillaceous sandstone is most remark-
able. The form of these hills, and of those near Adowa,
which are visible in the distance, and may probably be
of the same rock, is so similar to the immense hummocks
which generally occur in granite and granitoid gneiss,
that they might easily be mistaken at a distance for the
latter formation, as they were at the first sight by Colonel
Phayre and the pioneers of the army. On a nearer
approach, their resemblance to sandstone is greatly in-
creased by their brown colour. Another point in which
they simulate sedimentary rocks is in being traversed by
dark ferruginous streaks and bands.

The hill immediately east of Senafé is of a rather
different trachyte, greyer and more crystalline. It rests
upon a thin bed of sandstone, and the latter upon
metamorphics, so that the volcanic rock is in this case
evidently a flow. As will be seen presently, the same
is the case further south. This hill affords an excellent
example of the complete unconformity between the
trachyte, even when distinctly occurring as a flow, and
the sandstone ; for although the latter rock upon the sides
of this hill nowhere exceeds fifty feet in thickness, the
next hill to the north, one of the spurs of Sowera, only
separated by a valley not half a mile broad, is entirely
composed of sandstone, and is higher than the trachyte

412 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

hills, being 300 or 400 feet at least above the plain, some-
what as represented in the accompanying sketch section.

yyy
o Yy

1, Trachyte; 2, Sandstone ; 3, Metamorphics.

ea ee.

ee =

ty

Another hill similarly composed, trachyte resting on
a thin bed of sandstone, with metamorphics below, lies
about three miles south of Senafé, just west of the road
to Guna Guna. To the west of this, and south of the
deep ravine already mentioned as commencing just west
of Senafé,is another extensive plateau, mainly composed
of sandstone, from which, about eight miles west by
south from Senafé, there rises a fine trachyte hill, called
Kishyat. The northern face of this hill is precipitous,
and consists of magnificent vertical columns, which
extend the whole height of the cliff, upwards of 300
feet, without a single curve or break. The rock is
pale greyish, or purplish, more crystalline than the
trachytes near Senafé. Another small hill of the same
composition is met with on the road from Senafé to
Kishyat. A third, a little inferior only to Kishyat
in size, lies across the deep ravine to the south of that
hill, at a distance of about five miles. Others are scat-
tered over the surface of the sandstone to the southward
near Fokada, and will be mentioned presently. It is
by no means improbable that these are all remains of
the same great lava flow.

GEOLOGICAL MAP

OF THE PORTION OF

ABYSSINIA

Traversed by the British Expedition in 1468 from Annesley Bay to Magdala
and of the country between Massowa &the Anseba Valley.

BY W. T, BLANFORD.

scale or 22 2 2 5 a z Ss ve MO ENGLISH MILES
|
| 39° 39%
| i a 7 a 5
|
bas =
oS
$ 4
a
9
o
GF
B
5 SS °»
=== = —— 16°

ws q
Ras barb §
_
|
- S ao 9
ia MASSOWA
a g

5

iw
30

i:

TA

mw
30

Note The portion of the Map printed in dark
arts is from oriuginad survey The parts i

pale tints have beer compiled trom the map
by MM. Ferret and balinder and trom other
sources. They serve to Ulustrate the yereral
distribution of the rocks, but as the author
has not vistted’ the country pers ), cor
has been obliged to adapt the observations
of others to the topography, he camet vouch
tor ther accuracy.

INDEX to COLOURS
Ann SIGNS.

jattuvium
aa ADEN VOLCANIC SERIES

TRAPS -MAGDALA GROUP

TRAPS -ASHANG/ GROUP &
VOLCANIC ROCKS of SENAFE

i | ANTALO LIMESTONE (JURASSIC)

)) ADIGRAT SANOSTONE

METAMORPHIC ROCKS

The dip of rocks is represented
by an arrow. _

Horizontal beds. 2 ar
Folication. in Metamorpivic Rooks +
Vertical Foliat”_. D? -
When the lines are waved as ~— ~~
the dip ws irregular and onty tis

general direction or horizentality
ws indicated. /

The topographical details chietly taken trom
the Oficial Survey by L? Carter anid the Officers
of tie Great Trigonometrical Survey of hudia; and
trom M" Munzinyers Map of Northern Abyssinia.

Note The tower or dsheoup group
oF traps probavily occurs in
fio bboy ee

a & Baskilo
Valliys, but 148 prres ence wien
not clearly ascertoaned.

London: Macmillan & (°.

Startords Geog’ Esuab® € & 7 Charing Cross

SOWERA—FAUNA OF SEN AFE. 43

The sandstone below the trachyte on the hill east of
Senafé, and that on the other hill to the south, may
possibly be distinct from the massive Adigrat sandstone,
but there is no difference in mineral character of any
importance. Beneath Senafé rocks no sandstone can be
traced, just as beneath Akub Teriki. Kishyat appears
to rest on sandstone.

The great mass of Sowera requires no special descrip-
tion. It consists of rather coarse sandstone, white in
colour, with brown ferruginous bands here and there.
Other similar great plateaux to the westward correspond
with it—that of Tsaro, between the Komayli ravine and
that of the Haddas, and the southern portion of the
Halai plateau west of the Haddas. All of these consist
of massive horizontal beds of sandstone, and are bounded
by huge precipices. They are, in fact, great flat-topped
spurs, projecting from the mass of the table-land, and
separating the different valleys.

The fauna of the neighbourhood of Senafé is quite
different from that in the pass below, and is fairly typical
of that inhabiting the temperate regions of Abyssinia.
Some of the mammals, however, as the hamadryas
monkey, the spotted hyzena, and the wart-hog,! are
identical with those found on the sea-coast ; others, as
the hyrax (H. Brucei), the ichneumon (Herpestes mut-
gigella), the klipspringer, and koodoo, extend into the
sub-tropical region, whilst a few appear peculiar to the
highlands proper. Amongst these, the principal are the

1 As I did not shoot this myself, nor see it close enough to be quite sure
of its identity. I am not certain of the animal being the same.

44 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

jackal (Canis variegatus, Riipp.), the hare, apparently
an undescribed species,! and the striped ground-squirrel
(Xerus leuco-umbrinus). The latter 1 subsequently met
with in the Anseba valley, but it does not appear in
the passes below Senafé at a lower level than about
6,000 feet.

I obtained a good series of the birds. Of the Raptores,
falcons were scarce, with the exception of the kestrel ;
of eagles, Aquila rapaz, closely allied, both in appear-
ance and habits, to the “ wokab” of India, was abundant,
and the noble “ Bateleur” (Helotarsus ecaudatus) was
occasionally seen soaring at a great heiglit, its long
pointed wings, pure white beneath, contrasting with its
black body. The beautiful white-breasted buzzard (Buteo
augur) was far from rare. Around the camp kites
(Milvus migrans and M. egyptius) and vultures (Gyps
Riippellr) abounded, and the Abyssinian liimmergeyer
(Gypaétos meridionalis) was perpetually hovering or
sweeping with his powerful flight around the rocks.
Although much inferior in size to the limmergeyer of
the Alps (G. barbatus), being two feet less in the extent
of the wings, he is a noble fellow, the rich orange under-
parts and white heads of the older birds rendering them
no less conspicuous than their size. Around the camps,
not only at Senafé, but in many other places, they were
very numerous, and by no means timid. Several were
shot on the ground. Indeed, the difference from a
country like Western Europe, where all wild animals are
relentlessly persecuted, to one of those favoured regions

1 L, tigrensis, sp. nov. See the description hereafter.

FAUNA OF SENAFE—BIRDS. 45

where they are allowed, with but few exceptions, to live
unmolested, is nowhere more conspicuous than in the
numbers and comparative tameness of the raptorial birds.
Bruce relates an instance of the boldness and rapacity
of a liimmergeyer in seizing meat actually being cooked,
which exceeds anything I heard of.

I noticed no owls, parrots, or woodpeckers at Senafé,
and the only barbet was Pogonorhynchus undatus. I
never met with any cuckoo, nightjar, roller, or kingfisher.
The Abyssinian representative of the Alpine swift (Cyp-
selus equatorialis) abounded at the back of Senafé rocks.
Irissor erythrorhynchus was common in small flocks
on Aktb Teriki. Near Senafé I first met with the great
Abba Gamba (Bucorrus abyssinicus), that most astounding
of birds, belonging to a group exceptionally framed for
a life in trees, and in general purely frugivorous, but
itself dwelling on the ground and feeding on insects.
Tockus Hemprichii (T. limbatus of Riippell) also oc-
curred, replacing T. flavirostris of the passes, which at
this season did not ascend so high. Three sun-birds were
met with, .Vectarinia affinis, the superb V. Zacazze, and
N. cruentata, the last rare.

Lanius humeralis was the common shrike, Laniarius
erythropterus being far from rare in the bushes. I occa-
sionally saw that curious dull-coloured flycatcher Brady-
ornis chocolatina, besides the little Platystetra pririt.
The Abyssinian thrush (Turdus sinensis) abounded, and
T. olivacinus, a bulbul (Pycnonotus arsinoé), Crateropus
leucopygius, and several Drymece were met with.
Amongst the chats, Sexicola lugens and S. isabelline

46 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

were exceedingly numerous ; S. enanthe was less com-
mon; S. lugubris kept much to rocky places ; Tham-
nobia melena was not rare amongst bushes on bill-sides.
Of pipits, Anthus sordidus was met with on barren slopes,
A. cervinus in ploughed fields, and A. campestris in
meadows ; whilst only two larks occurred, both apparently
undescribed species, a Calendrella and an Alauda. The
only crow was Corvus affinis. The starling group was
represented by two species of Amydrus (A. Riippelli and
A, albirostris), and by Buphaga erythrorhyncha, there
being at this season no Lamprotornis on this part of
the highlands, although later L. chalybeus abounded.
Hyphantornis Guerini in winter dress, Estrelda minima,
E. pheniotis, Crithagra striolata, and the common
Abyssinian house-sparrow (Passer Swainson) were the
principal finches, though a few rare species were also
obtained.

Pigeons and doves were numerous; Columba guinea,
C. albitorques, and Turtur lugens all beg common.
The guinea-fowl, Numida ptilorhyncha, was just as
abundant as near the coast. Two francolins, & Hrkeli
and F. guttwralis, were common, and F. Riippelli was
shot, but at a somewhat lower level only. A large bus-
tard, doubtless Otis Rhaad, was once killed, but I did not
myself meet with any of the family. Of waders, Chettusia
melanoptera (the common Abyssinian plover) and Ibis
LHarpiprion carunculata were the only species frequently
seen; and the Egyptian goose, Chenalopex egyptiaca,
was the sole common representative of the duck tribe,
—but there was but little water in the neighbourhood.

SEN AFE—EXCURSION TO HALAI. 47

Life at Senafé was on the whole very enjoyable. A
perfect climate, fine scenery, a novel fauna, agreeable
companions, and a good commissariat, combined to make
the time pass pleasantly. The whole country around
appeared perfectly safe, and the people thoroughly
friendly, so far as I could see, and they were certainly
an improvement on Shohos both in manners and personal
appearance. Still they are a poor race, often half starved,
and very inferior to the dwellers in the rich valleys of
Central Abyssinia.

After I had been a few days in Senafé, Sir Robert
Napier’s well-known order was issued, that all servants
except grass-cutters for the horses should be dismissed,
and only seventy-five pounds of private baggage be carried
forward by each officer. Personally, of course, I could
travel as lightly as anybody else, and if I renounced all
attempts at collecting any specimens, either geological or
zoological, I might have still gone on and examined the
geology. But I thought that after I had succeeded, with
great difficulty, in bringing collectors and all the neces-
sary apparatus to the highlands, it would be a pity to
take them no further than Senafé, and I accordingly
wrote to head-quarters, then near Antalo, and applied
for additional carriage. Meantime Captain Carter, the
energetic head of the Trigonometrical Survey, had
reached Senafé, and intended going to Takonda and
Halai. He asked me to accompany him, and I was very
glad of the opportunity of seeing so classical a region as
the head of the Taranta pass, traversed by all the earlier
explorers of Abyssinia.

48 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

We were to have started on the 26th February, but
a disturbance arose between some of the Tigréan troops
in the neighbouring villages and the followers of a rebel
chief, who had endeavoured, more Abyssinico, to annex
territory, and it was considered by Major Roome, the
political officer, not advisable that a small party should
leave the camp until matters were quieter. However,
next day everything was again peaceable, and we started.
The road led over the shoulder of Aktib Teriki by a path
composed of huge blocks of stone, then along a terrace-
like flat, and across a saddle dividing two great valleys,
one running to the Komayli pass, the other into the
Hamas valley, a feeder of the Mareb. The latter afforded
a superb view, being bordered with huge precipices of
- sandstone and trachyte, the heights fringed with juniper
forest. The juniper generally grows freely on the sand-
stone, and its deep sombre cypress colour contrasts
finely with the white of the rocks.

I found Carter, who had started before me, upon a
rise beyond the saddle, hard at work with a plane-table
mapping the hills around. My mules detained us, as,
although only very lightly laden, their loads, owing to
the badness of the saddles and the want of skill amongst
the drivers, slipped off as usual at every little ascent
or descent, so that we did not reach our camping-ground
till dark. It was a bitterly cold night, and in the morn-
ing the little meadow on which our camp stood was white
with hoar-frost.

The next day was spent on the great sandstone plateau
between the Komayli and Haddas valleys. This is, like

HALAI. 49

Sowera, uninhabited except in the rains, when Shohos
drive their cattle here for pasture. Pieces of Greek
ruins lie scattered about here and there. We could,
however, only find fragments of inscriptions, containing
two or three letters at the most. There was no such
view now over the deep valleys as when I ascended the
sides of the same plateau from Undul. -All below our
feet was a dense sea of mist, from above which the
higher hills rose like islands and promontories. The
spring rains which fertilize the coast of the Red Sea still
prevailed in the lowlands; they however do not extend
to the Abyssinian plateau, and the rains of summer are
similarly confined to the highlands.

In the evening we saw several hyzenas, but I could
not succeed in shooting any. The next day we went to
Halai, over a series of low ridges and valleys, with a few
bad descents. It was a rather long march, and we did
not ourselves arrive before nightfall, having delayed
much by the way. At one village on the road we found
a Catholic church, with a number of the highly-coloured
pictures of saints and of Biblical incidents so common in
smaller churches in France and Italy, but also with some
of the mural paintings generally found in Abyssinian
churches, St. George and the Dragon being conspicuous
as usual.!

Halai is a considerable village, built of flat-roofed
houses, like all others in this part of Tigré, and inhabited
by Christians. There is a good-sized square church.

1 Tt is scarcely necessary to remind the reader that St. George is as muc
the patron saint of Abyssinia as he is of England.
E

50 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

The head-man was very civil, and sent us some supplies.
We spent a couple of days here, Carter mapping, I
working at the geology and collecting. The village is
near the head of the Taranta, which, if the information
obtained by Carter’s interpreter was correct, is not the
name of a mountain, but of the well-known steep pass
leading from the Haddas valley to Dixa.

The whole plateau around Halai is composed of meta-
morphic rocks, as is the northern part of the great Tsaro
spur to the east of the Haddas gorge ; sandstone comes
in south of Halai, near the village of Dhera, and south of

ASAWAT PLATEAU, E,
W. HALAI PLATEAU,

this, as far as Takonda, caps all the higher portions of
the plateau, the intervening valleys being cut into the
subjacent metamorphic rocks. The southern portion of
the Tsaro or Asawat plateau, east of the Haddas, is an
unbroken mass of sandstone like Sowera. The greater
portion of the sandstone is white and massive, bands of
conglomerate occasionally occurring, sometimes with a
brick-red matrix, ferruginous bands being eommon.

In the Haddas gorge a ridge capped with about 300
feet of sandstone occurs in a peculiar manner. It is at a
much lower elevation than the same rock on the plateaux
on each side, its top being about 1,500 feet below their

SANDSTONE NEAR HALAI AND TAKONDA. 51

level. It divides two streams: one the main source of
the Haddas, running from close to Takonda ; the other a
side valley, up which is the pass to Takonda from the
Haddas. This sandstone cap, the top of which is far
below the base of the sandstone on the hills at both
sides, extends to the north beyond the termination of the
sandstone on the plateaux. It is thus clear that the
somewhat abrupt northern termination of the sandstone
on the plateaux is not due to faulting, but the intervening
ridge has much the appearance of being let down by two
great faults, one along each of the valleys at its sides.
It may however owe its existence to the sandstone
being deposited on a very uneven surface, and filling
a pre-existing hollow in the metamorphic rocks at
this point.

There is, however, another instance south of Takonda,
in which the sandstones appear to be thrown by a fault.
On the hill, just south of the village, there is a thin cap
of sandstone resting on metamorphic rocks. Immediately
south of this is a deep valley, on the opposite side of
which the sandstones appear in a narrow terrace, about
500 feet lower than their position on the north side,
although they are horizontal in both places. The isolated
block, already mentioned as occurring to the west of the
road from Senafé to Rahaguddy, is a third case. All of
these may be due to deposition on the irregular surface
of the crystalline rocks, but in the two former instances,
at least, faulting appears more probable. As a general
rule, however, the absence of all signs of geological dis-
turbance in the sandstones is remarkable, since they

E2

52 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

must be of older date than oolitic, as will be shown in a
subsequent page.

We marched back towards Takonda on the 2d March,
as we found that to go on to Dixa involved a very diffi-
cult descent, and we could see the town from near Halai.
On our return, we took a more western road, and came
to the edge of the plateau, from which there is a steep
descent to the west, into the valleys around Dixa.

Near Anakonda, west of Takonda, the surface of the
sandstone consists of a hard white argillaceous rock.
From the edge of the plateau in this direction there is a
fine view, chiefly over a metamorphic country, but sand-
stones are seen to the north-west, and to the south-west
are the extraordinary hills near Adowa, said to be of
trachyte. In the centre of the undulating plain, which
stretches away to the Adowa range, is a remarkable
isolated pillar-like hill, called Tawhili, which lies about
west by south from Takonda, at a distance of nearly
twenty miles, and, judging from its form, is probably
also of trachyte. This is the more interesting as it serves
to some extent to indicate a connexion between the hills
of Adowa and the remarkable rocky crags at Senafé.

We had found the march from Takonda to Halai so
long and tedious that our mules had not arrived till
nearly nightfall, owing, of course, in great measure to
the frequent halts necessary for the purpose of readjust-
ing loads. On our return journey we halted half-way, in
a lovely valley, with fine sandstone cliffs at the sides, a
running stream of beautifully clear cold water, a broad
expanse of turf in places, and, in others, along the edge

HYENAS—RETURN TO SENAPE, 53

of the stream, some of the finest juniper trees I saw in
Abyssinia. Both here and close to Halai these trees
grew with a luxuriance unusual elsewhere. Some of
them, near our camp, served as the roosting-place for a
great flock of guinea-fowls. As soon as it was quite
dark, a couple of hyzenas came to drink at the stream
close by our tent. The night before, at Halai, one of
these brutes had seized a goat which was tied up, and
broken his jaw, and after being driven off had returned,
and severely wounded a pony, tearing open his thigh.
The boldness of the Abyssinian hyzenas is remarkable ;
they appear to think nothing of tearing or attempting to
tear pieces of flesh from the sides of living animals as
large as a mule or pony. On this occasion, however, it
being bright moonlight, I went after one fellow, and
by good luck put a bullet through his neck, dropping
him on the spot. It is always more by accident than
anything else that one succeeds m killing an animal by
moonlight. No plan I ever tried—and I have tried
many—really enables a sportsman to see along the
barrels of his gun, except in the unusual circumstance
of the moon being in such a position as to be reflected
from the rib between the barrels. This once happened to
me in India: I went after a bear, who came close to my
tent at night, and catching by chance the moonlight on
my barrels, I shot him through the heart with as much
certainty as in daylight.

The next day we marched to Takonda again, and
thence into Senafé. We had run out of commissariat
supplies, but guinea-fowls, hares, and partridges were

54 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

abundant, and we shot sufficient not only for ourselves,
but to a great extent for our camp.

At Senafé I received an answer from Colonel Dillon,
the military secretary to Sir R. Napier, tellmg me to
purchase any carriage I wanted for specimens, as none
could be supplied by the Transport Train. For some
days I could obtain no mules, as none were brought for
sale. At last I succeeded in obtaining three. Drivers
were equally unprocurable, unless I took Shohos, who
were sure to be missing after two or three stages,
perhaps taking the mules with them; however, my
Indian horsekeepers tried their hands at mule-driving,
and, the little Abyssinian mules being really very
manageable, they succeeded pretty well.

It was thus the 17th of March before I could start for
the front. By this time the head-quarters were close to
Ashangi, and, as we then supposed, within two or three
marches of Magdala. But the information, so far in the
rear as Senafé then was, of the progress of head-quarters
was most scanty, and all sorts of rumours prevailed.
Had the march forwards from Antalo been as leisurely
as that from Senafé and Adigrat, there would still have
been abundant time for me to reach the front before the
army could arrive at its goal; but lately the progress
had been much more rapid.

It was, of course, of the greatest importance to me
that I should see as much of the country ag possible, in
order to be able to form a clear idea of its geology. I
certainly had no idea, even at this period of the cam-
paign, that its end was so near, and I believe that my

MARCH FROM SENAFE TOWARDS MAGDALA. 55

expectations that a portion at least of the army would
remain in Abyssinia throughout the monsoon were shared
by a large majority, if not by the whole, of the expedi-
tionary force. As will be seen, I left just in time to
catch the force before Magdala.

Leaving Senafé, the road traverses a plain of meta-
morphic rocks, excessively slaty for the most part, and
showing very little crystalline structure. To the west
is a range of hills capped by sandstone; to the east
the slaty and schistose formations form rounded masses,
between which flow the small streams which form the
heads of the valleys running towards the Salt Plain near
Amphila. There is but little of interest on the road until
it approaches Guna Guna, twelve miles from Senafé.
Here the sandstone scarp to the west approaches nearer
to the road, and in a small cleft in it is the shrine of
St. Romanos, where lie his bones and those of his com-
panions. The spot is a very lovely one: a little stream
runs through a ravine with precipitous sides, the bottom
filled with magnificent trees. A little farther, the road
enters the valley of Guna Guna, with its flat bed of
rich turf surrounded by magnificent sandstone precipices,
half-way up one of which is a church cut in the
rock,

I stayed here a day examining the sandstones, which
are precisely similar to those of Sowera, and in which I
could find no traces of fossils. I shot a sparrow-hawk,
which I subsequently found to be a fine old specimen
of the rare Accipiter unduliventer of Riippell, and
I also, for the first time, saw that remarkable African

56 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

bird, the coly. The species was Colius leucotis, peculiar
to the Abyssinian highlands. They were in small flocks
in thick bush. On the sandstone cliffs a large finely-
coloured lizard (Stellio cyanogaster) abounded. In order
to obtain specimens I was compelled to shoot them, as
otherwise they were soon beyond my reach.

I had to return to Senafé for a day to make some
arrangements, and I did not finally leave Guna Guna
till the 21st. The 3d Dragoons were also marching to
the front, and their baggage and commissariat rather
encumbered the narrow road. Captain Roddy of the
Punjab Transport Train was also passing through in
charge of a detachment of mules loaded with spare
ammunition. I rode on with Captain Newport of the
Commissariat, who was on his way to take charge of the
station at Adigrat.

From the valley of Guna Guna the road, inclining
slightly to the west, rises by a steep ascent to the sand-
stone plateau, here very narrow, and forming the divid-
ing ridge between the streams running to the Nile
valley and those flowing into the Salt Plain. Right and
left of the road deep ravines are cut through the sand-
stones into the metamorphic rocks. The scenery is very
grand, and increases in beauty near Fokada. Here
several hills of basalt and trachyte rest upon the sand-
stone, the former being bedded. Some small hills west °
of the road are distinctly terraced, and although of
but small size they appear to consist of two or three
beds. Close to Fokada there is a fine hill of columnar
trachyte east of the road; the rock of which it is

My and

90OL HO DSAM SAATIVA AONV XOVALVTd AHL JO MUTA

THT WIV

FOKADA. 57

composed closely resembles that of Kishyat, being finely
crystalline, and grey or pale lilac in colour. It is very
probably a portion of the same great flow as Kishyat ;
but the trachyte at Fokada unmistakeably rests upon
basalt, which again overlies sandstone. The basalt is
minutely crystalline, and dark greyish-green in colour.
This hill of Fokada tends very strongly to connect the
traps of Senafé with those to the south near Adigrat.

Where the road winds round the western side of the
great trachyte hill, the view over the valleys to the west-
ward is one of unusual interest and beauty (see Plate ITT).
The valleys, as usual, are deeply cut into the metamor-
phics ; the flat hill-tops are of sandstone. To the south-
ward, above the sandstone-bed, rise the terraced trap
hills of the Harat range. In the far distance are the
strangely-shaped hummocks of the Adowa mountains.

While traversing this part of the road I was suddenly’
surprised by hearing the most hoarse and guttural of croaks
that ever issued from a bird’s throat, and looking upwards
saw two or three of the remarkable thick-billed carrion
crow (Corvultur crassirostris) sitting with vultures on a
tree, over the carease of a camel. This curious bird was
comparatively rare and local in this part of Tigré, but I
subsequently saw it abundant on the high plateaux of
Lasta. It has a singular and by no means. prepossessing
appearance, with its disproportionate bill and the curious
white patch at the back of the head.

Close to Fokada I also first met with that lovely re-
presentative of the starling group, Lamprocolius chaly-
beus, which, later in the year, abounded in this portion

58 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

of Tigré. Every day, indeed,-as we marched through
these beautiful highlands, new kinds of birds and animals
were noticed. But little could be collected, as there was
no time to hunt for specimens.

The camp at Fokada was beautifully situated at the
south side of the great trachyte hill, and at the head of
a deep ravine in the sandstone leading to the eastward,
the resort of many limmergeyers, eagles, vultures, and
kites. Corvultwr was also common. On the next day I
marched to Adigrat. The road lies along the eastern
scarp of the Harat range, and is, for the greater part of
the distance, upon basalt, the band of sandstone being at
a lower level; but there is a descent to the sandstone
again before reaching Adigrat. To the east are the
usual deep valleys between hills capped with sandstone ;
to the west rise the massive spurs of the great Harat
range.

Time did not allow of my exploring the Harat hills,
either when marching to Magdala or when returning, and
I could only examine the lower portions. These con-
sist of basalt alone, frequently amygdaloidal, in well-
marked horizontal beds, the terracing so characteristic of
trap rocks being most strongly marked, even more so
than in the trap ranges of Western India. From my
subsequent experience of the ranges in Lasta, I have but
little doubt that the upper portions of the Harat hills are
largely composed of trachyte flows, and many of these.
appear to be of great thickness. One, forming a cap
with perpendicular sides on the top of the two highest
peaks of the whole range,—the ambas, or hill forts, of

ADIGRAT. 59

Alekwa and Andale,—looks from a distance as if it could
not be less than 200 feet thick; probably it is more.

Adigrat itself stands on the sandstone terrace at the
base of the traps. It is a considerable town, with a fine
church, containing some remarkable mural paintings, in
which Scriptural scenes are portrayed, as they might
have appeared, perhaps, had the scene been Abyssinia
and the actors Abyssinians, just as the Italian painters of
the Middle Ages introduced the costumes of Italy and
the great buildings of Florence and Sienna in the repre-
sentation of events which occurred in Palestine.

On the road, a few miles north of Adigrat, numerous
large rolled blocks of granite lie scattered about, appa-
rently derived from the sandstone. This is the only
instance I noticed of the occurrence of rounded granitic
blocks on the table-land.

As far as Fokada, all the Abyssinian dwelling-places
seen had been square, with flat roofs like those at Senafé,
and usually built against the slope of a hill; but about
Adigrat we came upon the round huts with conical
thatched roofs, which appear to be the prevalent form
throughout Central Abyssinia, for no great change took
place between this and Magdala. The difference may be
partly due to the heavier rains further south—mainly,
however, I was told, to the paucity of grass for thatching
in Agamé. The round thatched huts are certainly far
better adapted to keep out rain.

At Adigrat I left a collector and a peon, with imstruc-
tions to obtain for me skins of as many mammals and
large birds as they possibly could, Captain Newport

Missing Page

Missing Page

62 PERSONAL NARRATIT E.

falls back to the eastward, leaving a wider plain of meta-
morphic rocks in that direction.

At Adabdégi my progress was very nearly brought to a
stop by all my mules knocking up. The Otago saddles
which I had, though fairly adapted for horses or very
large mules, were quite unsuited to the little Abyssinian
animals, and galled their shoulders and hips fearfully.
Hundreds, if not thousands, of mules were utterly ruined
by these saddles during the campaign. One animal of
mine was so lame from a shoulder-gall that I was obliged
to leave him behind, and the others were unable to carry
their loads for a day or two. In this emergency I
loaded my horses, and Captain Roddy, having some spare
animals in his train, very kindly carried a load for me
for a day or two until my mules recovered. I subse-
quently procured Punjab packs, consisting of two
cushions, united by a band over the back, and on which
the loads, first packed in canvas bags, called saletas in
India, are lashed with a rope ; and with these the mules
got on well enough. Unfortunately the loads had a
great tendency to shift, and required constant adjusting
on the road, but my men soon became fairly expert at
mule-loading."

1 T believe that every one who had experience in mule-carriage utterly
condemned all the various saddles used in the Abyssinian expedition. My
own experience was the following :—

The “Otago” saddle, though heavy and cumbersome, is suitable for roads
without many steep ascents and descents, provided it be fitted to the animal
carefully ; those sent to Abyssinia were, as a rule, too large for mules.
On steep roads, from being hard and stiff, it presses too much against the
shoulders and hips. The Bombay pad was simply ridiculous. The Punjab pad
was by far the best form used, for small animals especially, but it was difficult

DONGOLO. 63

Leaving Adabdgi, the road for some miles traverses
the undulating metamorphic tract. To the west, a few
miles distant, are some massive isolated crags, evidently
of sandstone, no longer horizontal, but tilted up at a con-
siderable angle. About eight miles from the camping-
ground a steep scarp is met with, down which the road
descends to the valley of the Genfel. The whole descent
is over metamorphic rocks, but just beyond the base
sandstone comes in, resting upon the metamorphics, and
dipping at a sharp angle, about 25°, to the south-west.
This sandstone is evidently a continuation of the crags,
composed of similarly-inclined beds, already seen to the
westward from the top of the descent.

The valley now reached, in which stood the camping-
ground of Dongolo, offered a great contrast to the
somewhat barren table-land from which we had just
descended. A small stream runs through the bottom,
which is richly covered with trees and bushes; and the
massive bluffs of sandstone, of a rich red colour, not
white, as farther north, almost recall some of the scenery
in the old red sandstone of Western England. Despite

to strap the load firmly if the shape of the latter was at all inconvenient.
That any success was achieved by the Transport Corps was due to the sheer
hard work of the officers, and especially of those on the highlands. The
muleteers, as a rule, were abominable. The Punjabees were manageable, but
knew nothing of mules; the Egyptians knew something of mules, but were
difficult to manage; and the Persians, by far the best muleteers in the army,
were few in number, and disgusted at finding no one who could understand
them. Indeed, nearly the whole difference in respect to management between
the unruly Turks, Egyptians, and Persians, and the easily-managed Punjabees,
lay in the simple fact, that nearly all the officers of the Transport Train spoke
Hindustani fluently, and could converse with the latter, whilst, not under-
standing Arabic, they could not make themselves intelligible to the former.

64 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

the difference in colour, I consider this sandstone iden-
tical with that left behind at Adabdgi, but the question
will be discussed in a subsequent page especially devoted
to geology. In this valley the beautiful iridescent star-
ling (Lamprocolius chalybeus) abounded, and many
birds reappeared which had been wanting on the bleak
plateau we had traversed from Adigrat. From this point
the general elevation of the road as far as Antalo did
not much exceed 7,000 feet above the sea.

From Dongolo we marched the same afternoon to
Agula, the next camping-ground. The road _ passes
through a beautiful little glen in the sandstone, at one
side of which is a church cut in the rock. Immediately
on leaving this, the sandstone distinctly dips under
limestone, and the road enters a large open plain with
hills to the eastward. It traverses the level ground for
four or five miles, and then ascends a somewhat barren
rise, still keeping on limestone, which indeed was tra-
versed from this point for upwards of seventy miles, and
until we had passed Antalo. In this limestone I at last
found fossils, but they were extremely obscure. <A few
oysters of the Hxogyra type, and some spines of Echino-
derms, were the only remains I could recognise. Casts
of bivalves were common enough, but they, of course,
were useless for determination.

Not only was the geology of much interest, but several
birds which I had not previously seen attracted atten-
tion. I shot a pair of a handsome sand-grouse, which I
afterwards found to be a Cape species, Pterocles guttu-
ras, and a specimen of the long-tailed dove, Gina

AGULA. 65

capensis. This little dove, which in May and later
abounded on the sea-coast, appeared in winter and spring
to be entirely wanting, not only on the shores of the Red
Sea, but throughout the portion of Tigré which I tra-
versed north of the Genfel river.

Between hunting for fossils and looking after birds
time slipped away. I had already been detained in con-
sequence of one of my men having been badly kicked by
a mule, and I had put my lame collector on a horse
which Captain Roddy had lent me to ride, and sent him
on; so when night came on, I was alone, and still at some
distance from camp, and I had no little difficulty in
finding my way through the darkness. The road was far
from good, and after blundering over rocks for half an
hour, I was glad to see the camp-fires of Agula. An
excellent plan had been adopted of pitching a large tent
—large, that is, for Abyssinia ; in India we should have
thought it very small—at each halting-place, for the use
of officers marching through. I had scarcely reached
this refuge when a downpour of rain accompanied by
heavy thunder and lightning burst upon us, and lasted
for at least an hour. Hitherto the weather had been
lovely, but afterwards showers fell not unfrequently.

Near Agula are the ruins of a church,! described by a
correspondent of the Illustrated London News as a
Greek temple. The scenery around is very character-
istic of this part of the country, a comparatively open
valley with very little vegetation on the slopes, but a

1A description with a plan will be found in Markham’s “ Abyssinian
Expedition,” p. 226,

F

66 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

fringe of green bushes along the banks of the stream.
The hills on each side of the valley ascend in a series of
small limestone scarps.

Leaving Agula next morning, March 26th, the road
led over long ascents and descents through an undulating
country almost entirely composed of limestone. The
rock is in comparatively thin beds, much resembling
lias, but lighter in colour. The high dip seen near
Dongolo disappears immediately beyond, and the rock is
horizontal or undulating, without any steady dip in any
direction. The country is covered with thin jungle of
mimosa bush. I had no better success than the day
before in fossil-hunting, but I had not much time to
search ; there was a long march of sixteen miles from
Agula to the next camping-ground, Dolo.

The limestone evidently extends for a long distance
east and west of the road. Some hills about eight or
ten miles east of Agula may perhaps be of sandstone,
but the crags of the Geralta range run almost due west
from Dongolo, and the ground seen to the westward from
Agula must consist almost entirely of limestone, into
which the various streams traversed by the route of the
expedition at Dongolo, Agula, Dolo, &c., cut deep gorges
before uniting to form the Geba river, a great affluent
of the Takkazzyé. This stream doubtless exposes a most
interesting section of the rocks in this country.

About eight miles from Agula the road dips into a
small valley, where is a halting-place, called Mai Mak-
dam. At this spot an important pass from the Salt
Plain to the eastward joins the route we followed, and we

DOLO. 67

here found several dealers with loads of the oblong
blocks of salt used by the Abyssinians instead of small
change.

On reascending from the valley at Mai Makdam, basalt
is seen in a hill east of the road. A very much larger
mass occurs close to Dolo, and the greater part of the
rock over which the road descends into the valley at the
camping-ground consists of it. The first knoll has the
appearance of resting on the limestone, but the second is
of such thickness that if regularly interstratified it would
be seen on the hills around. It is probably an intrusive
mass.

At Dolo I found Lieut. St. John busily engaged
in putting up the telegraph. He gave me one or two
birds which I had not myself found, amongst them the
little Abyssinian bustard, or, as Indian sportsmen very
naturally called it, floriken (Otis melanogaster). It is a
little larger than the common floriken of Southern India
(O. aurita), but has very similar habits, living amongst
bushes and high grass, usually crouching and seeking to
hide when approached. As in the Indian bird, the male
of this little bustard changes in plumage with the time of
year, the whole of the under-parts becoming black in the
breeding season. There are other small African bustards,
forming the genus Lissotis of some naturalists, which
exhibit the same peculiarity, and the close affinity be-
tween these African and the Indian birds is very inter-
esting, for this type of bustard does not belong to the
desert fauna, and its existence in both countries is one
instance amongst several showing that the very marked

F2

68 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

Ethiopian relations exhibited by a large portion of the
fauna of British India do not arise solely from the exten-
sion of the desert types to the sandy plains of North-
Western Hindustan, the Punjab, and Sind. :

In a ramble next morning I found a small boss of
granite exposed in the bed of the stream just above Dolo.
It is of small size, extending apparently only a few yards ;
and as no sandstone occurs, it is evident that the limestone,
here at least, rests immediately on metamorphic rocks.
Above and below the stream has cut its way through lime-
stone, forming deep glens with cliffs at each side. In the
bushes beside the stream I shot a coucal or crow-pheasant
(Centropus monachus), and St. John killed a rail
(Rallus Rouget). We made the march to the next
camping-ground, Haikhallat, near Chelikot, together. It
was over undulating limestone country, similar to that
already traversed. Harriers (Circus cineraceus and C.
Swainsoni) abounded, much as in the Deccan in India,
but they were even more numerous. I was desirous
to procure more specimens of Otvs melanogaster, and
we beat several patches of bush without success, but
we started two reddish antelopes, one of which we
succeeded in rolling over. It was a buck of the Scopo-
phorus montanus of Riippell, with short straight horns.
Another bush antelope, which we also saw this day and
of which I afterwards killed specimens, was Cephalophus
madoqua of the same naturalist, a mouse-coloured animal
about the size of a gazelle, or rather smaller.

On the limestone there were a few land-shells. A
snail closelv allied to the common South Enronean Helix

ANTALO. 69

ptsana covered some of the bushes and the aloe plants,
and I found two or three small species of Pupa, but, as
usual, only very few kinds occurred.

We rode on the next day, the 28th March, to Buya,
near Antalo, over very similar country. Several patches
of trap occur, the mode of occurrence being in general
rather obscure, although some of them are clearly inter-
stratified in the limestone. No dykes were observed.
The town of Antalo lies three or four miles west of the
route followed by the army, on the side of a hill, a
portion of which evidently consists of sandstone, and
which is very probably capped by trap. The plain to
the east of Antalo, in which stood the camp of Buya, is
very extensive, and mostly covered by black soil, resem-
bling the ‘“‘regur” of India. The camp was one of the
most important depdts of the army, and a considerable
body of men were stationed here, with large commissariat
and other stores. I never could understand by what
remarkable Jucus @ non lucendo principle of nomen-
clature this camp, like the corresponding station at
Adigrat, was always spoken of as entrenched, because it
was surrounded by a wall of loose stones. I do not at
all wish to ridicule this apparently very trifling defence ;
it was behind no better that a whole army was kept
at bay for weeks by a few determined men at Cawnpore,
in 1857; and even the famous defences of the Lucknow
Residency were not much more formidable ; but the name
appeared to me singularly inappropriate. On the same
principle a walled city should be one surrounded by a
ditch—e.g. Calcutta.

70 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

At Buya I heard that the army was but little beyond
Lat, about six marches ahead; but it was still supposed
to be but two or three marches from Magdala. I halted
for a day, buying a couple of fresh mules to replace those
which had broken down. One of the new ones objected
to be saddled. I obtained the assistance of some Egyp-
tian muleteers from the Transport Train, and they very
soon put a Punjab pad on by main force, three or four
powerful men absolutely holding the mule down while
a couple of others strapped on the pad.

The next day, March 30th, I re-started, and made a
double march to Meshek, thus catching up Captain
Roddy’s mule-train once more. The first part of the
march to Musgi is over country composed of lime-
stone, precisely similar to that traversed north of Antalo.
Interstratifications of trap are very frequently seen, and
one in especial occurs close to the camping-ground at
Musgi. A small stream emerges from the little plain
in front of the camp, through a narrow gorge in the
limestone, which is here horizontal, or nearly so. The
stream, almost immediately after leaving the plain, cuts
into a bed of basalt underlying the limestone, and this
basalt forms the channel of the stream for a considerable
distance. It has a very low dip, about 2° or 3°, to the
west. The whole of the beds are then cut off by a fault
striking 15° west of south, with an upthrow to the west ;
and the same bed of trap, about 100 feet in thickness, is
seen on the hill-side, with limestone both above and
below it.

I had ridden to Musgi with my mules; but thence

MESH EK. 71

I sent them on, and remained some time examining the
rocks. When I re-started, I missed the road, and soon
found myself wandering amongst hills. I came to a
village, and succeeded somehow in explaining that I
wanted a guide, and moreover in inducing a man, for
a dollar, to show me the way ; and he took me back into
the proper route before nightfall, at the spot where it
entered a deep valley, with fine trees and a running
stream. Up this I rode for some miles in the dark, till
I reached the camp at Meshek, where I found a party
of friends wondering at my absence.

Meshek is a lovely spot. A small grass plain, with a
few scattered willow-trees, looking as if made for a
camping-ground, occupies a rather wide portion of the
valley. Above, there is cultivation, irrigated by the little
stream in the bottom of the glen; below, dense forest.
The hills at the side are composed of sandstone and lime-
stone, capped by trap. The sedimentary beds are greatly
disturbed ; near the camp they are, in places, even con-
torted or vertical. In this part of the valley the beds
appear to be higher in the series than the mass of the
limestone about Antalo, and sandstone and conglomerate
prevail to a much greater extent than elsewhere. These
rocks are dark in colour, and far less pure than the sand-
stones of Adigrat and Senafé; and I have scarcely any
doubt of their belonging to a different series altogether.
The general dip is west or south-west. I found a few
very ill-preserved fossils in one place.

We had now left the comparatively open plains of
Tigré, and entered the deep valleys between the rugged

72 ‘PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

spurs of the Lasta mountains. The road had been
much less carefully made south of Antalo, and in many
places it had suffered from the traffic, and was but little
better than any ordinary Abyssinian mule-track. Leaving
Meshek, the route led for two or three miles through
the bottom of the little valley, now brilliantly green
with the young wheat, and then, after passing a large
round church, with a conical thatched roof, one of the
finest met with on our march, it commenced a steep
ascent over trap rocks, which form all the upper portion
of the valley. There is an appearance here of two dis-.
tinct series of traps, the lower slightly inclined and

resting immediately on the sedimentary beds, the upper,

which forms the crest of the pass, distinctly horizontal ;

but the presence of two series is not so manifest as in the

next valley. Above the crest of the pass, itself 9,800

feet above the sea, towers the amba or hill fort of Alaji,

the stronghold of Walda Yasous, nearly 1,000 feet above

the road. The whole of this amba is formed of hori-

zontal beds of trachyte and basalt.

On this pass I had first occasion to notice the change
which takes place in the vegetation of the Abyssinian
mountains at altitudes above or about 9,000 feet. A gigan-
tic thistle, ten or twelve feet high, and a very fine species
of heath, often large enough to be called a tree, are two
of the most conspicuous plants above this elevation. A
corresponding alteration takes place in the fauna, but this
was less conspicuous in the Alaji pass than subsequently
on some ranges of greater height.

From this point to Magdala the whole route is over

ALAJI PASS—ATALA. 73

bedded volcanic rocks; the subjacent limestones, sand-
stones, and metamorphic rocks never once emerging
from beneath the great trappean formations.

From the crest of the Alaji saddle there is a fall of
about 1,500 feet to the valley of Atala. The greater
portion of this descent is over horizontal beds, mostly
basaltic, a few only being trachytic ; but at the bottom
of the valley, just east of the ground occupied by the
camp, is a small ridge of basaltic beds, dipping at an
angle of 35° or 40° to 30° south of west. These evi-
dently belong to a lower series, upon which the horizontal
beds rest unconformably, and to which the inclined beds
seen in the Meshek valley also belong. Up the Atala
valley to the eastward all the beds are horizontal, like
those forming the crests of the hills.

At Atala a large body of Abyssinians, men and women,
were assembled. The women, many of whom were not
ill-looking, though their beauty might have been greatly
heightened by the use of water, were all dressed in a long
shift of coarse cotton, and had their hair closely plaited.
The men wore the usual toga-like shama, and carried
spears and shields. All were much excited. The women
were crowded together in the centre, one or two of the
eldest and shrillest leading a sort of song, to which the
others kept time with much howling and lamentation.
The men, evidently much excited, stood around. On
inquiry we learned that this was an Abyssinian indigna-
tion meeting. The poor people had carried stores for the
commissariat, and had been paid, but Walda Yasous
or his followers had taken from them a considerable

74 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

proportion of the money. The women apparently were
endeavouring to excite the men to resistance. Unfor-
tunately, in this, as in many other cases, want of know-
ledge of the language and of a good interpreter made it
impossible to obtain accurate information.

The narrowness of the path across the passes rendered
progress very slow upon these marches, as the mules could,
of course, only go singly, and one animal falling, or halted
for the adjustment of its load, stopped the whole convoy.
The dragoons, with their long train of commissariat
supplies, had been in the rear since Adigrat, but by
forced marches they also had come up, and so much
delay was caused by the great length of the united
convoys that our party, which had reached Atala from
Meshek early in the day, went on over the next spur to
Aiba in the afternoon. The Aiba valley is higher than
that of Atala, but otherwise precisely similar, an open
grassy flat at the bottom with a stream running through
it, and hills bare of trees at each side.

The Atala and Aiba valleys recall most forcibly some
of the scenery in the higher parts of the western ghats
near Poonah, in the Bombay Presidency; and the hill
forts of Alaji and Daga, although grander and _ higher,
yet resemble to a certain extent the old Maratta strong-
holds of Singhur, Rajghur, Torna, &c. In each case the
same geological peculiarity, the occurrence of beds of
volcanic rock, which weather with a vertical scarp, has
been employed for purposes of defence, both by Hindoos
and Abyssinians.

At the bottom of the Aiba valley, as at Atala, the

AIBA—FERRA PASS. 75

lower series of traps crop out, inclined at a considerable
angle, and they are traceable to some height south of the
valley, the horizontal beds resting quite unconformably
upon them. The two series are so similar in general
character, that in the hurry of travelling to the front,
although I noted the dips, I attributed them to local dis-
turbance, and it was only when returning that I clearly
distinguished between the two separate groups of beds.
Nevertheless the evidence, when examined, was found to
be very complete.

At Aiba I first saw and shot a dwarf goose peculiar
to Abyssinia (Bernicla cyanoptera of Riippell), which I
subsequently found abundantly on the higher plateaux,
and which appears only to be found at considerable
elevations. On the passes around I saw a bunting
(Emberiza cesia) and a serin (Serinus or Crithagra
mgriceps) which I had not previously met with.

I left Aiba on the Ist April, and ascended the long
slope leading to the Ferra pass. From the top of the
inclined traps, about 300 or 400 feet above the valley,
to the crest of the pass, 10,500 feet above the sea, or
1,500 above the valley, and again from that to the im-
mense amba of Daga, at least 1,500 feet more, the whole
mass of the mountain consists of massive horizontal beds
of dolerite and trachyte. The latter appears to prevail,
especially in the higher part of the pass, and in the amba
above, and it is conspicuous by the much more distinct
vertical scarps which mark its outcrop. It is pale in
colour, very often brecciated, some beds being apparently
in great measure composed of volcanic scoria and ash,

76 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

but at the same time highly crystalline, and frequently
abounding in beautifully-formed crystals of glassy felspar
with rounded angles. These crystals, from their brilliancy,
are very conspicuous on the broken surface of the rock.

The general effect of the scenery is depicted in the
frontispiece, a view of the Daga amba from the south,
showing the horizontal beds of trachyte.

At the summit of the Ferra pass all the hills are
covered with a peculiar wiry grass, which appears to be
peculiar to the trachytic traps.

The path descends from the saddle to the camping-
ground at Belago, situated at a very considerable eleva-
tion. Here the inclined beds of trap reappear, and hence
occupy all the country till far beyond Lake Ashangi, with
the exception of the top of some of the high ranges
north-west of the lake. From Belago to Makhan the road
for some distance proved uninteresting. After one steep
descent it passed along a flat valley to Makhan, the next
camping-ground. Here we were once more on the
eastern watershed, and continued east of the dividing
ridge until after crossing the Wombarat pass near Lat.

The pass between Makhan and Ashangi is not so high
as those further north, and does not appear to rise above
the top of the inclined traps, or Ashangi group, as I pro-
pose to call them. The road passes through a superb
forest of junipers, in which the plantain-eater was abun-
dant. Except around Meshek I had not noticed this
beautiful bird lately, doubtless in consequence of our road
having traversed open country. Ferns abound, and the
large heath attains magnificent proportions, the climate

ASHANGI. 77

on the eastern side of the dividing range at this elevation
being probably damper than on the west.

At the crest of the pass we came in sight of the lovely
little Lake of Ashangi. From the same spot there is an
extensive view to the eastward over the country of the
Asubo Gallas. The foreground consists of finely-wooded
hills, all apparently of inclined beds of trap. Beyond, at
a distance of twelve or fifteen miles, there is a broad
valley, probably 2,500 or 3,000 feet below the pass,
or about 6,000 feet above the sea. Beyond this, again,
are other rounded hills, which look as if more thinly
wooded. They may perhaps be metamorphic. From the
summit of the pass the road descends rapidly to the beau-
tiful Ashangi valley, over beds of amygdaloidal basalt.

I only halted for a night at Ashangi, and as I passed
some days here on my return from Magdala, I abstain
from description of it for the present.

At Ashangi I heard that the army was close to
Magdala, and might return at any moment; also that
the fortress was much farther than we had _ hitherto
believed. Although I had but little faith in any imme-
diate return, still, as I found I could only push on by
leaving all impedimenta behind, I left at Ashangi my
last collector and my tent, and went on with only
my horses and one mule to carry provisions; for the
commissariat stations here were often three or four
marches from each other, and no food, except for the
animals, could be obtained at the intermediate stages.
I then started, still with the mule convoy, and made
a double march to Lat.

78 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

The road led round the western shore of the lake to
the southern end, and then traversed a broad, fertile
plain of black soil, in which stood the camping-ground
of Masagita. On the lake-shore were an unusual number
of swallows and martins, amongst which the peculiar black
Psalidoprogne pristoptera was conspicuous. Leaving
the plain of Masagita, our road ascended a wild, narrow
valley, at the entrance of which we passed a fortified
village, surrounded by a strong wooden palisade. This
border-land between Amhara and Galla, Christian and
Mahommedan, is one of the most disturbed parts of
Abyssinia, and more robberies and murders of camp-
followers took place about Ashangi than in any other
portion of the route. From the valley the road ascended
to a stretch of flat ground at about 10,000 feet, the
summit of the Wombarat pass. Here I was caught in
a violent hailstorm, and had to find the best shelter I
could behind a rock, The rain, after about an hour,
abated, and I rode down to Lat, the path being so slip-
pery that my horse came down with me more than once.
At Lat I put up with a friend, Captain Smith of the
Commissariat, but the rain recommenced, and in the
middle of the night a violent gust of wind blew down
our abode, a light single bell tent. This was pleasant ;
we were of course sleeping on the ground, and were
soon wet. Bell tents are very useful in some respects ;
they keep out rain very fairly as long as they stand ; but
in a high wind they are about the most useless invention
conceivable. The little pegs used have no hold, and pegs
of proper length are too heavy to be carried, as the tent

LAT. 79

requires so large a number. ‘The little tents used on the
hills in India are lighter than bell tents, much easier to
pitch, and afford far more security against bad weather.

At Lat we found Major Grant and Captain Moore,
who had been sent back by the Commander-in-chief to
expedite the arrangements for the carriage of commis-
sariat stores to the front. The Transport Train had, from
the very commencement of the campaign, proved quite
-inadequate by itself to perform this service, and native
carriage had been very largely employed. As far as
Atala all had worked smoothly, and the stores had
been pretty regularly delivered ; but between Atala and
Ashangi, and still more beyond Ashangi, trickery and
oppression on the part of some of the petty chieftains
had caused a complete breakdown in the system, and
had not Gobazye’s chieftains afforded a most unexpected
amount of assistance to the officers of the Commissariat
in procuring supplies, the army would have fared far
worse than it did. As it was, there was-always abun-
dance of food, though it only consisted of tough beef
and inferior flour.

From these officers we at last learned something
definite as to the route in front, and the great passes still
to be surmounted. They had quitted the head-quarters
camp at Santara, on the Wadela plateau, six marches of
various lengths beyond Lat, and Magdala was still four
or five marches farther. When the fortress would be
reached was still uncertain, but we might still be in time
to witness its fall. It was amusing, with reference to
this subject, to hear the reports which circulated from

80 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

post to post. The mail letters were carried by cavalry
picquets, and the men were always eagerly questioned
for news. For a long time the belief in all the camps in
Tigré was, that Magdala would be reached and assaulted
on the 25th of March, and some of the Indian sowars
actually told us that it had been captured on that day,
long before the news could possibly have reached them.
Afterwards, the 6th of April was the appointed date.
As is well known, the place did not fall till the 13th.

From Lat the road ascended to the crest of the Dafat
pass, which is not so high as that of Wombarat. Hence
again there is a fine view both to the south, over the
valleys of the Tellari river and its feeders, and to the
eastward, over a portion of the same great valley in the
Asubo Galla country, which was seen from the pass north
of Lake Ashangi. All the country around Lat, as far
south as the Abuyameda range, between the Tellari and
Takkazzyé valleys, consists of the lower group of traps.
These traps are more or less inclined, usually at low angles,
but occasionally, as just west of Lat, with high dips.
In this case the angle is 45. The general dip is to the
south.

From the Dafat pass the road descends into a
well-wooded valley. I met here with a small herd of
monkeys (Cercopithecus griseo-viridis), which are not
often seen at quite so high an elevation. I also met with
two doves, Peristera afra and Turtur semi-torquatus,
Riippell, usually met with at a lower horizon.

From Marawa, the camping-ground beyond Lat, to
Dildi on the Tellari, here a very small brook, was a long

VIEW OF LAKE ASHANGI, FROM TEE NORTH.

Photograph by Dr. Coon.)

(From a

MARAWA—DILDI, 81

march of sixteen miles over a series of steep ascents and
descents, forming one of the most fatiguing marches of
the whole route. Of the convoy of mules and ponies
with which I marched from Senafé to Magdala, more
animals fell from exhaustion and had to be abandoned
upon this march than on any other. All the animals
were half starved ; grain alone had been procurable at
most of the halting-places we had recently passed, and
the poor beasts were left night after night without grass
or hay. Even our horses, for which we could usually
purchase grass from the Abyssinians, were getting thin.

The character of the valleys about Marawa and Dildi
is different from that of any previously traversed. The
country is a network of wooded glens, without any large
range. All the sides of the valleys show signs of agri-
culture, all have evidently been cleared in patches, and
cultivated for a season or two, and then abandoned, a
common system in wild countries, where the land is
largely in excess of the wants of the population. Bushes
and trees spring up again in the abandoned fields, but
grow in plots, which still show the limits of the clearing.
A peculiar appearance is thus given to the landscape ;
from a distance it almost looks as if the sides of the
valleys were covered by fields with hedges, as in
England.

At Dildi there was a comparatively large camp, much
baggage having been left here. I started the next morn-
ing with Captain Arbuthnot, an aide-de-camp of Sir R.
Napier, intending to make a double march and reach the
Takkazzyé. The road from Dildi ascended a steep incline

G

82 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

to the crest of the Wandaj pass, 10,500 feet above the
sea. This pass crosses the Abuyameda range, the flat-
topped masses of which, right and left of the pass,
rise to 12,000 feet or more. All the upper portion
of this range consists of the higher group of traps, hori-
zontal as usual, and with the strongly-marked vertical
scarps characteristic of the trachyte beds, which, how-
ever, at the pass itself, are less numerous than else-
where. A peculiar feature near the crest of the pass is
the presence of very many large dykes of basalt, which
weather more slowly than the rocks around, and stand
out in relief like gigantic walls upon the hill-side. Their
direction varies considerably ; some of the most prominent
run nearly north-west and south-east.

The vegetation at the crest of this pass is rendered
striking by the abundance of the remarkable Tupa
rhyncophetalum, a great spike of leaves, not unlike
those of tobacco, on the top of a high stalk. I here first
saw one or two birds, such as Pratincola sordida, and
the black and yellow weaver bird, Euplectes xanthomelas,
peculiar to high altitudes. Nectarinia Takazze was
common, and the large francolin, or spur-fowl, as it was
called in the army, #. Erkelii, abounded. The ground
atthe summit of the pass was burrowed in every direc-
tion by a peculiar kind of field rat, Mus abyssinicus
of Riippell.

Before reaching the summit we were overtaken by
heavy mist and rain, and it poured nearly the whole
afternoon. It was dangerous to go on; the path down
was too slippery for the animals to keep their feet ; they

WANDAJ PASS—HORSE STOLEN. 83

had already slipped down more than once, and a horse of
mine had nearly fallen over the steep hill-side on the
way up, while the descent to the south was represented
to us as much steeper, and with a precipice beside it.
The carcases of mules and horses showed how many had
fallen on this ascent. I had no tent; Captain Smith
and I had arranged to march to the front together, and
to use his tent, which was the lightest, but he had been
detained at Lat. However, I found shelter with a friend.
The heavy rain continued nearly all night, a high wind
blew, and it was bitterly cold, and I came out in the
morning expecting to find some, both of the poor Indian
camp-followers, who had been out in the rain all night, and
of the animals, dead with cold and wet. To my surprise,
none seemed to have suffered. As no grass had been
procurable, the animals were all turned out to feed on
the fine wiry herbage of the mountain, and I sent my
horses with them. I had but one man to look after two
horses and a mule, and whilst he was bringing back the
latter, which had strayed slightly, a chestnut Arab, which
I had hitherto ridden, and a very docile useful animal,
disappeared. After a short time I discovered its tracks,
and, only waiting to get a gun, followed them. The
tracks of a man leading the horse were plain: he had
' stolen the beast, and led him round the hill, keeping
just out of sight of camp, and had then gone to the
westward. After a mile or two I lost the tracks amongst
a number of others, and had to give up the chase. Of
course I never heard anything more of my horse. Such
thefts were common, and several officers lost horses. To
G2

84 PERSONAL NARRATIPE.

complete my misfortune, whilst I was searching for the
horse my saddle was also stolen from camp.

After delaying the search until I had only just time to
get down to the Takkazzyé by nightfall, I started, and
walked down the steep incline, leading my remaining
horse, who carried my bed, &c. It had begun to rain
again, but half-way down the weather cleared up, the
rain-storms evidently keeping much to the higher ranges.
There was a camping-place half-way down at Muja, but
I went on to the bottom, 3,000 feet below Wandaj,
crossed the Takkazzyé, here a small stream, and caught
up the party with Roddy’s mule-train once more at the
camping-ground.

On the next day we ascended the steep road leading
to Santara on the Wadela plateau, and thence went on
to Gaso, another camp twelve miles further. There is
no very distinct stratification in the Takkazzyé valley ;
and as I did not clearly make out the distinction be-
tween the two groups of traps till after passing it on my
return from Magdala, I omitted to notice if the lower
series occurs there. Almost without doubt it must do
so, but the road reascends to the horizontal trachytic
series on the great scarp south of the Takkazzyé.

The march from Santara to Gaso, and thence to
Yasendyé and Bethor, led across the Wadela plateau,’ at
first at an elevation of at least 10,500 feet ; subsequently,
south of Gaso, at a somewhat lower level, Yasendyé and
Bethor being about 9,500 feet above the sea. In the

1 In fact, all the northern portion belongs to the district of Dalanta, and
only the south-western portion, from Gaso te Bethor, to Wadela.

FAUNA OF WADELA PLATEAU. 85

northern portion, from Santara till about six miles south
of Gaso, all the rocks exposed consist of trachyte and
trachytic ash, containing large blocks of black jet-like
obsidian, which some of the soldiers took for coal. They
soon found out their mistake when they tried to burn it.
The scenery is very peculiar. Hummocks of grey rocks
covered with lichens stand up from amidst the fine wiry
grass already mentioned as occurring on the high passes
of Ferra and Wandaj, and alternate with small marshy
flats, the soil in which is an imperfect peat. The fauna
is mostly different from that of lower elevations. The
handsome white-breasted buzzard (Buteo augur), the
dwarf goose (Bernicla cyanoptera), and the caruncled
ibis (Harpiprion carunculata), are very abundant. A
duck found also at lower levels (Anas flavirostris) occurs
in the streams and marshes. Two peculiar chats (Saaxicola
frenata, Heugl. and Pratincola sordida), the yellow-
throated pipit (Macronyx flavicollis), a species of finch
allied to the canary bird (Crithagra nigriceps), a wat-
tled lapwing (Lobivanellus melanocephalis), and, above
all, the red-legged chough (Pyrrhocorax alpinus), are
peculiar and characteristic forms. The Abyssinian liim-
mergeyer and the thick-billed crow (Corvultur crassi-
rostris) were also frequently seen. Mammals were
scarce; the only conspicuous one was the little Mus
abyssinicus, which was most abundant on the higher
parts of the plateau.

Several of these birds disappear below 10,000 feet on
the portion of the plateau near Yasendyé and Bethor,
where the rocks exposed are chiefly basaltic, and, as is

86 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

usual under such circumstances, a black soil prevails,
evidently highly favourable to the growth of cereals, and
widely cultivated. The wild grasses are quite different
from those on the trachyte.

At Yasendyé I was surprised at seeing the white and
black crow (Corvus scapulatus), which I had never
before met with since leaving the flat coast region near
Komayli. Here it associated with Corvultur and Corvus
affines.

I had walked the long march from Gaso to Yasendyé,
the greater portion through pouring rain. On my arrival,
however, I was most hospitably received by my old
friend Major Bardin. The next morning I determined
to ride my remaining horse with an Otago saddle,
taking only a rug with me by way of bed, but on
mounting the animal I found he was lame. Major
Bardin very kindly lent me a pony, but I did not make
much progress. °

The road from Yasendyé to Bethor is precisely similar
to that north of the former place, over an undulating
plateau, with much cultivation and long grass. In one
or two places before reaching Yasendyé, deep ravines,
exposing cliffs of basalt, had been seen to the left of the
road, and a couple of miles beyond Bethor we came
suddenly on the brink of the mighty chasm in which
the Jitta river runs, and to which all the minor valleys
converge.

Of all the grand scenery met with in Abyssinia, none
equalled this wonderful gorge. It is 3,500 feet deep,
and looks scarcely a mile across. The sides are extremely

JITLA RAVINE. 87

steep, in places nearly perpendicular. The horizontal
beds on both sides appear to correspond exactly ; half-
way down there is a well-marked terrace, evidently
formed by the same bed, on both sides of the river. The
bedding is very distinct.

It is to be regretted that all those geologists who dis-
believe in the power of running water, and appeal to
such Dei ea machind as marine action and waves of
translation, cannot see a few such marks of the handi-
work of rain and rivers as are shown in these gorges.
There is not the slightest possibility, so far as I can see,
of explaining their origin by any other force than that
of the streams flowing in them. Any faulting or dis-
location of the rocks is out of the question, there is no
evidence of glacier action at any past time, and even the
most fervent apostle of marine denudation would scarcely
credit it with the formation of a Titanic trench three-
quarters of a mile deep and very little more in breadth.

At the bottom of the ravine ran a beautifully clear
stream in a pebbly bed. Some of our party pushed on
to the Dalanta plateau; I remained for the night with
Captain Roddy in the valley. The temperature at the
bottom, only 6,000 feet above the sea, was a most
agreeable change from that of the bleak plateau. On
the following morning, having the loan not only of a
pony but of a saddle also, I considered myself fairly
equipped once more, and started for Dalanta. The
ascent, like the descent of the previous day, was by the
road which King Theodore had constructed for the trans-
port of his artillery to Magdala, a broad path, at least

88 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

twenty feet wide in most places, and thoroughly cleared,
but excessively steep in parts—a wonderful record of the
man’s perseverance and intelligence, though not of his
engineering skill. The section exposed by the road
gave an excellent idea of the rocks. The majority are
basaltic; a little columnar trachyte occurs near the
summit north of the ravine, and on the south side, just
below the top of the scarp, the following beds occur in
descending order :—

1. Compact basalt.

2. White argillaceous rock of sedimentary origin,
twenty to twenty-five feet thick.

3. Volcanic ash and basalt.

4. Coarse brown sandstone, fifty to sixty feet.

5. Trachyte with crystals of glassy felspar.

6. Basalt.

The sedimentary beds can be traced by the eye for a
short distance along the scarp, the sandstone being very
conspicuous, but they have evidently no great extension,
as they do not recur on the north side of the ravine.
Below the above, about half-way down to the river, sume
black shales are interstratified in the traps. I could
find no organic remains, but fossil wood is said to have
been met with here.

The road from the Jitta to the Bashilo crosses a portion
of the Dalanta plateau, which is even flatter than the
Wadela, and consists, like the southern portion of the
latter, of basaltic rock covered with black soil, and
mostly cultivated. After traversing this for about six

ARRIVAL BEFORE MAGDALA. 89

miles, we reached the scarp of the Bashilo ravine, even
deeper than that of the Jitta, but less striking, because
not so abrupt; the opposite side, instead of being one
immense unbroken cliff like that on both sides of the
Jitta, being cut up by ravines and of unequal height.
Opposite to us rose the fortress of Magdala,’ the scarp
surrounding which looked small at this distance, and
dwarfed by the higher flat-topped hills beyond. On a
ridge to the right, the two British camps were con-
spicuous, that of the 1st Brigade on the Arogyé spur,
and that of the 2d Brigade a little nearer and lower.
These heights had been occupied, the evening before, and
the smart skirmish which ensued with Theodore’s army
had been distinctly seen from Dalanta; but although
the flashes and smoke of the small arms and _ steel
guns had been clearly distinguishable, the only sounds
heard were those made by Theodore’s large cannon, fired
from Fala.

I descended the steep road to the river, over rocks
similar to those seen in the Jitta sections, but without
sedimentary interstratifications; and, reascending the
opposite hills, reached the camp at Arogyé before even-
ing. This was on Saturday, the 10th of April, the
evening on which the prisoners were released. I had
marched from Senafé, with only one day’s halt, in twenty-
three days, and, of course, anything like a careful exa-
mination of the country was out of the question.

1 It is as well to mention that the accent in this word is on the first syllable.
Magdala is incorrect. This is mentioned by Markham also, but the false
accentuation has been very generally adopted. :

90 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

It is quite foreign to the purpose of the present work
to describe the capture of Magdala, which took place
two days after my arrival. The remarkable good fortune
which crowned the expedition was far less favourable to
scientific inquiry than to military renown ; for the sub-
sequent rapid retreat to the coast, however brilliant as
a military manceuvre, entirely prevented me from exa-
mining the country in any detail.

All the hills around Magdala appear to be of horizontal
traps, chiefly basalt, although trachyte also occurs, and
the plateau of the fortress itself consists of the latter
rock ; the steep surrounding scarp, which would have
rendered the place so difficult of capture had it been
defended, being the ordinary form of outcrop, already
alluded to as characteristic of the trachyte beds. Inter-
stratifications of white shale, much hardened as if by
lava-flows, were met with in two or three places around
Arogyé, and were especially noticed close to the camp of
the 2d Brigade; but no organic remains could be de-
tected in them.

The camp before Magdala was certainly the most un-
pleasant abode in which I found myself in Abyssinia.
The whole force was crowded into the smallest possible
space, in small thin tents, not nearly large enough even
to hold the men; the only food was inferior flour and
tough beef, and it was difficult to obtain sufficient water
to drink ; washing was a luxury only to be occasionally
attained. It was decidedly worse than at Malkatto.
Water there was scarce, but a swim in the sea was
always a resource available ; and there was no crowding ;

ATTEMPTS AT FURTHER EXPLORATION.’ 91

while as regards the Commissariat, I can only say that I
wish it had a depdt in many of the wilder parts of India,
and that I were entitled to draw rations as in Abyssinia.
I have often fared far worse in India, with all the re-
sources of the country at my command. It is not sur-
prising that all the troops at Magdala, who had for two
months been working hard, and for at least a month
been faring hard also, were delighted at the prospect of
leaving the country.

I, on the other hand, was disgusted at being unable
to advance farther into Abyssinia. Above all, I had
hoped to have thoroughly explored the great lake of
Dembea or Tsana, which has never been accurately
mapped. I believe that there are few geological prob-
lems more interesting than those connected with the
origin of lake basins, and those of Africa, the only great
lakes in the tropics, are of peculiar importance. But Sir
Robert Napier would not listen to any proposals of ex-
ploration. He even refused permission to Mr. Munzinger
to go into the country of the Asubo Gallas, although
one of the principal chiefs had guaranteed his safety,
and although Mr. Munzinger’s long experience and great
knowledge of the Abyssinian people would have alone
been almost sufficient to secure him from injury. A
few days after leaving Magdala, in order to leave no
means untried, I applied to be allowed, with a small
party, to go to Lake Tsana, and thence march to the
south-west towards Gondokoro, endeavouring to explore
the Sobat river, but without any success. Sir Robert
was determined to have every European over whom he

92 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

could in any way exercise authority out of the country
in as short a time as possible.

I left the camp before Magdala on the 16th of April,
three days after the fall of the fortress, and marched
back as rapidly as I could to the Wadela plateau. Here
I halted for a day or two to obtain a few specimens of
the birds, of which, however, I could not collect many,
as I had to prepare the skins myself. At Yasendyé,
Mr. Markham, the Honorary Secretary of the Geogra-
phical Society, who had been with the expedition
from the beginning, but whom I had never met till
I reached Magdala, came up from the front with Major
Grant. He had no hope of penetrating any further into
the country, and was on his road back to England. He
left with me an aneroid and a boiling-point thermometer,
in case I should be more successful.

From Yasendyé I came on to Gaso and Santara. I
had some days previously written to Ashangi for my
tent and collecting apparatus to be sent on, as I wished to
procure specimens of the birds and mammals peculiar to
this elevated region. I found, however, that my tent,
&e. had not arrived, and that the whole camp had been
removed from Santara to the Takkazzyé except the tent
of the guard. There was no place in which to remain,
for the guard-tent was of course crowded, and very
reluctantly I was compelled to leave this most promising

1 T do not for an instant doubt that Lord Napier was not only perfectly
justified in refusing permission to any one to leave the line of march, but I fear
so little interest is taken in England in any exploration for other than purely
commercial motives, that he would have been blamed had he permitted any.

RETURN 10 LAKE ASHANGL. 93

ground with only about seven species of animals not
obtained elsewhere. These comprised a peculiar hyrax,
the little Mus abyssinicus, Saxicola frenata, Pratincola
sordida, the rare Lobivanellus melanocephalus, Macronyx
flavicollis, and Euplectes xwanthomelas. Had I been
able to devote more time to the exploration of these hills,
I might doubtless have increased the number consider-
ably, and have obtained a larger proportion still of the
peculiar forms described by Riippell and Von Heuglin
from the mountains of Samyen.

This being out of the question, however, I pushed on to
Lake Ashangi. On my road I obtained two or three more
specimens of birds on the top of Wandaj; including
Falco tanypterus, which I had frequently seen before but
never secured. I also saw Hypotriorchis concolor, the
slate-coloured merlin, of which I did not secure a speci-
men. Close to Dildi I shot one of the mouse-coloured
antelopes, Cephalophus madoqua.

The released prisoners from Magdala were on their
march towards the coast, and I met several of them,
amongst them Dr. Schimper, the veteran naturalist, who
has passed forty years in exploring the botany, zoology,
and geology of the country. He was a fellow-student
with Agassiz, and having remained so long away from
European changes of thought, has retained the geological
ideas of a past generation, differing from those of the
present less perhaps in reality than in nomenclature, so
that I found some difficulty in understanding his views.
Although, so far as I am aware, he has published nothing
himself, he has supplied many successive travellers with

94 PERSONAL NARRATIPE.

information, and has indirectly contributed more perhaps
than any other living European in making the fauna
and flora of the Ethiopian highlands known to the scien-
tifie world of Europe.

I reached Lake Ashangi? once more on April 29th,
and remained there for seven days, collecting. Lieut.
St. John had lent me an india-rubber boat, which was
most useful, as no native craft of any kind existed
on the water. The amount of astonishment which the
boat produced amongst the Abyssinians was naturally
great. The lake swarmed with water-birds, but many
kinds of ducks had left. I saw the shoveller, always
one of the latest to migrate to the north, and shot
the crested pochard (Fuligula cristata), but there
appeared to be decidedly fewer than when I passed on
my way to Magdala a month earlier. The Egyptian
goose (Chenalopex cegyptiaca) occurred in large num-
bers. The most abundant bird on the lake was the
erested grebe (Podiceps cristata) ; I also shot the eared
grebe (P. aurita), which was scarce, and the common
dabehick (P. minor). A small cormorant (Graculus
africanus) was occasionally met with, and I once saw a
white pelican, which, however, I failed to secure. The
crested coot (Fulicu cristata) was tolerably abundant.
The umbre (Scopus wmbretta) occurred on the margin of
the lake, with a large black and white ibis, of which I
failed to obtain a specimen. In the marshes on the
banks Rallus Rougeti and Gallinula chloropus occurred,

1 A brief description of this lake will be found in a subsequent page in the
part devoted to the Geology, Section I.

FAUNA OF ASHANGLI. 95

and snipe abounded. Flocks of Ibis carunculata con-
sorted with the Egyptian geese on the meadows around
the lake, but both had become very wild, owing to
their being so frequently fired at. The spur-winged
plover (Hoplopterus spinosus) was met with occasionally
in the same places or along the shore.

Amongst the high grass which grew in places near
the lake I found, rather to my surprise, large flocks
of the black and yellow weaver-bird (Huplectes xantho-
melas), which elsewhere I had only seen at much greater
elevations. On the stunted trees, the beautiful long-tailed
roller (Coracias abyssinica) was far from rare, and the
iridescent starling (Lamprocolius chalybeus) was fre-
quently met with. Amongst the other birds here col-
lected were Pratincola semitorquata, Heug., Turdus
olivacinus, Bp., Bradyornis chocolatina, Cotyle cincta,
and C. minor. I also obtained a single specimen of the
secretary bird.

The meadow in which the camp stood was dotted over
by heaps of earth, exactly like mole-hills, thrown up by
Bathyergus splendens, a burrowing short-tailed rodent,
the size of a large Norway rat, but resembling in appear-
ance the bamboo rats (Rhizomys) of the Himalayas and
Burmese countries. I kept one alive for two or three
days, feeding it on roots of grass, but it finally escaped.
There were unusually few jackals and hyenas. A few
koodoo were said to occur in the neighbouring hills, and
I found the tracks of pigs and otters along the shore of the
lake. There were a few land-shells to be found, Bulimus
Olivieri, a species of Vitrina, and an Ennea, the two

96 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

latter undescribed, being the most common. Despite the’
large number of fish-eating birds on the lake, all the Abys-
sinians persisted in denying the existence of fish in the
waters. I only saw one small kind, but the occurrence
of otters alone serves to indicate the existence of some
larger forms. I could catch none, however.

The head-quarters, now the rear-guard of the army,
reached Ashangi on the 5th and left on the 6th May,
abandoning such stores as could not be carried with
them, and making a bonfire of huts, empty. packages,
all the hay not wanted, &c.; 400 or 500 mules and
ponies which were either lame or seriously galled, so
that there was no probability of their being made of
service during the return journey as pack animals, were
also abandoned, and a great scramble took place amongst
the Abyssinians for their possession, The scene was most
amusing. Crowds of the poorer Abyssinians hung
about the camp, picking up anything they could, and by
no means disdaining to pilfer if a chance afforded. Now
and then a few would be driven off, and the whole would
take to flight for the moment ; soon returning, however.
As each corps in succession moved off its ground with
its baggage, these people crowded into the abandoned
space to search for anything which might have been left
behind, and they might be seen carrying off the most
singular articles,—empty packages, broken Otago saddles,
or fragments of canvas, blocks of firewood, and bundles
of grass. “A similar scene took place at every camp,
varied occasionally by some valuable commissariat stores,
such as flour or grain, being left behind for want of

RETURN MARCH TO ANTALO. 97

carriage, and by a free fight taking place for their
possession.

The march back demands but brief notice. Finding it
most tedious to march on the narrow steep roads with
the head-quarters camp, owing to the lengthy train of
baggage—which started generally at daybreak, and the
last of which rarely accomplished a march of eight or
ten miles befure dark—Dr. Cook and I made a double
march from Makhan to Atala, and afterwards kept with a
small force-which marched one day ahead of the Com-
mander-in-chief’s camp. We reached Antalo once more
on the 11th, and I halted there a day. St. John, who
had brought the telegraph thus far, had explored the
neighbourhood, and carefully marked down a couple of
owls (Bubo cinerascens), which inhabited some rocks by
the Buya stream, about two miles from camp. Besides
killing one of these, I obtained several other rare
birds on the same day, amongst them a pair of [bis
comata.

As I heard that the head-quarters and rear-guard
would only halt for two days at Buya, I left on the
13th May, in order to have, in any case, a couple of days
for the examination of the junction of the limestone and
sandstone, and to search for fossils at Agula and Dongolo.
I could not even spare a day to visit Antalo town and
Chelikot. Nothing worthy of record occurred on the
road to Agula. The weather had become fine again, and
the road being comparatively good and hard there was
but little delay in marching. Moreover, all commissariat
supplies, and especially grass and grain for the animals,

H

98 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

being now abundant, all the mules and horses were
rapidly getting into good condition, and much fewer
fell or knocked up on the road. Still I frequently pre-
ferred allowing the whole camp to go ahead, and march-
ing quietly by myself in the afternoon, so that I could
examine the rocks along the road, or shoot any rare birds
or animals I might see. This was, I believe, against
orders, as there was supposed to be risk of being
attacked, but the risk was very small; all that was
necessary was to keep the mules in sight, as otherwise
they might have been plundered by some of the petty
thieves who hung about the route of the army. Much
more was related about thieves than was true. Petty
pilfering took place everywhere, as amongst all civilized
and semi-civilized peoples ; but, except in the disturbed
country around Ashangi, most of the stories of attacks
and thefts were invented by muleteers and camp fol-
lowers to conceal their own villanies.1 I can only say,
in justice to the Abyssinians, that both in marching to
Magdala and in returning I rode or walked the greater
portion of the distance either entirely alone or with one
or two companions, who, like myself, preferred keeping

1 An admirable instance occurred at Undul Wells, when I was staying there.
Some muleteers arrived with three or four Shoho prisoners bound, and asserted
that these men had attacked them, and had attempted to rob their mules on
the road. The Shohos, on the other hand, declared that they had been con-
veying stores from Zulla to Senafé for the Commissariat, and were returning
with the money when attacked by the muleteers. On inquiry this turned
out to be the case, the money taken from the Shohos was found upon the
muleteers. Another trick of the muleteers was to sell stores entrusted to
them to Shohos or Abyssinians, and to account for the deficiency by stories

of robbery. Undoubtedly a few cases of robbery did take place, but the
greater number of asserted instances were, I believe, imaginary.

OOLITIC FOSSILS NEAR AGULA. 99

out of a crowd, and that I never met with anything
but friendly greetings from the people who passed. They
were especially amicable in Tigré. The usual conversa-
tion was something of the following kind :—

Abyssinian (producing a small piece of cord, originally
blue, now of various colours, from around his neck) :
“ Christi ?” which being interpreted was supposed to be
an inquiry as to the Englishman’s Christianity.

Englishman: “ Yes,” with a nod.

Abyssinian: “Taib” (Arabic for “good,” probably
the whole of the speaker’s attainment in the language).

The blue cord is in Abyssinia the mark of a Christian,
and I think there was often some doubt of our really
belonging to that religion, since we did not wear it. I
met one enthusiastic chaplain, who made a_ public
profession of his faith by conspicuously wearing a blue
necktie.

Near Agula I at last found some fairly preserved
fossils in the limestone. All were bivalves, but they
comprised Ceromya, Pholadomya, and Trigonia of typi-
cally oolitic forms, which fully confirmed the opinion
expressed by the energetic French travellers, MM. Ferret
and Galinier, who first explored these formations. At
Dongolo, after much search, I obtained several well-
preserved specimens of a small Hemicidaris, also with
characteristically oolitic affinities.

Instead of following the road from Agula to Dongolo,
I went for some miles down the valley of the Agula
river, which runs in a deep dell between cliffs of lime-
stone; and then, crossing the hills to the Dongolo stream,

H 2

100 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

which flows in a similar deep ravine, I returned by it to
the road, Sir C. Staveley having allowed me to take a small
guard. I was unable, however, to reach sufficiently far
to examine the base of the limestone in this direction.

At Dongolo I halted for a day, and was overtaken by
the Commander-in-chief’s camp and the rear-guard. It
had been the intention of Sir Robert Napier that a small
party with a guard should be allowed to cross from the
Haramat plain near Adabagi to Adowa and Axum, and
thence march to rejoin the main body at Senafé ; and to
this party Dr. Cook, Mr. Holmes the archeologist, the
officers of the Trigonometrical Survey, and a few others,
including myself, were to have been attached. I was
especially desirous of examining the remarkable Adowa
hills, reported by some travellers to be of sandstone, but
which Dr. Schimper considers of volcanic origin, and
which are, as previously remarked, probably identical in
composition with the trachytic rocks about Senafé, which
they resemble so greatly in form. However, it was
found that the length of the march was too great to enable
the party, if detached, to rejoin the main body before the
latter left Senafé, so the project was abandoned.

I returned with the head-quarters camp to Adigrat and
Senafé. At the former place I found that the collector I
had left behind had not a large number of bird-skins,
though there were many amongst them of interest. He
had, however, about twenty specimens of the species

1 Amongst a collection of rock specimens which Dr. Beke has very politely
sent to me for examination, I find fragments of both limestone and sandstone
from the country farther to the westward in this direction.

SENAFS. 101

of hyrax found in the neighbourhood, which served
admirably to illustrate the astonishing variation in the
colour and even the texture of the fur which is exhibited
by these animals, and which is scarcely equalled, so far as
I know, by any other wild mammal.

We reached Senafé on the 25th May. Very little rain
had fallen in this part of the country, and it was conse-
quently less green than in February, and contrasted
strongly with the southern portions of Tigré between
Antalo and Adigrat. Kassa, the Tigré chief, was en-
camped in the neighbourhood, and durbars and military
exercises by both Abyssinians and British troops were the
order of the day.

At Senafé I first met Mr. Jesse, the gentleman sent out
by the Zoological Society of London. He had hitherto
been most unfortunate, for he had only landed in March,
and had been detained in the rear both by want of
carriage and by illness. His collections at this period
were consequently comparatively small. The collector
whom I had left behind at Undul Wells had proved
thoroughly worthless, and had found it more profitable to
skin birds for some of the officers than to do his own
work. Lieut. Sturt, however, had a considerable number
of birds, of which he allowed me to take such as I had
not myself collected. Altogether, before I left the high-
lands I had about 900 specimens of birds, mammals, and
reptiles, representing above 250 species.

A considerable change had taken place in the avi-
fauna, caused chiefly by the immigration of birds from
lower elevations and the departure of the Saxicole, and

102 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

some other migratory kinds. Of the immigrants, perhaps
the most conspicuous was Lamprocolius chalybeus, now
abundant. Tockus flavirostris and Laniarius ethio-
picus, which in February and March did not ascend
above 6,000 feet, were now common at 8,000.

Senafé, after having been occupied nearly six months,
was finally abandoned on the 29th May. We exchanged
the pleasant climate of the Abyssinian highlands for heat
and dust, a short supply of water, and universal barren-
ness. As we descended the pass, every day brought with
it additional heat and discomfort, mitigated slightly by
such European luxuries as preserved provisions, wine,
and beer, which had been imported in abundance by
enterprising speculators.

In the pass I found that most lovely bird, Pholidauges
leucogaster, abundant from about 2,000 to 5,000 feet
of elevation. It had certainly been entirely wanting in
January and February ; so conspicuous a bird could not
possibly have escaped every one’s notice. At Komayli,
at the base of the hills, I found some other birds,
especially Gina capensis and Nectarinia metallica, which
were certainly not to be found there in February. Both
were now breeding. A bee-eater, Merops albicollis, had
also been added to the fauna; whilst Cercomela mela-
nura, Aédon galactodes, and Turtur albiventris appeared
much more abundant than formerly. On the other hand,
all the shrikes, Saxicole, and wagtails, with Corvus
affinis, had left.

I remained a few days in Komayli. The heat was
excessive ; the temperature at mid-day, in a large tent

ZULLA. 103

with a double roof, affording almost as perfect protection
as a thatched house, being 114° to 115° Fahr. In the
afternoon a strong breeze set in from the sea, which
slightly abated the temperature. I returned to Zulla on
the 6th June, and took up my old quarters in the Com-
missariat enclosure, one of the best parts of the camp,
for, being close to the sea, it was much less dusty than
further inland.

Sir Robert Napier left on the 9th for England, and
only a small portion of the army remained in charge of
the stores which were being shipped. I determined to
see the last of the expedition. Six months’ campaigning
had left me in the best possible health, and I only
regretted being obliged to return to a more civilized
country. I had arranged to go back to India by one of
the steamers which was to remain at Annesley Bay till
the last, when an opportunity offered itself of seeing
something more of Abyssinia.

Lieut. Mockler had been one of the first officers of
the army who landed in Abyssinia as an assistant in
the Political Department. During the advance of the
army on Magdala, he had remained on the coast in
charge of the very important political relations with the
Shoho and other chieftains which had been so ably
originated by Colonel Merewether and Mr. Munzinger.
On the departure of the force he had applied for leave
of absence in order to visit the Anseba and Bogos
country, a friendly territory lying about one hundred
miles north-west of Massowa. Mr. Munzinger, who has
passed many. years in Bogos, also intended to spend

104 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

part of the summer there; and when Lieut. Mockler
asked me to join the party, the temptation was too great
to be resisted. Mr. Jesse the zoologist, who, like myself,
was eager to see something more of the country and its
fauna before leaving it, joined us; and having purchased
from the Commissariat, which was very glad to dispose
of them, flour, rice, and grain for ourselves and the men
whom we intended to take with us, sufficient for a
couple of months, we left Zulla on the 18th June, when
it was finally abandoned by the army; and went to
Massowa in a steamboat which was despatched to carry
Mr. Munzinger thither.

Massowa has been described by almost every writer
who has visited Abyssinia. It is a small Arab town on
an island about a quarter of a mile from the shore, and
without any water. It is probably one of the hottest
places in the world, and the change from Annesley Bay
was far from agreeable, although we had a house, the
British Consulate, to live in, a luxury to which we had
all been strangers for many months. I believe we all
longed to be in tents again; I did certainly; but three
or four days’ delay was necessary in order to make
arrangements for carriage. A large number of camels
had been left behind by the Transport Train ; we obtained
the loan of some, but as they had no saddles or ropes
for loading, we were obliged to procure these also.

All being ready, we left Massowa on the afternoon of
the 22d of June, and, crossing the arm of the sea which
forms the harbour, rode for about four miles inland to
Makullu, a large village whence a great portion of the

MASSOW A. 105

water used at Massowa is brought, and where most of
the Indian and Arab merchants have houses and live
during the hot months, going to Massowa in the day
only.

The spur of land opposite Massowa, and the island
itself; consist of the coral rock of which so many of the
islands in this part of the Red Sea are composed. It is
formed by the agglutination of broken corals, shells, and
coral sand. After leaving the shore a flat alluvial plain
is traversed as far as Makullu. Here hills formed of
volcanic rocks appear, similar to those near Zulla.

At Makullu we took leave for the time of Mr. Mun-
zinger, who was obliged to remain in Massowa for some
days, in order to make arrangements for the care of the
transport animals left in his charge. We started early
the next morning, and marched about twelve miles due
west to Saati, through low hills of volcanic and sedi-
mentary rocks intermixed, all apparently belonging to
the same group, and having a general dip to the east.
Basaltic lava predominates. The ground is mostly
rather barren, stunted mimosa bushes of the most thorny
description being almost the only vegetation.

At Saati there is a spring of water, and we halted
here for the night. I was rather unwell, having been
knocked up by the heat of Massowa, and lame from
some unknown cause, so I could not go out. In the
evening towards dusk thousands of sand-grouse assem-
bled at the water to drink, coming from all quarters.
All appeared to be of one kind, Pterocles Lichtensteini,
which is common throughout this part of the country.

106 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

In other places we subsequently often saw large num-
bers of this bird flying to water in the evening and
early morning, but nowhere so many as at Saati. All
sand-grouse have particular hours of the day for drinking,
and Pt. Lichtensteini, like the closely-allied Pt. fasci-
atus of Hindustan, drinks at twilight in the morning
and evening.

In the morning I found large numbers of bunting
(Emberiza septemstriata) at the water. We started at
daybreak, and marched west for about fifteen miles to
Ailat. A small outcrop of granitic rocks appears at
Saati from beneath the volcanic formations, and the
spring is probably brought to the surface in consequence
of their existence, the water in the porous scoriaceous
rock being dammed back and forced to the surface by
the impervious granitoid gneiss. The latter formation,
doubtless, underlies the voleanic beds throughout, and
probably at no great depth. After passing Saati, volcanic
rocks, precisely similar to those further east, are met
with for about three or four miles, when metamorphics
succeed them; the road traverses low metamorphic
hills for a few miles further, and then emerges upon
a plain four or five miles broad, in which is the vil-
lage of Ailat, consisting of thatched huts surrounded
by high thorn fences to keep out wild beasts, here
numerous.

The plain around Ailat was tolerably green, even at
this period of the year; large tamarisk trees grew in
places along a broad sandy watercourse which traversed
it; and they, with a few other plants, gave the country

AILAT-—LIONS. 107

an appearance of fertility which contrasted agreeably
with the barren rocks between which we had been
travelling. We crossed the plain, and went on about
three miles beyond Ailat to encamp near the famous hot
spring. The village, as is usual throughout Northern
Abyssinia, is at a distance of two or three miles from
water; the cause assigned by the people for this singular
practice is, that plundering bands often encamp near the
water. Probably the danger from wild beasts, which
come down to drink in considerable numbers, is another
reason for not living close to the springs. Of this risk
we had a most melancholy practical illustration a few
days later.

The hot spring at Ailat issues from some rocks in the
bed of a torrent, which is dry except after heavy rain
in the hills) The water is extremely hot, 140° Fahr.,
but perfectly tasteless.

I did not go out next day until the evening, when
some people saw a lioness close to our camp. Mockler
and I went to look for her, and after peering about some
time, Mockler saw her in a bush, and fired, but missed.
I could not see the animal distinctly. She got amongst
some dense green bushes, and, as it was already dark,
we were obliged to leave her.

The next morning we took up her tracks; she had
been joined by a lion in the night, and had gone to the
north. We did not succeed in finding her, however. I
killed a large pig (Phacocherus), of which I preserved
the skull, and shot several birds, amongst which were
Lamprocolius chrysagoster, Halcyon semicerulea, and.

108 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

Centropus superciliosus, nene of which I had previously
seen. In the evening thie lioness again crossed the stream
near our camp, and we followed her, but she went away
at once. In going after her we saw a leopard, which
also escaped.

Ailat is notorious for lions and leopards, many of
which are man-eaters, and many people are killed by
these animals. It is a most curious circumstance that
whereas on the route followed by the army, not forty
miles farther south, lions were only seen on two or three
occasions, and not a single animal was shot, although
there were dozens of sportsmen eager for the chance,
at Ailat, and throughout our subsequent journey, we
frequently met them ; and scarcely a day passed without
our seeing their fresh tracks.

The temperature was certainly very hot, rising to
about 108° in the day, and falling to 75° in the early
morning before sunrise; but this was an agreeable change
from Massowa, where night and day the thermometer
never fell below about 87° or 88° Fahr. I very soon
recovered, but Jesse unfortunately had a rather smart
attack of fever, apparently produced by exposure to
the sun.

I procured many birds during the six days we re-
mained at Ailat; amongst them were Nisus niloticus,
Nilaus brubru, Tockus erythrorhynchus, Quelea cthi-
opica, Peristera afra, and Atgiatilis tricollaris. I also
found some species which elsewhere I had only met
at a much greater elevation (Ailat is less than 1,000
feet above the sea), such as Jchitrea melanogastra,

A MAN KILLED BY A LEOPARD. 109

Dicrurus divaricatus, Lamprocolius chalybeus, Buphaga
erythrorhyncha, and especially Irrisor erythrorhynchus,
Passer Swainsoni, and Hoplopterus spinosus. Bus-
tards (Otis arabs), guinea-fow], and francolins (Pter-
nestes rubricollis) abounded.

On the early morning of the 29th June one of my
servants, rising before daybreak, was scratched in the
face by some wild animal which had come into the camp.
The track resembled that of a large cat. We thought
nothing of this at the time, but on the following
night we were all aroused by an outcry and shouting,
and an alarm was given that a lion had seized one
of our men. Mockler fired off his rifle to frighten
away the beast, which rushed roaring past our tent.
On inquiry we were horrified to find that an Abyssinian
servant of Jesse’s had been killed while asleep, and no
alarm had been created until the animal attempted to
drag away the body. The unfortunate man had two
large tooth-holes in his throat, and must either have
been so seized that he was unable to cry out, or else,
as is probable, his neck was broken. The assailant was
doubtless a leopard, very probably the same small animal
which had scratched my servant the night before. A
lion would have carried away the body to some distance,
certainly, and the tooth-marks were too small to have
been made by. a lion’s fangs. We had a low thorn fence
round three sides of our camp, and the camels occupied
the open side—the usual plan in this part of Africa—
but we had no fires, a most necessary precaution, and
one we never neglected after this sad lesson.

110 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

During all my experience in India—and in the course
of twelve years I have encamped in many places infested
by tigers and leopards—I have never taken such pre-
cautions as we had adopted even before this accident.
Throughout the progress of the expedition in Abyssinia,
no one ever dreamed of the necessity for especial pro-
tection against wild animals.

In the morning, all attempts to track the leopard
failed; we could not find a single distinct footprint.
The poor fellow who had been killed was buried, and
a pile of stones heaped over his grave. To have re-
mained at Ailat would simply have been to risk a
repetition of the disaster ; consequently, after expending
the morning in a vain attempt to discover the beast and
avenge the death of our poor follower, we packed up
and started for Asus, a village about eight miles to the
north, of very similar appearance to Ailat, and lying in
the same plain, which extends here for many miles along
the base of the lowest hills.

The ranges in this neighbourhood rise far more gently
from the low country than they do near Annesley Bay.
The high plateau of Hamazen, equal in elevation to the
country around Senafé and Halai, is visible to the west ;
but the intermediate ground, instead of consisting of deep,
rugged ravines, 1s composed of rounded hills, drained by
valleys of no great depth.

We halted a day at Asus, and then went into the
hills again to Kusaret, on the road to Mensa, intend-
ing to go to a place called Tunfia, said to be much
cooler than Ailat, and situated at an elevation of about

MARCH TO NORTHWARD. 111

2,000 feet. But at this time we heard from Mr. Mun-
zinger that he expected still to be detained for several
days in Massowa, and that we had better proceed to
Bogos, by Ain and the Lebka valley, without waiting for
him. One of the Naibs of Arkiko was with us, and his
presence would be ample guarantee; in fact, the people
being friendly, no special protection was necessary.

We were all tired of the heat, and Jesse was for a day
or two very ill. We therefore determined to proceed at
once to Ain, and thence to a cooler climate. We accord-
ingly retraced our steps somewhat, and then marched to
Kanzal, still in the plain running northward from Ailat ;
but at Kanzal the hills to the east become scattered, and
hence, to the northward, one great barren plain extends
from the base of the mountains to the sea. This tract is
a perfect desert in the summer, though after the winter
rains it becomes green, and affords pasture to the cattle
of the Habab tribes. The heat and glare in the day-
time at the season of our journey were said to be almost
unbearable, and it was therefore necessary to make the
march across the desert of Shob (or Sha’ab), as this tract
is called, at night. We started in the evening of the
Ath of July, with a full moon.

Before dark we passed a large encampment of the
Warea, one of the nomade Bedouin tribes. It was sur-
rounded by a low circular thorn fence, immediately
inside which was a ring of hemispherical huts, the frame-
work of bent sticks, covered by mats. These huts can
be taken to pieces, and packed on a camel or a bullock,
and set up afresh in a very short time. We found them

LI2 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

generally used, not only throughout the nomade Mahom-
medan tribes of the Habab, but also amongst the agri-
cultural Christian population of the Anseba valley and
Bogos. Even when thatched huts are used, as at Keren,
the hemispherical mat dome is placed inside.

In the centre of the circle were two or three isolated
huts, said to be used, one for marriages, and another for
the sick. JI doubt if these be really their use. The
inhabitants were much like Shohos, but a finer race. The
men had enormous masses of frizzled hair, in which were
stuck the usual two or three long skewers of wood or
horn. Like all the people in Northern Abyssinia, they
wore large straight swords, of German manufacture,
instead of the little sickle-like weapons of the Shohos, or
the longer curved scimitars of the Tigréans and other
Abyssinians.

Uncouth as they appeared, these people were very
civil, and their chief went on with us for some distance
to point out the road. As we came out upon the open
desert we saw many large gazelles (G. Semmeringit) in
the moonlight ; but they would not allow us to approach
sufficiently close to shoot.

We reached Ain in the morning. A small stream, fed
by a spring, runs between thick green bushes and reeds
in the bed of the Lebka torrent. Here we halted for
a day. The slope of the coast plain must be considerable,
since at Ain, about fifteen miles from the sea, the eleva-
tion by aneroid is about 1,200 feet. All the hills around
are schistose and gneissic rocks, as are indeed all between
Ailat and Ain. The general strike is still north and

LEBKA VALLEY. 113

south. The dip at Ain is low, 20° or 30° to the
west.

There were not many birds here which we had not
obtained at Ailat, Tockus nasutus and Crateropus leu-
cocephalus being the only important additions; but we
were told that a herd of oryx (OQ. Beisa) inhabited the
plain to the eastwards. Of all the antelopes of Africa
none is, perhaps, so remarkable as the oryx, and I longed
to see one. But, although we found fresh tracks, we
could not meet with the animals themselves.

On the 7th we marched up the Lebka valley to
Mohabar, a distance of about twenty miles. The ascent
is very gradual, and the valley does not contract as in
the Komayli pass. As a rule the road is very easy along
the broad sandy bed of the Lebka, which early in July
was quite dry, the rains in the higher part of the valley
having scarcely commenced. In one or two places the
ravine becomes narrower, with steep sides ; one of these
places is known as Aualid Oret (‘‘the Daughters of
Hades”), but its appearance is less formidable than its
name. ‘he bed of the stream is rocky, but our loaded
camels got over without much difficulty.

We encamped in the bed of the stream. The next
morning we found that a large lion had walked past our
camp and down the stream during the night. We took
up his tracks, but unsuccessfully. The day before a lion,
probably the same, had killed a cow and then a man
close to Mohabar.

The sandy ravine bed was fringed here with fine
tamarisk trees, which abounded in hawks and falcons.

1

114 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

The little Nisus sphenurus was especially abundant,
feeding on cicade. It is a smaller bird than the closely
allied shikra of India (Nisus badius), and more insec-
tivorous.

At night it was cloudy, a little rain fell, and we
moved our tents and baggage hurriedly, for there was
lightning and thunder to the westward at no great dis-
tance, and our people feared that the stream might come
down suddenly. We saw some of the sudden floods so
prevalent in these torrent beds afterwards, and certainly
they are to be feared. However, on this occasion the
water did not reach us.

Another long march up the valley produced a great
change. As far as Kelamet, twelve miles from Mohabar,
we were still amongst parched and barren hills, but at
an elevation of about 3,500 feet we came almost sud-
denly into a tract of hilly country covered with the
richest verdure. Green bushes and kolqual trees covered
the hill-sides, magnificent baobab trees were dotted over
the valleys, every little glade was covered with green
grass. We had passed from the coast region, in which
no rain falls during the summer months, into the high-
lands, in which the monsoon rains last from June till
October, as in South-eastern Asia.

The temperature was delicious. Life seemed to return
with new zest. A day or two sufficed to banish all the
effects of the heat at Massowa and Ailat. The animals
seemed refreshed like the plants, and birds were singing
in all directions. Many of these were quite new to me;
a parrot, Pionus Meyert, was common, and no less than

KOKAI—WILD ELEPHANTS. 115

three kinds of rollers, Coracias abyssinica, C. pilosa,
and Eurystomus afer. The first I had found in places
on the highlands, the second I had once or twice seen
only, the third I had never previously met with. Here
all three were common.

At Kokai, where we pitched our tents, there was a
small encampment of the Habab, and a very large herd
of camels. Many cattle had been brought into the
neighbourhood for pasture. The wild animals migrate
from the lowlands at this season like the men, and we
heard of wild elephants as soon as we arrived.

The next day, July 10th, some men brought us news
of a herd in the neighbourhood, and on going out we
saw an elephant, to our utter astonishment, standing
amongst high bushes, with camels scattered around in
all directions. Some other elephants, it was uncertain
how many, were in higher jungle close by. The camels
had been grazing in the neighbourhood all the morning,
and the drivers had been shouting to each other and to
their animals. Certainly the elephants cared wonder-
fully little for the presence of domestic animals, or
even of men.

We lay still for some time and watched the huge
beast, which stood about 200 yards away, lazily munch-
ing leaves, or flapping its large ears. There was no
chance of approaching close, but by making a circuit we
reached within about sixty yards without being seen,
and Mockler fired a shell, which evidently hit, and the
elephant dashed into the jungle in front, issuing again in
front of us immediately after, followed by two other full-

12

116 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

grown elephants and two young ones. As they crossed
in front of us at about forty yards Jesse and Mockler
both fired at the leading elephant, which fell over. The
others stood by it, and were soon dropped also; but we
had to fire several bullets before they were dead. Nota
single attempt at a charge was made by any one of them.
The smallest elephant was shot by accident. Oe

A more unexciting attack it would be impossible to
conceive, and I believe we all felt rather ashamed of our-
selves for shooting such inoffensive animals as these
elephants appeared. Abyssinian elephants are not always
so harmless. An officer of the 2d Belooch regiment was
severely injured, and very nearly killed by one which he
had wounded near Suru. Lieut. Mockler was most
viciously pursued by a herd which he attacked on the
Anseba; and Mr. Jesse was charged by a large female
without any provocation, on our return journey, close
to this very place, Kokai. For my own part, this
happened to be the first and last occasion on which
I came across any elephants in Abyssinia. The only
satisfaction was that we provided all the people in the
neighbourhood with meat for some time. We made
one or two essays ourselves. Trunk proved rather
good, though tough ; but elephant foot met with general
disapproval.

On the 12th, Mockler went on. Jesse and I remained
a day longer to collect at Kokai, and proceeded on the
13th. The road led through fine jungle for about five
miles, gradually ascending. All the rocks, as throughout
the Lebka valley, are metamorphic, but from Mohabar

ARRIVAL IN THE ANSEBA VALLEY. 117

there is a considerable change in the foliation, which is
here north-east and south-west.

After about two hours’ gradual ascent, we came to a
steeper path leading over a small range of hills between
the upper portion of the Lebka valley and the basin of
the Anseba. From the top of the little pass, which
is called Mashalit, there is a fine view over the broad
undulating valley in which the Anseba runs. We de-
scended a finely-wooded valley, and found ourselves in
an open country, with more signs of inhabitants than
the Lebka valley, and cultivated in places. The popu-
lation, however, owing to Abyssinian raids and inter-
necine disputes and blood-feuds, is said to have much
diminished of late years; and the area actually under
cultivation is small compared with that which has
evidently been cleared.

The most remarkable feature of the valley is the
existence, on almost every conspicuous rise, of large
circular piles of white stones: Nothing of the kind had
been seen by us in the Abyssinian highlands. These
piles of stones cover the graves of chiefs. In some cases
the piles are not covered with the white fragments of
quartz which are usually placed on the surface, and to
which these sepulchral mounds owe their conspicuous
appearance. Such graves, we were told, are those of men
who have been murdered, and whose deaths have not
been avenged.

The law of blood for blood, universal amongst Semitic
peoples, prevails generally throughout Abyssinia. It is
of this nature in the Anseba country. If a man is

118 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

murdered or slain accidentally, it matters not how, his
family may agree to receive blood-money from the
slayer, the price being fixed usually at a certain number
of cows, differing according to his status as chief or serf ;
but should the relations refuse to accept compensation,
or, as is commonly the case, should the murderer and his
family be unwilling or unable to pay, a blood-feud arises,
and the relations of the dead man, up to the seventh
degree, are bound to kill either the murderer or one of
his near male relations, also to the seventh degree. As
may be easily supposed, the feud either between families
or tribes is seldom at an end with the loss of one or two
lives : usually it continues until one or the other, by re-
_ peated losses, has become so weakened that it sues for
peace, when an agreement is made, and sealed by inter-
marriage ; a girl from each family or tribe being given in
marriage to a man of the other.1

In many respects the people of the Anseba are a most
interesting race, or group of races. Unlike the Habab
and Samhar tribes inhabiting the country to the east and
north-east, they are still for the most part nominally
Christians. Forty years ago, all the Bedouins of Habab
and Samhar were the same; but the Mahommedan
religion in these lands has progressed, and is still pro-
gressing rapidly, and Mr. Munzinger pointed out to us

1 It was fur from generally known in the army that poor Dufton’s murder
was in satisfaction of a blood-feud, and in revenge for the accidental death of
a Shoho near Senafé. It is very much to be regretted that the murderers
have hitherto been allowed to remain unpunished, if only because such
impunity induces savages like the Shohos to believe that Englishmen care
nothing for their own countrymen.

INHABITANTS OF THE ANSEBA VALLEY. 119

several chiefs who had become converts to Islam. Both
Christianity and Mahommedanism are of a most debased
kind : there is neither church nor mosque, priest nor mulla ;
but the faith of the Mussulman is kept alive by wander-
ing devotees, while the Christians have only the Frank
missionary, who preaches to them a religion far more
distinct from their own, in practice if not in creed, than
that of the followers of the Prophet.

With the progress of Mahommedanism the rule of
the Egyptians extends, and that of the Abyssinians
diminishes. The former do but little for the country,
except receive taxes; the latter do still less, always
with the same important exception. Protection for life
or property there is but little in Habab or Samhar,
and none in Tieré.

At Kelamet we had passed the last Turkish outpost.
The upper part of the Lebka valley and all the Anseba
in this part of its course belongs to Tigré, and pays
tribute to the chief of Hamazen. The tribe owning the
part of the valley reached by us is that of Bejuk, and
we rode to their principal village, Wasentel,—generally
known, however, by the name of the tribe. We here
found Mockler just returned from exploring the banks of
the river, where he had found traces of rhinoceroses in
abundance. This was good news. The Abyssinian
rhinoceros had never been accurately determined, and
there was some doubt as to whether it was not a distinct
species from any occurring in Southern Africa. On our
road we had met with three or four birds of which I had
not specimens before, viz. Nisus niger, Lamprotornis

120 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

purpuroptera, Chrysococcyx cupreus, and a ruticilline
bird, which I subsequently found to be undescribed,
my &. fuscicaudata, and in the evening I added
to these Paleornis torquata, also an addition to my
collection.

Having provided my men with as many birds as they
could possibly skin, we all started together the next
afternoon to look for rhinoceroses. We rode across the
undulating plain, cultivated in patches, and imtersected
with ravines filled with thick bush, to the river, along
the banks of which there is a narrow belt of high forest,
with dense underwood of bushes. I had seen nothing so
luxuriant in Africa. So dense is the underwood that it
is only possible to creep through the tangled labyrinth of
roots and branches by the paths made by the rhinoceroses
which haunt these thickets. These animals retire into
the thickest parts during the heat of the day. In
particular spots, generally amongst high reeds, they
select a small space of ground, which they clear of
bushes, and these spots are well known to the natives as
“rhinoceros houses.”

In such a house, in the centre of a broader strip of
thicket than usual, the men who were with us reported
that two rhinoceroses, an old one and her cub, were
lying. The approved method of endeavouring to
shoot these animals is by walking silently into their
retreats, firing at them, and then taking refuge up a
tree. This, however, requires a degree of agility in tree-
climbing upon which we could not rely, and it is not
only dangerous, but, according to all the accounts we

RHINOCEROS’? HUNT. 121

received, peculiarly unsticcessful, since we could never
hear that a rhinoceros had been bagged by it. We
accordingly posted ourselves at one end of the jungle,
and told our men to shout and make noises at the other,
but the rhinoceroses escaped across the river.
Immediately after this piece of ill-success, we dis-
covered a herd of doe koodoo on the opposite bank.
Riding across the stream; which was about knee-deep
with a rather treacherous bottom; we proceeded to stalk
the antelopes, again without siccess; a man having
crossed the ground meantime and disturbed them. We,
however, caught sight of them again, and Mockler shot a
young doe. As we came up to the body two rhinoceroses,
one a huge beast, the other about three parts grown, ran
across the open about 150 yards from us, and disappeared
in a broad ravine. After peering about for some time, a
sharp-eyed Somali caught sight of the larger one standing
in the jungle, and by making a circuit we came within
100 yards: Nearer approach was very difficult, and the
bushes were so high that if we entered the broken
ground, near the other side of which the animal stood, we
should probably lose sight of her completely. Jesse and
I took steady aim, and fired. With the most astonishing
sound, a series of snorts like puffs from an enraged
steam-engine, the brute, with its young one following,
dashed into the bushes in front and came on towards us.
The moment it left the spot where we had seen it, it
vanished in the jungle, and only the snorting and
crashing of the branches told of its rapid progress
towards us, until it emerged just where we had becn

122 - PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

standing. Meantime we had modestly retired behind a
neighbouring bush, the rhinoceros continued its route,
and we followed, one of the Bejuk chiefs who was with
us running ahead. Presently he rushed back, a perfect
picture of excitement and delight, dancing like a mad-
man, beating his shield with his spear, and springing
nearly his own height into the air; telling us, partly by
words, mainly by pantomime, that the rhinoceros was
running round and round in a circle and falling over.
We soon came up with it: the monster lay dying on
the ground, the young one stood by prodding the mother
with its horns, and evidently trying to induce her to
move on. ‘Though very badly hit, the old one took
several more bullets before it was dead; the smaller
animal, after receiving one or two shots, rushed off at
the most astonishing pace, and we saw it no more. An
examination of the body next day showed that Jesse’s
bullet, a conical, had hit on the shoulder, turned forwards,
and lodged in the neck. Mine, a round bullet, had hit
behind the shoulder, made a clean hole through the
centre of a rib, and entered the lungs close to the heart.
Its not having glanced on the rib showed the advantage
of a hardened round bullet over a conical. I had fired
with a heavy breach-loading No. 12, with a charge of
five drachms of the strongest coarse powder.

After following up the smaller rhinoceros for a short dis-
tance unsuccessfully, it became dusk, and, strapping the
koodoo on a baggage-mule of Mockler’s, we started home-
wards. Scarcely had we done so when two lions began
roaring in some bushes close by. We went up to the

VISIT TO KEREN, 123

place, but it was too dusk to see anything. Scarcely
had we crossed the river when another lion commenced,
and we heard others on our way home. This was
during our stay in the Anseba, a circumstance of nightly
occurrence, yet in the daytime we could scarcely ever
find the animals.

For two or three days Jesse and I were busily occu-
pied in collecting and skinning. We drew lots for the
spoils of the rhinoceros. Jesse won them, and with
much labour preserved the skeleton, which is now in the
British Museum, and has been determined to be that of
the keitloa.

On the 16th Mr. Munzinger arrived, having ridden
from Ailat in only three days. On the following morn-
ing Mockler and I rode with him to Keren, the principal
village of the Bogos, about sixteen miles south-west of
Wasentel. The road lies up the Anseba valley, the river
being crossed about half-way. Although we had only
had occasional showers, usually in the afternoon, heavy
rain frequently fell near the source of the stream in

‘Hamazen, and the water was constantly very muddy,
and the river more or less flooded. After crossing
some hilly ground, our route lay up the bed of the Dari,
a tributary of the Anseba, now dry, and thence over
undulating ground to Keren.

This was the largest village we had seen. A consider-
able proportion of the houses were the usual beehive-like
mat huts, but there were also a number of much larger
dwelling-places with walls of wattle, and thatched. The
thatch, however, was not very good. A heavy thunder

124 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

and hail storm came on soon after we arrived, which
penetrated through it, and we were obliged to take refuge
in an inner room covered with mats,—a larger specimen,
in fact, of the usual Bedouin beehive.

Keren lies at the foot of a fine range called Zeban,
consisting of highly granitoid rock. All the metamor-
phics around are more highly crystalline than usual; and
the hills, as usual, in consequence of the peculiar mode
of weathering, appear to consist of gigantic rounded
blocks piled upon each other.

We returned next day to Bejuk. Wald Michele, the
ruler of Hamazen, had threatened to march upon the Bogos
and “eat up” the country, because Kassai, the Prince of
Tigré, had appointed a M. René, a Frenchman in his
service, to receive the revenue instead of Wald Michele.
Mr. Munzinger wrote to Wald Michele, and induced him
to put off his raid; and to refer the matter in dispute to
Kassai, as the superior ruler. This was an admirable
instance of the influence which Mr. Munzinger has
acquired amongst these people ; an influence which, it is
scarcely necessary to say, was of the very greatest impor-
tance during the progress of the expedition, and to which
indeed no small portion of its success was due.!

Although Wald Michele was perfectly friendly to us,
we judged that in the event of disturbances it would be

1 T believe it is not too much to say that the march of the army upon
Magdala would have been delayed by at least a month but for Mr. Munzinger’s
assistance. It will scarcely be credited that the only recompense made to
that gentleman for his services has been the abolition of the consulate at
Massowa, and his consequent dismissal from the’ British service, with a
formal letter of thanks from the British Consul in Egypt.

FAUNA OF ANSEBA VALLEY. 125

wiser to keep a little oyt of the way, and we conse-
quently made two short marches down the Anseba
valley, the first to Waliko, the second to a place called
Hegyargillé, near Maregas. The country continued much
the same.

The fauna of the valley is very rich and varied. It
comprises many animals which appear to be restricted to
what may be termed the sub-tropical zone, and which
are neither met with on the coast nor in the highlands.
I obtained a magnificent collection of skins, both of birds
and mammals. The following will serve to give a
general idea of the principal animals found.

Monkeys were not very common, and the baboon
(Cynocephalus hamadryas) less than usual. Cercopi-
thecus griseo-viridis was occasionally seen in the trees
near the river. I saw no bats, and wild cats were rare.
Leopards were less common than in the rocky valleys to
the east. Lions abounded, as already remarked. Hyzenas
(H. crocuta) and jackals (Canis mesomelas) were the
commonest carnivora.

Amongst the pachydermata, rhinoceroses have already
been mentioned. The white African rhinoceros (R. simus)
does not occur in Abyssinia or the Nile valley, so far as
is known. Hyraces are not common. The wild hog
(Phacocherus) was occasionally met with, but it is less
common than near the coast. The ruminants of the
Anseba valley are all antelopes. The koodoo is found in
the open valley, the klipspringer on the rocky hills
around ; while the little Beni Israel (Neotragus salti-
arius) keeps to the bushes. Another bush antelope

126 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

(perhaps Cephalophus madoqua) was also seen, but
not shot.

Hares were scarce; those seen belonged, I think, to
the large highland race (L. tigrensis). I had ill success
with rats, and could catch none, though I constantly
set traps for them. Scwwrus annulatus was found in
the river thickets, and Xerus leuco-umbrinus in the
open ground.

Of raptorial birds, the most common were G'yps Riip-
pelli, the two common species of Neophron, Nisus sphe-
nurus, Aquila rapax, Milvus migrans, and the great
owl (Bubo lacteus). The magnificent Helotarsus ecau-
datus was not uncommon, and I shot one specimen of
Falco barbarus. Parrots were represented by Pionus
Meyer: and Paleorms torquata, barbets by Pogono-
rhynchus abyssinicus, Barbatula pusilla, and Trachy-
phonus margaritatus. One woodpecker only was seen
(Picus nubicus), but two species of indicator (I. minor
and I. Sparmannz) were obtained. Cuckoos were more
numerous, Centropus superciliosus being far from rare.
I also shot Oxylophus afer, O. jacobinus, Chrysococcyx
cupreus, and just before leaving, Cuculus canorus, which
appeared in August. Both the plantain-eaters (Turacus
leucotis and Chizderhis zonura) occurred, and both colies
(C. leucotis and C. macrourus), Neither Caprimulgi nor
swifts were very common until the beginning of August,
when the European swift (Cypselus apus) made its
appearance. The three rollers abounded as at Kokai; of
kingfishers Jspidina picta was not rare in the thickets ;
Halcyon senegalensis and H. semicerulea also occurred.

FAUNA OF ANSEBA VALLEY. 127

The only bee-eater found was Merops erythropterus ;
of hornbills, Tockus nasutus and T. erythrorhynchus
were common. J. Hemprichiw was only found on the
hills around ; Bucorvus abyssinicus was frequently seen.
I shot two species of Irrisor (I. erythrorhynchus and
I. aterrimus), and the common hoopoe.

The passerine birds were of course numerous: it will
suffice to mention the principal. Swallows were repre-
sented by Hirundo puella, my new species H. ethiopica,
H. rustica, and Psalidoprogne pristoptera ; sunbirds
by Nectarinia affinis, N. pulchella, and, on the hills
around only, N. cruentata; flycatchers by Tchitrea
melanogastra and Platysteira pririt ; shrikes by Lanius
humeralis (not common), Laniarius ethiopicus, L. gam-
bensis in the river thickets alone, L. erythropterus,
Nilaus brubru and Dicrurus divaricatus. Thrushes
were rare: Mr. Jesse obtained Turdus pelios, and I saw
Cossypha semirufa; Turdus simensis did not appear to
occur at this elevation. Most Sawxicoline were absent at
this season, The sylvians were represented by the Abys-
sinian wren, Oligocercus micrurus, and Camaroptera
brevicaudata ; they_also were not abundant, nor were
Drymece. Two species of Crateropus, C. leucocephalus
and C. leucopygius, were common, and, as in other
instances, exemplified the meeting at this elevation of
birds which, like the former, range to the sea-coast, and,
like the latter, to the highlands. Of the tits and their
allies, Parus leucopterus, Zosterops abyssinica, and
Eremomela griseo-flava occurred.

The only crow was Corvus affins. The starling tribe

128 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

was numerously represented: Lamprotornis purpur-
optera, Lamprocolius chrysogaster, L. chalybeus, Bu-
phaga erythrorhyncha, and Textor alecto, were all
abundant. The weaver-birds were Hyphantorms galbula
and H. luteola, both breeding, and Quelea ethiopica. The
principal finches were Vidua serena, Amadina cantans,
Estrelda minima, E. phenicotis, Pyteha citerior, Em-
beriza flaviventris, and Passer Swainson. I observed
no larks, but Anthus sordidus. was common on the
hill-sides.

Of pigeons and doves the following occurred : Columba
guinea, Turtur semitorquatus, Riipp., T. senegalensis,
Peristera afra, and Treron abyssinica. Guinea-fowls
and two species of partridge (Francolinus Riippelli and
Ff. gutturalis) were common; F. Erkelw inhabited the
hills around the valley.

Waders were scarce. Scopus umbretta was found
on the river banks, with a few sandpipers. The only
plovers shot were Gidicnemus affinis, Lobivanellus sene-
galensis, both very scarce, and Sarciophorus tectus. The
only swimming bird was the Egyptian goose, which in
August began building nests on the trees near the river.

I obtained one land tortoise (Cinixys Belliana), and
one river species (Pelomedusa Gehafie). Some scinques
and lizards were seen, but none captured. I found a
young chameeleon, apparently new, but allied to C. lew-
gatus. The only snakes procured were Boddon lemnis-
catum and Psammophis sibilans. Reptiles altogether
were scarce, and no fish occurred in the stream, which is
dry for eight months in the year.

LEAVE THE ANSEBA VALLEY. 129

A month passed rapidly. The weather was by no
means unpropitious. Although this was the height of
the rainy season, the nights and mornings were invari-
ably fine. Rain usually commenced about two or three
o'clock in the afternoon, and lasted for one or two hours,
occasionally, but rarely, until sunset. More frequently
only a shower fell. Mockler, who devoted his attention
chiefly to rhinoceroses, was not very successful, but
before leaving the valley we succeeded in shooting a
second, rather smaller than the first. We had abundance
of small game; guinea-fowl and partridges were always
procurable when the larder was empty, and Mockler
killed several koodoo ; all does, however, until just as we
were leaving the valley, when we shot a fine buck be-
tween us. One evening Jesse and I, who had returned
to camp, received a message that Mockler was watching
a lion close by. We went out, and found our friend
sitting on a low hill. About 300 yards away, in an
open piece of ground, lay an immense lion with a short
mane, aS usual in Abyssinia. Our attempt to shoot
him was, however, unsuccessful; for, on approaching,
he slunk off.

Our supplies gradually ran out, and the only corn
procurable at Keren was millet; even that was very
scarce. On the 8th August we quitted the banks of the
Anseba with much regret, and crossed the Mashalit ridge
once more. Mr. Munzinger, who had only been able to
remain with us part of the time we were in the camp,
had rejoined us, and also a Mr. Schmidt, who was return-
ing from Keren. Whilst halting at Kokai on the 9th, a

K

130 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

heavy shower fell, and the ravine beside us was suddenly
filled with a torrent three or four feet deep. In an hour
this had run down again.

On the 10th August we marched to Kelamet. This
had become much greener than before, but still the
change was great. On the 11th, in a most violent squall
of wind and rain, several of our tents were blown down,
including my bell tent of course. A bell tent always is
the first tent to be blown down. Luckily I had secured
my collections in boxes, and only lost a few butterflies.

In consequence of these frequent showers, floods in
the Lebka had become of daily occurrence, and the gorge
of Aualid Oret was impracticable and dangerous. In-
stead, therefore, of returning by the river-bed as we
had ascended, it was necessary to make a detour to the
northward, and to go round by Rairo near Af Abed.
After the thorough wetting of the day before, I was
occupied all the morning in drying my tent, &c. It was
consequently afternoon before I started with Jesse, all
our companions having gone on earlier. Leaving the
Lebka valley, our route lay across very open country,
over wide plains covered with thin bush jungle, and
scattered hills. The rocks became excessively granitoid,
and scattered tors of the usual detached rounded masses
were frequent. We had accomplished the greater por-
tion of the march, which did not exceed about fifteen
miles, when a heavy shower induced us to take shelter
under some rocks beside a dry stream-bed, which we had
just crossed. Presently there was a rush of water, and
the stream-bed was filled with a torrent about four feet

STOPPED BY A FLOODED STREAM. 131

deep, and almost, if not quite, impassable from its
violence. The rain soon ceased, and we started again,
congratulating ourselves on having been on the right
side of the stream. However, we had only progressed
about a quarter of a mile, and the roaring of the waters
behind us was still audible, when we became aware of
the unpleasant circumstance that there was another
stream in front; and, on reaching it, our disgust may be
conceived at finding that it was broader and deeper than
the last, and that crossing it was out of the question.
We were in the position of Horace’s rustic, and had to
wait till the river ran down ; however, rivers in Abys-
sinia do run down in time. But there was no change
until nightfall, and as soon as it was dark our guide
professed ignorance of the road, except in daylight. There
was no help but to bivouac. We found a small cave, the
bottom of which consisted of soft sand’; a fire was soon
procured by the help of our guns, and a brace of guinea-
fowl, which we had fortunately shot on the road, cut in
pieces and grilled on a stick, supplied us with supper.
The night, as usual, was fine, and next morning the
stream had greatly subsided, though water was still
running in it. We soon reached our destination, and
learned that Munzinger and Mockler had also lost their
way, and had passed the night at Af Abed, in no greater
comfort than ourselves.

At Rairo we found a very large encampment of Be-
douins belonging to the Habab tribes, with sheep, oxen,
and goats. They had brought their flocks from farther
north, where no rain had fallen, and where pasture

K 2

132 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

was consequently deficient. Lions had followed the
flocks, as usual, and there was great roaring at night,
one very noisy fellow coming close to our camp, and
causing great commotion. He killed a cow, and in the
morning the villagers discovered his lair, and told us of
it. We went out, but meantime he had retreated, and
taken up his abode on one of the granite hills, behind
a huge boulder. We waited at the base of the hill, and
the Bedouins climbed over the top from the other side to
drive him down, but he escaped along the slope. He
was a splendid lion, with the usual short mane. Hither
the same or another returned to the camp as soon as it
was dark, and treated us to the usual serenade.

The country around Rairo is unusually granitoid, and
the hills barren and tor-like. On the 15th August we
marched back into the Lebka valley, encamping at a
place called Wonber Harattib, a little below Aualid Oret.
I shot several birds on the road (Gymnoris canicapillus,
Emberiza flaviventris, &c.), and was helping to skin
some of them, when a camel-man rushed in to say that
some lions had come down, and one of them had seized
acamel. We were all very soon upon the spot, not a
quarter of a mile from our camp. It wanted quite half
an hour to sunset. On a low rise in front lay a fine lion,
a little below him was a second, whilst amongst the
bushes, only sixty yards from us, was a huge tawny
mass, quite undistinguishable at first, until a slight
movement of one portion served to guide the eye. The
camel lay on its side, and a lioness had seized it by the
throat, and was holding it down. The slight movement

SHOOT A LIONESS. 133

which had enabled us to distinguish the two animals,
which were exactly of the same colour, was due to the
lioness tearing at the camel’s throat. Mockler fired, and
hit the lioness ; I was aiming at the moment, and as the
brute moved off without a sound, my bullet went harm-
lessly under her belly. Jesse had not distinguished the
parts in the confused mass of tawny fur, and, aiming
carefully at the lioness, as he thought, found subse-
quently that his mark, which he hit, was the unfortunate
camel’s thigh. The lioness ran up the side of the hill,
under a very heavy fusillade, and fell over dead. The
camel had several tooth-marks in the throat, but no
large blood-vessel was injured, and, despite lion and
bullet, she lived to reach Massowa some days afterwards.
The other lions ran off; we followed, and fired several
shots, but they had a long start, and we could not hit
them. They did not fail to return in the evening, and
amuse themselves by roaring close to our camp as usual.

This was a good instance of the insolence which lions
show. They are certainly bolder animals than tigers,
but all the wild animals in Abyssinia appeared to me
to fear man less than they do in India. The only
exception is amongst the antelopes, which are at least
as timid in Africa as in Hindostan.

On the following day we marched down the Lebka to
Ain. The floods which had descended had changed the
little watercourse greatly, but away from its banks all
was parched and arid. There were far fewer birds ;
many appeared to have migrated to greener regions.

On the 17th August we started in the afternoon for

134 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

the long march from Ain across the desert of Shob. In-
stead of keeping near the hills we took the direct road to
Massowa, which runs further to the eastward. It was an
intensely hot night, and we had a most dreary march,
and became one and all intensely thirsty. About two in
the morning, to our surprise, we heard the rush of water,
and found that a flood had come down one of the
streams from the hills called Mai Aualid, and filled the
watercourse with liquid mud rather than water ; how-
ever, thick as it was, it tasted delicious after our long hot
march. In the morning Mockler went on, Jesse and I
waited, intending to ride forward in the afternoon ; but
about one o’clock a sudden puff of wind carried away
my bell tent, and we started, and rode about six ‘miles
further to the Amba, another watercourse with a few
pools of water in the bed, near to which stood Mockler’s
tent.

This is a well-known resort for oryx, and Mockler had
seen a herd in the morning. Jesse and I resolved to halt
there for two or three days, whilst Mockler went on to.
Massowa, where we expected a steamer would touch
about this time, in which we could all have returned to
Aden. The next morning accordingly both of us went
out early in separate directions. I went several miles,
and saw one or two Scemmering’s and Dorcas
gazelles, but no oryx, although their tracks were
common. I had nearly returned to camp, when, ascend-
ing from a small ravine, I at last saw on the plain in
front the animal I had longed to catch sight of ever since
I had been in Abyssinia. Even at the distance of half a

SHOOT A BEISA ORYX. 135

mile, the cream-coloured hide and black marks on the
legs and face were sufficient to show what the antelope
was. I lay down and watched her (it proved to be a
female) through a glass. The long, straight, tapering
horns, the beautifully-formed limbs, the almost bovine
tail, and the singular symmetry of the Beisa, as this oryx
is called, combine with the unusual colour to render it
one of the most striking and elegant even of antelopes.

The oryx moved off with a quick, steady walk : she had
seen me, and turned from time to time to look. Leaving
my horse and men for her to watch, I stole up a ravine,
and at its head lay behind some rocks till she had crossed
a low rise, when I pushed on to the top, and had the
satisfaction of seeing her walking slowly only 150 yards
away. I fired and hit her, missing with my second
barrel, however, but her leg was broken, and following up
I hit her again. A long chase ensued ; I was excited and
unsteady from running, and missed several times, till at
last I had but one bullet left, and as wounded. oryx have
the reputation of charging, I slipped a shot cartridge into
the second barrel of my rifle. However, a Bedouin cut
her off as she was very nearly done, turning her towards
me, and I had the satisfaction of rolling her over. I was
surprised to find it was a female: from the splendid
horns, twenty-nine inches long, I had certainly supposed
it to be a buck, but the females of the Beisa oryx have
horns as long as those of the males, or longer.

I secured and preserved the skin. Specimens of this
kind of oryx (O. Beisa) are extremely scarce in museums,
far more so than those of the Cape oryx (O. capensis),

136 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

or of the North African (O. leuwcoryx). On the follow-
ing afternoon I had a great piece of good fortune. I
saw two of these fine antelopes, and made a successful
stalk, getting close to them, when they perceived me,
and ran out. I dropped one, and the other turning
round I shot it also, thus killing two right and left. On
the third day I killed a fourth. Jesse, who had worked
harder than I had, and had gone over more ground,
singularly enough did not see a single oryx.

There were a few birds at Amba which I had not
previously met with, amongst others Sylwa cinerea. To
my surprise I saw the Abyssinian roller also in this
hot region.

A party of Egyptian officers remained two days at
Amba whilst we were there. They were engaged in
laying out the line for an electric telegraph to unite
Massowa and Kussala. Two of them spoke French, and
one of them knew a little English.

A few of the migratory birds were beginning to return
from the north. I shot a grey harrier (Circus cineraceus)
on August 19th, and Lanius csabellinus on the 22d.
No Saaicole appeared, however, except Cercomela
melanura, which is a resident.

We returned to Massowa on the 23d August. No
steamer had arrived from Aden, and on the 27th,
the Egyptian steamer coming in, Jesse left by her for
Suez and England. Mockler had not been able to
obtain a boat for Aden, nor could we secure one till
the 29th, when we shipped ourselves and our men, and
started.

RETURN VOYAGE TO ADEN. 137

The boat we had secured was an open Arab dhow of
small size. There was a quarter-deck, just large enough
vo lie upon, and a small den below, in which some of our
people usually ensconced themselves. The only covering
during the day was a sail, but even with this poor pro-
tection the change from the intense heat of Massowa
was refreshing.

Of course, for any boat to start on a cruise properly
provided is one of those accidents which does not happen
in the East ; we had scarcely congratulated ourselves on
having succeeded in only losing six days, when we found
that our craft had not sufficient supply of water on board,
and that it would be necessary to run across to Dissee
island, in order to take some in. This was not the less
provoking that the wind was fair to run out past Dahalac.
However, there was no help: to Dissee we went, and
remained there till next day at noon. I atoned for the
delay by shooting a fine pair of pelicans (P. rufescens)
in full plumage, with richly roseate backs, and picking
up a number of interesting shells and corals on the
shore.

At last, on the 30th August, we started fairly for
Aden. Our speed was not great, for, if there was
sufficient wind to carry our boat along at more than
about six knots, our crew immediately shortened sail, for
fear of carrying away the mast, which was badly strained.
We had some little difficulty in inducing our men to. go
on at night, and not lie to altogether, but Mockler per-
suaded them, by the promise of additional payment, to
compromise the matter by only shortening sail. Luckily

138 PERSONAL NARRATIVE.

the wind was fair and light; if our progress was not fast,
it was steady, and we ran down to the Straits of Babel-
mandel in two days and a half, passing Perim Island on
the 1st September. Thence to Aden our progress was
slower, the wind was unfavourable, and we only arrived
in the harbour on the morning of the 4th. On landing
we were most kindly received by General Russell, the
Resident. I was delayed for a week waiting for a
steamer to Bombay, which I finally reached on the 18th
September, after an absence of nine months and a, half,
eight of which had been spent in Africa.

Altogether, I have never spent eight months more
pleasantly. The country was most interesting, the
climate during the greater part of the time perfect, and
the fauna and geology had all the attractions of novelty.
The time was quite insufficient for a thorough examina-.
tion of the country traversed, but still I had reason to
congratulate myself at having been able to accomplish
what I had. The scientific results of my journey may be
thus briefly summed up. I had, I believe, succeeded in
determining the true succession of the principal rock
systems of Abyssinia, and of defining their characters
with much greater exactness than had previously been
done, besides confirming, upon a considerable amount of
additional fossil evidence, the opinions of Messrs. Ferret
and Galinier as to the age of the only series which has
yielded organic remains. I had collected about 1,700
specimens of Vertebrata, representing 350 species, besides
a considerable number, about 3,500 specimens, of Mol-
lusca and Articulata, representing about 500 species. I

CONCLUSION. 139

can only add in conclusion, that this amount of success
was due to the hearty assistance which I received from
the officers of the army; all, almost without exception,
appeared to take a genuine interest in scientific research,
and a desire to aid me in carrying out the objects of
my mission to Abyssinia. While it is very much to
be regretted that a wider exploration could not be
carried out, and that no additional knowledge was
obtained of those parts of the country to the southwards
which are but little known, or quite unknown, to Euro-
peans, it is a satisfaction that the campaign was not
allowed, like so many others, to be entirely useless
to science, and that at least an endeavour was made to
profit by the opportunity afforded of examining under
peculiarly favourable conditions a most interesting region
of the earth’s surface.

PART II.

GHOLOGY.

weye) NX TET PPO BY HOpuo'T

sw burg 4 79 ,gesy box spuopem

0° BL

a) “Gf BUOT Gg

‘4

“y

YE aa poet, fi
NGF

—- Tee ¥

weTsey quay

pr meoyrsoy yo day sssthazingy jg way

PO WONT p2.BAING POUTRUTUIOLT, WALD 2) f9
SITY) FY} PUD £97.27 57 My BLING POY) 7p
quay us) prs spepap porndvsbouloy IYyT

"Prony A
Snpmruoz icy so uona2erp prszusb
=m kp jam son hose sr dip 22

~~ 4 sp pawn am sum mp uy

+ oD aPO OY TP I7L94

“hb syooy ny dioummnpy in -unmryoy

2p7q PPRUOELLOTT
nonin un Ag

pommasaidar 2 syIoL yo Ap 247

S204 DINSYOWHLZW |

FNOLSONYS Lv¥oray |

or

GH O lO GY.

INTRODUCTION.

WHILE a considerable number of details relating to the
geology of the country traversed have been mentioned
in the preceding part, it is intended in the following
pages to give a general description of the various rock
systems observed. These appear to embrace the only
great formation hitherto recorded by travellers as occur-
ring in Abyssinia, with the possible exception of the
coal-beds said to be found in Chelga, north-west of Lake
Dembea, of which, however, no account hitherto pub-
lished appears to afford any geological information, and
which may possibly prove to be part of the same system
as the Adigrat sandstone.

Before passing to these descriptions, a few words on
the labours of previous observers are necessary. The
geology of Abyssinia has met with far less attention
than its zoology, and, with the exception of Messrs.
Ferret and Galinier, no travellers have left any very
extensive record of their observations. Scattered remarks

144 GEOLOGY.

on the rocks are distributed through many works, from
those of Bruce and Salt to the recent narratives of
Markham and Von Heuglin; but the only important
contributions to the geology of the country with which
I have been able to meet are the following :—

In 1834 Riippell published a “ Sketch of the Geological
Formations of Abyssinia” (“Skizze der geologischen
Formation-Abyssiniens”), in the Museum Senkenber-
gianum, vol. i. p. 286. It is merely a sketch, as its,
name implies, but a good one nevertheless, and contains
much information on the different rocks found on the
shores of the Red Sea, and in Agamé, Adowa, Temben,
Simen, and around the Lake Tzana or Dembea. All
the Simen hills and the whole country around Lake
Dembea consist of volcanic rocks. I must differ, how-
ever, from Dr. Riippell on one point. He speaks of the
massive hills of Senafé as of hardened marl (Kalkmergel).
As already stated, they appeared to me to be of a kind
of claystone passing into trachyte.

A letter from M. d’Abbadie, published in the Bulletin
de la Soc. Géologique for 1839, vol. x. p. 121, gives,
in very few words, an excellent description of the coast
near Massowa (which he considers an alluvial formation
daily increased by the effects of torrents), and of some
geological phenomena observed on the route between
Massowa and Gondar. The high temperature of the
springs in Samhar is noticed, and, on the highlands, the
remarkable masses of sandstone with perpendicular faces.
In M. d’Abbadie’s opinion, the form of the mountains of
Tigré is not due to the effect of tropical rain.

INTRODUCTION. 145

A much longer “Rapport géologique et minéralogique
sur la Province de Tigré,” by M. Vignaud, published in
the same Bulletin for 1843, vol. xiv. p. 492, consists
mainly of an account of the country around Adowa. The
volcanic rocks in the neighbourhood of the Red Sea are
mentioned, and the destruction of ancient Adulis attri-
buted to a ‘ general movement” connected with them,—
a view which appears to have found favour with several
travellers, but for which I am unable to find any
authority. Most of the volcanic rocks on the shores of
the Red Sea are certainly far more ancient than Adulis,
and the destruction of the town is more probably due to
political than to volcanic causes. M. Vignaud’s petro-
logical nomenclature is so peculiar, that his account is
not easily understood. He gives a minute description of
the rocks met with between Adowa and the Mareb, and
appears to regard all, including the volcanic formations,
as of transition age. Unlike M. d’Abbadie, he considers
that the violent rains, by removing the soluble portion of
the rocks, such as alumina and lime, have hollowed out
the ravines.

In the Comptes Rendus for 1841, vol. xii. p. 732, is
an abstract of a memoir by M. Rocher d’Héricourt, on his
first journey from Tajurra to Shoa. He especially refers to
the presence of volcanic rocks, and of hot springs. A
brief account of the second journey of the same writer
appears in the Comptes Rendus for 1845, vol. xxi. p. 883.
It contains nothing of geological importance ; but in the
Bulletin de la Société Géologique de France for 1846,
p. 541, the same author gives a brief but still much more

L

146 GEOLOGY.

complete account of his geological observations made in
Egypt, the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Adel country,
and in Shoa. He describes the prevalence of volcanic
rocks, and of recent cones in the southern portion of
the Red Sea; also at Tajurra, and throughout the Adel
country. He found the basement rocks of Shoa to con-
sist of granite and other associated crystalline rocks,
upon which rest cones (?) of trachyte and basalt, some-
times of great height and vast extent. He especially
describes the hill above Angobar (or Ankobar), on the
slope of which the town is built, as a crater of elevation,
the mass formed of trachyte, while basalt covers the
sides; Angolala, the second capital, is built on a butte
de soulévement, of which the principal element is basalt ;
whilst at Debrabrame, between the two, zirconiferous
syenite is found. He also describes a great ravine,
fourteen leagues north-west of Angolala, 1,254 metres
deep, and only 800 broad. The sides are of volcanic
tufa, resting on primitive rocks,

It is probable that the traps of Shoa are precisely
similar to those to be presently described, as occurring
near Antalo, Ashangi, Magdala, &c. and that the
trachyte of Ankobar really is superior to the basalt, and
rests upon it, the rocks being probably bedded, as they
are further north.

Messrs. Ferret and Galinier, two staff-officers of the
French army, were in 1839 entrusted with a commission
from their Government to explore portions of Abyssinia,
and they remained in that country nearly two years,
from October 1840 till August 1842. A short notice

INTRODUCTION. 147

of their geological observations appeared in the Comptes
Rendus for 1844, vol. xix. p. 881; but a much more
extended account was given in the third volume of their
“ Voyage en Abyssinie,” published in 1847. The first
seventy-six pages of this volume, which is filled with
the scientific results of the journey, are devoted to the
geology. Numerous remarks on the same subject are
scattered throughout the first two volumes, containing
the narrative of the personal ‘adventures of the two
travellers; and the accompanying atlas comprises a
geological map of Tigré and Simen, and several geo-
logical sections.

The work of Messrs. Ferret and Galinier is by far the
most important contribution to the geology of Abyssinia
which has hitherto appeared, and the greatest credit is
due to those gentlemen, not only for the great energy
and research displayed by them, but also for the ad-
mirably clear description of the observations which they
have furnished. That they had but little previous expe-
rience of field geology is probable, and I am obliged to
differ from some of the conclusions at which they have
arrived ; but the value of their observations is in no way
impaired.

Messrs. Ferret and Galinier divide the rocks observed
by them into the following systems :—

( granite
gneiss
“j, Terrains primaires.. TT. gneissique . . . micaschiste
| protogine
taleschiste
L2

148 GEOLOGY.

taleschiste
2. Terrains intermédiaires T, inférieur ou phylladique phyllade
syénite
diorite
Tyenthemage 3 amphibolite, &c.

3. Terrains secondaires .

T. oolitique
T. sédimentaires . , . . grés, &e,

Be cat :
4, Terrains tertiaires. . Roches Porigine ignée qui trachytes
appartiennent aux ter- basaltes

rains tertiaires .
5. Terrains modernes.”

The oolitic rocks of this table are the limestones near
Chelikot and Antalo, and the sedimentary tertiary beds
the sandstones of Tigré described below as the Adigrat
sandstones, to which I assign a much earlier geological
age—but they are not fossiliferous.

Messrs. Ferret and Galinier also consider that there is
evidence of the existence of rocks of carboniferous, tri-
assic, and cretaceous age in Abyssinia; the existence of
the first being proved by the presence of coal, and that
of triassic rocks by the occurrence of rock-salt and
sulphur in the country between the highlands and the
Red Sea. The indications of beds of cretaceous age are
considered as very vague ; but the travellers are inclined
to attribute certain rocks in Shoa, described by M.
Rocher d’Héricourt, to this series. The evidence in these
three cases would not be deemed sufficient in the present
day to prove the presence of the formations supposed
to occur.

I have classed together the whole of the crystalline
and sub-crystalline rocks, attributed by Messrs. Ferret
and Galinier to primary, intermediate, and carboniferous,

INTRODUCTION. 149

under one series, the metamorphic ; not because I think it
at all improbable that they may be divided, but because
I have not myself seen any proofs of distinction. The
oolitic beds of Messrs. Ferret and Galinier are my Antalo
limestones, and I have entirely confirmed the opinions of
those explorers. Their tertiary sedimentary rocks, as
already mentioned, I consider pre-jurassic, and the ter-
tiary igneous rocks of their classification appear to me,
in part at least, probably of somewhat older date; but
their epoch is uncertain.

I do not think it necessary to do more than refer to
the works of Lefebvre,! or to Dr. Beke’s valuable papers
in the Royal Geographical Society’s Journal,? because,
although numerous geological notices occur in them, they
add but little to what was previously known of Abys-
sinian geology. The same remark applies to the works
of other travellers in an even greater degree.

Quite recently, in the Zeitschrift der Gesellschaft fir
Eirdkunde zu Berlin, 1869, p. 347, a paper has appeared,
entitled ‘Geological Sketch of the Neighbourhood of
Axum and Adowa, in Tigré,” by Dr. A. Sadebeck. It
consists principally of notes on a collection of rock speci-
mens, sent by Dr. W. Schimper to accompany a map and
sections. The rock specimens comprised granite of two
forms, various crystalline rocks, claystone, claystone-
breccia and conglomerate, and sandstone. The claystones

1 Voyage en Abyssinie exécuté pendant les Années 1839-43, Paris,
nal x, p. 583 ; xii. p. 84; xiii. 254; xiv. p. 1. As mentioned subsequently,

Dr. Beke has most obligingly allowed me to examine an interesting series of
rock specimens collected during his travels

150 GEOLOGY,

are doubtless a variety of the trachytic rocks ; but it is
curious that, even when studied in the cabinet, the
author of the paper has evidently been in great doubt as
to whether they were of sedimentary or volcanic origin,
and has preferred the former opinion. Having merely
rock specimens, Dr. Sadebeck has classed together, under
the general head ,of eruptive rocks, granites, porphyrics,
and basalts—a view not in agreement with the observa-
tions made a little further to the east; for it is evident
that all the granites observed belong to a far more
ancient series of rock formations than the basalts.

SECTION I.

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF ABYSSINIA, AND ITS RELATIONS
TO THE GEOLOGY, WITH REMARKS ON DENUDATION AND
ON LAKE ASHANGL.

THE physical geography of Northern Abyssinia is well
known, and there are few parts of the world neither
inhabited nor frequently visited by Europeans of which
so much had been ascertained previous to the expedition.
Beyond a few corrections of latitudes and longitudes
very little has been added except in matters of detail.
Abyssinia Proper consists of a mass of mountainous
country, intervening between the basin of the Nile and
the east coast of Africa. It rises on the east rather
abruptly from the low country bordering the Red Sea
and the Indian Ocean, and slopes away more gradually
to the westward, the Nile tributaries cutting out deep
valleys. The average height of the dividing range be-
tween the streams flowing to the east and to the west
is about 8,000 feet, rising to 10,000 or 11,000 to the
south and sinking to the north. Some peaks in Simen
are said to reach 15,000 feet, and many in various parts
of the country are 12,000 and 13,000, while to the south-
ward many plateaux of considerable extent are more than

10,000 feet above the sea.

152 GEOLOGY.

The plateau contracts greatly towards the north. The
last of the great affluents of the Nile in this direction is
the Mareb, which rises in Hamazen, almost due west of
Massowa. The streams running from the northern side
of Hamazen, the principal of which are the Anseba and
the Barka, unite and flow into the Red Sea south of
Suakim. Although a few isolated plateaux of 7,000 to
8,000 feet, such as those of Mensa and Marea, exist in
the area drained by these rivers, the elevated country
is of small extent, and the greater portion of the
surface does not rise above 4,000 to 5,000 feet above
the sea.

The fundamental rocks of all Tigré, and probably of
all Abyssinia, are metamorphic. They compose the mass
of the table-land, and while they occupy no inconsider-
able proportion of its surface, they are exposed, in Tigré
at least, in every deep valley.

As a general rule, it may be asserted that, in the neigh-
bourhood of the route followed by the British army, so
much of the country as exceeds a height of about 8,000
feet above the sea consists of bedded traps. There are
a few exceptions, such as the sandstone range of Sowera,
near Senafé, but they are neither numerous nor impor-
tant. The traps of Ashangi also descend ta a much
lower level than 8,000 feet above the sea. The greater
portion of Central and Southern Abyssinia, as far south as
Shoa at least, is known to consist of the same rock.!

Between the traps and the metamorphics a. series of
sandstones and limestones intervenes, one group of the

1 It is shown by M. Rocher d’Héricourt to be the case in Shoa.

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF ABYSSINIA. 153

former underlying the latter. The limestone alone is
fossiliferous, and is of jurassic age.

The country below the mountains along the Red Sea,
inhabited by the Danakil, Somali, and Galla tribes, is
but little known, and no opportunity was afforded to me
of penetrating into it during the progress of the expedi-
tion, the only exploration made, that of Colonels Phayre
and Merewether, in the direction of the Alelbad Salt
Lake, having been accomplished before my arrival at
Zulla. The region appears to consist of transverse
(E. and W.) chains of hills, separating desert tracts,
many of which are below the sea-level, and some of
which may formerly have been parts of the sea subse-
quently cut off and dried up. Water is scarce, the rain-
fall being scanty, and all brought down from the hills by
streams appears to be evaporated. Along the coast of the
Red Sea there is a belt of volcanic rocks of very late
geological age, the elevation of which may have cut off
such tracts as the salt plain west of the Amphila and
Lake Assal west of Tajurra, both of which are below the
sea-level.

This belt of volcanic rocks is extremely narrow in the
neighbourhood of Zulla and Massowa. A few observa-
tions of interest were, however, made upon it, which will
be found hereafter. Before concluding this brief sketch,
there are two points connected with the physical geo-
graphy of Abyssinia of which some notice should be
taken. These are the evidence of denudation afforded by
its surface and the conditions under which the only lake
examined occurs. Both are subjects of considerable interest.

154 GHOLOGY.

The surface of the Abyssinian plateau, as has already
been stated, has been deeply scored by the valleys in
which the rivers flow. Many of those in Northern
Abyssinia are remarkable enough: the Takkazzyé and
Mareb flow in ravines at least 3,000 feet in depth. But
it is in the area of bedded traps that these river valleys
assume their most peculiar characters. The gorges of
the Jitta and Bashilo, close to Magdala, impressed every
one who saw them by their great depth and the excessive
steepness of their sides, the breadth being singularly small
in comparison. Similar deep gorges are known to be
found further south.}

No such gorges can possibly result from marine denu-
dation. The fiords of Norway, which are far broader in
proportion to their depth, are glacier valleys, and certainly
not due to the action of the sea. There is not the
slightest evidence of any physical disturbance which
could have produced such rents in the earth’s surface ;
the strata which cap the scarps at each side of the ravines
are perfectly horizontal. There has as certainly been no
faulting, at all events in the case of the Jitta ; bed corre-
sponds to bed on the opposite sides of the gorge in the
most perfect manner. There cannot be a question but
that these enormous hollows are simply channels cut by
the streams which run in them. The lapse of time

1 One is described by M. Rocher d’Héricourt as trave-sing part of Shoa, at
a distance of fourteen leagues north-west of Angolala, one of the principal
‘towns. This ravine is said to be 1,254 metres (about 4,000 feet) in depth,
and only 700 to 800 metres (2,500 feet) in breadth! It is to be presumed
that the measurements were taken at a spot where the width was exception-
ally small.

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF ABYSSINIA. 155

necessary to have produced such an effect must have
been very great.

If the action of such small streams as the Jitta and
Bashilo has sutlced to sweep away the contents of
ravines 3,000 or 4,000 feet in depth, what may not have
been the effect of rivers like the Takkazzyé and Mareb ?
How much of the Abyssinian highlands has been removed
by these great torrents, and spread as an alluvial deposit
over the basin of the Nile ?

There is every probability that the trap hills of Adi-
grat, described in a subsequent page, are a mere outlier
of the great mass of bedded trachytes and dolerites of
Lasta, Amhara, and Shoa. It appears probable, from
the accounts given by travellers, that the high ranges of
Samyen or Simen, south-east of Takkazzyé, are another
similar outlier. If this be so, then over a portion, pro-
bably over the whole, of Northern Abyssinia, there
existed at least 4,000 feet of bedded traps, of which now
only a few vestiges remain.

It is worthy of repetition that throughout this great
denuded area, so far as it was possible to examine it,
there is not a trace of marine denudation. The prevail-
ing features of the country are deep ravines cut by
rivers, and terraced hill-sides, moulded by the sub-aérial
disintegration of the rocks of which they are composed.
On all the slopes there are unequivocal marks of the
unequal action of surface weathering upon rocks of dif-
ferent chemical constitution. This is especially seen upon
the traps.

How far the great scarp of the Abyssinian plateau

156 GEOLOGY.

towards the Red Sea is due to marine action is a very
difficult question. If the sea ever exerted any great
influence on the denudation of the plains at the base of
the range, it must have been at a comparatively remote
period ; for so far as they were examined, the hills pre-
sented a very different aspect from that of a sea cliff.
Still it is highly probable that, before the commencement
of the volcanic outbursts which have left their traces
along the whole southern portion of its shores, the sea
extended farther west, and very probably it reached the
foot of the hills in places. But tropical seas, and espe-
cially calm land-locked basins, like the Red Sea, are
trifling agents of denudation when compared with such
oceans as the Atlantic. Independently of the local
causes which determine the size of the breakers, most
tropical coasts are more or less protected either by coral
reefs, where no sediment is brought down by rivers, or
by the deposition of that sediment itself, which, owing
to the more violent rainfall (a far more important item
than the absolute amount, although the latter is also
usually excessive in the tropics), and to the more rapid
disintegration of rock, is far larger in quantity than in
temperate regions.+

1 I believe that the comparative importance of fresh-water and marine
denudation is to this day misunderstood by many of the best geologists of
Western Europe, and is only beginning to be appreciated by any of them, in
consequence of the exceptional conditions there occurring. The whole of the
circumstances attending the rainfall in tropical countries are far more favour-
able to denudation than in the temperate zone. Compare more especially
the case of the British islands and the neighbouring portions of the Con-
tinent—the part of the world, that is, in which by far the greatest number of
careful and continuous observations upon such phenomena as denudation have

PHYSICAL GHOGRAPHY OF ABYSSINIA. 157

Of the lakes of Abyssinia, only one was reached by
the expedition ; and this, Lake Ashangi, unfortunately

been made—with that of any well-known tract in the tropics, such as British
India. I select this for comparison, because I am best acquainted with the
facts, and do not need to take them at second-hand. In the British islands
the average rainfall is about twenty-four inches distributed over the greater
portion of the year. In India it averages over the whole country about fifty
inches, by far the greater portion of which falls in three months. The showers
are far heavier, and far more effective in sweeping soil, sand, and pebbles from
the surface of the country into the streams ; and floods in the latter are of
annual occurrence, instead of only happening at rare intervals. The effect of
a river in full flood in sweeping detritus down into the sea compared with the
usual denudating action, is as the comparison of the effect produced by the
breakers of the ocean in a storm to those of an inland sea on an ordinarily
fair day. In flood, a river is liquid mud rather than water. But, in addition
to the great floods, minor floods in tropical streams are matters frequently of
daily occurrence during the rainy season. That precisely the same pheno-
mena occur in Abyssinia as in India I had ample opportunities of seeing in
July and August ; indeed, they are notoriously the rule in all tropical
countries, except the few rainless regions.

But this is only one element in the comparison. It must be borne in mind
that fresh-water denudation is distinctly antagonistic to marine; and where
the former is large, the quantity of detritus carried down to the sea by
rivers actually protects the rocks of the coast from destruction. The coasts of
Abyssinia are so little exposed and so much defended by coral islands that they
could not under any circumstances afford a fair opportunity for judging, even
if the drainage of the country were not in the other direction. The coasts of
the peninsula of Hindustan, however, are an excellent case in point. Along
the whole eastern side of the peninsula, from the head of the Bay of Bengal
to far south of Tanjore, at all events, the whole coast is fringed by alluvial
deposits, except in one spot, close to Vizagapatam, where alone the sea washes
away rock. Nearly all the great rivers of the peninsula pour their detritus
into the sea on the east coast ; but even on the west coast, where fewer and
smaller streams, for the most part, enter the sea, there is throughout a very
large extent of shore a similar alluvial belt. Further north, in Guzerat,
Kattiawar, Cutch, and Sinde, the coast is in most places formed of alluvial
‘deposits derived from the large rivers Indus, Nerbudda, Taptee, Mhyr, &c. ;
and throughout the whole immense shore line of British India, exclusive of
the Burmese provinces, the only places where any marine denudation takes
place are between Bulsar, south of Surat, and Mangalore, and at a few
isolated points further south on the west coast, and at Vizagapatam on the

158 GEOLOGY.

is one of the smallest, although very interesting.t It is
four miles long by three broad, and was found by Major
Goodfellow and a party of engineer officers, who sounded
it, to be 103 feet deep. As soundings were only carried
on over a small portion of the lake, this may perhaps
not be the maximum depth. The spot at which it
occurred was not far from the south-west shore, and
the bottom was found to rise in all directions around.
Its chief peculiarity is the absence of any perceptible
outlet whatever. To the west are high hills, to the east
a lower range. The lowest portions of the rim sur-
rounding the lake are to the north-east and to the south.
The latter, evidently the lowest of all, are about 150 feet
above the lake. -

It appears almost certain that the lake has a sub-

east. If over British India the effects of marine to those of fresh-water
denudation in removing the rocks of the country be estimated at I to 100, I
believe that the results of marine action will be greatly overstated.

Some years ago, before the question had assumed the present phase, before
even Colonel Greenwood’s pamphlet had appeared, I remember being struck
by the absence of all signs of marine action and by the unmistakeable evi-
dence of immense fresh-water denudation in the Himalayas of Sikkim, where
ravines from 6,000 to 15,000 feet in depth are evidently the excavations of
the rivers running in them: so I am no new convert to a belief in the complete
efficacy of rain and rivers to produce gigantic effects. But after seeing, both
in India and Abyssinia, what the effects of these agents are in tropical coun-
tries, I do not feel surprised that their powers should be recognised with
difficulty in regions where their effects are comparatively so dwarfed as in the
British isles, while the power of marine denudation is at its maximum from
the enormous coast line exposed and the small amount of detritus furnished
for its protection by rivers of small length, and in which floods are of excep-
tional occurrence.

1 One of the principal geological questions which I had hoped to investigate
in Abyssinia is the mode of origin of one of the large African lakes, such as
Dembea. Unfortunately, I was unable to reach so far.

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF ABYSSINTA. 159

terranean outlet, for two reasons. The first is, that
although the army was on its banks in April, at the
close of the driest season in Abyssinia, there was no
appearance of the lake having been at any period of the
year more than a few feet higher than it then was.
Situated as it is, almost at the edge of the steep descent
to the eastward, with high hills to the west and north-
west, the rainfall must be very heavy ; and it is difficult
to conceive that in the months of July, August, and
September it can be less than eighty inches, which is
sufficient to increase the waters of the lake by thirty or
forty feet. So far as it was possible to judge, there was
no evidence of the water having been more than a third
of that amount above the lowest level. It is extremely
improbable that the rainfall could be evaporated within
the year from the surface of the lake.

The second reason is the perfect freshness of the water.
This alone appears conclusive as to the existence of an
outlet, for otherwise the water must gradually become
charged with salts. A similar case occurs in Berar, in
India, at the little lake of Lonar. This lake is a little
smaller, but its drainage area is very much less than that
of Ashangi, while the ground drained consists of pre-
cisely similar rocks, Lonar Lake, however, instead of

1 The rainfall in places similarly situated in India varies from about 100
to 200 inches. Taking the drainage area of the lake as a circle with a radius
of 5 miles, or nearly 80 square miles, and estimating the area of the lake
itself as 12 square miles, we have an increase in water for a rainfall of 80
inches of 80*80 = 533 inches, or 44 feet 5 inches. Of this, if 10 feet,
an excessive estimate at this elevation, and in so damp a climate, be allowed
for evaporation, the amount of increase would still be more than 34 feet. I
believe this estimate to be below the truth.

160 GEOLOGY.

being fresh, is at all times highly saline, and in the hot
season it becomes a concentrated solution, depositing
crystals of carbonate of soda. It also contains other
salts in large quantities.

The outlet from Ashangi is doubtless to the eastward :
the water, in all probability, percolates through the traps
and re-emerges on the flanks of the deep valley inha-
bited by the Asubo Gallas.?

It is very difficult to account for the formation of such
a hollow as that of Ashangi by any known process of
denudation. It is scarcely credible that it can be an
area of depression ; the higher series of traps capping
the hills around are remarkable for the absence of all
evidence of disturbance: and it is difficult to conceive
the formation of a small deep lake by gradual or rapid
sinking without supposing this to be only one in a series
of disturbances which would leave unmistakeable traces
on the formations around. It is, however, certain,
that the lower group of traps? near Ashangi is much
disturbed, though not more so than it is in many other
places, where the upper group is perfectly horizontal.

There is not the smallest trace of glacier action, and it
may fairly be inferred that the denudation which would
destroy all traces of glaciers would also fill up the lake

1 The valley immediately south of Ashangi, in which stood the camp of
Masagita, appeared to me to be equally without an outlet. It was impossible
to examine it, however, to the eastward, and other observers thought differ-
ently. But I cannot help thinking it possible that the accumulation of water
in this hollow during the rainy season may have occasioned the representation
on all the old maps of a small lake immediately south of Ashangi.

® For the distinction between these two, see posted.

PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY OF ABYSSINIA. 161

with detritus. It is evident that the lake must be of
very small geological antiquity, or it would have been
filled up long since. At the same time basaltic rocks
disintegrate as a rule much more rapidly on the surface
than gneiss and granite, and would therefore retain traces
of glacier action for a less time. But though, if the
whole globe was at a much lower temperature during
the glacial epoch, there appears no improbability in the
existence of glaciers even in the tropics at a height of
eight thousand feet above the sea, still the ravines
around Ashangi are so unlike glacier valleys that it is
scarcely credible that the lake can owe its origin to the
action of ice.

1 Their traces have been found by Mr. H. B. Medlicott in the Western
Himalayas, far below this, only a few degrees further north.

M

162 GEOLOGY.

SECTION II.
LIST OF GEOLOGICAL FORMATIONS.

THE various rocks observed in Abyssinia and described
in the subsequent pages are the following. They are
enumerated here in descending order, though, as is
usual and most convenient in geological descriptions,
they will be treated in the reverse sequence, commencing
with the lowest. Local names have been given from the
most important places at which the rocks of each group
are well developed :—

6. Recent formations—Soils of the highlands, coral
islands of the Red Sea, alluvial deposits near
the coast.

5, Aden series of volcanic rocks bordering the Red Sea.

4, Trappean series :—

A. Ashangi group.
B. Magdala group.

. Antalo limestones.

. Adigrat sandstones.

. Metamorphic rocks.

eS lo &

After passing the volcanic formations on the coast, the
route lay over a simple ascending series of rocks as far as

LIST OF GEOLOGICAL FORMATIONS. 163

Magdala, the different groups succeeding each other on
the road precisely as given in the above list.

It should be repeated here that no rock systems of
any importance besides those above enumerated appear
to have been observed by previous travellers in Abyssinia,
unless the coal-bearing formations of Chelga belong to a
group distinct from the Adigrat sandstone.

M2

164 GEOLOGY.

SECTION III.
MELAMORPHICS.

TE whole mass of the plateau of Northern Abyssinia,
as far south as the neighbourhood of Antalo at least,
consists of metamorphic rocks, capped only by sedi-
mentary and volcanic formations.

As is usual in countries where altered formations are
largely developed, the metamorphics of Abyssinia vary
greatly in mineral character. The variation is, indeed,
greater than usual, every intermediate grade being found
between the most coarsely crystalline granite and a
slaty rock so little altered that the lines of the original
bedding are still apparent.

Perhaps the most prevalent form of rock is a rather
finely crystalline gneiss. Hornblende-schist and mica-
schist are met with, but neither of the minerals from
which they are named appears to be so abundant as in
some metamorphic tracts. On the other hand, a compact
felspathic rock, approaching felsite in composition, is
prevalent in places, as in the Suru defile, between
Komayli and Senafé. Bands of quartzite were not so
abundant as usual in the country traversed.

METAMORPHICS. 165

In the region around Senafé and Adigrat no very
granitoid tract was observed ; the beds for the most part
‘do not appear to be highly crystalline. Probably in
Hamazen, north of Agamé, the same is the case, as the
country is said to be remarkably level. But at Keren, in
Bogos, and again about forty miles further to the north-
east, near Af Abed and Rairo, in Habab, the rocks are
highly granitoid, and even porphyritic, containing large
crystals of felspar. For the most part all traces of folia-
tion have disappeared, as is usual in such formations, and
the only structure, apart from the crystallization, which
can be detected, is the general direction of the bands of
rock, often rising into hills. The strike of these corre-
sponds approximately with that of the foliation in the
gneiss of the neighbourhood, and every here and there,
throughout the area composed of granitoid rocks, the
gneissic structure may be traced by searching for it.)

1 But a few years ago such granites as that above described were looked
upon as intrusive rocks, and it was even supposed that the alteration of the
metamorphic formations in their neighbourhood was due to them. This view
is scarcely yet completely exploded amongst geologists, partly, perhaps, be-
cause so few have opportunities for seeing large areas of metamorphic rocks.
It is, therefore, well to point out every instance which can be adduced tending
to prove the complete similarity in origin of the crystalline non-foliated rocks
and of the laminated mica-schist and gneiss. The appearance of the grani-
toid tracts in Abyssinia is precisely the same as in India, where metamorphic
rocks are developed on the most extensive scale, and cover nearly half the
peninsula south of the Gangetic plains. With their great opportunities for
observation, I believe there is not a single geologist on the Indian Survey
who questions the identity in origin of the foliated and non-foliated rocks.
The two pass into each other everywhere. The granitoid masses evidently
owe their more crystalline condition either to a difference of chemical consti-
tution, original or produced subsequently to their deposition, which rendered
them better adapted to the development of the minerals constituting granite

166 GEOLOGY.

In these granitoid tracts the most prevalent rock is
composed of quartz and large crystals of felspar, mica
being present, but only in very small quantities. The
hills have a most peculiar and characteristic appearance.
They are either huge crags with enormous cliffs, the sur-
face of which is not vertical, but curved, or they appear
as if composed of monstrous blocks, more or less rounded,
and piled upon each other. These peculiar appearances
are due to the mode of weathering; the rock, when
unaltered, is so compact that water can only penetrate
through jomts and cracks, and it is consequently in the
immediate neighbourhood of these alone that disintegra-
tion takes place. As a rule, all rain-water runs off the
surface of the rock, and consequently weathering is so
slow as to be almost imperceptible on the exposed portion.
The accumulation of a little soil and a few plants gene-
rally produces a hollow on the surface, and the rock in
contact with the soil is usually seen to have undergone
change. The result is that, while the exposed portions
of the rock remain unaltered, the surfaces of the joints
and cracks are gradually disintegrated and washed away,
until the blocks, formerly separated by minute fissures,
become entirely isolated and detached. In this posi-
tion, so long as they are exposed on all sides, they are
scarcely susceptible of change above, but disintegrate
slowly beneath, where they are in contact with soil
and vegctation.

and allied rocks, or to local conditions during the period of metamorphism.
As to granite of this kind ever having been fluid, certainly such evidence as
I have seen during several years’ study of the rocks is opposed to any such
supposition.

METAMORPHICS. 167

In ascending the mountains of Tigré from Komayli to
Senafé, a gradual decrease in the amount of alteration
which the beds had undergone is very perceptible.
About the lower portion of the pass, near Suru especially,
the rocks are much hardened and changed; but above
they are slaty, and in places scarcely crystalline at all.
Some beds in the neighbourhood of Senafé are true clay
slates; the original bedding, in one instance at least,
being still minutely visible. At first these phenomena
appear to indicate a gradual diminution in the amount
of alteration corresponding with the smaller depth of the
rocks from the surface; for it is evident that the deep
valleys on the flanks of the Abyssinian mountains have
been cut out from the plateau by running water, so as to
expose rocks formerly at a depth at least as great as that
of the bottom of the valleys below the high ground of
the plateau. But it appears most probable that the phe-
nomenon is merely local. The high ground near Halai
consists of rocks which are more crystalline than near
Senafé, and the most crystalline rocks seen, those above
referred to as occurring near Keren and Af Abed, are at
elevations of from 3,000 to 5,000 feet above the sea.

The foliation of the metamorphic rocks in Tigré, so far
as they were observed, is remarkably constant in direc-
tion ; its strike rarely deviates more than a few degrees
from north and south. The dip is more variable, though
it is generally nearly vertical on the highlands ; near the
base of the hills about Komayli and Hadoda, and again
further to the north, about Ain, it is less than 30°. The
north and south strike was observed to prevail from the

168 GEOLOGY.

neighbourhood of Ain and Af Abed, in Habab (lat. 15° 55’
to 16°10’ N.), as far south as the metamorphic rocks
were found to predominate on the highlands, and that is
to about twenty-five miles south of Adigrat (or nearly
13° 50’ N.), or throughout a distance of upwards of 150
miles from north to south. In the Anseba valley, and
around Keren, in Bogos, the strike changes to north-east
and south-west; and very possibly this direction may
prevail to the northward.

To the constancy of the strike of the metamorphic
rocks several of the most important features are due, one
of the principal being the direction of the river valleys.
No one can have studied the geographical sketches made
during the progress of the expedition, of the physical
features of the country around the passes, without ob-
serving the remarkable manner in which the principal
valleys, such as those of Komayli and the Haddas, run
for many miles in a north and south direction, parallel
to the base of the hills, before debouching into the plain.
As the facility with which an excellent military road
was made to the highlands was due mainly to the length,
and consequently gentle slope, of the ravines traversed, it
is very evident that the accessibility of Abyssinia from
the sea depends, in a great measure, upon the geological
structure of the rocks, and that the foliation of the gneiss
was one of the best friends of the British army during its
ascent to the highlands.

Reference was made on the previous page to an in-
stance being met with, at the base of one of the hills near
Senafé, of the original bedding being still perceptible in

METAMORPHICS. 169

a cleaved slaty rock belonging to the metamorphic series.
This observation was of much importance; for, as the
direction of the planes of cleavage is the same as that of
the lamination, viz. north and south and vertical, it is
evident that the foliation in this case corresponds with
pre-existing cleavage. It is also supported by nume-
rous instances observable in the slaty rocks of the
higher part of the pass and elsewhere, in which the
character of the planes of division is intermediate
between foliation and cleavage.! It is, therefore, highly
probable, that the high dip, approaching verticality, met
with on the highlands is normal, and that the low dips
at the base of the hills are due to subsequent disturbance.
This disturbance may be of late date, and synchronous
with that which has affected the volcanic beds of the
coast, which will be described in a subsequent section.

1 Tn a report on the geology of the lower Nerbudda valley in the western
part of the Indian peninsula (Mem. Geol. Survey of India, vol. vi. p. 193), I
have shown the strong probabilities which exist in favour of gneissic lamina-
tion corresponding with pre-existing cleavage whenever the dip is high and
the strike constant over large areas. In the Nerbudda area the probability
of the direction being due to cleavage was shown by independent evidence.
The metamorphics of Abyssinia offer another instance to the same effect, and
the rule may be universal. It will be of considerable geological importance
if this be established by further observations ; for if, as some of our best
geologists believe, lamination in metamorphic rocks may owe its direction to
either bedding or cleavage, according as the one or the other was the ruling
structure in the rock before metamorphism, the regularity and dip of the
lamination will afford a test as to which of the two the present direction of the
lamination planes should be ascribed,

170 GEOLOGY.

SECTION IV.

ADIGRAT SANDSTONES.

In the north-eastern portion of Tigré, around Halai,
Senafé, and Adigrat, the rock resting immediately upon
the metamorphics is generally a massive sandstone. The
perpendicular scarps which usually bound the areas
formed of this rock, and flank all the valleys cut out
of it, are very conspicuous, from their height and their
white colour, and they give a very peculiar character to
the scenery.

This sandstone—which, on account of its extensive
development around the important town of Adigrat, I
would propose to call the Adigrat sandstone—is usually
white or brown in colour, the former much predomi-
nating. Occasionally it is pale brown and lilac, or, as
about Takonda, brick red; these colours being chiefly
restricted, however, to bands ‘interstratified with the
mags of the rock. It is usually very quartzose, fre-
quently felspathic, less commonly argillaceous. Shales
of a blue or lilac colour are frequently met with towards
the base of the group, but the principal characteristic of
the great bulk of the sandstone is its massive character,
and the absence of marked bedding, so that the high

ADIGRAT SANDSTONES. 171

cliffs of it which form the head of the Haddas and
Komayli ravines, and which surround valleys such as
Baragit and Guna Guna, south of Senafé, appear as if
cut out of a huge unstratified block.

In thickness the sandstone varies ; and as the original
surface is rarely, if ever, seen, only an approximate idea
can be formed. On Sowera it is, by aneroid measure-
ment, about 1,000 feet, or perhaps rather more, as the
observation was not taken on the highest peak. About
Guna Guna it does not much exceed half that thickness.
At Adigrat it appears to be intermediate in amount.

No fossils were met with in this group, although
portions of it, the shales especially, were much searched
for organic remains. This is unfortunate, for its position
in the geological series can only be approximately deter-
mined. By Messrs. Ferret:and Galinier it was classed,
with doubt, as tertiary. There can be but little doubt
that it is much older than this, from its relations to the
Antalo limestone ; but its true age is still uncertain.

As above remarked, it invariably rests upon the meta-
morphics ; no, other rocks have been observed to inter-
vene. In the neighbourhood of Senafé and Adigrat, the
only rocks seen resting upon it are traps, which are
apparently conformable at the latter place, but quite
unconformable at the former. Their relations to the
sandstone will be described further on.

About twenty-five miles south of Adigrat, at Mai
Dongolo or Wugula,' sandstones are seen to dip below

1 Not Agula, the name given to another camp, which is ten miles further
south.

172 GEOLOGY.

the Antalo limestone. The Adigrat sandstone is traced,
almost without a break, from the neighbourhood of
Halai, Takonda, and Senafé, to within about six miles
east of Dongolo; but then there is a break, and meta-
morphics intervene, so that the beds at Dongolo are not
connected with the mass of the formation. They differ
also in colour, being red ; and instead of being horizontal,
as at Adigrat and generally throughout Northern Tigré,
they dip at a considerable angle to the southward.
These differences do not appear to be of much im-
portance. The colour of the sandstone is occasionally
red everywhere, and is very liable to vary ; and although
the greater portion of the formation is perfectly hori-
zontal, it does dip in places. Besides, the Antalo lime-
stones are also horizontal in general, although they too
are considerably inclined near Dongolo. Moreover, the
sandstone, a little farther west than Dongolo, forms
massive craggy hills, standing out above the plain of
the metamorphics, which is higher than the valley in
which Dongolo lies; and these crags, although formed
of inclined beds, resemble closely those of the Adigrat
sandstone further to the eastward and northward ; in-
deed, they have all the appearance of being outliers

Sketch section of relations between trap, limestone, sandstone, and metamorphics
near Dongolo: a, trap ; 0, limestone ; ¢, sandstone ; d, metamorphics.

from the Adigrat hills. The accompanying sketch sec-
tion will give some idea of the apparent relations of the

ADIGRAT SANDSTONES. 173

beds near Dongolo, the vertical dimensions being, of
course, greatly exaggerated. The mineral character of
the sandstone at Dongolo is precisely similar to that of
the Adigrat beds in general.

No trace of the sandstones was observed further south
on the road to Magdala ; all the beds seen were higher in
the series, except at one spot, near the camp at Dolo,
where a small boss of granite emerges from beneath the
limestone. This small patch is so minute that it affords
no means of judging whether the sandstones to the
southward underlie the limestone or not. Both forma-
tions are, of course, quite unconformable to the meta-
morphics, and rest upon an uneven surface of them, so
that peaks of the latter may rise through all the former
sedimentary formations, and only be capped by the
highest.

Passing northward from their southern boundary at
Dongolo, the sandstones, as already intimated, cover a
considerable tract around Adigrat, and form the lower
portion of the great. hill-range west of that town; thence,
to the north, they cross the highest portion of the
dividing range between the streams running down to
the Nile basin on the west, and those flowing to the salt
plain west of Amphila to the east. Their area is very
narrow as far as Senafé, but here they expand into two
or three broader plateaux, which encircle the upper por-
tions of the Komayli and Haddas valleys. The most
eastern of these plateaux is Sowera, north-east of Senafé.
Further still to the north-east and east, sandstone caps
some of the isolated ridges running north and south

174 GEOLOGY.

between the highlands and the plains near Annesley Bay.
One such cap is seen north-east of Sowera on the oppo-
site side of a deep ravine. Another lies east-south-east
of Sowera. A third is not seen from the highlands, but
was found at a much lower level in the hills further east
towards Arafilé by Lieutenant Holditch, R.E., of the
Trigonometrical Survey.

The whole of the Sowera plateau consists of sand-
stone, but the rock ends somewhat abruptly on the
Asawat plateau between the Haddas and Komay]li ravines,
and also west of the former, near Halai, which village
stands on metamorphic rocks. It is curious that the
northern part of each plateau, which consists of meta-
morphics, is higher than the southern part. ‘This shows
on how uneven a surface the sandstone was deposited.
The limit of that formation nearly corresponds with an
east and west line on both sides of the Haddas valley,
but there does not appear good evidence of faulting.
On the plateau of Hamazen, north of Halai, there is said
to be no sandstone.

The sandstone plateaux are covered with thin jungle,
and do not appear to be sufficiently fertile for cultivation
in general, except where a richer soil is derived from
trap rocks in the neighbourhood, as is the case near
Adigrat.

The extent of the sandstone to the westward was of
course not determined. Looking from the verge of the
scarps near Takonda, it appears that for some distance
metamorphics prevail, but that the sedimentary rocks
recur on some ranges beyond Dixa.

ADIGRAT SANDSTONES. 175

It is possible that the beds associated with coal in the
Chelga district may be of the same age as the Adigrat
sandstone. It is very much to be regretted that the
problem of their age, one of the most interesting geo-
logical questions in Abyssinia, could not be solved.

1 I would venture to suggest the possibility that both the coal-bearing beds
of Chelga and the Adigrat sandstones may belong to a portion of the great
series associated with coal in India—the Damudas and their associates of the
Indian Survey classification. This, of course, is mere surmise, and my only
reason for thinking it probable is the resemblance between the fossils of the
dicynodont beds of South Africa and the Panchets of India, and the want, so
far as is known, in Equatorial and Southern Africa, as in great part of
Southern Asia, of marine representatives of the upper palzozoics and lower
mesozoics of Europe.

176 GEOLOGY.

SECTION V.
ANTALO LIMESTONES.

Next above the sandstone in ascending order is a thick
group of limestones, which rest upon the Adigrat beds
at Mai Dongolo in the manner described in the last
section, and thence cover the country for a distance of
seventy miles along the route, as far as about twenty
miles south of Antalo. They extend also for a very
considerable distance east and west.

For twenty miles south of Dongolo the limestone is
not accompanied by any other rock. It is usually in
thin beds of a grey colour, less commonly ochreous,
and it much resembles some of the beds of lias lime-
stone in the south-west of England. The rock, when
broken, is compact and earthy, or but slightly crystalline
in general.

Further south, towards Antalo, although limestone is
still the prevailing rock, some beds of sandstone and of
trap are interstratified ; the former especially prevailing
towards the upper part of the group. The hill of Gutba
Hariat, behind Antalo town, appears to be in great
measure composed of sandstone ; and so are the beds
immediately beneath the trap in the Meshek valley, south

ANTALO LIMESTONES. 177

of Antalo. These sandstones differ in character from
the Adigrat beds. They are less quartzose, being both
more earthy in composition and darker in colour, and
they contain large quantities of conglomerate.?

The trap is always doleritic, and usually compact
basait. Beds of it are seen at Mai Makdam, between
Agula and Dolo, but they are irregular, and have rather
the appearance of outliers of a higher formation, depo-
sited on an irregular surface of limestone, than of inter-
stratified lava flows. Farther south, however, and
especially between the camp at Buya, near Antalo, and
Meshek, there can be no question of the basalts being
contemporaneous. One bed at Masgi, the first camping-
ground south of Antalo, is about one hundred feet thick,
as nearly as could be measured with an aneroid on the
hill-side. :

As a rule, the Antalo limestone is horizontal. It does
not, however, preserve the same unbroken lines as the
sandstone near Adigrat, but rolls about slightly every-
where. In places it is much disturbed, as at Meshek.

The scenery is peculiar. The limestone forms cliffs, of

1 There is, of course, the bare possibility that these sandstones at the top
of the Antalo group, and not those of Dongolo, represent the Adigrat beds.
For the reasons given in the text, I think this highly improbable. The sand-
stones of Antalo and Meshek have every appearance of being an integral
portion of the Antalo beds, and limestone more or less impure is mixed with
them. No limestone whatever occurs either at Dongolo or in the Adigrat
beds. The only reason I am acquainted with for supposing the limestone to
be of higher antiquity than the sandstone of Adigrat is, that the former is less
persistently horizontal than the latter, the beds usually rolling about slightly.

This may be due to local causes, but it is almost universally the case in thick
groups of beds, when the strata themselves are not massive, and especially so

amongst limestones.
N

178 GEOLOGY.

no great height in general, along the sides of the valleys,
all of which contain streams, and have a striking cha-
racter, due to the nearly perpendicular sides and the
narrow flats covered with grass and bushes at the
bottom. Except in the valleys, the soil is poor, and
only low scattered scrub occurs on the hills. The latter
are a rolling upland, very distinct from the plateaux of
sandstone or the terraced ridges and rounded hummocks
of the trap.

Where the Antalo group rests upon the Adigrat
sandstones at Mai Dongolo, the two formations are
apparently conformable. Whether they are so through-
out it is impossible to say; there was not time for
sufficient exploration of the country to determine the
question. The non-occurrence of any limestone upon
the sandstones of Adigrat and Senafé is opposed to the
idea of the two being conformable. A similar doubt
rests upon the relations of the lower series of traps with
the limestone, as will be seen in treating of the volcanic
rocks in the next section.

This want of opportunity for determining precisely
the relations of the limestone to the rocks above and
below is the more to be regretted, as the present is the
only group which has yielded fossils. Organic remains
abound in it, as so frequently occurs amongst limestone ;
but in general they consist only of oysters, half-defaced
casts of bivalves, and spines of Echinedermata, none
of which are of much value for affording determinations
of age. For a long time it seemed to me as if similar
ill-preserved specimens were the only fossils to be found,

ANTALO LIMESTONES. 179

and during the hurried march to Magdala nothing of
any value was obtained ; but when returning it was
possible to devote a couple of days to examining the
neighbourhood of Agula and Dongolo, and the search
was rewarded by the discovery of a few species in better
condition. Of these the following is a list :!—

EcuHInoDERMATA—.

T Hemicidaris Abyssinica, sp. nov.

Cidaris, ? sp. a fragment.
Mouiusca LAMELLIBRANCHIATA—

Ostrea, sp. near O. Jonesiana, Tate.
Gryphea, sp.
Pecten, sp.
Trigonia costata, Sow. var. pullus,
Modiola Baini, ? Sharpe.
Modiola imbricaria, Sow. var.

+ Mytilus Tigrensis, sp. nov.
Cyprina, sp. cast.
Tancredia, sp.
Isocardia, ? sp. cast.
Tellina, perhaps two species, casts,
Ceromya concentrica, Sow.
C. similis, Sow.

+ C. pauctlirata, sp. nov.

} Pholadomya sublirata, sp. nov. near P. recurva, Ag., and

P. concatenata, Ag.

P. sp. near P. antica, Ag.

+ P. granulifera, sp. nov.

GasTEROPODA—
Natica, sp. casts.
Alaria, sp. do.
Cerithium, sp. fragmentary.

(t For the descriptions of the new species, see Appendix to this part.)
The species of Hemicidaris, Pholadomya, Ceromya,
‘rigonia, and Alaria are all of characteristically oolitic

1 I am greatly indebted to my friends Dr. Stoticzka and Mr. Etheredge for
aid in determining these fossils.

N2

180 GEOLOGY.

forms, and amply suffice to determine the series to which
these limestones belong. The fauna has a general resem-
blance to that of the middle Jurassics, but the evidence
is scarcely sufficient to justify any decided conclusions in
matters of detail.

The occurrence of trap beds interstratified with the
limestones is very interesting, because it indicates a com-
mencement, in the oolitic period, of the great series of
volcanic effusions, the remains of which still cap so many
of the Abyssinian mountains. It also shows that the
earliest lava-flows must in all probability have been
submarine, like the limestones with which they are
intercalated. It is worthy of note that the earliest great
outburst of traps of known age in India is also Jurassic.

SECTION VI.
TRAPPEAN SERIES.

THE greater portion of the Abyssinian plateau, with
the exception of its north-eastern corner, is known to be
covered by volcanic rocks. Much has yet to be done
before their geology can be properly ascertained. No
opportunity was afforded during the expedition of visit-
ing the remarkable trachytic ranges around Adowa, and
it can only be inferred from the form of the hills that the
rocks are similar to those of Senafé. Far to the south in
Shoa the trap rocks, as described by M. Rocher d’Héri-
court,! appear to correspond with those of the neigh-
bourhood of Magdala. From the accounts given by
Messrs. Ferret and Galinier, Dr. Riippell, and others, it is
evident that the high mountains of Simen and the whole
country around Lake Dembea consist of the same bedded
traps. By the kindness of Dr. Beke I have been allowed
to examine a series of specimens collected during his
journeys in Central Abyssinia, which entirely confirm
these accounts, and prove that the rocks of the hills on
the banks of the Abai, and those both north and south of
Lake Dembea, are precisely similar to the traps of Lasta,

1 Bull. de la Soc. Géol. de France, 1846, p. 543.

182 GEOLOGY.

On the route to Magdala volcanic rocks were first met
with at Senafé, where several hills consist of trachyte
passing into claystone and basalt. ‘Trap hills, chiefly of
trachyte, are dotted over the country to the southward as
far as Fokada, a distance of nearly thirty miles. Here a
great range of bedded traps commences, and extends for
about twenty-five miles to the south, passing to the west
of Adierat. From alittle south of that town no volcanic
rocks were met with, except the beds mentioned in the
last section as occurring interstratified with the Antalo
limestones, until some distance south of Antalo ; but at
Meshek, two marches beyond that town, the route entered
high ranyes entirely composed of trap, and thence no
other rocks were seen as far as Magdala.

In the Meshek valley and in other valleys to the
south, especially at Atala, Aiba, and Belago, it is very
plainly seen that the trappean rocks belong to two dis-
tinct and unconformable groups. The lower of these is
much inclined, while the higher rests on its upturned and
denuded edges. In this part of the country the two
groups are easily distinguished by the absence of dis-
turbance in the higher beds. Nothing can be more
complete than the evidence of unconformity. Of these
two groups the lower or inclined beds may, for the sake
of distinction, be called the Ashangi group, from their
development around the lake of that name, and the
higher or horizontal beds the Magdala group. They are
evidently of different geological age, and require separate
description.

TRAPPEAN SERIES. 183

A. ASHANGI GROUF OF TRAPS.

The lower group consists entirely of doleritic rocks.
The basalts, of which it is principally composed, are
usually amygdaloidal, containing nodules of agate and
zeolite, frequently coated with green earth. The zeolite
is usually white or orange-coloured stilbite. Beds of
volcanic ash or breccia frequently occur, and often contain
augite crystals. Not unfrequently the rocks composing
this group are much decomposed, and have a red colour,
a sure mark in general amongst basaltic rocks of alteration
by atmospheric action. Some beds are scoriaceous.

At Atala and Aiba these beds are only seen in the
bottom of the valleys, but from the Ferra pass near
Belago they extend far to the south, the greater part of
the hills around Lake Ashangi being composed of them,
and probably all the country thence to the southward as
far as the upper Tellari valley. The distinction between
the two groups was not made out in time to allow of
their being separated further to the south, and it is im-
possible to say now whether the beds exposed in the
Jitta and Bashilo valleys belong to the present division or
not. There can be but little doubt that the rocks seen in
the bottom of the upper Takkazzyé valley are a part of
the Ashangi group, and probably the same are exposed in
the much deeper gorges near Magdala. They have not,
however, been represented as occurring on the map south
of the Tellari, and their boundaries throughout are merely
approximate.

The only place where the Ashangi traps were seen to

184 GEOLOGY.

rest on the lower rocks was in the Meshek valley. Here
the geology is greatly confused, the Antalo limestones and
their associates being much disturbed and contorted.
Above them are seen inclined basaltic beds belonging to
the Ashangi group, capped by the horizontal Magdala
traps. The Ashangi beds appeared to be unconformable
upon the sandstones and limestones beneath them, but
the intricacy of the geology was too great, in a country
much covered by bush and tree jungle, to enable this to
be determined with certainty in a single morning, all the
time that could be devoted to its examination. <A
priori, there is of course a probability that these inclined
beds might belong to the same series as the limestones, in
which, as has been shown, beds of basalt are interstra-
tified, especially towards the top; but the sections seen
at Meshek were opposed to this view. Still, it cannot
be considered as absolutely disproved.

Nothing, however, can be considered as ascertained
concerning the age of these traps, except that they are
not older than oolitic. In mineral character, they
strikingly resemble the great trappean series of Western
India ; the resemblance even extending to such minute
peculiarities as the frequent occurrence of agate or zeolite
covered with green earth, and the existence of a peculiar
porphyritic basalt with tabular crystals of felspar. The
age of the Indian traps has of late been shown to be
almost certainly, in great part at least, upper cretaceous ;
but resemblance of mineral character is hardly sufficient
alone to connect rocks in countries so widely distant
from each other as Abyssinia and Bombay. Still, as

TRAPPEAN SERIES. 185

somewhat similar beds are known to occur in places
along the coast of Arabia, underlying the nummulitic
series, just as the Bombay traps do in Guzerat and
Cutch, it is a very interesting question for future in-
vestigation, what connexion exists between the various
upper secondary or lower tertiary bedded traps of
South-western Asia and Eastern Africa? Should they
be proved to have been formerly connected, and to be
portions of the same great ancient volcanic region, an
idea which seems by no means improbable, their study
will become one of very great interest as connected with
the geological history of the earth’s surface. In every
respect the bedded traps are very remarkable, and deserv-
ing of far more attention from geologists than they have
hitherto received. Nothing resembling them has yet
been shown to be in process of formation upon the
earth’s present surface, and their mode of origin is still
extremely obscure.!

B. MAGDALA GROUP OF TRAPS.

The higher volcanic beds are distinguished petrolo-
gically from the lower mainly by the frequent occurrence
of thick beds of trachyte, usually more or less crystal-
line, and not unfrequently containing small beautifully-
formed glassy crystals of felspar with rounded angles.

1 [ have endeavoured, in a paper on the “Traps of Western India,” pub-
lished in the “ Memoirs of the Geological Survey of India,” vol. vi., to bring
together all that is known as yet concerning the bedded traps of that
country. A great part of the description is equally applicable to the rocks
of Abyssinia.

186 GEOLOGY.

These beds usually weather with a remarkably pre-
cipitous scarp, and being of considerable thickness and
perfectly horizontal, they are unusually conspicuous.
To them is due in a great measure the great difficulty
of access of most of the high ranges, and especially of
the ambas or hill-forts, which are so abundant in Abys-
sinia. The higher ranges are perhaps as fine an example
as could be found of the terraced ridges which are so
characteristic of bedded traps. There is a remarkable
resemblance to the scenery of the Western Deccan and the
higher valleys of the western ghats in India, but the pecu-
liarities of the landscape are exaggerated in Abyssinia.

Many of the trachytic beds are brecciated, and several
are highly columnar. The dolerites associated with them
are usually compact, amygdaloid being less abundant
than in the Ashangi beds. Still it is far from uncommon,
and the nodules are occasionally enveloped in green
earth. An instance of this was observed at the crest of
the Alaji pass between Meshek and Atala.

Sedimentary rocks are interstratified with this series
in places, as in the gorge of the Jitta river, and again
near Magdala. The beds met with were white argil-
laceous rock at both places, and, at the Jitta alone,
coarse sandstone and black shale. The sections have
been described in the first part of this work. The beds
do not appear to extend for any distance.

No fossils could be found:! there is consequently

1 IT was informed by Dr. Schimper that when King Theodore made his
military road for the transport of his guns across the Jitta gorge, some
petrified trunks of trees were met with in the sandstone.

TRAPPEAN SERIES. 187

nothing to indicate the geological age of this very in-
teresting group of traps. No other formation was scen
resting upon it ; it caps all the highest hills observed.

It is highly probable that the trap rocks of Shoa
belong, in part at least, to this group. No idea can be
formed of their extension further south, nor is it possible
to say whether the trappean formations which cover so
large an area in Central Abyssinia should be referred to
the Magdala or the Ashangi group. In all probability
both are represented. There can be but little doubt,
however, that the traps on the hills west of Adigrat
belong to the higher group. Although the lower beds
consist of basalt alone—and from want of time it was
impossible to examine the higher hills—the cliff-like
scarps are just as conspicuous amongst them as farther
south; and these appeared, wherever they could be
examined, to be characteristic of the trachytes. The
conformity to the Adigrat sandstone is in all probability
only apparent.

The volcanic rocks of the neighbourhood of Senafé
differ from those of Adigrat and the south in the absence
of any marked bedding, and to some extent also in
mineral character. They consist chiefly of trachyte,
but this is frequently so fine-grained and compact, that
even with the aid of a lens it is very difficult to dis-
tinguish it from a sedimentary rock, being in fact what
is generally termed claystone. The crags just west of
the camp at Senafé were most naturally mistaken by
everybody in the army for sandstone.’ These hills are

1 As already mentioned, it was some time before I was myself undeceived

188 GEOLOGY.

rounded hummocks of a very peculiar shape. Many
more of similar form occur to the westward, and the
range near Adowa presents a very similar appearance,
and consists, in all probability, of the same rock.

These traps rest in places upon the metamorphics,
but in general upon the Adigrat sandstones, to which
they are quite unconformable. Although they are not
generally bedded, there is in places, as on Akub Teriki
hill, an appearance of distinct strata; and the various
trachyte hills to the south, towards Guna Guna and
Fokada, have much the appearance of being the remnants
of one thick lava flow.

Taking into consideration their different mineral
character and mode of accumulation, the Adowa and
Senafé traps have much the appearance of belonging to
a distinct group from the beds of Ashangi, Magdala, and
Adigrat, and their much greater apparent unconformity
to the sandstones beneath would favour the idea of their
being more recent than the rocks of the Adigrat hills.
If they be so, then their age must be very much less,
for there can be but little doubt that the traps of the
Adigrat hills had formerly a much greater horizontal
extension: they are doubtless merely the remains of
beds which once covered the whole country to a depth
probably of 2,000 or 3,000 feet, and all of these must
have been swept away again at Senafé before the volcanic
formations of Akub Teriki and the neighbouring hills

in this matter. Where the rock is slightly decomposed, as it generally is, it
is almost impossible to distinguish it from an argillaceous sandstone. Dr.
Ruppell took these rocks for hardened marl.

TRAPPEAN SERIES. 189

were poured out. It appears more probable that the
latter rocks are really contemporaneous, and that their
irregularity is due to their accumulation in the imme-
diate vicinity of active vents,—to their having been, in
short, part of a volcanic focus. The deep beds of Akub
Teriki may be the intrusive mass of the vent itself.
The remaining hills, where thick trachyte rests on sand-
stone, may be parts of an old lava flow of great depth.
Near Fokada there is evidence in favour of a passage
from the Senafé traps into those of the neighbourhood

of Adigrat. It therefore appears most probable that all
belong to one group.

190 GEOLOGY:

SECTION VII.

ADEN SERIES OF VOLCANIC ROCKS.

Aone both shores of the Red Sea and of the Gulf of
Aden there is known to be a great development of vol-
canic rocks. There is every probability that these, so
far as they are known, belong to one series ; and as some
active volcanoes still exist in the sea, and cones quite
unchanged in form, and evidently of very recent date,
abound in many places along the coast, it is clear that
the series is still in process of formation, and that it is,
in part at least, of recent date.

These volcanic formations are but sparingly represented
on the west side of Annesley Bay. They appear, how-
ever, to compose the greater portion, if not the whole, of
the Buri peninsula east of the bay, and they are deve-
loped to a considerable extent west of Massowa.

In mineral character they differ entirely from all the
voleanic rocks of the highlands, and there cannot be the
slightest hesitation in assigning to them a totally dif-
ferent and much more recent geological age. They con-
sist, in the neighbourhood of Annesley Bay and Massowa,
of basaltic trap and of ash, both frequently scoriaceous,

ADEN SERIES OF VOLCANIC ROCKS. 191

interstratifie¢ with which are sedimentary rocks, sand-
stones, and conglomerates.

As a rule these beds are inclined, and present the
appearance of having been much disturbed. The beds
of the Buri peninsula were only examined in one spot.
Those of the neighbourhood of Zulla are most irregular
in dip, whilst in the tract west and north-west of Mas-
sowa, with some irregularity, there is a very constant
general dip towards the sea to the eastward.

The sedimentary beds contain a mixture of sand, ashes,
and rolled fragments of both voleanic and metamorphic
rocks. Fossil shells are said to oceur in places; unfor-
tunately nothing was met with except some fragments
insufficient for determination.

At the south end of Annesley Bay, just south of the
Turkish port at Arafilé, there is a cone composed of fine
voleanic ash. From its form this cone is evidently of
recent origin. About two days’ journey to the south
there is said to be an active volcano.

Although there can be but little doubt of the recent
date of a large portion of this series, the great amount of
denudation which parts of it have undergone around
Zulla and Massowa,! where no trace of the original
volcanic vents can be detected, and the very considerable
disturbance which has affected the beds, prove that some
portions of the series are of ancient date, and that
the geological period during which they have accumu-
lated must have been of long duration. It is unfortu-
nate that no good specimens of the fossil shells occur-

1 The same is the case at Aden.

192 GEOLOGY.

ring were found near Massowa, as by comparison of
them with the species living in the Red Sea some
idea could be formed of the change which has taken
place. The beds met with near Massowa must have
been, in part at least, of littoral or sub-littoral origin, for
the shells which occur in them are evidently marine.
Yet if the accumulation took place along the coast, it is
strange, unless the character of that coast has altered
greatly, that shells and corals are not exceedingly abun-
dant instead of being rare. Itis very probable that, while
some of the sedimentary beds are littoral, others are of
sub-aérial origin, and that their materials were washed
by streams and floods over the surface of the volcanic
beds, like the gravels mentioned in the next section.

The volcanic series appears to rest on metamorphic
rocks, in places at least, both on the Abyssinian and
Arabian coasts! In both cases, so far as is known, it
forms a fringe of varying breadth.

Hot Springs.—The great prevalence of hot springs along
the Abyssinian coast is doubtless connected with the vol-
canic formation. Two of the best known of these are that
at Ailat, about thirty miles west of Massowa (temp. 150°
Fahr.), and that of Atzfut, about eight miles south of Zulla
(temp. 140° Fahr.). The latter is brackish, and probably
contains some sea-water, as it issues close by the shore ;
the former is excellent, and supplies the village of Ailat.

1 Although the hills north of Lahej, twenty-five miles from Aden, are
volcanic, pebbles of metamorphics are washed down by the streams from
beyond in abundance : so it is evident that the rocks crop out a little further
inland.

ADEN SERIES OF VOLCANIC ROCKS. 193

But all subterranean waters in the neighbourhood of
Zulla appear to have an unusually high temperature.
The water in some of the wells at Komayli was decidedly
warmer than that in others when they were first dug ;
and in a well sunk by the Punjab Pioneers about five
miles from the sea, in the plain near the line of railway
made by the army from Zulla to Komayli, the tempera-
ture was about 105°! considerably higher than the
average in air. The abundance of hot springs in the
Danakil country has been noticed by M. Rocher d’Héri-
court and others.

* I have omitted to keep a record of the exact temperature, which was
determined by Dr. Cook.

194 GEOLOGY.

SECTION VIII.

RECENT FORMATIONS.

Alluvial Deposits near the Coast.—The plain around
Zulla consists of alluvium, doubtless deposited by the
Haddas and Komayli streams. It extends to the Gadam
hills and to the spur of volcanic rocks stretching away
from the south end of the range. Beyond this spur
another plain, which is continuous with that along the
seashore to the southward, extends to the foot of the
mountains at Wia Hadoda and Komayli. This plain
consists of beds of sand and gravel, evidently deposited
by streams from the hills. At the entrance to each
ravine the plain is raised considerably by the accumu-
lation of detritus brought down by the torrents.

The spurs of the Gadam range almost reach the sea,
an exceedingly narrow plain intervening. This plain is
almost equally narrow near Arkiko. The island of Mas-
sowa and the coast, for some distance at least to the
northward, are of coral formation. Northwards from
Massowa, however, the country for many miles from
the sea is covered by an accumulation of pebbles and
boulders of metamorphic rocks and trap. In places, as
near Amba, about thirty miles north-north-west of Mas-
sowa, these beds form flat-topped rises of no great height,

RECENT FORMATIONS. 195

evidently the remains of a plain, the greater portion of
which has been cut away by streams and surface-waters.
Further north the plain still exists unbroken by ravines,
and forms the desert tract known as Shob. From the
quantity of boulders and pebbles, and the scarcity of
corals and shells, there can be but little doubt that this
plain has not been formed by the sea, but is a deposit
from the wash of rain and floods from the hills. As
already remarked, the sedimentary beds interstratified
with the volcanic rocks of the neighbourhood are pro-
bably, in great part at least, of similar origin.

Coral Formation of the Red Sea Coast—tThe island
of Massowa and the coast in the neighbourhood are
composed of fragments of corals, with shells and sand,
agglutinated together into an impure limestone rock. A
large number of the islands fringing the coast in this
part of the Red Sea are of the same formation, and from
the descriptions given it is highly probable that the
islands of the Dahalac Archipelago are all similar.

All these islands are perfectly flat, and stand about
twenty or thirty feet above high-water mark,’ being sur-
rounded by a low cliff of that height. A reef extends
for a varying distance outside of them, and terminates
abruptly. Doubtless the island was formerly co-exten-
sive with the reef, but so much of the rock as is exposed
to the influence of the breakers has been swept away by
the sea. The reef is naturally broadest in the direction
from which the heaviest breakers come, the open sea.

1 In the island of Massowa, the eastern or seaward side is much higher

than the other.
0 2

196 GEOLOGY.

From the small opportunity that was afforded of exa-
mining this formation, nothing can be added to what is
already known of it.

Soils of the Abyssinian Highlands.—The great fer-
tility of Central and Southern Abyssinia, the home, from
time immemorial, of one of the few African nations
which have risen above the savage state, is doubtless
due, in a great measure, to the prevalence of trap rocks.
Upon the sandstones and limestones of Tigré vegetation
is poor and sparse; on the metamorphic rocks the soil
is better; but it is only on the traps, or in their neigh-
bourhood, that it is really rich.

The most interesting circumstance connected with the
Abyssinian soils is, that wherever basaltic rocks prevail
there is found a very fertile, somewhat argillaceous soil,
black or dark brown in colour, opening into cracks in
hot weather, and in every way resembling the well-
known “regur” of Central, Western, and Southern
India. Precisely as in India, moreover, this soil appears
peculiarly suited to the growth of grasses and cereals,}
but less adapted for forest, perhaps because the luxuriant
grass chokes the growth of the larger plants. This soil
does not appear to be met with far from basaltic rocks,
although plains of it may occur upon other formations,
as at Buya, the site of the British camp near Antalo. In
this and similar cases, it is highly probable that the soil
has been derived from the traps which cap the neigh-

’ Wherever the climate is sufficiently warm, this soil is doubtless admirably

suited for cotton also. So much is this the case in India, that the soil in
question is commonly known as “ cotton soil.”

RECENT FORMATIONS. 197

bouring hills, and probably formerly existed over the
plain, but have been removed by denudation. As no
thickness of goil is generally found upon the limestones,
that which covers the Buya plain can scarcely be derived
from them.

This black soil of Abyssinia, moreover, appears to be
only derived from the disintegration of dolerites, not
from trachytes. The two are usually intermingled, so that
the soil upon the hills is derived from both: but on the
plateau of Dalanta and Wadela, between the Takkazzyé
and Jitta rivers, the route from Santara to Gaso traverses
a region of trachytic rocks alone, and the soil is light-
coloured ; whilst from a little south-west of Gaso to the
Jitta, and again on the plateau between the Jitta and
Bashilo, the rock is basaltic and the soil black. Of course
it will be found that black soils are met with elsewhere ;
any soil which accumulates under marshy conditions is
usually dark-coloured : but the interesting circumstance
is the constant association of a peculiar soil, dark in
colour, and well suited for the cultivation of cereals and
cotton, with basalts and other doleritic rocks.

Flakes of Obsidian.—In many places, small chips of
obsidian are found scattered about, frequently far from
any locality where the rock is met with in situ. From
their peculiar form, and the nature of the facets, there
can be little or no hesitation in attributing these to
human manufacture. They are evidently the chips
struck off in the process of manufacturing stone imple-
ments, and are perfectly identical in shape with similar
chips found extensively in Europe and India.

198 GEOLOGY.

A few were met with near Zulla, some were picked up
on the highlands, and two or three in the neighbourhood
of Magdala. But a much larger number were found at
Rairo, near Af Abed in the Habab, in the centre of a
granitoid country, and with no volcanic formation nearer
than the hills between Ain and the sea, at least twenty
miles distant. The fragments found are of no special
beauty ; no well-formed implements were obtained ; and
the occurrence of such chips is simply interesting, as
adding one more to the numerous countries in which
traces of the early use of rude stone implements by
mankind have hitherto been found.

ag
ae aE
ag
a ey:
- { ie f:

Se ee

GRANULIFERA

CEROMYA PARCILIRATA

TIGRENSIS

MY TILL

HEMICIOURUS ABYSSINICA

1

_ PHOLADOMYA

6

SUBLIRATA

4 PHOLADOMYA

var

Sow

IMBRICARIA

2.MODIOLA

APPENDIX.

DESCRIPTIONS OF THE NEW SPECIES OF FOSSILS
FROM THE ANTALO LIMESTONE.

HEMICIDARIS ABYSSINICA, sp. nov., fig. 1.

Testa depresso-globosa, vel spheeroidea, vel subtus plana, supra fere hemi-
spherica. Aree ambulacrales subrecte, strictee, tuberculis parvis,
subeequalibus, vix superne minoribus, fere cequidistantibus biseriatim
alternantibus et granulis wrregulariter interspersis ornate. Arece
interambulacrales seriebus duobus 8-9 tuberculorum majorum in-
structe tuberculis utringue granulis circumdatis, aliis granulis
minoribus seepe irregulariter ad margines laminarum interjectis ;
laminis latioribus quam altis. Os magnum decies incisum. Spine
elongate, cylindrice, longitudinaliter subobsolete striate, circa
14 mm. a basi angulatim dilatate, ibidem et ad basin granulis
circumdate ; spatio intermedio levi, lente et regulariter attenuato.

Var. depress ratio diam. : alt, :: 1: 1°9.
Var. subhemispherice id. : id. :: 1: 1:5.

THE principal characters of this form are the small and generally
equal size of the ambulacral tubercles, and their arrangement:
those in the two rows alternating at subequal distances, to-
wards the lower portion of the ambulacral areas especially ; near

200 GEOLOGY.

the anus they become much smaller, and run much closer
together. The rows of ambulacral pores are not flexuous above,
but close to the mouth they become zigzagged and slightly
irregular. The interambulacral plates are broader than high.
The number of tubercles, which varies from eight to nine, or
even ten, including a very small one close to the mouth (being
rarely seven in very small specimens), is greater than in most
allied forms. The spines, many of which occur with the shells,
are long, with the remains of longitudinal striation visible upon
them: the shoulder near the base is rather wide and granulated,
the base also granulated, the intermediate portion shaped like
the frustum of a cone. The granulation of the shoulder is very
slight, and easily disappears with weathering, so that many
spines appear as if not granulated here: the granulation cor-
responds to the terminations of the longitudinal strie. The
apical disc is ill-preserved or wanting in all the specimens
found.

The nearest approach to this form appears to me to be made
by H. Wrightit, Cotteau (not of Desor), “ Echin. foss. Dep. Yonne,”
p. 294, pl. xlii.; the only differences being that that species
has broader, and consequently fewer, interambulacral plates,
that the rows of pores bordering the ambulacral areas are much
more flexuous, that the ambulacral tubercles do not alternate,
and that the spines are differently terminated at the base. From
most other species, such as H. Luciensis, D’Orb., H. intermedia,
Forbes, &c., the present form is distinguished both by its more
numerous interambulacral plates, and also at once by the small
and subequal size of the ambulacral tubercles, as well as by the
form of the spines where the latter are known.

Hemicidaris Abyssinica—found rather abundantly in a bed
at the base of the Antalo limestone, close to the cainp at Mai
Dongolo, four marches north of Antalo and three south of
Adigrat. Many of the specimens are in excellent order, and
the spines abounded in the bed, in some cases attached. Spines,
of the same species apparently, were met with here and there
throughout the Antalo limestone,

"APPENDIX. 201

EXPLANATION OF FIGURES.

. Subhemispherical variety, natural size.
. Depressed spheroidal ditto, ditto.
View from below ditto.
. Ambulacral segment and four interambulacral plates, enlarged two
diameters.
. Apical disk, enlarged two diameters.
. Spine, natural size.
. Base of ditto, enlarged two diameters.

Nera

aws

MOopDIOLA IMBRICARIA, Sow. var., fig. 2.

This is so near some English specimens that there appears no
reason for distinguishing it. The rib running from the umbo to
the neutral margin is rather nearer to the posterior side, and the
shell is generally broader in proportion at the extremity remote
from the beaks. I consequently give a figure, but I think it
unnecessary to propose a new name.

Myriuus (? MopDIOLA) TIGRENSIS, sp. nov., fig. 3.

Testa irregulariter pyriformas, conico-subovata, concentrice plicato striata,
versus umbones tumida, antice convexa, postice plana obliqua, margine
antico longe recto, tune convexo postico fere recto, post medium con-
caviusculo, ventrali regulariter convexo.

Long. 50, diam. postic. 26, crass. 27 mallem.

A few well-preserved specimens were found with the last.
This shell approaches M. sublevis, Sow., but it is more rounded,
the posterior side not being so flat, and the umbones are more

obtuse.

202 GEOLOGY.

PHOLADOMYA GRANULIFERA, sp. nov., fig. 4.

Testa inequilateralis, parum tumida, ovato-elongata, concentrice striata,
punctis in seriebus confertis radiantibus dispositis pulchre ornata,
costd obtusd und submediand ab umbone ad marginem decurrente,
alidique posteriort instructa ; latere antico juxta umbones- breviter
obliquo, tunc rotundato postico elongato, margine dorsalis concavius-
culo ventrali convexo, extremitate posticd oblique truncata, umbones
prominentes, convergentes ; area immersa glabra.

Long. 40, lat. 25, crass. 17 millem.

Found near Aguila. Only two specimens were obtained. A
very peculiar and unusual form of Pholadomya, with radiating
rows of puncticulations, somewhat allied to the shell figured
by Buvignier as Panopeea punctifera, Buv., from the coral rag
(“Statistique Geol, &c., Dep. de la Meuse,” pl. viii. figs. 8—
11).

PHOLADOMYA SUBLIRATA, sp. nov., fig. 5.

Testa valde inequilateralis, mediocriter tumida, elongato-subovata, con-
centrice striata, costis radiantibus subobsoletis medianis duobus,
posticis confertioribus 3-4 -dificilissime notandis, anticd nulld,
omnibus versus marginem ventralem evanescentibus,; latere antico
juxta umbones declint, tunc rotundato, dorsali subhorizontali, ex-
tremitate posticd subangulatd, margine ventrali convexo ; umbones
parum prominentes, convexi.

Long. 33, lat. 25, crass. 19 millem.

Found with the last. Although much less peculiar than
P. granulifera, this is also a well-marked form, distinguished by
the few and subobsolete ribs, thus being one of the passage
forms between Pholadomya and Myacites. The nearest described
species appears to be Ph. concatenata, Agass., from the lower
oolite of Poland.

APPENDIX. 203

CEROMYA PAUCILIRATA, sp. nov., fig. 6.

C. excentricee persimilis, sed liris concentricis magis distantibus, haud
postice angulatis. Testa subrhomboidalis, truncato-ovata, valde in-
equilateralis, umbonibus tumidis, subterminalibus, margine dorsal¢
horizontali, postico rotundato, sventrali parum convero, antico fere
verticali,

Long. 75, lat. 53, crass. circa 60 millem.

A single specimen was obtained with the Pholadomye, and
accompanied also by Ceromya similis and C. concentrica.

PARRY ii.

ZOOLOGY.

Z00 L0G ¥Y.

INTRODUCTION.

THE earliest contribution to the Abyssinian fauna was
contained in the last (fifth) volume of Bruce’s Travels.
In the original edition of 1790 several plates repre-
senting various plants and animals of North-eastern
Africa were given, accompanied by descriptions, which,
like all of Bruce’s writings, show great power of obser-
vation, though they are occasionally not quite accurate
in matters of detail. <A few of the drawings of birds
brought back by Bruce were described by Buffon and
named by Gmelin, but the exact species have in some
instances remained obscure.

In 1814 an additional instalment to our knowledge
of the avi-fauna was furnished in the appendix to Salt’s
“Travels in Abyssinia,” in which an enumeration of the
birds collected was given, and a few of the new forms
were described by Lord Stanley.

After a beginning had thus been made by English
travellers, the field appears to have been abandoned by

208 ZOOLOGY.

them, and the whole labour of collecting and describing
the fauna of Abyssinia has, almost without exception,
been performed by German and French travellers and
naturalists. Foremost amongst these stands Riippell,
who made two long journeys in North-eastern Africa.
The natural history results of his travels were published,
principally in three works, to which frequent reference
will be made in the following pages. These works
are—

1. “Atlas zu der Reise in nordlichen Africa, z06-
logischer Theil” (Atlas to the Journey in Northern
Africa, Zoological Portion). 1826.

2. “Neue Wirbelthiere zu der Fauna von Abyssinien
gehorig” (New Vertebrata belonging to the Abyssinian
Fauna). 1835. From references made in the text of
this work, it is evident that a portion was of later date
than the title-page.

3. “Systematische Uebersicht der Voégel Nord-ost
Africa's” (Systematic Review of the Birds of North-
eastern Africa). 1845. This is a complete list of all
the birds at that time known to have been found in the
Nile valley, Abyssinia, and the countries on the shores of
the Red Sea. The number enumerated is 532.

A large number of alterations and additions have
since been made to this list, but it contains a very
large amount of valuable information. Several new
species were described in each of the three works, those
in the “Systematische Uebersicht” being all birds,
admirably figured by Wolf; whilst in the two earlier
works numerous kinds of mammals, reptiles, and fishes

INTRODUCTION. 209

were described and figured. A few invertebrata are
also included in the “ Atlas.”

Besides these three works, a few scattered papers have
been contributed by Riippell to the Journals of Societies,
&c. Of these the most important appeared in the
“Museum Senckenbergianum,” a scientific work pub-
lished at Frankfort (1834-37).

About 1828-30 appeared the “Symbole Physicz”
of Hemprich and Ehrenberg, a work of much research ;
but which, unfortunately, was given to the world in a
very incomplete state. It contains elaborate inscrip-
tions, in Latin, of several mammals, birds, and insects,
collected by the writers on the shores of the Red Sea,
where Professor Hemprich died, one of the many
martyrs to science who have fallen in Africa. Some,
both of the mammals and birds, had already been
described in Riippell’s “ Atlas” The “ Symbole
Physice” is a very rare work, and many of the
species of birds described, only a few of which are
figured, have been overlooked by subsequent writers.

Reference has already been made at the commence-
ment of the geological part of this work to the labours
of Messrs. Ferret and Galinier. The same officers made
large botanical and zoological collections, descriptions
of which were published in the third volume of their
Travels in 1847. The animals were identified by
MM. Guerin Meneville and De la Fresnaye, and
descriptions of some new species of birds were pub-
lished by the former in the Revue et Magasin de
Zoologie for 1848, pp. 161, 162. These were figured

P

210 ZOOLOGY.

in the atlas which accompanied MM. Ferret and
Galinier’s work.

The collections of Messrs. Dillon and Petit, attached
to Lefebvre’s exploring expedition, both of whom, un-
fortunately, lost their lives in Abyssinia, were examined
and determined by MM. Desmurs, F. Prevost, Guichenol,
and Guerin Meneville, and an account of them pub-
lished in the sixth volume of Lefebvre’s “ Voyage en
Abyssinie.” The accompanying atlas contained figures
of some of the animals supposed to be new to science.
It is impossible to speak in high terms of this work,
a large number of the names being inaccurate. The
determinations also are too frequently based upon figures,
always a source of error.

In 1863 Dr. A. Brehm of Berlin accompanied the
Duke of Saxe Coburg in a shooting excursion from
Massowa to the highlands of Mensa, east of the Anseba
valley. The journey was too hurried for specimens to
be collected, but Dr. Brehm’s previous extensive know-
ledge of the North African fauna enabled him to
identify, for the most part correctly, thirty-eight species
of mammals, and one hundred and seventy-two species
of birds, observed during his visit, and to publish,
in 1863, in a work called “Reise nach Habesch”?
(A Journey to Abyssinia), a somewhat elaborate ac-
count of the habits of the majority. In a few instances
the descriptions given are based upon observations too

1 This name is ill chosen, because Dr. Brehm did not enter Abyssinia
Proper. Mensa, like Bogos, is a dependency of Tigré, inhabited by a race of
people distinct from the Abyssinians.

INTRODUCTION. 211

hurriedly made to: be quite trustworthy; and it is
probable that in some cases Dr. Brehm did not identify
the animals observed correctly, an error which want of
specimens prevented him from remedying subsequently.

I have left to the last all notice of by far the largest
and most important contributions to our knowledge of
the Abyssinian fauna which have appeared since Riip-
pell’s time ; those of Hofrath Th. von Heuglin, for many
years a resident in the Nile valley, and who has recently
explored a large portion of the Abyssinian highlands.
His first important paper—a second “ Systematische
Uebersicht,” or Systematic Catalogue of the North-east
African Avi-fauna—appeared in the Journal der zoolo-
gischen botanischen Gresellschaft zu Wien) for 1856,
pp. 255 to 354. In this list 754 species of birds are
enumerated as occurring in North-eastern Africa. I
cannot help thinking, however, that the publication of
this paper is to be regretted. For the writer there is
some excuse, as the list was doubtless drawn up with-
out sufficient means of reference, but the Society which
allowed it to appear in its Journal deserves the repro-
bation of every naturalist who does not wish orni-
thological nomenclature to become a mass of confusion.
Every mistake of Riippell’s was repeated, and a very
large number of species were named as new without
descriptions being furnished. The majority of these
supposed species have since been found, by the author
himself, to have been proposed in error. Many were
only varieties, others had already been described, and

1 Journal of the Zoological and Botanical Society of Vienna.
Pp 2

212 ZOOLOGY.

so little value is attached to the names proposed by
Von Heuglin that, when furnishing descriptions of
some of the species several years later, he has himself
changed a great proportion of those given by him in his
former essay. In the following pages I shall refer to
this paper as little as possible.

Short notices by Von Heuglin, with occasional de-
scriptions of species both of birds and mammals, are
scattered through Cabanis’ “ Journal fiir Ornithologie,”
the “ Ibis,” the “ Nova Acta Academize Leopoldo-Caro-
line,” and “ Petermann’s Mittheilungen,” during the last
ten years. And recently (1867-69) some most valuable
and exhaustive descriptions of all the species belonging
to several families of Insessorial Birds inhabiting North-
eastern Africa by the same naturalist have appeared in
the “ Journal fiir Ornithologie,” and a synopsis of the
Malurine in the “ Ibis” for 1869. During the course
of this year also the same writer has published the first
eight parts of an elaborate work on the birds of North- |
eastern Africa, called “ Ornithologie Nord-ost Africa’s.”
To all of these later papers, and to the more extensive
work just mentioned, I have supplied references in the
following pages. I cannot in all cases coincide in Von
Heuglin’s nomenclature. His descriptions, however, are
excellent, and detailed, and numerous references are
given to the works of previous writers.

In the subsequent pages only the vertebrata of my
Abyssinian collections have been fully enumerated and
properly worked out. Despite much time and labour,
the synonomy is far from being so thorough as I could

INTRODUCTION. 213

have wished, but only those who have entered into such
questions know the amount of time which must be given
to each species before its synonomy can be accurately
determined. For the determinations of many species of
birds I am indebted to the aid of Messrs. Jules Verreaux,
G. R. Gray, Lord Walden, Messrs. Gurney, Tristram,
Harting, R. B. Sharpe, Cabanis, and especially to Dr.
Finsch, to whose MS. list and notes! of the birds col-
lected by my friend Mr. Jesse I have had access through
the kindness of Dr. Sclater. For the identification of
the reptiles and of the two species of fish brought back
by me, my thanks are due to Dr. Giinther. For aid
and information in determining the mollusca, I am
under obligations to Messrs. G, Nevill, Hanley, and
H. Adams.

I much regret that I am unable at present to furnish
a detailed list of the invertebrata collected, and that of the
mollusca at least, to which I have devoted much time, I
cannot give as full an account as of the vertebrata. But
the leave which has been most liberally granted to me
by the Government of India for the purpose of preparing
this work, together with an extension sanctioned by the
Secretary of State for India, being at an end, I find
that the time has not sufficed for that study of the very
extensive and confused literature of the subject which
alone would enable me to do it justice. I have conse-
quently been compelled to limit myself to the appended
list.

1 This list will appear in the Transactions of the Zoological Society of
London.

214 ZOOLOGY.

The physical geography of Abyssinia has already been
briefly described in the commencement of the geological
portion of this work. It is only necessary to refer to it
here in order to point out that a large portion of the
country consists of plateaux 7,000 to 10,000 feet above
the sea, and that from amongst these a few peaks and
ranges rise to 12,000 and even 15,000 feet, whilst many
of the valleys, even where they intersect lofty plateaux,
are cut to so great a depth that at the bottom they do
not exceed 4,000 or 5,000 feet-above the sea. As may
be readily supposed, there is a great difference in the
animals and plants inhabiting these different elevations,
and the distinction has attracted far less attention
amongst naturalists than it deserves.

My own observations were naturally imperfect. It
not unfrequently happens that an animal, which from
peculiarities of soil and climate is constant to one eleva-
tion in one region, ranges higher or lower in others; and
this I found to be the case in several instances. Had my
explorations extended over a larger portion of Abyssinia,
I might doubtless have corrected my first impressions in a
still larger number of instances. Von Heuglin in his later
papers generally gives the rauge in elevation of each
species, and in many cases his observations show that
range to be greater than appeared to me to be the case
in the much more limited area which fell under my
examination.

Nevertheless, I think that the animals inhabiting
Abyssinia may very fairly be classed according to the
elevations at which they occur. I am disposed to

INTRODUCTION. 215

divide the country hypsometrically into four regions,
thus :—

1, Subalpine region, above 9,000 feet.

2. Temperate region, about 6,000 to 9,000 feet.
3. Subtropical, about 3,000 to 6,000 feet.

4. Tropical, below 3,000 feet.

The altitudes are merely approximate, and vary some-
what in different localities. Some animals range through-
out several regions : thus the Hamadryas monkey, spotted
hyeena, wart-hog, and elephant amongst mammals, and
Necphron percnopterus, the Limmergeyer, the Common
Kite, Aquila rapax, Bucorvus abyssinicus, Pycnonotus
arsinoé, Corvus scapulatus, Buphaga erythrorhyncha,
Numida ptilorhyncha, and many migratory birds, are all
found throughout the three lower regions, and some of
them even in the subalpine zone. Some animals migrate
with the season, ascending to the highlands during the
summer and returning to the lower elevations in winter.
Others, such as Laniarius ethiopicus, Coracias abyssi-
nica, Corvus affins, Lamprocolius chalybeus, though
usually confined to the subtropical and temperate regions,
are occasionally seen in considerable numbers near the
coast.

The majority, both of the mammals and of the birds,
range into more than one of the regions indicated, but
still in passing from one to the other a very great and

1 There may possibly be a still higher or Alpine region on the summits of

the Samyen mountains, close to the limits of perpetual snow. On a few of the
very highest peaks the snow is said never to disappear entirely.

216 ZOOLOGY.

marked change takes place, and the great majority of the
common birds are completely replaced by other species.
I think, too, that the prominent birds and mammals in
each region appertain to distinct sub-faunas at least.
This will be best shown by a few brief remarks upon the
prominent animals in each region.

1. The Subalpine Region.—I had only an opportunity
of examining this on the Dalanta-Wadela plateau, and in
two or three of the passes traversed. My collections
were consequently very small. The only peculiar mam-
mals obtained were a Hyrax and a mouse (Mus abys-
sinicus, Riipp.), and the following birds :—

Pratincola sordida,
Saaicola frenata.
Macronyx flawicollas.
Pyrrhocorax alpinus.

Euplectes xanthomelas. ‘ an ;
Crithagra nigricag. ! Found locally as low as 8,000 feet.

Lobivanellus melanocephalus.
Bernicla cyanoptera.

The following were so abundant at 10,000 to 10,500
feet as to be characteristic birds, but they were also found
generally throughout a great portion of the temperate
region :—

Butco augur.

Nectarinia takazee.

Corvultur crassirostris.
Chetiusia melanoptera.

Ibis (Harpiprion) carunculata.
Anas flavirostris.

The only species in the above list not peculiar to
Abyssinia are the Alpine chough and Anas flavirostris :
the first of which is European ; the other, which is not

LNTRODUCTION. 217

peculiar to the subalpine fauna, is also found in South
Africa.

2. The Temperate Region.—This comprises the great
plateaux at 7,000 and 8,000 feet, and furnishes the
typical fauna of Abyssinia. The following mammals
and birds appeared to be amongst those most charac-
teristic —

MamMats,

Canis variegatus.t
Antilope (Cephalophus) madoqua.
Antilope (Scopophorus) montanus.
Lepus tigrensis.
Xerus leucoumbrinus.
Bathyergus splendens.

Birps.

Nisus tachiro (Accipiter undutiventer, Riipp.).
Bubo cinerascens.
Turacus leucotis.
Colius leucotis.
Psittacula tarante.
Pogonorhynchus undatus.

Centropus monachus.

Cypselus equatorialis.

Corythornis cristata (v. cyanostigma),

Tockus Hemprichit.

Nectarinia cruentata. Found as low as 4,500 feet.
Lanius humeralis,

L. erythropterus. Found at 4,000 feet.

Bradyornis chocolatina,

Oriolus moloxita,

Turdus simensis,

T. olivacinus,

Cossypha semirufa. Found from 4,000 to 9,000 feet.
Thamnobia melena.

Saaicola lugens.

; Both found as low as 4,500 feet.

! Most of the mammals ranged to lower elevations. Those mentioned
appeared to descend less than the others

218

ZOOLOGY.

Graminicola Levaillantti.
Cisticola abyssinica,

Parus dorsatus.

Amydrus albirostris.
A, Riippelli. Found rarely at lower elevations.
Hyphantornis larvata.

HX, Guerini.

Coliuspasser laticauda.
Fringilla tristriata.
Crithagra striolata.
Columba albitorques.

Turtur lugens.

Pterocles gutturalis.
Francolinus Erkelit. Ranges from 3,000 to 10,000 feet.

F. gutturalis.

Ranges into the subtropical region.

Otis melanogaster.
Rallus Rougetii.

Of the above list, whilst a considerable majority are
peculiar to the Abyssinian highlands, several are also
common to Southern Africa.
Bubo cinerascens, Corythornis cristata, Graminicola

Levaillantu, and Pterocles gutturalis.

3. The Subtropical Fauna.—This I met with in the
pass leading to Senafé, and again in the Anseba valley.
The following animals appeared to be the most charac-

teristic :—

MamMats.

Cercopithecus grisco-viridis. Ranges into the temperate region also.

Canis mesomelas.

Sciurus annulatus.

Bubo lacteus.
Athene perlata.

Chizaerhis zonura.

Colius macrourus.
Pionus Meyert.

Birps.

Found also, but rarely, in the temperate region.

Such are Nisus tachiro,

INTRODUCTION. 219

Picus ethiopicus.

Indicator Sparmanni,

Pogonorhynchus abyssinicus. Ranges into the temperate region.
Barbatula pusilla,

Oxylophus afer.

Coracias pilosa. Occasionally seen in the temperate region.
Eurystomus afer.

Ispidina picta.

Halcyon senegalensis.

Merops erythropterus.

M. Lafresnayit. Also in temperate region.

Tockus flavirostris. In temperate region in summer.

T. erythrorhynchus, Also occasionally in tropical region.
Irrisor aterrimus.

Nectarinia afinis. Ranges into the temperate region.

N. pulchella,

Laniarius gambensis,

Dicrurus divaricatus.

Grandala (or Pholidauges) leucogaster. Absent in winter.
Oligocercus micrurus.

Cameroptera brevicaudata,

Parus leucopterus.

Lamprotornis purpuroptera.

Hyphantornis luteola.
Vidua principalis.
Emberiza flaviventris.
poe wus Blippelli ; Extend into the temperate region.

A great distinction will immediately be noticed in this

list. Teste of the majority being peculiar to Abys-

. louail, Savo-thirds range over a large part of Africa,

“sort crom Senegal or the Cape. The

species aiso are, 1 anything, less restricted in range than
those found in the other regions.

4. The Tropical Region—This I only examined near
the coast. It has a well-marked and peculiar fauna,
consisting in a great measure of desert species, but for
the presence of which, indeed, it could scarcely be

220 ZOOLOGY.

separated from the last. The following are charac-

teristic :—
MammMats.
Felis maniculata. Oryx beisa.
Canis riparius. Lepus egyptius.

Gazella Seemmeringt. Xerus rutilus,

G. dorcas. Dipus gerbillus Olio.
Birps.

Melierax polyzonus. Drymeca rufifrons.

Picus Hemprichit. D.z gracilis,

Pogonorhynchus melanocephalus. Aédon galactodes.

Cypselus affinis. Pyrrhulauda melanauchen.

Merops viridissimus. P. albifrons.

M. albicollis. P. leucotis.

Tockus nasutus. Ranging into
subtropical region.

Nectarinia habessinica, Rang-
ing into subtropical region.
NN. metallica. Absent in winter.

Lanius fallax.

L, isabellinus,

L, personatus,

Laniarius cruentatus.
Cercotrichas erythropterus.
Saaicola desertt.
Cercomela melanura.

Galerita cristata.
Ammomanes deserti.
Certhilauda desertorum.
Estrelda rhodopyga.
Turtur albiventris,
Pterocles exustus.

Pt. Lichtensteini.
Pternistes rubricollis.
Otis arabs.

Cigialitis tricollaris,
Sarciophorus tectus,

—together with the species of gulls, terns, and many
waders peculiar to the shores of the Red Sea. Amongst
the reptiles are species of Lacerta and Acanthodactylus
and Echis carinata.

This fauna is far less typically Abyssinian than any of
the others; it contains but few species which have not
an extensive range in Northern Africa, Arabia, and
Persia, some being even found in India.

Amongst the most striking instances of species on
the highlands of Abyssinia representing those in the

INTRODUCTION.

221

lower country are the following. The range, so far as
observed, is noted in each instance.

Low LanD Forms.

REPRESENTATIVES ON HIGHLANDS.

ft. ft ft. ft.

Picus Hemprichii . 1,000 to 4,000 —_P. ethiopicus 3,000 to 6,000
Colius macrourus . 3,000 ,, 6,000 ©. leucotis . 4,000 ,, 8,000
Pogonorhynchus me- P. abyssinicus 4,000 ,, 7,000

lanocephalus 500 ,, 3,000 P. undatus . . 7,000 ,, 8,000
Centropus supercilio-

sus. . . « « . 1,000 ,, 5,000 © monachus . 6,000 ,, 8,000
Tockus erythrorhyn-

chus. . 1,000 ,, 5,000 7 flavirostris . 3,000 ,, 8,000
Nectarinia habessinica — 5,000 N. affinis . 4,000 ,, 7,000
N. metallica 2. ww 2,000 N. pulchella . 4,000 ,, 5,000
Samicola deserti . . — 1,000 §, lugens 6,000 ,, 8,000
S.isabellina . . . — 8,000 &. frenata . above 10,000
Parus leucopterus . 4,000 ,, 7,000 P, dorsatus 4 7,000 to 9,000
Crateropus —_leucoce-

phalus . . . . 500 ,, 4,500 ©, Leucopygius. 4,000 ,, 8,000
Hyphantornis —gal-

bula . . . . . = 4 5,000 H. Guerini 7,000 ,, 9,000
Turtur semitorquatus 1,000 ,, 7,000 T. lugens 6,000 ,, 9,000

Lobivanellus senegal-

ensis - 4,000 ,, 8,000 L. melanocephalus . above 10,000

It should be remembered that the above range is
frequently exceeded in parts of the country not visited.
I scarcely think, however, that this is anywhere the case
to a sufficient extent to vitiate the representation,

222, ZOOLOGY.

Crass MAMMALIA.
OrvER QUADRUMAWNA.

1. Cynocephalus hamadryas, L.

Hemp. and Ehr. Symb. Phys. t. 11.
Riipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 7.—Brehm, Habesch, No. 2.

The great Dog-faced Baboon, the Sacred Ape (Thoth)
of the ancient Egyptians, is by far the commonest
Monkey throughout the portion of Abyssinia traversed
by me. It was met with everywhere from the plains
around Annesley Bay to the top of the Dalanta plateau,
although most abundant, perhaps, in the tropical and
subtropical portions of the country. I saw a small herd
close to Theodore’s old camp at Baba, on the Dalanta
plateau, at above 9,000 feet of elevation. In the passes
leading to the table-land from the coast immense num-
bers were constantly seen, and the animals evidently
keep much to the sides of rocky ravines.

The herds vary in number ;. some cannot include much
less than 250 to 300 Monkeys of all ages. The old males
are always most conspicuous animals, all the forepart of
their body being covered with long hair. They usually
take the lead when the troop is moving; some of them
also bringing up the rear; others placing themselves on
high rocks or bushes, and keeping a sharp look-out after
enemies. A troop collected on a rocky crag presents a

MAMMALIA. 223

most singular appearance. I several times saw large
numbers assembled around springs in the evening in the
thirsty Shoho country between Komayli and Senafé.
On such occasions every jutting rock, every little stone
more prominent than the rest, was occupied by a patri-
arch of the herd, who sat, with the gravity and watchful-
ness befitting his grizzled hair, waiting patiently until
the last of his human rivals had slaked his thirst and
that of his cattle. Around, the females were mainly
occupied in taking care of the young, the smaller
Monkeys amusing themselves by gambolling about.
Occasionally, if a young Monkey became too noisy or
interfered with the repose of one of his seniors, he
“caught it” in most unmistakeable style and was dis-
missed, with many cuffs, a wiser if not a better Monkey.

Cynocephalus hamadryas feeds on small fruits,
berries, and seeds, and often on buds of trees, and on
young shoots. On the highlands I frequently saw
troops of them in the fields, engaged in searching for
the “quentee,” the small tubers of Cyperus esculentus,
which appeared also to be a great resource of the half-
starved people in Tigré.

This species is very rarely seen on trees. It appears to
avoid woods, and to keep mainly in the open country, pre-
ferring, as already mentioned, rocky precipices. Hence its
habits differ entirely from those of all the Indian Monkeys,
which are tree-loving animals, and indeed from Monkeys
in general. It climbs heavily and clumsily for a Monkey,
and when moving quickly on the ground has a steady,
reoular gallop instead of the bounding movements of a

224 ZOOLOGY.

Presbytes. Doubtless the association in such very large
herds is in a great measure adopted as a means of defence
against its enemies. From their size and great power of
jaw the old males are most formidable antagonists, and
their boldness in resenting injury is said to be in propor-
tion to their power. Brehm (“Reise nach Habesch,” p. 88)
relates an instance which came under his own notice of
their attacking a Leopard which had carried off one of the
herd, and many stories are current in Abyssinia of their
attacking men. Mr. Miinzinger told me that once he,
with one or two companions, were surrounded by a large
herd, which barred their path, and were so threatening
that he was obliged to shoot one in self-defence. Even
then, although they fell back a little, the Monkeys did
not run away.

I cannot help thinking, however, that these Monkeys
very rarely attack men, as otherwise some instances
would have happened in the expeditionary force, and I
never heard of any. Near the passes the flocks of
Cynocephalus soon became wary, as they were frequently
fired at. Young animals, when captured, quickly became
tame and docile, but not so much so as the Cercopithecus.

2. Cercopithecus griseo-viridis, Desm.
Desmarest, Mammalogie, p. 61.—Brehm. Habesch No. 1.

I met with this monkey but rarely. Unlike the
Cynocephalus, it is a true tree-monkey, and very rarely
seen except in forest. On the highlands I only once saw
a flock—this was near Dildi, south of Lake Ashangi.
I met with larger numbers on the Anseba, where they

MAMMALIA, 225

inhabited the high trees on the banks of the stream.
The flocks seen were small, not exceeding twenty to
thirty individuals. I had but few opportunities of ob-
serving their habits, but they appeared to differ but
little from those of Macacus or Inwus, except that Cerco-
pithecus is a quieter animal and less mischievous. In
captivity they are well known as excessively docile and
good-tempered, and fairly intelligent.?

The following are the dimensions of a full-grown
female taken from a freshly-killed specimen. The males
are larger.”

ft. in.
Length from upper liptobrow . ....... 0 13
» 9, browtonapeoverthehead . . . . . 0 33
» 9 Dapetorump. . a! gn ds
» of the tail, 204 in.; hair beyond 2d, iba inn. . 110
» from shoulder toelbow. . . . ... 0 4
» » @lbowtowrist. . . ....... 0 4

1 It is the commonest of mistakes amongst superficial observers, and even
amongst naturalists, to confound docility and intelligence in animals, and to
measure their intellectual powers by the facility with which they can be
taught. Hence the very common but, as it appears to me, very incorrect
notion, that monkeys are of inferior intelligence to such animals as dogs or
elephants. In reality they are less docile, less willing to learn, and less
adapted to captivity ; moreover, being of but little use to man, far less
trouble has been taken in studying their habits. Thus, while dog- and
elephant-breaking engage all the time and mental resources of particular
classes of men, the instruction of monkeys is left to the unaided efforts of
amateurs and organ-grinders. The negro race amongst men appears to be far
better adapted for slavery than most savage races, being more docile in a state
of captivity ; but it is scarcely proved to be more intelligent on that account.
The same reasoning will doubtless apply to animals. I have often seen dogs
and monkeys kept together, and in every instance it has appeared to me that
the monkey ruled the dog, and that the dog feared the monkey, although the
canine was the more powerful animal ; and I can only account for this by the
superior intelligence of the monkey.

All measurements are in English feet and inches.

Q

226 ZOOLOGY.

ft. in.
Length of hand 0 3
» from hip to knee . 0 5
>» 9 _ Knee to heel 0 5
» of hind foot . 0 44
Height of ear . . O 13
Breadth of ear . 0 13

Cynocephalus hamadryas and Cercopithecus griseo-
viridis were the only two monkeys of which specimens
were obtained. I saw a third species, perhaps Zhero-
pithecus obscurus, Heugl., at Magdala. The beautiful
Colobus guereza, of which skins are frequently brought
to Aden from the mountains of the Somali country, I
never heard of while in Abyssinia.

* Orpen CHEIROPTERA.,

3. Vespertilio, sp.

Bats were remarkably scarce throughout the Abys-
sinian highlands, partly perhaps owing to the season of
the year, and I only obtained one specimen, which is in
too poor condition for determination.

Orper CARNIVORA.

4. Felis maniculata, Ripp.

Riippell, Atlas, t. 19.
F. caligata, partim, Gray, Cat. Carn. &c. Mamm. in Brit. Mus.
1869, p. 29.

I obtained a single specimen of this cat at Zoulla. Its
colour is pale rufous grey, more rufous and rather darker
in the centre of the back, with indistinct spots on the
flanks. ars rather deeper rufous, the hairs at the

MAMMALIA. 227

extremity very slightly lengthened. Legs with more
distinct but rather irregular transverse stripes, which
become darker below: one just below the elbow on the
fore leg is black, and particularly distinct on the inside.
Soles of feet black. Tail ringed towards the tip, the
last ring, and the tip for about 13 inch, black: alto-
gether three rings are distinguishable besides the tip,
each one less distinct than that behind it and at a
greater distance from the last. Hairs of the back when
examined singly are rufescent grey with a black tip,
the latter frequently wanting on the flanks. Head
about 3 inches long, from between ears to insertion
of tail about 18 inches, tail 12 inches. The measure-
ments, being taken on the dried skin, are not quite accu-
rate, with the exception of the tail, although very nearly
so. None of the hairs on the back much exceed 14
inches in length. |

Although the “ Monographies” of Temminck are dated
1827 on the title-page, and the Atlas to Riippell’s
“Reise” 1826, the former unquestionably appeared the
first, as in the latter, in the description of F. mani-
culata, reference is made to the page in Temminck
in which it is mentioned as a new species found by
Riippell. If therefore, as Dr. Gray considers, #. mani-
culata is identical with Temminck’s F. caligata, he is
quite correct in upholding the latter name. It should,
however, be borne in mind that the two are men-
tioned by Temminck as distinct, and I am disposed
to consider Temminck’s animal to be the following
species.

Q 2

228 ZOOLOGY.

5. F. caligata, Temm.

Booted Lynx of Bruce, Travels, vol. v. p. 146, with plate.
F, caligata, Temm. Monographies de Mammalogie, i. p. 123.

It is extremely difficult to ascertain the correct specific
names for cats. Dr. Gray may perhaps be right in
uniting all these African forms. In this case as in
hundreds of others, if a large series be examined, it will
be found that there is a gradation between the extreme
forms, and yet the Gordian knot is only cut by classing
all together. In the present instance, the single speci-
men of a wild cat which I obtained from the highlands
of Abyssinia is so entirely different from the specimen
last described, that no naturalist looking at these two
only would consider them to belong to the same species.
The specimen which I assign to F. caligata was shot at
Adigrat at an elevation of about 8,000 feet above the
sea. It is at least twice the size of the specimen of
F. maniculata ; the measurements, again unfortunately
only taken from the dried skin (which, however, is in
beautiful order and in no way distorted), being—

ft.
Head and body to insertion of tail . . . . . . . Q
Pails: gb alas Ald!) oR) aig 1

Total. sy a, ark Pee Re ae Go a BE

ree

The head is about 4 inches long, ears 2 in. long, radius
54 in., carpal joint to end of toe 3 in,, tibia 54 in., tarsus
and hind toes 54 in. The general colour is a somewhat
rufous grey, darker from being mixed with black towards
the centre of the back. The hair of the fur is fulvous,
becoming paler on the flanks, dusky at the root, grey

MAMMALIA. 229

towards the tip, with a short dusky ring between the
isabelline and grey, and more or less of a black tip, espe-
cially towards the centre of the back. The hairs on the
back are about 24 inches long. Under parts rufous
white. The tip of the tail for about 2 inches is black:
there is a black ring about an inch further forward, and
indications of a second. The cheek and face-markings
are very faint. Ears rufous brown, scarcely pencilled at
the end. There is a faint black ring round the shoulder,
much more strongly marked inside, as usual. The soles of
all the feet are black.

This cat agrees exactly both in the character of the fur
and in coloration with Cape specimens, and there are
skins both in the British Museum and in that of Berlin
which are precisely similar. This is an important point,
because in this instance, as in others, the animal from the
lowlands of Abyssinia is a tropical form and similar to
others found in the neighbouring tropical countries,
whilst that from the highlands is a form found again
in a distant part of Africa, where the climate is cooler.
This fact is of more interest than the question whether
than wraviqne race shall be called species or varieties.

a doubt that this is the “ Booted
and Temminck especially identifies
Bruce’s description with his F. caligata. In Bruce's
figure the ears are much too large, and too strongly peni-
cillated, as remarked by Temminck. Indeed this cat
scarcely belongs to the lyncine group. .

At Berlin I found this cat labelled F. caffra, Desm. :

but it does not coincide with Desmarest’s description.

230 ZOOLOGY.
6. Felis leo, L.

Although no specimens were brought away, a few
words on the Abyssinian lion may not be out of place.
The sportsmen of the army who went to Abyssinia with
the expectation of shooting large game were greatly dis-
appointed ; on the route selected the paucity of large
animals was remarkable. Not a single lion was shot by
any officer of the expedition, and only one or two were
seen. In my subsequent journey, however, to the Anseba,
I met with several, as related above, and aided in killing
one lioness. The incident has been related in a previous
page, and is worthy of notice, as it illustrates the bold-
ness of the lions.

On the Anseba lions abounded, and the valley re-
sounded with their roaring every night. They were not
often seen, for they usually appeared to pass the day in
the dense thickets on the river-banks, or in the neigh-
bouring ravines, and they were often heard roaring in
these thickets towards evening. In one instance Captain
Mockler and I listened to one for some time, nearly an
hour before sunset. It was useless for us to attempt to
shoot him in the thicket in which he then was. The
Bedjuk people who were with us assured us they could
bring him out into the open. These people firmly believe
that the lion understands them when they speak to him,
and that if they abuse him sufficiently to make him
angry he will come out to attack them. The plan for
this novel lion-hunt therefore was that all should stand
outside the thicket, and that the Bedjuk should call him
names. I regret to say that the experiment was unsuc-

MAMMALIA. 23]

cessful, the whole vocabulary of Tigréan Billingsgate failed
in arousing the wrath of his majesty sufficiently to
induce him to make his appearance ; and as night came
on, and we retreated homewards, he roared more loudly
than ever in the depths of his thicket. Like all true
believers, our Bedjuk friends were by no means shaken
in their faith or inclined to doubt that the lion had
understood their abuse ; in fact, their opinion of his intel-
ligence was increased by the circumstance that he would
not venture out while there were guns in the way ; and
they assured us that had they been alone he would have
attacked them for daring to abuse him.

Lions kill many cattle, mules, donkeys, and horses in
the Habale and Samhar, and are said to migrate with the
herds, following them to the lowlands in the winter, and
ascending with them to the mountains in summer. Men
are often killed by them: we heard of several instances
taking place during our short stay.

Having had many opportunities of observing the
Indian tiger, I may make a few remarks on the differ-
ences between the habits of the two great carnivores.

The first peculiarity that struck me in the African lion
was their noisiness. I have constantly been for months
together in countries in India abounding in tigers with-
out hearing their cry. Indeed, it is by no means a
common sound in an Indian forest; leopards, I should
say, are much more frequently heard than tigers. The
ery of the two animals, commonly known as roaring,
though it is utterly different from the harsh growl of
anger to which the term might most appropriately be

232 ZOOLOGY.

applied, is very similar, and consists of several deep
notes uttered rather quickly one after the other, and
repeated at longer or shorter intervals. I never heard
tigers until it was nearly dark. As already mentioned,
lions were sometimes very noisy before dusk.

Another characteristic of lions is their greater bold-
ness. The attack upon our camels in open day, near
Ain, and the circumstance of a lioness lying in bushes
within 200 yards of our camp, in spite of shots fired at
her, at Ailat, are instances. I have known of similar
cases with tigers, but they are very unusual.

Both animals resemble each other in their wandering
habits, and in their preference for sandy roads or river-
beds for their nocturnal rambles, the feet in both being
too tender to stand much walking over sharp stones.
The largest tracks of lions seen by us were, as nearly as
I could tell, about equal in size to those of the largest
tigers.

I only saw one cow which had been killed by a lion,
and in this instance the neck was not broken, as it almost
invariably is in large animals killed by tigers.

The Abyssinian lion has only a short mane like that
of Senegal, and is consequently considered by some
naturalists as a distinct race from the heavily-maned
Cape and Barbary lions. The Persian lion, figured in
the Revue et Magasin de Zoologie for 1862, shows the
same peculiarity. The Indian lion has now been clearly
proved to have a long mane when adult; the maneless
animals, on which the variety Felis leo goojeratensis
was founded, having been shown to be young animals.

MAMMALIA. 233

This irregular geographical distribution of the two
varieties is opposed to the idea of their being really
distinct forms.

The following dimensions of the lioness killed by
Captain Mockler, near Ain, were taken on the carcase
about an hour after death, and before skinning. The
lions seen by us were larger animals, but this appeared
to be a full-sized female.

ft. in.
Length of face, from the nose to between the ears . . 1 1
» from between ears to top of shoulder . . . 1
» of back from the top of the shoulder to eke
insertion of the tail. . . . ge ole SB
» of tail, including the hairs at the and # geile Fi
Tofal length from nose to end of tail, measured along the
curve of the back! . . 2... . «es ss 8 0

Length of the body measured in a direct line along the
side from the front of the shoulder to the ramp
Height at shoulder. . . a gpa Ses
Depth of body behind shioiildiars
Length of the ear :
Girth of chest behind ahigaiders
» neck :
» head in front of the ears .
forearm

HK por wor bd w
ere OW RP &
ee Om

”

7. Genetta tigrina, Schreber.

Viverra tigrina, Schreb. Saugth. III. p. 425, t. 115.
G, abyssinica, Riipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 33, t. 11.
G. tigrina, Gray, Cat. Carn. &c. Mamm. Brit. Mus., 1869, p. 51.

I am indebted to Lieut. St. John, who had charge
of the telegraph in Abyssinia, for a skin of a civet-
1 This is the usual sportsman’s plan of measuring wild animals, and is less

liable to inaccuracy than measuring in a straight line. The skin, when taken
off and stretched, always measures one-eighth to one-quarter more.

234 ZOOLOGY.

cat, shot near Annesley Bay I believe, which I can
only refer to this species. If Dr. Gray is correct in
uniting the various races from different parts of Africa
under G. tagrina, I think there can be but little doubt
but that the present specimen must also belong to the
same. It differs materially from Riippell’s figure of
G. abyssinica, there being, including the tip, only ten
black rings on the tail instead of eighteen.

There is an Abyssinian specimen in the British Museum
labelled G. amer. Riipp.,! which is considered by Dr. Gray
to be a variety of G. tagrina. It differs from my speci-
men in being of a darker colour, and in the bands on
the flanks not being broken into spots. A young
specimen in the British Museum labelled G. abyssinica,
from Sennaar, has nine tail-rings. The markings are
very similar to those in my specimen.

8. Herpestes mutgigella, Riipp.
Riipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 29, t. 9, f. 1.

To this species I refer all the specimens, seven in
number, collected by me in Abyssinia. All were ob-
tained from Senafé or Adigrat, except one- specimen
from Suru. They vary much in colour, some being
very much more rufous than others. Usually the hinder
part of the back is more or less rufescent. Some are
deep rufous brown along the whole back and on the
back of the head; all have the tail tipped with black.
The greyest specimen of all is that from the Suru pass,

1 Evidently a MS. name merely.

‘ MAMMALTA., 235

shot at an elevation of only 2,000 feet above the sea,
and I at first thought this might be H. gracilis, Riipp. ;
but it has the black tail-tip of H. mutgigella. I have
seen a precisely similar specimen in the Berlin Museum,
labelled H. gracilis, and I much doubt if the two forms
are really distinguishable. The tail varies in length in
different specimens from twelve to fifteen inches.

This ichneumon was usually seen in low bush jungle ;
often, upon rocks. It is diurnal in its habits. I also
once or twice saw a striped species, probably H.
zebra, Riipp., of which I did not succeed in securing
specimens.

g. Hyena crocuta, L.

EH. crocuta et H. maculata, auct.
Crocuta maculata, Gray.

From the time of entering Abyssinia to that of
leaving it, the singularly unearthly howl of the spotted
hyena was the commonest of nocturnal sounds. Yet it
was the rarest occurrence to see one of these animals
in the day. I only turned up two or three from ravines
and thickets, and occasionally caught sight of one
prowling about towards dusk. At night the hyznas
constantly came amongst the tents, and sometimes
attacked goats, mules, ponies, or cattle, which were
tethered near the camp. They were just as abundant
on the highlands as in the low country.

In boldness and rapacity the spotted hyzena is far
superior to his striped relative, so far at least as can be
judged from the habits of the latter in India. I have

236 ZOOLOGY.

never known Hyena striata to kill any animal larger
than a goat, and it is mainly a carrion-feeder. In the
Abyssinian campaign I met with several instances of
both cattle and mules being attacked by spotted hyzenas.
A full-grown cow just outside our camp at Ailat was
torn to pieces and entirely devoured by hyznas before
morning. These animals evidently collect in consider-
able numbers. In India it is a common practice amongst
sportsmen to tie up young buffaloes or bullocks as baits
for tigers, in places haunted by those animals. In hun-
dreds of instances in which I have known this done,
I never remember one of the baits being killed by
hyeenas, although, after a bullock or buffalo is killed
by a tiger or leopard, hyznas almost always feed on
the carcase.

The striped hyzena is a noisy animal at night, but far
less so than H. crocuta, and there is a considerable
difference in the voice.

Striped hyzenas are said to be sometimes seen in parts
of Abyssinia, and I heard from Mr. Miinzinger that a
third smaller animal occurs near Massowa, which is much
dreaded by the natives, as considerable numbers of them
collect and attack men. This may be Lycaon picta, and
not a hyena.

In gait Hyena crocuta is much less ungainly than
H. striata, the disproportion in the length of the legs
being much smaller.?

1 Tn the Catalogue of Carnivorous, &c. Mammalia in the British Museum,
1869, Hyena as restricted is said to have the legs subequal, and Crocuta to
have the hinder legs short. These characters should be reversed.

MAMMALIA. 237

The following are the dimensions of a fine male killed
at Takonda, near the head of the Haddas pass :—

Length of head from nose to nape. . . noe Oe

¥§ neck and body from nape to ang anenauell
along the curve of the back . . . . . 3 1
» tail, 1 ft.; hairs beyond end,6in. . . . . 1 6
Total length from nose to end of tail, measured along the
curve of the back. . . . . fo tote & aoe, “DOS
Height at shoulder. . . 2 6
Length of body from shoulder a rump, seared slong
the side . ; oe . 2 5
Girth of neck . . 1 10
4 chest behind stiouldens, 2 11
» forearm ......., 0 9%

to. Canis mesomelas, Gm.

Syst. Nat. I. pt. 1, p. 73.—Riipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 39.

This very handsome jackal was occasionally seen in
the pass between Komayli and Senafé, and much more
frequently about the base of the hills west of Massowa,
and on the Anseba. I believe that I met with it also
in the desert country north-west of Massowa. On the
shores of Annesley Bay it was never observed.

The following dimensions are those of a male animal

killed in the Anseba valley :—

ft

Length from nose to betweenears. . . . . . . . 0
between ears to top of shoulder . . . . O 5$

1

1

” ”

3 ,, top of shoulder to rump 3
of tail, 1 ft. 2 in.; hairs beyond end, 2 i in.

”

Total length from nose to tip of tail measured along
the curve of the back . . . . . . ss... 3 6

238 ZOOLOGY.

fi. on.
Length of body from shoulder to rump, measured along
theside) 2 eo ae ACS) OR a a es 1 8
Height at shoulder. . . . . 1. 1. we ee es 1 6
Girth ofneck. . . ea naur es @ gates vei O10
» body behind stinaidien Be ee ge ie, Oe, . . 1 33

On one occasion, at least, animals of this species
were seen in the immediate vicinity of a lion. In
fact, it was their peculiar movements, walking slowly
away with constant glances towards a particular
bush, that drew our attention to the place where the
lion lay.

11. C. variegatus, Riipp.
Riipp. Atlas, t. 10.—Neu. Wirb. p. 39.

This is the common jackal of the Abyssinian high-
lands. It may also occur at low elevations, but of this
I am not certain. By Riippell and Brehm it is con-
sidered merely a variety of the last species ; but in this
view I cannot concur, as amongst the numerous jackals
seen by me on the highlands I never recognised a
specimen of C. mesomelas, which I never met with
above about 5,000 feet. I also think the present a
larger animal. The measurements given below only
convey a very faint idea of the proportionally greater
weight and bulk; in the dried skins the limbs of
C. variegatus are very much larger than those of
C. mesomelas.

I must express my surprise at finding these African
jackals—for they are true jackals—classed in Dr. Gray’s
list with foxes, whilst the Indian jackal, Canis aureus,

MAMMALIA. 239

is placed with the wolves (P. Z. 8. 1868, pp. 504, 516, and
Cat. Carn. &. Mamm. Brit. Mus. 1869, pp. 188, 203).
If the genus Canis is to be subdivided to the extent
which is done by Dr. Gray, the jackals (Saccalius) are
a much more natural group than some of those adopted,
and in all their habits differ greatly from foxes. They
are far more social, and are eminently scavengers,
feeding upon carrion, and haunting the neighbourhoods
of towns and villages. Their cry is peculiar and pro-
longed, never a sharp bark like that of a fox. Their
build is quite different ; the tail and ears are shorter, the
legs longer, the muzzle blunter, and the jaws and teeth
much more powerful. They never use burrows in the
earth, except when they have young. I unfortunately
omitted to notice the form of the pupil in C. mesomelas
and C. variegatus: it is doubtless round, as in C.
aureus.

Some specimens of C! varvegatus resemble some of
C. aureus so closely, that I doubt if the two forms
could be distinguished by their skins. The former
is a larger animal, however, and there is an important
difference in the cry. That of C aureus begins with
a long shrill howl, repeated, with a slight rise in
the scale at the commencement, three or four times,
and followed by a modulated series of short barks.
It is best conveyed by the well-known version, “Dead
Hindoo-o00-00, where, where, where?” both the first
and second part being repeated separately. Now, in
the cry of the Abyssinian jackal, the second portion,
expressed by “where, where, where,” is entirely omitted,

240 ZOOLOGY.

and only the long wailing howl, a shrill representation
of the noise made by a dog when “baying the moon,”
is uttered.

The following are the dimensions of two very fine
Abyssinian jackals, male and female, shot, the first close
to Senafé, the second at Halai :—

Male. Female.
ft. in. ft. in.

Length from nose to between ears . . . » ». » O 72 0 7
» » between earstorump. ..... 2 0 1411
» of tail,10in.; hairs beyondend,3in. . . 1 1 #1 O08
Total length from nose to tip of tail, measured
along the curve of the back. . . . . . . 3 82 3 7
Length of body from shoulder to rump, measured
along the side Sy so: tee pean GAS SO Ge Sacre ld 38 —
Height at shoulder . . . Oe Boa we oe eo 1 8R 16
Girth of neck . . . Gate tree ai seis cen = 010
» body behind diodes Bb ee ee a eS 1 44
Length of ear. . . ecu en Or)
Longest hairs in ftowstache. a de (AR ke val Gee (OM BR

The skull of the male above mentioned is 6°7 inches
long, 3'4 wide at the zygomata, and 2°75 high measured
through the front of the orbit.!

About Annesley Bay there was a small kind’ of
jackal, with long legs and longish ears, of a rather
pale sandy colour, and very slight build. I never suc-
ceeded in obtaining a specimen. It was probably Canis
riparius, Hempr. and Ehr., described in the “Symbols
Physicee.”

1 The skull of an old specimen of C. aureus, in the British Museum,
measures in inches,—length, 5°75; breadth, 3:1; height, 2°7; and the
teeth are much smaller than in C. variegatus, which is evidently a larger and
more powerful animal.

MAMILALIA, oo]

Orver PACHYDERMATA.

12. Phacocherus £liani, Riipp.

Phacocherus Ailiani, Rupp. Atlas, t. 25, 26.
P. haroja, Hemp. and Ebr., Symb. Phys., t. 20.
P. ethiopicus, partim, Gray, P. Z. 8. 1868, p. 46.

The wart-hog occurs throughout Abyssinia, if, as I
have every reason to believe, the species occurring on the
highlands is the same as that found at lower elevations.
Near Annesley Bay it abounds, and I shot several fine
specimens.

Its habits are very similar to those of ordinary pigs.
It lives amongst bushes or in ravines during the day,!
and comes out to feed in the evening, still keeping much
to bush jungle. The large males are usually solitary ;
the younger animals and females live in small herds,
apparently not exceeding eight or ten in number. I
never saw large “sounders,’ such as are so commonly
met with in the case of the Indian hog. It feeds much
on roots, which it digs up by means of its huge tusks.
It also appears to dig large holes, in which it occasionally
lies. These are perhaps intended for the young.

Despite its formidable appearance, the Abyssinian
wart-hog is a comparatively timid animal, far inferior
in courage to the Indian wild hog. Several which I
wounded showed no inclination to charge under circum-

1 In P. Z. S. 1868, p. 45, Phacocherus is said by Dr. Gray to live floating

amongst reeds. This is certainly not the case with the Abyssinian species,
nor, so far as I am aware, with the South African animal generally.

R

242 ZOOLOGY.

stances in which an Indian pig would certainly have
shown fight.

The flesh is savoury, but dry and hard, even in com-
paratively young animals.

ilian’s wart-hog is considered by Dr. Gray, the last
writer on the subject, identical with the South African
Phacocherus ethiopicus, Erxl. (Sus africanus, Gm.) ;
and unquestionably Dr. Gray gives very strong arguments
in favour of his views. My reasons for dissenting are :
first, that Dr. Gray, from the nature of the specimens
before him, was compelled to rely entirely upon cranial
and osteological characters, and that I believe there are
external differences in the two forms; secondly, that
all the specimens in the British Museum appear to be
from South or West Africa and not from Abyssinia ;
and it is most probable that the two races are repre-
sentative.

The external differences are far from unimportant, as
I judge from a fine adult South African specimen in the
Gardens of the Zoological Society, and from the drawing
in Major Cornwallis Harris’s “Game Animals of South
Africa.’ The ears in the South African species have
tufts of long hair; this peculiarity is wanting in P.
Atlant: and the form of the warty protuberances
on the face is quite different in the two species,—in
the males, at all events ; in the females the warts are
much smaller, and the upper ones are deficient. The
colour of P. ethiopicus also appears much more rufous
in general.

So far as regards the dental characters, all the evi-

MAMMALIA. 243

dence which I can add is in favour of the distinction.
I brought away with me three skulls of large males.
One is that of a very old animal with enormous tusks,
the upper pair being no less than eleven inches long
each outside the jaw, measured along and outside of
the curve. In all three skulls both upper and lower
incisors are permanent. In old specimens of P. ethio-
picus both are generally wanting.1

13. Rhinoceros keitloa, A. Smith (2. bicornis, L, var.).

Bruce, Travels, vol. v. p. 85.
Smith, Hust. 8. Afr., Zool.-Mamm. pl. 1.
Rhinaster keitloa, Gray, P. Z. S$. 1867, p. 1025.

Rhinoceroses appear to be confined to the lower
elevations in Abyssinia; they do not ascend above
about’ 5,000 feet elevation in the northern portion of
the country, and they are entirely wanting on the high
plateau. I only met with them on the banks of the
Anseba, where they were tolerably common. All be-
longed to the black type—the white African rhinoceros
does not appear to have been met with north of the
equator.

Although the rhinoceros of Abyssinia and Nubia was
described long ago by Bruce,” very few specimens have
ever reached Europe. The difficulty of carrying the
spoils of so large an animal is very great. Mr. Jesse
brought away the complete skeleton of an adult female,

1 Vide also Sclater, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1869, p. 276, pl. xx.
2 Bruce’s figure, however, represents an Indian (one-horned) Rhinoceros,

with an additional horn.
R 2

244 ZOOLOGY.

which is now in the British Museum. I only obtained
the head and skull of a younger female, nearly adult,
now deposited in the same collection. The animal is
by no means easy to kill, and these two were the only
ones bagged by our party. There is now a young male
from Nubia in the Gardens of the Zoological Society.

The accompanying figures represent the head and
horns of the younger female killed on the Anseba, the
horns with a portion of the skull of the adult female,
and the back view of the hinder horn of the latter, all
drawn to a scale of one-tenth the natural size. A
comparison of the last with the typical specimen of
R. keitloa in the British Museum, or with the figure

1 Of. Sclater, Student and Intell. Obs. 1869, p. 328.

MAMMALIA. 245

in Dr. Smith’s “Illustrations of the Zoology of South
Africa,” will show the very close resemblance in form.
In the typical specimen the horns are of equal length ;
in that from Abyssinia the front horn is 16 in. long,
the hinder 123 in. The first is nearly circular in section
throughout, being a little compressed above ; the latter
is much compressed, more sharply edged behind than
in front. Half-way up it measures 24 in. from front to
back, and 14 in. across.

The horns in the younger specimen measure—the
anterior 12 in. along the curve in front, or 11 in.
measured in a direct line from the centre of the base to
the tip, while the hinder horn is 73 in. in length. The
first is slightly compressed, having an oval section ;
the two diameters half-way up being 1°8 in. and 1°4 in.
The hinder horn tapers suddenly below, and more
gradually above ; it is rather less comipressed than the

246 ZOOLOGY.

front one; the diameters, three inches from the tip, being
1-2 in. and 1 in.

In the young male in the Zoological Gardens, the
horns are comparatively short, especially the hinder-
most, larger at the base, blunt, and nearly circular in
section.

How much of the variation in the three different
animals is due to age and sex, it is impossible to say
without further information and additional specimens,
It is quite possible that the horns may be variable in
length, and in the extent to which they are compressed,
and yet that FR. kevtloa may be perfectly distinct
from &. bicornis.

In both the animals killed by our party, the elongated
process of the upper lip was well developed, as it is
also in the Zoological Society’s specimen. The neck
was rather long, and there was a distinct appearance
of a hump on the shoulder, just as represented in Dr.
Smith’s figure. This was peculiarly conspicuous in the
larger animal after death, as it lay upon its belly, with
its legs doubled beneath, a position taken by both
animals in dying. Immediately on returning to India
after leaving Abyssinia, and referring to Dr. Smith’s
plates, I was struck by the great resemblance of his
figure of &. keitloa, in the characters of general form
as well as of the horns, to the Abyssinian animal, and
I was glad to find that Dr. Gray, from an examination
of the skull brought home by Mr. Jesse, arrived inde-
pendently at the same conclusion as to the specific
relations (Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist. 1869, p. 201).

MAMMALIA, 247

The rhinoceros of the Anseba inhabits the dense
thickets on the bank of the stream, which are inter-
sected in all directions by the paths made by these
animals. In the densest parts, where roots and stems
render the jungle almost impervious, there are places
known by the inhabitants as rhinoceros-houses. The
stems and branches have generally been broken away or
pushed back, so as to leave a clear space about 15 ft. or
20 ft. in diameter, at the bottom of which the ground
has been worn into a hollow by the trampling and
rolling of the animals in wet weather. These houses
are used as retreats during the heat of the day. On
two or three occasions we disturbed a rhinoceros from
one of these, and he rushed off with much noise and
loud snorts through the bushes. So far as we could
learn from our observations, these animals enter the
thick jungle early in the morning and rest until one or
two o'clock in the day; then they leave their thickets
and go out to feed, usually remaining, however, amongst
high bushes. At the time of the year in which we
visited the country rain generally set in in the after-
noon, and, if it did not rain, the sky was overcast ; in
the clear weather the rhinoceroses are said never to
appear before evening. They are great browsers, feeding
chiefly on the young shoots and branches of acacia
and other trees, or on fruits ; so far as I could see, they
do not generally eat grass.

Their movements are very quitk, their usual pace
being a smart trot, and the numerous tracks show that
they move about a good deal. The natives declare that

248 ZOOLOGY.

it is impossible to escape from them even on horseback
(I doubt this), but they are easily eluded by turning, as
they are not quick of sight, and, like most mammalia,
they never look for enemies in trees ; consequently a man
only two or three feet from the ground will remain
unnoticed by them if he keeps quiet. They are said
to be extremely savage, and unquestionably the first
one killed by us charged most viciously. The same is
related of the black rhinoceros by all African sportsmen.
I cannot help thinking, however, that their savage dis-
position has been rather exaggerated. When on the
Anseba, we heard numerous accounts of people having
been killed by lions, panthers, and elephants; but Mr.
Miinzinger told me that, during his long experience
in the country, he never knew of any one having
been killed by a rhinoceros, although he himself had
had a narrow escape when charged by an animal he
had wounded.

The majority of the animals seen by our party
were in pairs, an old female and a nearly full-
grown cub. On one occasion Captain Mockler saw
four together.

The only sound we heard them make was the snort
of alarm or rage, so frequently referred to by Sir Samuel
Baker in his description of the rhinoceroses met with
by him on the Nile Tributaries in Western Abyssinia.
It is a most peculiar noise, resembling that made by a
locomotive more than any sound made by an animal
with which I am acquainted.

The following are the dimensions of the larger rhino-

MAMMALIA. 249

ceros killed, that of which the skeleton is in the
British Museum :—

ft. in.
Length of head from snout to between the ears . . . 2 8
7 neck and body from between ears to inser-
tion Of tah. cs oe we a her SF
Se, Nee nae ae Ae ec cies op ig ge ae ah a Se
Total length from nose to end of tail, measured along
the curve of the back . . . 1... ... . 11 7
Length of body measured along side from shoulder to
TUMP 3 bho ee ae a ae SS ee ae eae 6 8
Height atshoulder. 2. 2. 2. 2. 1. 1. ww ww. 4 BE

I am indebted to Mr. Jesse for these measurements.
I had, unfortunately, no tape with me when we killed

the animal, and Mr. Jesse took them from the carcase
next morning.

14. Hyrax abyssinicus, Hemp. and Ehr.

H. habessinicus, Hemp. and Ehr., Symb. Phys., t. ii, smaller
specimen in lower figure (nec Euhyrax abyssinicus, Gray, Ann.

and Mag. Nat. Hist. vol. i. p. 47).

The synonymy of the North African Hyraces is en-
veloped in the direst confusion. Dr. Gray recently
attempted to clear this up in a paper published in the
Annals and Magazine of Natural History for 1868,
Ser. 4, vol. i. p. 35, and subsequently reprinted in the
British Museum Catalogue of “ Carnivorous, &c., Mam-
malia,” p. 279; but in consequence of not having had
access to the types described by previous authors, he has
in some instances mistaken other forms for them. The
excessive variation to which the common Abyssinian

250 ZOOLOGY,

species is liable has also caused it to be greatly sub-
divided ; but so much do skins vary in colour that I
am by no means surprised that naturalists, having only
access to a few specimens in a museum, should consider
that they had evidence of the existence of several
species.

Being aware of the difficulties which existed, I en-
deavoured, when in Abyssinia, to obtain as large a series
as I possibly could, and I brought away with me twenty-
eight skins from different parts of the country. Since
my return to Europe I have not only compared these
with the types described by Dr. Gray, but I have also
examined the specimens in the Berlin Museum which
were collected by Hemprich and Ehrenberg and de-
scribed and figured in the “Symbole Physice.” The
conclusion at which I have arrived is that there are
probably five! (perhaps six) distinguishable races of
Hyrax in North-eastern Africa, one or two of which
appear to be new; but so great is the difficulty of
distinguishing between the different forms, and such is
the risk of error, that I hesitate to add to the already
very considerable list of names, as of the supposed new
species I have in one case one, in the other two, spe-
cimens only.

The principal characters relied upon by Dr. Gray for
the classification of the Eyraces are the form of the
skull, the colour of the dorsal spot, the harshness or

1 The two species not obtained by me are H. ruficeps vel dongolanus of
Ehrenberg, which, from an examination of the types of both specimens, I
have ascertained to be the same as H. Burtoni of Gray ; and the Shoa
animal called Huhyrax abyssinicus by Gray.

MAMMALIA, 251

softness of the hair, and its coloration. All of these
characters appear to me to be remarkably variable in
the genus Hyrax, and especially in specimens from
Abyssinia.

The first specimen shot by me in Abyssinia was killed
on the shore of Annesley Bay. It is quite a young
animal, and not fully grown, but appears smaller than
specimens of the same age from the highlands; the
few other specimens seen by me at the same time
were also small. The skin in question measures barely
a foot from nose to rump. The sole of the forefoot
is 1} inches long; that of the hindfoot 1%. The
fur is unusually thin and short, being scarcely half
an inch in length anywhere, and rather harsh in texture.
The general colour is brown; the hairs are dull brown
at the base, with yellowish tips. There is a rudi-
mentary black dorsal spot.

With some little doubt I refer this specimen to H.
abyssinicus. Of the type specimens of that species in
the Berlin Museum, the largest is about eighteen inches
long ; it is an old animal with large teeth. The colour
is grey, with slight mottling, owing to the hairs being
brown at the base, then dirty white for about one-eighth
of an inch, and black at the tip. The fur is neither very
coarse nor very fine. The under parts are dull grey. There
is a small, not very distinct, black dorsal spot, the hairs
in which are black throughout in the older specimen, but
only at the tip in a younger skin. Both specimens are
said to have been obtained near Massowa.

The species identified by Dr. Gray with Ehrenberg’s

252 ZOOLOGY.

H. abyssinicus is a very distinct form, and, as stated by
Dr. Gray, the skin alone is undistinguishable from that
of Hyrax capensis. It is a very much larger species
than any of the common Abyssinian forms, very dark-
coloured above and dusky beneath, with long, soft fur,
and a very conspicuous black dorsal spot.

I think it probable that the true Hyrax abyssinicus
of Ehrenberg inhabits the neighbourhood of the coast
only. The highland species, which is far better known,
is the following :—

15. Hyrax Brucei, Gray.

Ashkoko, Bruce’s Travels, vol. v. p. 139, with plate.

Hyraa syriacus, Schreber, Saughth. iv. p. 314, t. 240.

A Brucei, Gray, Ann. and Mag, N. H. 1868, i. p. 44.—Cat.
Carn. &c, Mam. Brit. Mus. p. 287.

H. Alpini, Gray, Ann. and Mag. 1868, p. 45.—Cat. Brit. Mus.
p. 287.

I. ferrugineus, Gray, Ann. and Mag. 1869, vol. ili. p. 242.—Cat.
Brit. Mus. p. 288.

H. irrorata, Gray, and var. luteogaster, Ann. and Mag. 1869,
p. 242,—Cat. Brit. Mus. p. 288.

After long and careful examination both of the skins
and skulls of all the Abyssinian Hyraces which I have
been able to see, including the large series of specimens
obtained by myself, I am unable to find any constant
character by which the different forms above enumerated
can be discriminated. In several specimens collected
by me, mostly from lower elevations, there is either
no trace or only the faintest rudiment of a dorsal spot.
When present this is yellow. I was at first disposed
to consider those specimens in which the dorsal spot is

inconspicuous or absent as belonging to a distinct race,

MAUMALLA. 253

and it appeared much as if there was a cranial difference
also, the length of the diastema being proportionally
greater in the unspotted specimens; but more careful
examination showed that it is only in one or two skins
that there is absolutely no trace of a dorsal spot, and
that those belong to young individuals, in which it is
usually less well-marked than in adults, whilst the
proportional length of the diastema is a character of
very dubious value. In two skulls before me of about
the same age, and of animals which were, I believe,
obtained from the same burrow, the relative length in
the upper jaw of the diastema and of the first three
molars is in one specimen 0°35 to 0°48 inch; in the
other, 0°46 to 0°48. The skins only differ in one being
more ferrugineous than the other, a character rarely of
much value amongst mammalia in general, and, as I have
ascertained by repeated observations, of not the slightest
importance amongst Abyssinian Hyraces. I have, in
repeated instances, seen several animals amongst those
scattered over the face of a cliff, or lying out on large
stones, which were far more rufous than their com-
panions of the same burrow.

Of the specimens collected by me which I refer to
this species, one was shot at Upper Suru only 2,000 feet
above the sea; one at Undul Wells at about 4,000 feet ;
three at Senafé, 8,000 feet ; one at Agula, one at Antalo,
both 7,000 feet; one in the Anseba valley, 4,000 feet ;
and sixteen at Adigrat, 8,000 feet. Amongst this series
I find every gradation between the four forms described
by Dr. Gray. There can, I think, be but little hesitation

2o4 ZOOLOGY.

after examining my specimens that the slight differences
of colour upon which H. Alpini was distinguished from
HT. Brucei are not of specific value, and, in illustration of
this fact, I may state that when collecting in Abyssinia
I never could quite determine to which of the two
forms I should refer specimens. As mentioned before,
the amount of variation is very remarkable, and it is not
surprising that Dr. Gray should have been misled by the
few specimens in his possession. Hyrax ferrugineus
is the rufous phase, which is certainly not more than
an individual variety; and the only race about which
I ever had the least doubt is H. zrroratus, which is
the variety with the rudimentary dorsal spot; and in
that case also I can see no constant distinction whatever.
A large series of my specimens are deposited in the
British Museum, and available for comparison, and I
fee] confident that any one who examines them will
come to the same conclusion as myself.

By far the greatest amount of variation exists amongst
the specimens from Adigrat, and there are two of these
which differ so much from the others that they may
belong to distinct species. But after my experience
of the variation of which Hyraces are susceptible, I
would not think of distinguishing forms on the evidence
of a single specimen. . |

The first of these aberrant specimens (No. 786) ap-
proaches the type of H. Bruce: of Gray; but it has
longer and finer fur, and is greyer and less rufous in
colour. The fur is dusky at the base, becoming black
near the end, and tipped with white. There is a distinct

MLMMALIA., DoD

longitudinal, yellow, dorsal spot. The animal is fully
adult, but not aged. The skull is much crushed, and
T have not extracted it.

The second specimen (No. 886) differs even more from
the type, and very possibly should be classed with the
next species. It is of a very dark brown colour, much
mottled with black, all the under fur being blackish ; the
hairs are yellowish brown near the end and tipped with
black. There is a rudimentary black dorsal spot, the
hairs on the centre of the back being quite black near
the base, and only very slightly tipped with paler colour.

The habits of the Abyssinian Hyraces are precisely
similar to those of Syria and the Cape. They live in
rocky or stony places, in communities, like rabbits,
haunting holes beneath the rocks, A large pile of loose
blocks, especially if there are precipices around, is sure to
be inhabited by them. They are frequently found, too,
in rocky watercourses. They appear to feed at night
and very early in the morning, their principal food being
the leaves and young shoots of trees and bushes. In
the stomach I invariably found a green mass too much
crushed for the separate leaves to be distinguished,
During the day they lie out upon rocks in the shade,
or retire, especially towards midday, beneath the rocks.
They are timid and wary, rushing into their holes at
the smallest intimation of danger. The only sound I
heard made by them was a shrill squeak when suddenly
alarmed. They can climb over smooth surfaces of rock
in a wonderful manner, their large flat feet aiding them
in obtaining a hold.

256 ZOOLOGY.

The following measurements were taken from a freshly-
killed adult female shot at Senafé :—

ft. in.

Length of face, from end of nose to between ears . 0 35
af of neck, from between ears to top of shoulder 0 3

» from shoulder to rump 1 15
Total length, measured along the curve of the back . 1 8

Length of body, from shceulder to rump, measured
along thesidé> a ee we ee ee OE
Height at shoulder
Girth of neck . oe sel <> nh
» chest behind the shoulder .
Length of ear .
Breadth of ear. ee ee
Length of longest hairs in moustache .
forefoot and toes
middle toe of forefoot .
5 radius . :
hindfoot and toes

7

ooo oocoooceorss
w

3 outer toe of hindfoot . 3
middle toe of hindfoot 6
a inner toe of hindfoot . 75
3 tibia 35

There are six mamme, four inguinal and two pectoral :
the former are very lateral, just in front of the thigh
and about 32-inch apart.

In one of the skulls brought back by me belonging
to a very aged animal killed at Suru, there is a very
remarkable dental character. At the back of all the
molars on each side of the upper jaw there is a pointed
tusk-like tooth, shaped like a canine, the point projecting
a little above the crowns of the molars. The series of
grinders is complete, being seven in number, and the
teeth are considerably worn. The canines in this speci-
men are rounded in front, not ridged as. usual,

MAMMALIA. 257

Of the three skeletons brought back two have twenty-
one, one twenty pairs of ribs. All have twenty-eight
dorsal vertebre.

16. Hyrax, ?sp. nov.

Two specimens from Gaso and Santara on the Dalanta
plateau differ from all the others in having a distinct
small black dorsal spot. They are very dark and much less
mottled than usual; the hair is longer and moderately
fine. The soles of the feet, of the hinder ones espe-
cially, appear to be rather shorter than usual. The
nasal bones of the skull appear shorter, but neither
specimen is quite adult. Still compared with specimens
of H. Brucei of the same age there appears a difference,
the height of the posterior portion of the skull in the
latter being less in proportion to the length. In the
Dalanta specimens the zygomatic arch is broader than
usual. The series of molars in the. upper jaw are much
curved.

I am inclined to consider this a distinct form, and I
doubt if it be the young of the Shoa species called
Euhyrax abyssincus by Dr. Gray. It appears to me
a smaller animal. Wy largest specimen is nearly adult
and wants the small front premolar on each side of both
jaws. This tooth is occasionally wanting here and there in
other skulls, and is generally deficient in the lower jaw
of aged specimens, but amongst eight adult skulls before
me I find no other instance of its absence throughout

both jaws.

258 ZOOLOGY.

17. Elephas (Loxodonta) Africanus, Cuvier.
Cuv. Régne Animal, ii. p. 231.

Elephants were not very uncommon in the neighbour-
hood of Annesley Bay, and several were killed by some
of the sportsmen in the army, whilst their footprints
and the dried droppings were conspicuous everywhere.
Farther north, near Massowa, we met with their tracks
in all the valleys traversed, but we very rarely saw the
animals themselves, and we only killed a small herd of
five at Kokai, in the Lebka valley, as related on a
previous page.

The differences between the form and habits of the
Indian and African Elephants have been so frequently
described, and both species have of late years become
so well known by the exhibition of specimens in the
various Zoological Gardens in Europe, that but few re-
marks are necessary. The impression produced upon all
who saw the Abyssinian Elephants was that they were
more active and better climbers than the Indian animals,
and also that they were more savage in disposition.
They often inhabit steep hill-sides, and the rapidity with
which they ascend and descend these was described as
marvellous by some of those who witnessed them.

The conduct of the small herd at Kokai was very
curious, illustrating the boldness of the creatures in
remaining all day in the midst of men and domestic
animals, while at the same time they afforded a re-
markable case of stupidity when attacked. On a
subsequent occasion Captain Mockler attacked a herd
of very large Elephants ; and at the first shot the whole

MAMMALIA. 259

herd turned upon him although they were previously
quite unaware of his presence, and he only saved his
life by running and hiding himself in a bush.

The Elephants near the Abyssinian coast migrate with
the season, coming to the coast in the winter and spring,
when rain falls and there is abundance of green food,
and returning to the hills about June and July, when
the monsoon rain commences. They ascend the various
plateaux near the Anseba valley to a height of 7,000 or
8,000 feet, partly in all probability to escape from the
flies, which are very troublesome in the lower ground at
that season.

All of the Elephants in Eastern and Northern Abyssinia
appear to be almost tuskless or to have very small and
short tusks, a. most unusual occurrence in the African
Elephant, though tuskless varieties of the Asiatic species
are extremely common in India and other parts of South-
eastern Asia, and in Ceylon a tusker is very rare indeed.
In Western Abyssinia, on the Barka, Mareb, and Atbara,
the Elephants have fine tusks, and are much hunted in
consequence.

Sir Emerson Tennent, in his description of the Elephant
of Ceylon, especially notices the circumstance that all
the animals in one herd are generally, if not always, part
of the same family. The little herd killed by us at
Kokai evidently consisted of an old female and four
younger Elephants, her offspring in different stages of
growth ; and subsequently Captain Mockler saw a herd
of nine, consisting in a similar manner of a very large
female and of eight younger animals varying in size

82

260 ZOOLOGY.

from adult down to a little beast not higher than a
Shetland pony. It is very probable that all herds consist
of animals closely related by consanguinity.

The dimensions of the old female and of the largest
male killed at Kokai were :—

FreMALeE. MALE.

ft. in. ft. in.

Height at shoulder. . . . . . « €) 8 7 4
From top of head, between base of ears ‘ts top

of shoulder . 2 7 1. 1. ew we 1 5 1 6

From top of shoulder to insertion of tail . . 7 3 6 3
Length of body from shoulder to rump, mea-

sured along the side in adirectline . . 7 3 6 6

Circumference of forefoot . . . . . . . 3 7% _—

Orpen RUMINANTIA.

18. Gazella Soemmerringii, Riipp.

Antilope Semmerringii, Riipp. Atlas, t. 19.—Brehm, Habesch,
p. 65.

This Antelope abounds on the coast of the Red Sea,
near Annesley Bay and Massowa, but never ascends the
hills. It inhabits principally the low bush and acacia
scrub, and is found in herds varying from a few indi-
viduals up to 100 or more. It appeared to me that the
herds were larger in the winter than in the summer, but
around Annesley Bay many had been driven from their
usual haunts by the unwonted presence of so many men,
and several herds must frequently have united. In one
instance, at Arafilé, an immense assemblage of at least
300 to 400 inhabited a large plain south of the Egyptian
camp. A very large number were shot by the sportsmen
of the army. The flesh is excellent.

Scemmerring’s Gazelle belongs to the same section of

Zoology Py

Sanh

eat

faites

ae

at

Drawn and uth by 1. GAZELLA DORCAS. 3. G. ARABICA. Printed by
JG Keulemans BC. iy 9. 4. G. SUBGUTTUROSA. PW i Trap, Leyden
B.C: BENNETTI. 5 G.-SPEKEI,

MAMMALIA. 261

the genus as G. dama and G. euchore, distinguished
from G. dorcas and its allies, the true gazelles, by their
less symmetrical form and longer legs, and by their habit
of keeping in herds of considerable size. Their pace is
rapid, usually a long trot: I never saw them bound like
the Springbok or hke Antilope bezoartica of India.

On one or two occasions I saw tracks of Gazella
Semmerringit near water, and Captain Mockler shot
one while drinking. The hour of drinking appears to
be usually a little before midday. In this it differs
from G'azella dorcas and its near ally G. Bennetti of
India, which never drink.

1g. G. dorcas, L.

Capra dercas, L. Syst. Nat., Ed. 12,, i. p. 96.

The true Gazelle of the Abyssinian coast-land appears
to differ in no essential character from that of Northern
Africa. A distinguishable race inhabits the opposite
shore of the Red Sea (G. arabica, H. and E.), and a
third form, G. Spekei, Blyth, occurs on the African coast
further south in the Somali country. Figures of the horns
of all these races are appended (Plate I), as well as of
two other Asiatic Gazelles, G. subgutturosa of Persia and
Beloochistan, and G. Bennett: of India. The figures
of G. dorcas are from specimens shot by myself near
Zulla; that of G. arabica from a head for which I
am indebted to Captain Heysham of the Commissariat,
who obtained it at Mocha. The figured heads, male
and female, of G. Speker, are the specimens described
by Mr. Blyth in the Journal of the Asiatic Society

e

262 ZOOLOGY.

of Bengal for 1856, vol. xxiv. p. 296, and now in
the Indian Museum at Calcutta. Those of G. subgut-
turosa are in the same museum, and were brought
from Afghanistan, I believe, by Captain Hutton. The
figures of the horns of G. Bennetti are taken from an
animal shot by myself in Western India. The length
of the horns varies much with age, but the curve
appears to be fairly constant.

So far as my observation extends, neither the Dorcas
nor Bennett’s Gazelle are ever seen in large flocks, like
the animals of the Springbok group. Usually both are
seen solitary or from two to five together, inhabiting
thin bushes, generally in broken ground. They feed much
upon the leaves of bushes. The male has a peculiar
habit when surprised of standing still and uttering a
short sharp cry. Like most Antelopes, they keep much
to the neighbourhood of some particular spot. After
long observation, I am convinced that Bennett’s Gazelle
never drinks, and all that I could ascertain of the Dorcas
Gazelle leads to the same conclusion in its case. It would
be interesting to ascertain if all these peculiarities are
shared by the little group allied to G. dorcas, or the
true Gazelles, as distinguished from the group to which
belong G. dama, G. euchore, and G. Semmerringii.

20. Oryx beisa, Riipp.

Antilope beisa, Riipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 14, t. 5.—Brehm, Habesch,
p. 66.

I never saw any other Antelope except the two species
of Gazelle and Neotragus Hemprichiz near Annesley
Bay, and I never heard of the occurrence of Oryx till

MAMMALTA. 963.

1 was north of Massowa. On our journey to the Anseba
and Bogos, we met with none, though Captain Mockler
and I found their fresh tracks near one of the drinking-
places; but when returning, I stopped for three days at
‘a halting-place in the semi-desert north of Massowa, and
I succeeded in shooting four of these superb and rare
Antelopes. All were females: but there is little, if
any, difference in the sexes, both having equally fine
horns.

The Beisa is found singly or in small herds, rarely
exceeding ten in number, in the somewhat hilly barren
country near the sea-coast. They are said to keep to
the more hilly parts of Samhar. Near Annesley Bay,
where the country is more wooded, this Antelope does
not occur, but it abounds farther south in the Somali
country, and the horns are brought in considerable
numbers to Aden from Berbera. They are used as
weapons by the Somalis.

The principal food of the Oryx near Massowa is a
coarse grass almost resembling a diminutive bamboo.
They appear to be grazers rather than browsers, although,
like all Antelopes, they occasionally eat the young shoots
of Acacia and other trees. They are quite diurnal in
their habits, feeding in the morning and evening, in
this respect resembling the Gazelles, to which they are
unquestionably closely allied. When we were in the
Samhar country in July and August, the Oryx drank
apparently every day, always coming to the water about
one or two o'clock. It is probable that they drink less

regularly in cold weather.

264 ZOOLOGY.

The appearance of a herd of Oryx is very imposing.
They are some of the most elegant and symmetrical of
animals, the motions being those of a wild horse rather
than of an Antelope. Their favourite pace appears to be
either a steady quick wlak or a trot; they rarely break
into a gallop, unless greatly alarmed. When frightened,
they dash off, sometimes snorting and putting their
heads down as if charging, raising their long tails, and
looking very formidable. They are wary animals, though
far less so than some other Antelopes. It is said that
they frequently attack when wounded, and their long
straight horns are most deadly weapons. Stories are
told of the Cape Oryx, an allied but distinct species,
killing Lions; and I heard of a commissariat contractor
who was bringing Camels to Annesley Bay, and wounded
an Oryx near Massowa, being charged by it: but nothing
of the kind happened to myself, although I had to
pursue two of the animals I killed for a long distance
after wounding them ; and one with a broken leg I fairly

ran down. The areoting of these annals | is described
on an earlier page.

Like the Gazelles and true Antelopes, all equally
inhabitants of deserts and open plains, the Oryx has a
pointed foot, each of the divisions being rudely tri-
angular. Its tracks may consequently be instantly
distinguished from those of cattle or of any of the
bovine Antelopes. So far as my acquaintance with the
family goes, most of the forest and bush-haunting Ante-
lopes, Koodoo—Nylgai, Tetraceros—have their feet
formed like those of the Cervide, with rounded hoofs,

MAMMALIA. 265

whilst the Antelopes of the plain, and especially desert
forms, have pointed hoofs.
The following are the dimensions of a female :—

ft. in.
Length of face from nose to between ears : 1 5
i neck from between ears to top of dlignldss: 1 6
o back from top of shoulder to insertion of tail. 3 1
iy tail, 1 ft. 3 in., hairs beyond end 11 in., total. 2 2
Total length from nose to end of tail measured along
the curve ofthe back . . . ....... 8 2
Length of the body measured in a direct line along
the side, from the front of the shoulder to the rump 3 7
Height at shoulder . . . aes 3.7
Girth of chest behind shoulders 3 10
» neck. 1 8
» head over forchical 2 0
» forearm. . Saree -Giasae aie Ss Sernaee hiv. pae fae Oe 3D
Length of horns. . . 1... 2 1 ee ee ee 2 6
ear 4 8
Width of ear . : 0 4
Length of forearm Gnesi outaiie Skis, 1 2
» cannon bone 35 0 9
» fetlock to toe 3.6
» thigh from stifle to finale sheared in Bronk,
outside skin . . . . 1 2
» back to hind fetlock, also ineaenred in i trout 1 2
» fetlochktohindtoe .........0 6

21. Oreotragus saltatrix (Bodd.). :

Antilope Oreotragus, Gmel. Syst. Nat. i. p. 189.
Oreotragus saltatrix, Brehm, Habesch, p. 65.

The Klipspringer is common on the more rocky of the
Abyssinian hills, from a height of about 3,000 feet above
the sea, or rather less, to 8,000 or 9,000. In the pass
below Senafé, and in that leading from Ain to the An-
seba, by the valley of the Lebka, these little mountain

266 ZOOLOGY.

Antelopes were frequently seen, and they were common
on some of the rocky precipices on the flanks of the great
valleys around Senafé, Guna Guna, Fokada, &c., usually
solitary or in pairs. When alarmed they frequently perch
on the very highest rocks, their agility in leaping from
crag to crag being remarkable.

The very peculiar face of the Klipspringer resembles in
a most remarkable manner that of the Musk-deer of the
Himalaya and Central Asia, Moschus moschiferus, and
the general build is also similar. There is probably
much resemblance in their habits, but the Musk Deer
appears to be more of a forest animal. The following
are the dimensions of a female Klipspringer shot at
Senafé :—

ft. in.

Length of face from nose to between ears . . . . 0 6
5 neck and body from between ears to fadetan

oftail. . 2... boar ie a BSS

os tail, including hairs at ud 0 4

Total length from nose to end of tail, measured along
the curve of the back . . . 3 1
Length of the body measured in a dient ue albig
the side, from the front of the shoulder to the

rump . $ 111
Height at ahonlder . : a See se Aho Beets SEG
Girth of chest behind atiouldein, Pe Oe oe Dene A. ATO!

» neck. 10
Length of ear . 0 4

22. Scopophorus montanus, Riipp.
Antilope montana, Ripp. Atlas, t. 3.

This peculiar little Antelope was rare in the country
traversed ; I only saw it two or three times near Dolo and

MAMMALIA. 267

Harkhallat, north of Antalo, at an elevation of about
7,000 feet above the sea. It inhabits bushy ground or
high grass.

I shot a buck, but omitted to take the complete dimen-
sions ; it was 1 ft. 104 in. high at the shoulder, and the
length of the body measured in a straight line from the
shoulder to the rump was 26 inches. The mamme are
four in number, the suborbital and inguinal glands well
developed, and it has the peculiar bare spot at the base
of each ear characteristic of this genus of Antelopes.

23. Cephalophus madoqua, Riipp.
Antilope madoqua, Riipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 22, t. 7, p. 2.

This bush Antelope is not rare on the highlands at
elevations of 7,000 to 8,000 feet. I usually saw it soli-
tary. It keeps to bushes and small clearings.

I shot two bucks; one at Dildi (1), the other at Don-
golo (2). The following are the dimensions :—

fs ae ORS
Length of face from nose to base of horns . . 0 6 0 6
Fe neck from base of horns to top of
shoulder . . . 1... 0 8 O09
5 back, from top of shoulder to inser-
timoftail ....... 17 1 7
So SEIT ss ta? GA) ayo a deste 2g 04 O 4
s hairs atend of tail . . . ... 0 8 0 3
Total length from nose to end of tail measured
along the curve of the back . . .. . 3 44 3 6
Length of body, measured in a straight line
along the side, from front of shoulder to
(Ok + eR ee a ee SEM!
Height atshoulder. . . . . .....+. 19 #2110
8 TUMP's.- 4 Sgr a ee ee 111

268 ZOOLOGY.

ane
Girth of chest behind shoulder. 1 8 1 9%
» neck : 0 9 0 9%
Length of foreleg . 1 03 iit
» oOfradius .. . . 0 6 0 64
» from knee to fotlocke 0 44 0 4
» from fetlock to heel of hoof . 0 2 0 2
» of thigh (tibia) . . . i ge a ge 0 8
» from hock to hind fetlodk:, Bids detcte. eS 0 7
» from fetlocktoheell. . . 2... 2.0 — 0 2%

The suborbital gland is closed. It is brown.

24. Neotragus saltianus, Blainv.

Antilope saltiana, Blainv. Bull. Soc. Philom. 1816.—Riippell,
Atlas, t. 21—Hempr. and Ehr., Symb. Phys., t. vii.
Antilope hemprichiana, Hempr. and Ehr., Symb. Phys.

The “Beni Israel” or “Om-dig-dig,” one of the
smallest Antelopes known, abounds on the shores of the
Red Sea and throughout the tropical and sub-tropical
regions of Abyssinia. It is occasionally, but rarely, found
at higher elevations; I heard of instances of its being
shot both at Senafé and Dildi; but it is not often seen
above about 6,000 feet. It inhabits bushes, keeping
much to heavy jungle on the banks of watercourses, and
is usually single, or in pairs, either a male and female or
a female and young being found together; less often the
female is accompanied by two younger ones, which
remain with her until full-grown.

Brehm gives a long and most interesting account of
the habits of this little Antelope, which appears to me to
agree generally with my own observations. The fact to
which he particularly calls attention, and which he gives
on the authority of a missionary who had long resided at

MAMMALIA. 269

Keren, is the attachment which these animals show for
particular spots, in which they may be found day after
day ; and yet if the animal which occupies a particular
station be killed, another will be found in many instances
within a few days to have taken possession of the vacant
post. I had no opportunity of noticing whether this was
the case with the Beni Israel, but it is so common an
occurrence amongst wild mammals, not merely with
Ruminants, but with Carnivora also, that I have no doubt
of its accuracy. It is not even peculiar to mammalia.

Like Gazella dorcas and many larger Antelopes, the
Beni Israel has the habit of depositing its dung fre-
quently on the same spot, so that its usual haunts may
be known by little piles of its droppings. It rarely
leaves the shelter of the bushes during the day, and is, I
suspect, somewhat nocturnal in its habits, as I have seen
it feeding on leaves at the edges of the jungle in the dusk
of evening.

All the specimens of Salt’s Antelope seen in the Anseba
valley differed from those of the coast and of the pass
between Komayli and Senafé in their much more rufous
colour. There being no distinction, so far as I can see,
in size or shape, I am inclined to look upon this as an
unimportant variation—the more so that, as previously
noticed when speaking of the Hyraces, many animals,
and especially mammals, have a tendency at times or in
particular localities to assume a rufous phase; so that the
difference between rufous and grey, or rufous and brown,
is one of the least characteristic and certain of specific

distinctions.

270 ZOOLOGY.

The following are the dimensions of a full-grown
female of Salt’s Antelope (the specimen measured being
the rufous variety) :—

ft. in
Length of face from nose to between ears . 0 5
3 neck from between ears to top of shonider . 07
5 back from top of shoulder to rump . 3 14
* tail, 14 in.; hairs beyond end of tail, 1 in. O 2
Total length from nose to end of tail, measured along
the curve of the back . 2 4
Length of the body, measured in a straight line from
the front of the shoulder to the rump |. 1 3
Height at shoulder . : eee a 14
Girth of chest behind ghoulder ‘ 1 3}
e neck. oe : O 5f
ss head in front of his ears . 0 8}
ss forearm . 0 3
Length of ear 3 0 3
Longest hairs of foiohond tuft : 5 0 12
Length of forearm (radius), from elbow to ieee 3 O 4}
» of cannon-bone from knee to fetlock 0 33
» from fetlock to toe 0 2}
» of thigh (tibia) from hip to hock 0 5t
» from hock to hind fetlock . 0 4
» from fetlock totoe . .. . O 2%

The flesh of Salt’s Antelope is inferior to that of any
others that I have ever eaten; not only is it hard and
dry, but it has a peculiar unpleasant musky flavour.

25. Strepsiceros Kudu, H. Smith.
Antilope strepsiceros, Gmel. Syst. Nat. i. p. 192.

The Koodoo is by far the finest of the Antelopes inhabit-
ing the Abyssinian highlands. It occurs in all the wilder
and more wooded parts of the country from an elevation
of about 3,000 feet to 8,000 or 9,000, or throughout the
sub-tropical and temperate zones. It is usually found in

MAMMALIA. 271

forest or bush jungle, rarely in the open, except in the
early morning and evening, and it appears to love the
hill-sides rather than level country. The males are
generally seen solitary or two or three together; the
females and young animals in herds of from four
or five to about fifteen. At those periods of the year
in which I most frequently saw Koodoo, viz. around
Senafé in February and March, and in the Anseba valley
in July and August, the bucks were rarely met with in
company of the does.

The Koodoo is a very timid and wary animal, probably
partly on account of the persecution it undergoes. Many
are killed by the Abyssinians, who are not, however, great
hunters; perhaps even a larger number fall a prey to
Lions. It is probable that this magnificent Antelope
might be acclimatized in Europe, where it would certainly
be a valuable acquisition. The flesh is delicious, and the
animal is very handsome, the large spiral horns of the
male being scarcely equalled in beauty by any other of
the family. The bluish grey colour and white stripes
are peculiar, As usual, the adult male is darker and
less rufous than the female, and the young is much
redder, being almost fawn-coloured.

The following are the dimensions of an adult but not
aged male, shot in the Anseba valley :—

ft. in. ,
Length of face from nose to base of homs . . . . . 1 2
» from base of horns to top of shoulder. . . . 2 6
» from top of shoulder to insertion of tail . . . 3 8
» of tail, including hairsattheend . ... ., 1 6

Total length from nose to end of tail, measured along
the curve of the back . . . . 2... ww, 8 10

272 ZOOLOGY.

ft. fn.
Length of the body, measured in a direct line along
the side, from the front of the shoulder to the
rump. . 4 5
Height at auouldar. ‘ ; 4 4
Length of forearm (radius) from bow to chee 1 4
» of cannon-bone from knee to fetlock 1 13
» of thigh (tibia) : 14
» from hock to hind Biles a 1 4
» of each horn, measured in a nee ites hates
point to base “ 2 2
» of each horn, measured alot curve 2 10
Distance between points of horns . 2 3
Length of ears .. 1 0

The horns were only of moderate size ; in large specimens
they are nearly three feet long.

Mr. Blyth has lately shown (P. Z. 8. 1869, p. 51) that
a smaller race of Koodoo exists in S. Africa, and probably
in Abyssinia. I did not meet with this race or its horns.

Domestic Ruminants.

Before quitting the subject of the Ruminantia, a few
words on the domestic cattle, sheep, and goats may not
be out of place.

Aji the oxen of Abyssinia belong to the humped
race, Bos zebu, and have the peculiar voice and habits
of their species. The hump, however, is smaller than
in the cattle of Hindustan ; I never saw bulls with the
very remarkable dorsal boss so characteristic of the
better-bred Indian animals. The Abyssinian cattle are
small in general: the finest seen by me were those of
the Wadela and Dalanta plateaux. They vary in colour,
being mostly brown or brown and white. The horns
are usually ill-shaped. The famous Galla oxen appear

MAMMALIA. 273

to be peculiar to the countries lying east of Antalo, and
I saw none myself.

The sheep kept by the Abyssinians of the highlands
belong entirely, so far as my observations extended, to
the short and fat-tailed race (Ovis steatopygus). They
are covered with wool, not like the well-known Somali
breed, commonly known throughout the East as Aden
sheep, which have a clothing of hair. The horns are
frequently well-developed and handsomely curved. The
sheep kept by the Habab tribes near the coast, and by
the Shohos, belong to the long-tailed race, and much
resemble the Indian sheep. They have short wool, and
are generally hornless.

Immense numbers of goats are kept by the Shohos
and Habab tribes. The males are very fine animals,
with horns sometimes two feet in length, twisted slightly,
and very upright, much resembling those of the Markhor
(Capra megaceros).

Orper RODENTIA.

26. Lepus zgyptius, Geoffroy.

Description de l’ Egypte.

L. egyptiacus; Hemp. and Ehr., Symb. Phys., t. xv. fig. 1.
L. libycus, H. and E. (Berlin Museum).

L. habessinicus, Brehm, Habesch, p. 64.

L. abyssinicus, Gray, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist. 1867, p. 223.

I can see no good reason for distinguishing the common
Hare of the Abyssinian coast-land from the desert Hare
of Egypt. It is a small greyish animal, very slight
in the body, with long legs and very large ears. It has
been by some naturalists looked upon as the Lepus

£

274 ZOOLOGY.

habessinicus of Hemprich and Ehrenberg. It does not,
however, agree with the description in the “ Symbol
Physice ;” and the type specimen in the Berlin Museum,
which I have examined in order to decide the question,
is certainly a different animal, similar in size, but with
small ears instead of unusually large ones, these being
only 32 in. long in the stuffed skin.

The following is a brief description of the type spe-
cimen of L. habessinicus :—The colour grey, mottled with
dusky, as usual, especially on the back ; nape pale rufous,
albescent behind the ears; white marks at side of face
indistinct. General size and build similar to L. egyptius,
or, perhaps, a little larger. It approaches still more
closely to the specimen of ZL. sinacticus, H. and E.

The following are a few dimensions :—

in.
Length of face from between ears and nose measured
over curve of thehead. . . . . gi cae ae Se
Base of ear in front to nose, in a direct Thue ie al Se, BE
Length of forearm (radius) and carpus from elbow-joint to
endoftoee. 2. 6 ee ee eo wo SG
os tibia. 2... xe @ AR
» tarsus from teneal isin - out of +66 geo oe a AR
3 ears,asabove. . ......... . 3%

The following are dimensions of three specimens of
Lepus egyptius shot near Zulla, taken from the animals

before skinning :—

1, 2. Male. 8. Female.
it. i i ft. in.

in, ft. in,
Length of face, from nose to between ears 0 4 0 4 0 32
» from between ears to oe of

shoulder. . . . “., . 0 3 O 3} O 4%
» from top of shoulder to itty. .- 10 1 0 1 2
5 of tail, toend of hairs . . . 0 3$ O 3% _
‘110 1 102

MAMMALIA. 275

1. 2. Male. 3. Female.
ft. in ft. in ft in,

Length of body measured in a direct line
along the side from front of shoulder

TOTUMP ek Gee ee ae Se BT 11 1 33
Height at shoulder. . . whe dig SS 010 011%
Depth of body behind shoulder ea a OO 4d
Girth of chest behind shoulder. . . . — 0 9 0 9F

» heck .. 0 6 _— 0 7%
Length of forearm (rading), from ‘albaw

to carpal joint oa @ 0° BE
Length of carpus to point of too ‘ O 24

» of middle fore-toe Se es cg ON A

» Ofthigh (tibia) . . . 1... 0 5S

» of tarsus to point of toe 0 4

» ofmiddlehind-toe. .... 0 13

of ear 3 0 62
Breadth of ear in the middle wien ‘iad flat 0 3t

If this species be not Lepus egyptius, it will have to
be named; but I can see no difference whatever, after
examining several specimens. It abounds amongst the
bushes on the shore plain about Annesley Bay, and is
less common near Massowa.

Another closely allied species, with paler fur, pro-
bably a variety inhabiting a more desert, sandy country,
is L. isabellinus, Riipp., which is identical with L. ethi-
opicus of Hemprich and Ehrenberg.

27. L. tigrensis, W. Blanf.

Ann, and Mag. Nat. Hist. 1869, p. 330.

L. abyssinicus, Lefebvre, Atlas, pl. 5, fig. 1.

L. persimilis, L, saxatili, sed minor, cauda breviort, plantarum pilis
ferrugineis, haud umbrinis.

Fur above, grey, mottled with black, the hairs grey
or pale isabelline at the base, then for a short distance
t2

276 ZOOLOGY.

black, succeeded by isabelline grey, more or less pale,
the tip being black ; towards the sides the black portions
eradually die out. Flanks and breast rufescent, chin
and belly white ; face isabelline, mixed with black—
whitish around the eyes; ears of moderate size, dusky
brown externally, a fringe of isabelline hairs on the
outer edge, and of short, dusky hairs at the tip, inner
edge whitish ; legs isabelline, mixed with black exter-
nally ; soles ferrugineous, this colour extending back to
the tarsal joint on the hind-legs;. tail rather long,
white, except a rather broad, dusky, black stripe
above.

Unfortunately I did not take the dimensions of this
Hare from the animal before skinning; the following
measurements being from the dried skin, the length of
the body can only be considered approximate. The
lengths of the head, ears, and limbs are perfectly
trustworthy, however.

in ih

Length of head from nose to base ofear. . . . 4 38

» heck and body from ears to rump (about) 14 13

es tail 3in., hairsatendling . . . . 4 4

33 CATS! 6) 4G wk ea Se a Re SD 5
Breadth of ears. 6 1. ww we eee ew 28 2°8
Length of radius Die ido Ghee aga aS a

% carpus and toes to end of claws . . . 23 2°3

ago SHIRES oa es as we de wie. Qik a

» tarsusand toestoendofclaws . . . 45 4°5

si skull. 3 4 woe Ww ao ew @ 2 OR OMB.
Breadth of skull at back part of zygomata . . . 16 16
Height of skull from base of lower jaw to crown

Of bead. «os ee s@ GSR ee Se ee OD 2151

1 1 from Takonda, No. 287; 2 from Adabagi, 693. The types of this, as
of all other species described, are placed in the British Museum.

MAMMALIA, 277

In the skull of Lepus saxatils the lower jaw is higher
in proportion to the length, the zygomatic arch much
longer, and the whole skull larger and more powerful.

Lepus tigrensis is a larger and heavier animal than
L. egyptius, L. habessinicus, L. sinaiticus, &c., the limbs
being nearly twice as large, and the whole build of
the animal more massive. It is an interesting circum-
stance to find that the common Hare of the Abyssinian
highlands approaches more nearly to a South African
type than to any of those existing in the surrounding
countries, and this affinity is in accordance with the
relations of the avi-fauna.

It is not at all surprising that both this Hare and
Lepus egyptius from the coast should have been con-
founded with Hemprich and Ehrenberg’s L. habessinicus.
In few genera are the specific distinctions more difficult
to describe than amongst the Hares; and I should not
have been satisfied that Lepus tegrensis is new, had I
not examined Hemprich and Ehrenberg’s type. I still
cannot help suspecting that there is some error in the
locality assigned to the type in question, said to come
from near Massowa, or that its remarkably short ears are
an individual peculiarity : still, if it be a monstrosity,
it certainly belongs to the Lepus egyptius, or a closely
allied ‘species, and not to the race inhabiting the Abys-
sinian highlands. It is rather remarkable that the
latter should have been so long overlooked.

Lepus tigrensis abounds around Senafé, Takonda,
Adigrat, Adabagi, and Antalo. I did not notice it in
the hill country of Lasta. Its habits are precisely

278 ZOOLOGY.

those of the European Hare. It was found most
commonly on open ground with low scattered bushes,
at from 7,000 to 9,000 feet above the sea. I believe
that the few hares seen in the Anseba valley, at 4,000
to 5,000 feet elevation, belonged to this species ; but I
am not certain. They may possibly have been L. habes-
sinicus, which, in that case, may inhabit the sub-tropical
region, and L. tigrensis be confined to the temperate.

28. Sciurus annulatus, Desm.

Mammalogie, p. 338.—Gray, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., Ser. 3, vol.
XX. p. 329,

Sc. multicolor, Riipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 38, t. 13.—Brehm, Habesch,
p. 62,

I have considered S. multicolor as identical with S.
annulatus on Dr. Gray’s authority, as I have not myself
been able to examine a sufficiently full series.

I only met with this Squirrel in the thickets on the
banks of the Anseba, where it was not very rare in the
lofty trees. It is a quiet little animal, less lively than
most squirrels.

29. Xerus rutilus, Riipp.

Sciurus rutilus, Riipp. Atlas, t. 24.

S. xerus brachyotus, Hemp. and Ehr., Symb. Phys., t. ix.

Xerus rutilans, Gray, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., Ser. 3, vol. xx.
p. 332. ‘ :

This Ground-Squirrel, which is figured of much too
rufous a colour by Riippell, is not rare in the lower
portions of the passes leading to the highlands. I saw
it also in rocky places close to the shore of Annesley
Bay. Frequently five or six are seen together keeping

MAMMALIA. 279

to the ground or to rocks, and taking refuge in clefts
and holes, never upon trees. The tail is very long and
bushy.

30. X. leuco-umbrinus, Riipp.
Riipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 38, in remarks on the genus Sciwrus.
X., setosus, Gray, Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., Ser. 3, vol. xx. p. 332.

I cannot agree with Dr. Gray in considering the
striped Abyssinian Ground-Squirrel identical with the
Cape species. Riippell founded his species on the dif-
ference in the ears; the Cape Xerus setosus having no
external conch, whilst the Abyssinian X. leuco-wmbrinus
has one distinctly developed, although small. On com-
paring the specimens procured by myself in Abyssinia
with those from the Cape in the British Museum, I find
this distinction thoroughly confirmed. X. setosws, more-
over, appears to be a much smaller animal. Specimens
of Xerus from Western Africa show an intermediate
form of ear; they are of the same size as the Abyssinian
species, but much darker in colour.

Xerus leuco-umbrinus abounded in rocky places about
Senafé and elsewhere, in Tigré up to about 9,000 feet,
and I found it as low as 4,500 in the Anseba valley.
It has six mammee. On the 2d of March, near Takonda, I
shot a gravid female containing four well-grown young ;
two, a male and a female, in each horn of the uterus.

31. Bathyergus splendens, Riipp.
Riippell, Neu. Wirb. p. 36, t. 12—Brehm, Habesch, p. 63.
This peculiar burrowing rodent is very closely allied
in form and habits to the Bamboo Rats (Rhizomys) of

280 ZOOLOGY.

the Himalaya and Indo-Chinese countries. It burrows
in meadows or grassy glades in valleys, throwing up
little heaps of earth like molehills at the entrances to
its burrows. It appears to live entirely under the earth ;
and although I several times saw the heaps caused by
its excavations, I only obtained specimens of the animal
on the borders of Lake Ashangi, where they abounded
on the broad grassy plain in which the camp stood.

The burrows are very extensive, and the galleries
intricate and much curved. In one which I dug out,
there was a larger chamber in the centre about six
inches below the surface, well lined with dried roots
of grass; from this, burrows led in all directions, usually
not more than two or three inches below the surface of
the ground, but occasionally rather deeper.

I twice obtained living specimens, one of which I kept
for some days, feeding it on roots of grass, which it ate
freely, and which I have no doubt are its natural food.
In this also there is a close resemblance to Rhizomys,
which lives on roots of bamboos.

Bathyergus splendens is a sluggish animal, with
evidently imperfect sight, and, despite its formidable
teeth, it was not difficult to capture, when its under-
ground retreat was cut off. The fur is beautifully fine
and. soft.

The following dimensions are from a specimen in
spirit :—

Length of headand body. . . . .... ... 10
» of tail. . .
» fromeartonose .......,..,.... 17

MAMMALIA, 281

Length of foreleg . 2. 1. 2... 1 ee eee 2
5 sole of forefoot . . ... 2... . 1
55 middle toe and claw of forefoot. . . . . 05
Breadth of sole of forefoot . . . 2. . . 2... 0°45
Length of hindleg . . . . 2. 2 1. eee eee 2°5
4 soleof hindfoot . . ........ 1:25
sy longest toe (2d) of hind foot . . . ... 0°45

32. Pectinator Spekei, Blyth.

Blyth, Jour. As. Soc. Bengal, 1855, vol. xxiv. p. 294.
Heugl. Nova Acta Leopoldino-Car. Acad. 1861, p. 1, t. 2.

This very remarkable rodent was first discovered by
the late Captain Speke in the Somali country, and is
one of the most interesting animals which I obtained.
I first procured it on some hills near Hadoda, barely
1,000 feet above the sea, and I found it common in the
pass leading to Senafé, at elevations below about 4,000
or 5,000 feet.

It inhabits rocky cliffs precisely as Hyrax does, hiding
when disturbed in crevices. It is social, several indi-
viduals being usually seen about one spot, lying upon
ledges of rock or projecting stones. Unless approached
cautiously, all hide themselves amongst the stones,
emerging again after a time. The spots haunted by
these little animals may usually be recognised by the
quantity of dried pellets of dung which lie about.
These are elongated, and rather larger than those of
rats.

The appearance of Pectinator Speket is much that of
a small dark grey squirrel with a singularly short tail,
which it has a very squirrel-like trick of jerking. over its

282 ZOOLOGY.

back. It is usually seen lying flat, and is with difficulty
distinguished from the rock around. The fur is very
woolly and soft, and the skin remarkably thin and
tender ; so much go, that I never remember experiencing
the same amount of difficulty in skinning any other
mammal or bird. The skin tears in the fingers like wet
tissue paper.

In the stomach I invariably found vegetables alone,
much chewed and broken up, so that it was impossible
to say what kinds it eats; but evidently its food consists
of leaves. I suspect that it feeds at night; I never saw
it doing so in the daytime, and far more animals are
seen out in the evening than during the day.

The following are the measurements of a male shot at
Suru (1), and a female killed near Undul Wells (2),
taken on the animal immediately after death :—

in in
Length from muzzle to between ears . . 2 —_—
» frommuzzletonape ...... — 2°5
» from between earstorump . . . . 55 —
» fromnapetorump....... — 5°75
gy OE tah, dee ae Ca a ee. “ee ay DED 2
» Of hairs beyond end of tail . . . . 1:35 15
Total length from nose to end of tail hairs,
measured along curve of the back . . . 11°10 11°75
Length of fore foot from heel to end of claws . 0°'8 0°75
* middle toe and claw of fore foot. . 0°38 0°45
x hind foot from heel to end of claws 1°4 15
eS middle toe and claw of hind foot . 0°5 05
Longest whisker . . . 2... 1... 8 35
Height ofear . . 1... 2. ee. OO 05
Breadth ofeary . . a 4 2 2 06 05

Diameter of eye-ball, about } inch.

MAMMALIA, 283

The general colour is greyish brown, with whitish
marks over the eyes, and before and behind the base of
the ears. Some of the lower moustachial hairs are white.

Some of the specimens of this animal in spirits pro-
cured by Mr. Jesse, have been sent to Dr. Peters, who
is preparing a complete description of them for the Zoo-
logical Society of London.

The figure in the “ Nova Acta” gives a very poor idea
of this animal, far worse than Blyth’s original description.
It is much too rufous and pale. Indeed, it differs so
much, that I thought I had a distinct species, until I
compared my specimens with the original type in the
Indian Museum in Calcutta.

33- Mus abyssinicus, Riipp.
Riipp. Mus. Senck, iii. p. 104, t. vii. f. 1.

This is not a true Mus, but apparently no genus has
been proposed for the little group to which it belongs.
A very similar animal from Mosambique is the type of
the genus Pelomys of Peters; but the dentition, as
pointed out by that naturalist, shows important dif-
ferences,

Mus abyssinicus was found by Riippell high on the
mountains of Samyen. I met with it abundantly above
10,000 feet on the Wandaj pass, and the Wadela plateau,
near Santara. On the lower parts of the plateau, near
Esindyé, I did not observe it. It inhabits grassy plains,
which are burrowed in all directions by its holes, and the
little animals may be seen by dozens running about. It
appears peculiar to the subalpine fauna.

284 ZOOLOGY.

34- ? Mus dembeensis, Riipp.
Riippell, Mus. Senck. iii. p. 109, t. vi. f. 3.

I obtained two specimens of a mouse at Ashangi,
which only differ from Riippell’s description and figure
in the tail being shorter than the body instead of longer.
It may perhaps be distinct.

35. Mus, sp. ?

Two specimens, Adigrat.

36. Mus, sp.

I have been quite unable to identify these two species,
but I have not compared them sufficiently to venture to
describe them as new.

37- Dipus gerbillus, Oliv. (nec Meriones gerbillus, Riipp.).
Oliv. Bull. de la Soc. Philom.—Desmarest, Mamm. p. 321.

Very common close to the coast at Zulla. Meriones
gerbillus of Riippell appears to be a much larger species.

AVES. 285

Crass AVES.

OrDER RAPTORES.

Famity VULTURID&.

1. Gyps Rueppelli, Bp.

Vultur Kolbwi, Rupp. Atlas, fig. 32, nec Daudin.

V. Riippelli, Bp. Rev. and Mag. Zool. 1850, p. 477.—Brehm,
Naumannia, 1852, Pt. II. p. 44.

Gyps fulvus, avis adulta, Riipp. Syst. Uebers., No. 4.

G. magnificus, V. Miull., Descr. Nouv. Ois. d’Afr., Tab. V.

G. Riippellt, V. Heugl., Ornith. N. O. Africa’s, No, 2, p. 5.

The older birds of this species may always be dis-
tinguished by the broad silver-grey edgings to the
back feathers, and especially to the wing-coverts. So
marked is this that some birds have a very handsome
mottled appearance, the grey even predominating. I
unfortunately could not collect many specimens, and not
being aware at the time of the interest attaching to this
particular race I did not especially notice its distribution
relatively to Gyps fulvus. I am, however, of opinion
that the great majority at least of the birds which are
met with on the Abyssinian highlands belong to the
present species. I find a note in my field-book men-

286 ZOOLOGY.

tioning the great prevalence of mottled individuals on
the high plateaux of Wadela and Dalanta. At the
same time, Gyps Rueppelli is by no means confined to
the higher portions of the table-land. I met with it
abundantly in the Anseba valley, at 4,000 to 4,500
feet above the sea, and a large number congregated
around the carcase of a cow killed by a lion at Rairo,
north of the Lebka valley, at an elevation of only
3,000 feet. But from the circumstance that I did not
especially notice the conspicuously mottled feathers, I
am inclined to suspect that the majority at least of
the enormous number of Griffon Vultures which were
attracted to the camp at Komayli, at the base of the
hills, belonged to G. fulvus. At Zoulla, on the shores
of Annesley Bay, despite the large number of carcases,
Griffon Vultures were not nearly so common as a few
miles further inland.

The figure in Riippell’s “ Atlas” gives by no means a
good idea of this bird; the bill is not yellow, nor the
neck flesh-coloured: the former is dusky, the latter dull
ashy. Heuglin (Ornith. N. O. Afr.) has described them
correctly. The plumage, too, is coloured far too brown
by Ritppell.

I frequently saw Otogyps auricularis, Daud., but did
not preserve a specimen. It is, like its Indian represen-
tative, O. calvus, Scop., much rarer than other Vultures,
two or three occurring amongst a large number of the
common species. I met with it on the highlands at a
considerable elevation, and I occasionally saw it on the
Anseba and at lower levels.

AVES. 287

2. Neophron percnopterus (Linn.).

Rachamah of Bruce, Travels, vol. v. p. 163, with plate.
Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 2.—Lefebvre, p. 46.—Brehm, Habesch,
2.—Heugl. Ornith. N. O. Africa’s, No, 7.

Habits and appearance precisely like those of the
Indian variety. Common everywhere from the sea-
level up to 10,000 feet, and equally abundant near
the camps on the Wadela plateau and on the shores of
Annesley Bay.

3. N. pileatus (Burchell).

Vultur pileatus, Burch. Trav. 8. Afr. ii. 195.1

Cathartes monachus, Temm. Pl. col. 222.

Neophron pileatus, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No.3.—Lefebvre, p. 46.—
Brehm, Habesch, No. 1.—Heugl. Ornith. N.O. Afr. No. 8.

N. monachus, Ferret et Gall. No. 2, p. 178.

This is a bird of very different habits from N. per-
cnopterus, and far more vulturine both in its flight and
food. Numbers usually collect around a carcase, which
is very rarely, if ever, the case with N. percnopterus.
The difference is best shown in the fact that both Euro-
peans and Eastern people frequently speak of N. percnop-
terus as a Kite, whilst no one could ever consider
N. pileatus as anything else than a Vulture. I greatly
doubt the propriety of ranking both in one genus.

N. pileatus was the only Vulture common about the
camp at Malkatto, on the shores of Annesley Bay. It
abounded on the Anseba, and occurred, but less abun-
dantly, on the highlands.

1 As all naturalists identify this species with Burchell’s description, I
suppose there can be no question of its identity ; yet Burchell expressly

states that his species was equal in size to the largest African vultures,
and, in the description, adds, “ Species inter majores.”

288 ZOOLOGY.

Famiry FALCONID.

4. Falco barbarus, L.
Salvin, Ibis, 1859, p. 184, pl. 6. —Heug. Orn. N. O. Afr. No, 11.

F’. peregrinoides, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 25.

I shot a single female specimen of a Falcon in the
Anseba valley, which appeared to me too large for this
species, and Mr. J. H. Gurney, to whom I submitted it,
agreed with me at first in considering it a specimen of
F. minor, Bon. It is a comparatively young bird, just
changing the brown immature plumage for the greyer
livery of the adult. The wing measures nearly 13
inches,! tail 6°5, tarsus 2, middle toe without claw 2.
The length of the wing in Falco barbarus is given
by Mr. Salvin (“Ibis,” vol. i. p..189) as 11 to 11:25
inches (specimens supposed to be females); by Von
Heuglin (“ Orn. N’ O, Affrica’s,” p. 22) as 10” 4” to
10” 6’” (French measure) in the male, and 11” 6” to
11” 9” in the female (about 11 and 123 inches English
respectively) ; whilst that of #. minor is given by
Layard (‘‘ Birds of South Africa,” p. 19) as 121 in the
male, 13 in the female. The tail, however, is much
longer in F. minor, 8 to 8% inches according to Layard ;
and Mr. Gurney, on comparing the Abyssinian specimen.
with a fully adult female / barbarus, from North
Africa, finds that there is no important difference in size.

The chin and the upper part of the breast are white,
the lower breast and abdomen strongly rufous, with

1 In both wings the longest feather is slightly imperfect at the end, the
absolute length being 123 inches.

AVES. 289

rather close imperfect black transverse bars ; chin-stripe
very much developed, and a tendency to a rufous collar
at the back of the neck.

5. F. tanypterus, Licht.

Tinnunculus biarmicus, Schleg. Abhand. t. 12, 13.—Riipp. Syst
Uebers. No. 30.

Falco biarmicus, Ferret et Gallinier, No. 4.—Lefebvre, p. 67.

F. cervicalis, Heugl. Syst. Uebers. No. 44.—Brehm, Habesch,
No. 12.

F. lanarius nubicus, Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr. No. 12, p. 23.

The common Falcon, I believe, of the Abyssinian high-
lands. I shot three specimens on the plateau; one at
10,500 feet, on the top of the Wandash saddle, another
at Dongolo, a third at Adigrat. This bird was also
frequently met with in the Anseba and Lebka valleys.

In the male from Wandash the wing measures . 135 ; tail, 75.
In a female from the Lebka river $5 . 15 HB:

The latter specimen is very rufous beneath, with very
few black marks.

6. F. sacer, auct. (? Gm.) !

Gould’s Birds of Asia, pt. xx.—Schlegel, Traité de Fauconnerie,

pl. 5.
F, sager, Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr. No. 13.

Iris brown; orbit, cere, and nearly the whole beak
bluish grey, tip of bill dusky ; legs pale greenish grey.

I killed a single specimen at Kelamet in the Lebka
valley, nearly 3,000 feet above the sea. I saw a pair

1 I greatly doubt if this be the Falco sacer of Gmelin.
U

290 ZOOLOGY.

chased by crows (Corvus scapulatus), and succeeded in
shooting one. It has a remarkably pale head, whitish
isabelline with dusky streaks, is dusky brown above,
and dusky with broad pale edges to the feathers beneath,
darker on the body and lighter on the head than in
Schlegel’s figure. The wing measures 14 inches, tail
nearly 8.

I saw a very similar specimen at Lahej, near Aden,
which was shot by a friend. Persian and Afghan
specimens, Dr. Jerdon informs me, have darker heads.

7. F. (Tinnunculus) tinnunculus, Linn.

Ferret et Gall. No. 6.—Heugl. Om. N. O. Afr. No. 21.
Tinnunculus alaudarius, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 27.
Lefebvre, p. 68.

Common both in the highlands and lowlands in the
winter and spring. The bird abounded on the former as
late as April. None were observed in the Anseba valley
in July and August.

A very dark-coloured female from Adigrat shot on the
23d April is, Mr. Gurney informs me, similar to the race
inhabiting Madeira. Von Heuglin states that the birds

which breed in Northern Africa are more deeply coloured
than those which migrate.

8. F. (Tinnunculus) cenchris, Naum.

Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr. No. 23.
Tinnunculus cenchris, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 28.

Not rare on the Abyssinian highlands.

AVES. 291

g- Melierax polyzonus, Riipp.

Falco (Nisus) polyzonus, Riipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 36, taf. 15, fig. 1.
Melieraa polyzonus, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 43.

Nisus polyzonus, Fer. et Gall. No. 7.

Melierax musicus, Lefebvre, p. 70.

Astur polyzonus, Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr. No. 39.

dt is darkish brown, orbit dull yellow, cere and legs
bright orange, claws dusky, base of bill orange, passing
into flesh colour, tip dusky.

Common on the sea-coast and in Habab up to about
3,000 feet elevation, but not seen in the Anseba valley,
or at any high elevation, and appears chiefly. restricted
to the tropical zone. Heuglin, however, states that he
has met with it at greater heights. It is usually seen
perched on a tree, less frequently on the ground, its
food being reptiles and insects. Its flight is very
buzzard-like and not swift, and it generally settles
again after flyg a short distance.

10. Nisus tachiro, Daud.

Falco tachiro, Daud. Traité Comp. d’Ornith. ii. 90.

F. (Astur) unduliventer, Riipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 40, t. 18, fig. 1.

Nisus unduliventer, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 42.—Heugl. Orn.
N. O. Afr. No. 43.

Iris yellow; skin round eyes, cere, gape, and legs also
bright yellow. Both M. Jules Verreaux and Mr. Gurney,
two of the best authorities on South African Raptores,
consider the only specimen which,1 obtained of this
bird as identical with WN. tachiro. My single skin is
that of a very old male in superb plumage. All the
upper parts are dusky with a slaty tinge, tail dusky

v2

292 ZOOLOGY.

black, all the feathers except the outermost with four
white bands, the anterior of which is concealed by the
coverts, and a narrow white tip, quills obsoletely banded
with dusky above, distinctly with white, especially on
the inner webs, below. All the under parts closely
banded with ferruginous, except the throat, where the
stripes are grey, the under tail-coverts, which are pure
white with only traces of bands, and the thigh-coverts,
which are pure ferruginous. I can, however, detect
slight traces of banding even on these. The measure-
ments are,—whole length about 15 inches, wing 7°8,
tail 6°5, tarsus 2°4. There is a specimen of JN. tachiro
from South Africa in the British Museum, which agrees
well with that from Abyssinia in colouring.

I only once met with this bird, which must be very rare
in Abyssinia, as both Riippell and Von Heuglin seem also
to have obtained it only on one occasion each, the latter
procuring three specimens. I found a pair at Goona
Goona, near Senafé, in the middle of March, evidently
breeding, chasing each other through bushes beneath a
small waterfall, but I only succeeded in shooting the
male.

11. Nisus (MMicronisus) niloticus, Sund.

Melierax gabar, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 44.
M. niloticus, Sundevall, Ofvers. K. Vet. Akad. Forh. 1850, p. 132.
Nisus gabar, Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr. No. 46.
Tris dull red ; cere and legs orange : bill dusky.
I shot a pair of these birds at Ailat, west of Massowa.
They appear to me to differ conspicuously from the
southern species NV. gabar, Daud. in the less amount of

AVES. 293

grey on the breast, and the much fewer transverse bands
on the abdomen. The tail also appears slightly shorter.
The following are the measurements of the two speci-
mens, both apparently females :—

in. in,
1, Wing, 7°75; tail, 6°6.
2. ES 35 68.

Pd

The somewhat shorter tail is the character upon
which Sundevall grounds his distinction of the species.
Mr. Gurney, who kindly examined one of my specimens,
considers it distinct. Von Heuglin also appears inclined
to separate the northern race.

12. N. (Micronisus) niger, Vieill.

Sparvius niger, Vieill, Enc. p. 1269.
Circus maurus, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 47 ; teste Heugl. sed?
Nisus niger, Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr. No. 47.

Iris brown ; cere and bill black ; legs yellow with black
patches in front, and also above the toes; nails black.

I shot two males together in jungle near the source of
the Lebka. Both had been feeding on either birds or
small mammals, not on insects.

By some authors this is considered a mere melanism
of NV. gabar. It appears to me to differ from the
northern race, NV. niloticus, in smaller size and in the
markings on the underside of the quills being larger
and less numerous. The quills themselves also appear
rather different in shape. ‘The dimensions are, wing

1 Sundevall says certainly “M. gabar ex Sennaaria a Caffro differt cauda

multo longiore fere gradata,” but his measurements show that it is the
northern or Sennaar form which has the shorter tail.

294 ZOOLOGY.

6°75 in, tail 5:5, but the tail-feathers appear to be not
quite fully grown.

13. N. (Micronisus) sphenurus, Riipp.

Falco (Nisus) sphenurus, Rupp. Neu. Wirb. p. 42. -
Accipiter brachydactylus, Swains. B, West Afr. vol. i. p. 118.
Nisus sphenurus, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 41, p. 6, t. 2.
Micronisus guttatus, Heugl. Journ. f. Ornith. 1861, p. 430.
Nisus badius, Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr. No. 45.

Tris yellow, or greenish yellow in young, orange or
scarlet in old birds; cere yellow ; legs dark yellow; bill
black. In young birds the breast is spotted, in adults
banded, the changes precisely as in WN. badius (Cf.
Jerdon, B. Ind. vol. i. p. 48).

When I saw this bird in Abyssinia, it always appeared
to me very much smaller than the common Indian
Shikra (NV. badius, Gm.), and the measurements appear
to bear out this view, although Schlegel and Von
Heuglin unite the two races. The following are measure-
ments of three specimens of WN. sphenurus :-—

Hetgtn. Wing. Tail. Tarsus.
in.

in. in. in.
Oldfemale . . ...... I 74 65 17
Young female . . . . 1. . . 19°75 7'5 62 17
Young male. . ...... 2 7 53 16

These agree very fairly with Riippell’s and Von
Heuglin’s measurements. But the measurements of the
Indian N. badius, according to Jerdon, are :—

Length. Wing. = Tail. Tarsus.
im. In. In. m.
Female. . . 2... . 14t0 15 8t 7 nearly 2
IES o2t ved. 58) <o5e0 Set rats 123 74 54

NV. sphenurus was extremely abundant amongst Tama-
risk trees at Mohabar and elsewhere in the Lebka valley,

AVES. 295

and far from rare in the Anseba. Birds in the young
plumage were more numerous than adults. All at Moha-
bar were living on Cicada, and so far as my observations
extended, this bird is very much more insectivorous
than its Indian representative.

Mr. Gurney informs me that the West African N. bra-
chydactylus of Swainson is identical with N. sphenurus.

14. Aquila rapax, Temm.

Falco rapax, Temm. Pl. col. 422 (a very rufous specimen).

Aquila albicans, Riipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 34, t. 13, figs. 1 and 2.—
Ferret et Gallinier, No. 9.—Des Murs, p. 65.

A, rapaa, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 15.—Heugl. Syst. Uebers. Nos
16, 18, 19, 20 (partly under MS. names).—Brehm, Habesch,
Nos. 7 and 8.—Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr. No. 45.

A, nevioides, Ouv.

Iris yellowish brown, or yellowish grey much mottled
with brown; gape, cere, and legs yellow ; claws black ;
bill dusky.

A somewhat larger and much more powerful bird, with
conspicuously stronger beak and legs, than the closely
allied Indian A. fulvescens of Gray. The plumage varies
from umber brown to rufous, the latter colour prevailing
in adult birds, especially on the head and upper part of
the back. Old birds are whitish (A. albicans, Riipp.).

This bird is common everywhere in Abyssinia ; I ob-
tained specimens both on the highlands and in the low
plains of Samhar close to the coast. I shot one sitting
on a small rocky hill in the latter in August. It breeds
on the highlands about January. I saw one nest on the
top of an isolated tree near a village, containing a young
bird almost full-grown, on March 24th. Several of these

296 ZOOLOGY.

Eagles frequently collected about carcases in company
with Vultures, Neophrons, and Crows.
I add measurements of two specimens :—

ing. Tail, BilltoGape. Tarsus. Middle toe
bi a ; P without claw.

in, in. in. in. in.

1, Male (Senafé, Tigré) . 20°3 1l 25 34 23
2, Female? (Amba, near

Massowa, Samhar) 21 11 2°4 35 24

15. Helotarsus ecaudatus, Daud.

Falco ecaudatus, Daud. Traité Comp. d’Ornith. ii. 54.

Helotarsus ecaudatus et leuconotus, Riipp. Syst. Uebers, 23, 23a,—
Lefebvre, p. 66.— Atlas, pl. 2 (jun.).—Heugl. Syst. Uebers. 35
and 36,—Brehm, Habesch, No. 10.—Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr.
No, 50,

Iris brown ; cere (large) and lores Indian red, with
some yellow around and above the nostrils; bill deep
yellow; tip dusky; legs mottled pale Indian red and
yellow, claws dusky.

By no means a common bird in Abyssinia: I only
killed one which was flying over me, in the Anseba
valley. Mr. Jesse shot a second on the ground near our
camp. Another specimen, which was shot at Mayen,
was given to me by Captain Sturt of the Transport
Train. I occasionally saw birds of this species, especially
about Senafé, soaring at a great height, their pointed
wings and extremely short tail rendering them no less
conspicuous than the contrast between the white under-
side of the wings and the black body. The flight is
superb, more like that of a vulture than of an eagle,
as the head sweeps along with motionless wings, oc-
casionally high up in the air, but more frequently at

AVES. 297

about 150 to 200 feet above the ground. I never saw
it near the coast.

16. Buteo augur, Riipp.

Abyssinian white-breasted Lanner. Salt, App. p. xlii.

Falco (Buteo) augur et hydrophilus, Riipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 38,

a ae ae Syst. Uebers. No. 10.—Ferret et Gall. No. 11.
—Brehm, Habesch, No. 6.—Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr. No. 59.

Iris yellowish brown ; cere and legs yellow.

This very handsome Buzzard appears to belong to the
temperate and subalpine fauna of Abyssinia. It is very
rarely met with below 6,000 to 7,000 feet, and I never
saw it on the Anseba or in the passes below Senafé. At
the higher elevations its numbers increase greatly, and it
abounds on the Wadela plateau at 10,500 feet.

It is more often seen perched on the ground than on
trees, and rarely flies to any distance when disturbed.
A female shot at the end of February had the ovaries
greatly enlarged and was evidently breeding, but I did
not see the nest. It is by no means a wary bird.

I am rather of opinion with Riippell that the dark-
coloured birds are young and not a melanoid variety.
I shot two black specimens ; one evidently immature, the
other apparently a bird of the year.

17. Gypogeranus serpentarius, Gm.

Falco serpentarius, Gm. Syst. Nat. i. 250,

Serpentarius reptilivorus, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 49.—Des Murs
p. 70.

8S. typicus, Ferret et Gall. No. 16.

Gypogeranus serpentarius, Heugl. Orn. N.O. Afr. No, 49,

Iris grey ; legs yellowish.

298 ZOOLOGY.

A rare bird on the Abyssinian highlands : I only saw
it twice, and obtained one specimen. In the stomach
were locusts and lizards; the latter, of which there were
at least a dozen, were all scinques of two species, Gongylus
ocellatus and Euprepeis quinquetenatus.

The pace at which the Secretary bird can walk is
astonishing. The bird above mentioned, after being
wounded, walked away as fast as I could run after it.

18. Gypaetos meridionalis, Keys and Blas.

Nisser or Golden Eagle, Bruce, vol. v. p. 155; Nisser Werk on
plate.

African Bearded Vulture, Salt, App. p. xli.

G. meridionalis, Keys and Blas. Wirb. Europas, p. xxvii.——Rupp.
Syst. Uebers. No. 1, t. 1.—Ferret et Gall. No. 1.

G. barbatus, Des Murs, p. 43.

G. barbatus meridionalis, Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr. No. 9.

Iris whitish yellow, outer circle of opaque scarlet,
feet pale olive.

The Abyssinian Lammergeyer was occasionally but not
frequently seen at the base of the hills. It was more
common in the passes, and abundant on the highlands,
especially at all camps in the neighbourhood of crags.
In the summer months perhaps all keep to the highlands,
as none were seen on the Anseba in July or August.

Abundant as these birds were around Senafé and
other places, I never saw them descend on carcases
like Vultures, but they appeared to search for small
fragments of offal, &c. around the camp; and when so
doing, their whole habits and flight precisely resemble
those of a Kite. Indeed, so great is the resemblance
of this bird to a Kite, that I cannot help suspecting that

AVES. 299

its affinities are with the Falconide near the Milvina,
and not with the Vultures. The appearance when
standing on the ground is certainly somewhat like that
of Neophron percnopterus, but this bird is itself a
very aberrant member of the Vulturide. The flight
of the Lammergeyer is very fine, equalling that of a
Vulture.’ It keeps much to precipices.

Some authors consider the Abyssinian Lammergeyer
as only a variety of the Alpine and Himalayan one.
Yet the differences between the two birds are very
considerable. G'ypaetos meridionalis, in addition to its
naked tarsi and deeper coloration, is very much smaller
than the European and Asiatic race, as the following
measurements of two birds shot at Senafé show. The
dimensions were taken in the flesh :—

Young female. Old male.

ft. in. ft. in.
Teath s aoe oR ees 37 3 3
Extent of wings. . . . .... 8 90 7 4
Length of closed wing. 2 5 2 3
» tarsus. 0 43 _—
a middle toe . 0 43 _—
3 beak to gape 0 4 —

The European Lammergeyer is 44 ft. long, and has an
extent of 10 ft. according to Naumann. In the Hima-
layan bird the male measures 46 in. in length, 9 ft. in

1 Few, who have not been in the habit of seeing Vultures, can easily con-
ceive what noble birds they are when on the wing. The sluggish, slovenly,
ugly scavenger becomes at once a different being, with the most graceful and
powerful flight. The manner in which they can fly around crags, keeping
themselves in swift motion apparently for an indefinite time, rising, falling,
or soaring in circles without moving their wings or tail, except to guide
themselves, is simply marvellous.

300 ZOOLOGY.

extent ; the female 4 ft. in length and 94 in. in extent
(Jerdon, “Birds of India,” p. 14).

Bruce’s account of the Abyssinian bird is very amusing.
He records a singular act, the seizure of some goat’s
flesh from his servants by a Lammergeyer.

1g. Milvus migrans, Bodd.

M. ater, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 37, partim.—Ferret et Gallinier.
No. 13.—Lefebvre, p. 69.
M. etolius (!) Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr. No. 64.

Extremely common everywhere, both on the highlands
and lowlands. As I brought several specimens with
me from various localities, I have certainly not mistaken
M. egyptius for this bird. Von Heuglin is decidedly in
error in supposing it to be only a winter visitant in
North-eastern Africa. He appears to doubt its occurrence
in Abyssinia. A similar circumstance occurred to me to
that quoted in the Zoological portion of Lefebvre’s “Voyage
en Abyssinie.” I was skinning a specimen of Scopus
umbretta at Lat when a Kite swooped and attempted to
carry it off, scoring my fingers in the attempt.

20. M. egyptius, Gm.

Falco egyptius, Gmelin, Syst. Nat. i. 261.

F. Forskahlii, Thid. p. 263.

F. parasiticus, Latham.

? Milvus ater, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 37, partim.

M. parasiticus, Heugl. Syst. Uebers. No. 60.—Brehm, Habesch,
No. 14.

M. Forskali, Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr. No. 65.

Iris brown ; bill and legs yellow.
This appeared to me much less common than the
preceding. I did not distinguish the two when in

AVES. 301

Abyssinia, and the only specimen I preserved of this
Kite was killed on the highlands at Lake Ashangi.
Heuglin must be under some error in treating of this
as the only common Kite of North-eastern Africa.
Certainly so far as my specimens prove, M. ater was
more abundant in Abyssinia ; and unquestionably it was
the common species both at Zulla and Senafé, as I shot
several specimens at each locality. I take the first name
in Gmelin, and do not understand why the German orni-
thologists prefer the less well-known term M. Forskali.

21. Circus zruginosus, Linn.

C. rufus, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 45.—Heugl. Syst. Uebers. No. 72.
C. eruginosus, Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr. No. 68.

Occasionally seen on the highlands. I never met with
it in the peculiar adult livery of the Indian race.

22. C. Swainsoni, A. Smith.

8. Af. Quart. Journ. i. 384, 1830.—S. Af. Zool. plates 43, ae
Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr. No. 71.

C. pallidus, Sykes, P. Z. S. 1882, p. 80.

Strigiceps pallidus, Brehm, Habesch, No. 17.

23. C. cineraceus (Mont.).
C. cinerascens, Heug]. Orn. N. O. Afr. No. 70.

Both these species abounded on the highlands in the
winter and spring. I shot a young male of C. cineraceus
on the 19th August close to the coast in Samhar, about
twenty-five miles north of Massowa. This is early for a
Harrier to be found so far south, but they migrate into
India sooner than most of the winter visitants.

302 ZOOLOGY.

Famity STRIGIDAL.

24. Bubo lacteus, Temm.

Stria lactea, Temm. PI. col. 4.
Bubo lacteus, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 53.—Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr.
B. ESaaae Brehm, Habesch, No, 19.

Iris pale brown; beak, cere, and feet very pale horn-
colour, almost whitish ; claws rather darker.

This bird I did not meet with on the highlands. A
specimen was shot by Captain Sturt, in the pass below
Senafé, and I obtained two in the Anseba valley and saw
others. They perch on high trees during the day, and
come out at dusk.

Despite their large size, these Owls are very insecti-
vorous. In the stomachs of those killed I found only
Crickets or Locusts and large larve, apparently of cole-
optera. According to Von Heuglin (“Orn. N. O. Afr.”
p. 114), Bubo lacteus kills small mammals and birds
and even Guinea-fowls, which it attacks at night when
roosting on trees!

25. Bubo cinerascens, Guér.

Guérin, Rev. Zool. 1843, p. 321.

B. cineraceus, Ferret et Gall. Voyage iii. 181; Atlas, pl. 2.

Otus cineraceus, Lefeb. p. 74 ; Atlas, pl. iv.

Bubo maculosus (? Brehm, Habesch, No. 20).—Heugl. Orn. N. 0.
Afr. No. 80.

Iris brown.
I only once met with this bird. Lieutenant St. John
noticed that a pair of Owls inhabited a rocky cliff near

AVES. 303

Antalo, and on going to the spot I was fortunate
enough to secure one, as both flew at the sound of
shot fired at a Hyrax. The skin is that of a female,
and measures, whole length 182 in., wing 134, tail 7,
tarsus 24.

Both Mr. J. H. Gurney and Mons. Jules Verreaux
consider the present species quite distinct from Bubo
maculosus of South Africa. Mr. Gurney informs me that
he has seen both species alive, and that the distinction is
generic.

26. Athene perlata, Vieill.

A, pusilla, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 51.—Ferret et Gall. No. 20.
A. occipitalis, et pusilla, Heugl. Syst. Uebers. No. 81 and 82.
Noctua perlata, Heugl. Orn. N.O, Afr. No. 85.

Iris yellow.

This little Owl was first seen and a_ specimen
shot at Mayen in the Senafé pass, at about 3,500
feet. It was not rare on the Anseba. I only saw it
amongst trees. It is somewhat diurnal in its habits, and
is not unfrequently seen flying from tree to tree in the
evening, some time before sunset. In the stomach of one
specimen I found remains of lizards.

27. Scops senegalensis, Swainson.

Birds W. Afr. i. 127.
Scops zorea, africana, Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr. No, 82a.

Occasionally heard and seen in the Anseba valley. J
found coleoptera in the stomach.

304 ZOOLOGY.

Orprr PSITTACT.
Faminty PSITTACID.

28. Pionus Meyeri, Riipp.

Psittacus Meyeri, Riipp. Atlas, p. 18, Taf. 11.—Lefeb. p. 128.

Pionus Meyert, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 330.—Ferret et Gall.
No. 24.

Pionius Meyeri, Finsch, Papageien, ii. 494.

Iris pale orange, gréenish near the pupil ; legs and cere
dusky, beak blackish. Usually met with in July and
August in small parties of three to six individuals, less
often in larger flocks. The cry is far less shrill than that
of Paleornes.

This bird was never seen on the highlands. It was
abundant near Kokai, in the upper Lebka valley, and
somewhat less so on the Anseba. It was not seen much
below 4,000 feet of elevation.

Most birds have more or less yellow on the crown, the
amount however varying. Riippell’s figure is that of a
bird without any. This is far from uncommon, but still
it is rather an exception. I could not find out whether

the difference is due to age.

29. Psittacula Tarante, Stanley.

Psittacus Taranta, Stanley, Salt’s Travels, Append. p. lii.—Lefeb
p. 128,
Psittacula Tarante, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 334.—Ferret et Gall.
No. 26.—Finsch, Papageien, ii. 634.
The male alone has a red head.
This bird was never seen below 7,000 feet above the

sea, and appeared to be very locally distributed, abounding

AVES. 305

chiefly about Kolqual and Dahro trees in pairs and small
parties. It was especially common near Adigrat. My
collector obtained in April an egg, which he assured me
belonged to this bird, from a hole in a tree, and there can
be little doubt of its having been correctly identified.

30. Palzornis torquatus (Bodd.).

P. cubicularis, Hasselquist.—Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 335.—Ferret
et Gal. No. 27.

Psitiacus torquatus, Lefebvre, p. 128.

Paleornis torquatus, Brehm, Habesch, No. 110.—Finsch, Papa-
geien, ii. 17.

Never seen by me on highlands, but tolerably common
in the Anseba valley at an elevation of from 4,000 to
5,000 feet. The birds obtained by me had longer bills
than any of the Indian specimens which I compared with
them, but Dr. Finsch, from the comparison of a large
series of African and Asiatic specimens, has decided that

there is no constant difference between the two races.

OrDER JNSESSORES.

Sup-Orper PICA.
Famity PICIDA,

31. Picus (Campethera) nubicus, Gm.

Gmelin, Syst. Nat. p. 439.
P. ethiopicus, Hempr and Ehr., Symb. Phys., note.
Dendromus ethiopicus, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. p. 90, t. 36.

Beak dusky, paler beneath. Legs greenish horny. Iris
in the young bird pearl grey, in the adult pink. The
young bird has the head unspotted black ; in the adult it

x

306 ZOOLOGY.

is spotted as in Riippell’s figure. In one instance I killed
three birds out of four which were together, and doubt-
less belonged to one family. Of these, two had the crown
spotted, one having a grey, the other a pink iris; the
third had the crown unspotted and a grey iris.

This Woodpecker was only met with between 3,000
and 6,000 feet above the sea in the pass leading to
Senafé, and again, to the north, in the Lebka and
Anseba valleys. I never saw any Woodpecker on the
highlands. In July, on the Anseba, this was the only
species seen. It was abundant in the thickets along the
banks of the stream. The stomach in some birds which
I shot was filled with the ova of insects.

32. Picus (Dendrobates) Hemprichii, Ehr.

Picus Hemprichit, Ehrenberg, Symb. Phys.

Dendrobates Hemprichti, Rupp. Syst. Uebers. p. 88, t. 35.
Picus abyssinicus, Ferret et Gal. No. 40.

P. Hemprichit, Lefebvre, p. 135.

Dendropicus Hemprichit, Brehm, Habesch, No. 113.

This bird keeps to a lower level than the last species,
but is certainly rare, and in the hot season, I think,
entirely wanting in the plains near the sea, where how-
ever Brehm records having met with it in the month of
April? I met with it near Undul Wells, in the pass
below Senafé, and again in the Lebka valley at an ele-
vation of from about 3,000 to 4,000 feet.

1 At the time of the spring rains many birds appear to migrate from
the mountains to the plains of Samhar, which are not found there at
other times.

AVES. 307

Famity INDICATORIDZ

33. Indicator Sparrmanni, Steph.

(2) Moroe or Bee Cuckoo, Bruce’s Travels, App. p. 178.

Indicator Sparrmannt, Steph., Shaw’s Zoology, Birds, ix. 138.

I. albirostris, Temm. Pl. col. 367.—Ferret et Gal. No. 33.—
Lefebvre, p. 139.

I, flaviscapulatus, Ripp. Neu. Wirb. p. 60.

I. archipelagicus, Rupp. Syst. Uebers. No. 249.—Heugl. Syst.
Uebers. No. 491.

I. pallidirostris, Heugl. Journ. f. Orn. 1864, p. 265.

Bill white, iris brown.

I am indebted for a specimen of this rare species to
Mr. Jesse, who killed it on the Anseba, and, on one
occasion, actually shot a specimen calling upon a tree in
which was a Bees’ nest.

The bird is a male, and measures, wing 4°4, tail 3°25,
whole length about 7 inches.

34. I. minor, Steph.

Stephens, Shaw’s Zoology, ix. p. 140.

I. diadematus, Riipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 61.

I. minor, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 350.— Brehm, Habesch, No. 114.
? I. major, Lefebvre, p. 138.

Iris brown, beak and legs dusky, nostrils subtubular
with raised margins as in cuckoos.

I shot two specimens of this bird in the thickets on
the banks of the Anseba, where, however, it appeared
to be far from common. In one instance the Indicator
was in the act of chasing and fighting with a Wood-
pecker, Picus ethiopicus ; neither bird, however, uttering
any noise. The Indicator, when it settled, clung to a
stem like a Woodpecker, but I did not see it climb in
the same way.

x 2

308 ZOOLOGY.

The stomach is not muscular but quite thin, and in
both specimens of this species, as well as in those of
I. Sparrmanni, filled with a mass of wax, from which,
however, all the scent of honey was gone. In one
instance, at least, fragments of hymenopterous insects in
considerable quantities were mixed with the wax: they
looked, however, more like portions of ants than of bees.
There can apparently be no doubt that both species of
Indicator feed on honey and attack Bees’ nests, probably
feeding also on the Bees themselves. The native stories
of their leading people to Bees’ nests are well known, but
in Northern Abyssinia at least it is asserted that these
birds do not always conduct the honey-seeker to the same
goal. At times, it is said, they lead to a dead body; at
others to a Lion or a Leopard. Tales told of animals by
uncivilized races must, however, in all cases be received
with great caution ; and in the instance of a race like the
Abyssinians, who are not hunters in general, imagination
probably plays a far more important part than observa-
tion, precisely as amongst all the races of India, except
the few whose life is spent to a great extent in hunting
for wild animals and forest products for food. That by
observing and following an Indicator Bees’ nests may be
found is easily understood, and it is not necessary to
conclude that the bird shows the road intentionally.

The sternum of Indicator does not much resemble
that of a Cuckoo. It is more like that of a Woodpecker,
but still more similar to that of a Barbet or a Coly. There
is a deep double notch at each side behind, the two
portions separated by an oblique rib, the inner being

AVES. 309

the deeper. The whole bone is long and flat, and
rather narrow, becoming gradually broader behind ; the
ridge low with a straight edge. Judging from the
sternum, I should certainly be disposed to place Indi-
cator with the Barbets or Colies rather than with the
Cuckoos. It is evidently a bird of weak flight.

It is not clear to what bird Bruce refers under the
name of the Moroc or Bee Cuckoo. His figure resembles
Oxylophus or Chrysococcyx; and if, as he states, it is
of the natural size, it should be the latter: but the
description of the colouring by no means accords, and
agrees rather with that of Indicator Sparrmanni,
though differing in several particulars, some of which
must certainly be erroneous—such as the statement that
it has only three toes. He relates concerning it the
usual stories told of Indicator; which, however, he treats
as fables: his own account of the habits seems to agree
best with those of a Merops. It is by no means
improbable that the drawing was made from Oxylophus
glandarius or O. jacobinus, and the description drawn
up from memory.

Famity CAPITONID.

35. Pogonorhynchus abyssinicus (Latham).

Phytotoma abyssinica, Latham, Ind. Orn. Supp. xlix.
Bucco Saltii, Stanley, Salt’s Journey, Appendix, p. liv.
Pogonias Brucei, Riipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 50, t. 20, fig. 1.
Laimodon Brucei, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 338.
Pogonias gnisso balito, Bruce? Ferret et Gal. No. 38.
P. rubrifrons, Lefebvre, p. 128.

Pogonias Saltit, Brehm, Habesch, No. 111.

I obtained one specimen of this bird close to the camp
at Dongolo, on Dahro (Ficvs dahero), but I never saw it

310 ZOOLOGY.

on the higher portions of the plateau above 7,000 feet.
In July pairs were occasionally seen on high trees making
a great noise and probably engaged in breeding.

36. P. undatus, Riipp.

Pogonias undatus, Riipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 52, t. 20, fig. 2.—Ferret et
Gal. No. 36.

Laimodon undatus, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 338.—Heugl. Syst.
Uebers. No. 477.

Bucco undatus, Lefebvre, p. 130.

B. undulatus, Des Murs et Prévost, Lefebvre, Atlas, pl. 10, fig. 2.

Iris pale greyish yellow, bill black, legs dusky. Not
rare about Adigrat and Senafé.

Close to the shrine of St. Romanos I shot a specimen
which was hanging head downwards from a branch,
feeding upon fruit.

37. P. melanocephalus, Riipp.

Pogonias melanocephalus, Riipp. Atlas, p. 41, t. 28, fig. a.
Bucco bifrenatus, Hemp. and Ehr., Symb. Phys., t. viii. figs. 1, 2.
Laimodon mélanocephatus, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 336.

Iris brown, beak and legs black.

Only seen in the neighbourhood of the coast. I
obtained one specimen at Komayli and two others near
Ailat. Apparently the three species of Pogonorhynchus
are thus to a certain extent characteristic of the three
lower subdivisions of the Abyssinian fauna; P. melano-
cephalus being met with in the tropical, P. Saltiz in the
subtropical, and P. wndatus in the temperate region.

In the stomach of P. melanocephalus were many
coleoptera. All the Abyssinian Barbets appear much
more inseetivorous than their Indian representatives.
The same is the case with the Hornbills.

AVES, 311

38. Barbatula pusilla, Dumont.

Bucco pusillus, Dum., Dict. des Sc. Nat. iv. p. 50.
B. chrysocomus, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 341.
B. chrysocomus, Ferret et Gal. No. 35.

This bird was only met with in the subtropical region.
It was far from rare about Mayen in the Senafé pass,
and common on the Anseba. It has a peculiar simple
note, recalling that of the well-known “Coppersmith ”
of India (Megalema indica), but rather less metallic
and differently uttered; for while the call of the latter
is single with regular brief intervals, and repeated thus
for a considerable time, that of the former is double
or treble followed by a pause.

Von Heuglin describes another species, B. uropygialis,
from the Anseba, and states that he found it common
there. It is evidently not the same as that which Mr.
Jesse and I obtained, for it has the back sulphur yellow
in the centre and the rump orange, besides many other
distinctions.

39. Trachyphonus margaritatus (Riipp.).

Bucco margaritatus, Riipp. Atlas, t. 20.

Tamatia erythropygos, Hemp. and Ehr., Symb. Phys., t. vii.

Trachyphonus margaritatus, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No, 342.—Brehm
Habesch, No. 112.

Micropogon margaritatus, Ferret et Gal. No. 34.

M. margaritaceus, Lefebvre, p. 132.

Iris brownish grey, bill pale reddish brown, legs

greenish horny.

Common from the sea-coast to about 3,000 feet in the
Senafé pass, and very abundant on the Anseba. I believe
that I heard it at about 7,000 feet on the highlands, but

312 ZOOLOGY.

I never heard or saw it above that elevation. It is
insectivorous to a considerable extent.

Its note is quite different from that of the typical
Barbets, being a rapid repetition of two notes, and s0
similar to that of the common grey Francolin of India,
F. (Ortygiornis) pondicerianus, that for a long time I
supposed it to be the call of a Partridge. In June, July,
and August it was constantly heard. This Barbet keeps
much to thick low bushes.

Famity CUCULIDA.

40. Cuculus canorus, L.

I heard a Cuckoo on the 17th May at Agula, about
half-way between Adigrat and Antalo. This, however,
scarcely proves that the bird breeds in Abyssinia, for I
have heard the woods resounding with the well-known
note in the centre of India, near Sironcha on the
Godavery, at the same season. In the Anseba valley
Cuckoos made their appearance at the end of July, but
they were not then calling. I shot one, a male and
apparently a young bird, on the 4th August.

41. Oxylophus afer (Leach).

Cuculus afer, Leach, Zool. Mise. i. p. 72.

C. edolio, Levaill. var. Salt, No. 12, App. p. xIvi.
O. ater, Ripp. Syst. Uebers. No. 355.

O. Levaillantit, Ferr. et Gal. No. 29.

Iris brown, bill black, legs dusky grey.

This bird was occasionally seen, and four specimens
in beautiful plumage shot, in the Upper Lebka and the
Anseba valleys in July. They were then evidently

AVES. 313

breeding, being in pairs and very noisy ; and a hen shot
on the 11th of July contained an egg fully matured and
ready for laying. It was bluish green in colour.

The usual cry is a harsh chatter quickly repeated, not
unlike a Woodpecker’s. The bird has also a liquid
cuculine note. When sitting on a branch it often raises
its crest, which when raised looks as if it were double.

Measurements of a male :—Whole length 15 inches,
wing 7, tail 8°75, crest 1°5.

42. O. jacobinus (Bodd.).

O. melanoleucos, Gmelin.
O. serratus, Heugl. Syst. Uebers. No. 500.

Very rare in the Anseba valley, and not seen else-
where. I shot a single male specimen, and Mr. Jesse
obtained another. I can see no distinction between the
bird I killed and a series of Indian specimens with
which I compared it.

The specimen shot measures -—Whole length 12°5 in.,
wing 5°75, tail 7, crest 1:3.

43. Chrysococcyx cupreus (Bodd.).

Cuculus auratus, Gmelin.

Chrysococeyx auratus, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 359.—Heugl. Syst.
Uebers. No. 505.

Iris and orbit scarlet, bill dusky above, pale horny
beneath, legs dusky.

Rather scarce in the Anseba valley ; no specimens of
the genus seen by me on the highlands. Found amongst
bushes, not being shy. It was probably breeding in
July, for on one occasion two were found sitting together ;
and both in that instance and a previous one the birds

314 ZOOLOGY.

were singing most musically, the note being the sweetest
and most varied I ever heard from a Cuckoo, The bird’s
position when singing is peculiar; it stoops on the branch
and partly spreads its wings. In the stomach of one
specimen examined were various insects, including ants ;
caterpillars and other larve predominating. Wing 4 ft.
6 in., tail 3°4 in.

44. C. Klaasi (Cuv.).
Vieill. Enc. Meth. p. 1333.—Ripp. Syst. Uebers. No. 357.

Iris brown, orbit very pale green, beak dusky, legs
pale brownish olive.

Only a single specimen obtained, which was shot on
a bush in the Lebka valley at about 4,000 ft. elevation.
It is a male, and immature, having rufous bands on the
feathers. Wing 3°7 in., tail 2°7 in.

45. Centropus monachus, Riipp.

Neu. Wirb. p. 57, t. 21, fig. 2—Syst. Uebers. No. 352.—Ferr. et
Gal. No. 30.
C. senegalensis, Salt, No. 13, App. p. xlvi.

Iris red.

This bird is peculiar to the highlands, and was never
noticed much below 7,000 feet, nor above 8,500. Its range
may be greater, but it is probably confined to the tem-
perate region. It was met with in thick bushes, often
on the banks of streams, and with the skulking, hiding
habits of the genus, making its way upon the ground
through thick bush. The flight and habits are very
similar to those of the well-known “Crow Pheasant” of
India (C. rufipennis). Its cry also is similar, very

AVES. 315

quickly uttered—who-who-who-who-wiwiwiwiwi. A
male measures :—Whole length 15°5 inches, wing 7,
tail 9, length of hind claw 0°8.

46. C. superciliosus, Riipp.

Riipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 56, t. 21, fig. 1; Syst. Uebers. No. 353.—
Ferr. et Gal. No. 31.—Brehm, Habesch, No. 115,

Iris deep blvod-red, legs bluish grey, bill black.

I first shot this bird at Ailat; it was abundant at Ain
on the Lebka, and occurred occasionally in the Anseba
valley. It was never seen in Abyssinia proper. The
habits are similar to those of C. monachus, but the cry
seemed to me rather different, somewhat resembling
the coo of a dove uttered shortly, and quickly repeated
several times.

Several German naturalists, amongst whom are Drs.
Hartlaub and Finsch, consider this bird the young of
C. monachus. This is certainly an error, and one into
which no naturalist acquainted with the birds in the
wild state could have fallen. Both species were founded
on fully adult specimens, and not only are they quite
different in plumage, but their habitat is entirely dis-
tinct, C. monachus being only found in the temperate
region of Abyssinia, while C. swperciliosus is equally
confined to the tropical and subtropical parts of the
country. I saw numerous specimens of both and shot
several. The measurements of C. superciliosus are :—

Whole length. Wing. Tail. Hind claw.
in. in. in. in.
Mallett. “nhc Case rte oe GR OH 14°75 68 8 0°85
Female .......~. 14°75 62 82 0°65

316 ZOOLOGY.

Famity MUSOPHAGID.

47. Turacus leucotis (Riipp.).

Corythaix leucotis, Riipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 8, t. 3.
Turacus leucotis, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 326.—Ferr. et Gal.

No. 45.

Iris brown, bill scarlet, with a green patch at the base
above the nostrils, legs dusky. Around the eye is a
ring of small coral-red papillae, a few of the uppermost
larger than the rest and paler in colour.

This lovely bird abounds in the subtropical and is
often met with in the temperate region up to 8,000 fect :
I never saw it below 4,000 feet. It was common in the
passes from Undul Wells nearly to Senafé. It also
abounded in the Anseba valley. It keeps much to high
trees, but can climb well and quickly amongst rocks.
It is very often seen on juwipers—indeed I scarcely ever
saw it in the temperate region away from them ; and in
March I found it and most other fruit-eating birds, such
as Amydrus and Pycnonotus, feeding upon the berries.

48. Chizaerhis zonura (Riipp.).
Rupp. Neu. Wirb. p. 9, t. 4; Syst. Uebers. No. 327.

Iris olive brown, beak greenish yellow.

This dull-coloured Plantain-eater is very rare in all
parts of the Abyssinian highlands traversed by the
army. I only once saw it there: this was in the thickly
wooded valley of Meshek, south of Antalo. I was sur-
prised at hearing a peculiar harsh cry quite unknown
to me, and on looking up saw the bird on a branch
just above my head.

ATES. 317

In the Upper Lebka and Anseba valleys this Chizaerhis
abounds, and its excessively loud harsh ‘call ig constantly
heard. Like other Plantain-eaters, it appears to live
solely on fruit. It keeps mostly to high trees.

Famity COLITDA:.
49. Colius leucotis, Riipp.

Mus. Senckenberg. vol. iii. t. 2, fig. 1; Syst. Uebers. No. 319. —Ferr.
et Gal. No, 48.

C. striatus, Salt, No. 44, App. p. xlviil.

C. leuconotus, Brehm, Habesch, p. 219, No. 103.

Iris greyish blue (pale cobalt), legs dull carmine, re-
sembling those of a pigeon in colour, greater portion of
upper mandible and base of lower dusky, centre of
upper and greater portion of lower flesh-coloured.

Inhabits the temperate region of Abyssinia, occasion-
ally descending to about 4,000 or 5,000 feet above the
sea, It lives in small flocks (? families), which keep.
much in thick bushes and feed on fruit. They fly
from bush to bush with a moderately rapid, very. straight
flight, and evidently have no great power of wing, the.
different individuals following each other in the manner
of Crateropi or Malacocerci, which they also somewhat
resemble in their flight—so much so, that I took the first
flocks I saw for some very long-tailed members of the
Crateropide.

I saw this bird frequently in Tigré, and a few speci-
mens occurred in the Anseba valley ; but it was less
abundant there than the next species. On July 16th
I found a nest with two very young birds. It was a
small flat platform of sticks in a thorny bush.

318 ZOOLOGY.

The toes of Colius are very different from those in
other Scansorial Insessores, and even from those of the
Plantain-eaters. Both the outer toes are reversible to a
certain extent, but the third toe appears very rarely to
be reversed, and even the fourth is quite as frequently
turned forward as backwards.

As a species Colius leucotis is barely separable from
the South African C. striatus, Gm. The whitish ear-
coverts are often ill-marked; and although the general
tinge in the Abyssinian bird is slightly more rufous, the
difference is very: trifling. The principal distinctions are,
that the wing in C leucotis is about 4-inch and the tail
1 inch longer than in C! striatus, that the former is more
distinctly striated at the back of the neck than the
latter, and that it has the rump also transversely striated
with rufous lines, which is not the case in C. striatus.
Also in C. leucotis the crest is situated further back, and
the earthy-brown feathers of the forehead occupy a larger
space than in C. striatus. The feet in the latter, too,
appear to be dark brown.

50. Colius macrourus, L.

C. senegalensis, Gm. Syst. Nat. p. 842.—Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No.
318.—Ferr. et Gal. No. 47.—Lefebvre, p. 122.

Iris crimson inside, violet passing to greyish without.
Naked skin around the eyes and the lores deep red. Legs
purplish red. Upper mandible red, except the tip, which
is black, as is the whole of the lower mandible. In
young birds the iris is brown, bill greenish yellow with
the tip whitish, skin around the eyes dusky ; the blue
feathers of the nape and the long tail are both wanting.

AVES. 319

This bird appears to range from about 2,000 feet or
even lower to 5,000 or 6,000 feet, entirely replacing the
last species in the tropical, and to a great extent in the
subtropical zone. Its habits are precisely similar to those

of C leucotis.
Famity CORACIADZ.

51. Coracias abyssinica, Bodd.

Sherigrig of Bruce, vol. v. p. 182, with plate.
C. abyssinicus, Gm.—Lefebvre, p. 79.—Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No.
84.—Brehm, Habesch, No. 31.

C. habessinicus, Heug]. Journ. f. Orn. 1868, p. 319, et Orn. N.O.
Afr. No. 134.

Iris raw umber. The habits are precisely similar
to those of C. indica. It is frequently seen sitting on
trees, or on bare stems, and thence descending to the
ground for insects or catching them in the air.

This bird is not rare locally on the highlands, but by
no means generally distributed. I saw it occasionally
between Dolo and Antalo, and again rather more com-
monly about Lake Ashangi (8,000 feet above the sea),
and in some of the valleys further south, but not on the
plateaux. It was very common in the subtropical region .
of the Anseba and Lebka, and I saw one or two birds, in
August, in Samhar, near the coast. It is also found in
Southern Arabia, and birds are occasionally seen on the
Red Sea.

52. Coracias pilosa, Lath.

Latham, Ind. Ornith. Supp. p. xxxii.

C. nuchalis, Swainson, B. of W. Afr. p. 110.—Ferr. et Gal. iii. p. 238.

C. Levaillantii, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 85.

C. pilosa, Heugl. Journ. f. Orn. 1868, p. 320, et Orn. N. O. Afr.
No. 133.

Iris olivaceous brown (almost raw sienna), feet pale

320 ZOOLOGY.

yellowish olive, bill black externally, inside of mouth
yellowish olive like the feet.

This bird is very much rarer than the last on the
highlands. I only saw it twice, and failed to procure a
specimen. It abounded in the subtropical region of the
Anseba.

53. Eurystomus afer (Lath.).

Coracias afra, Lath. Ind. Orn. p. 172.

Eurystomus orientalis, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 82.

Eurystomus afer, Heugl. Journ. f. Orn. 1868, p. 322, et Orn. N. 0.
Afr, No. 131.

Iris olivaceous, legs pale yellowish olive, bill deep
yellow. A noisy bird with a swift hawk-like flight,
with all the usual habits of a Roller, but keeping rather
more to high trees than the two other species, and
perhaps rather more given to “rolling” from side to
side when flying. It often hawks locusts and other
insects in the air.

E. afer was only met with in the subtropical region of
the Upper Lebka and Anseba valleys. It there abounded,
in company with the other two Rollers.

Famity MEROPID A,

54. Merops viridissimus, Swains.
, Swainson, B. of W. Afr., ii. p. 82.—Lefebvre, p. 83.
M. viridis, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 97.

Common near the coast, and especially in the man-
groves on the shores of Annesley Bay.

This bird, like the closely allied M. viridis of India,
has the habit of collecting in considerable numbers and
of settling on the ground occasionally.

AVES, 321

55. M. apiaster, L.

Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No, 96.—Ferr. et Gal. No. 162.—Lefebvre, p.
83.—Brehm, Habesch, No. 33. :

Rare on the highlands in spring. Not seen else-
where.

56. M. superciliosus, L.

Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 96.
M. egyptius et M. persicus, auct.

I am indebted for a single specimen shot at Adigrat
to Captain Newport. I did not myself meet with
this bird.

Compared with a specimen from Madagascar, the
typical locality, the wing is § in. longer. The cen-
tral tail-feathers are also longer; but this is a character
varying with the season.

57- M. nubicus, Gm.

Gm. Syst. Nat. i. 464.—Ferr. et Gal. No. 163.—Lefebvre, p. 83.
M. ceruleocephalus, Lath—Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 98.

This fine Bee-eater I only saw once. A large number
were collected about one spot close to the hot spring of
Atzfut on the shores of Annesley Bay. Mr. Jesse also
met with it only once and in the same neighbourhood.

58. M. albicollis, Vieill.

Vieill. Nouv. Dict. d’Hist. Nat. xiv. p. 15, et Enc. Meth. p. 393.
M. Cuvieri, Licht. Verz. d. Doubl. p. 13.—Lefebvre, p. 83.

Iris crimson. In December, January, and February
this bird was not found in the coast region, but with
some other species it migrated into the country in the
spring, and abounded throughout Samhar in June and
July. Isaw it as far inland as Rairo in Habab, but it

Y

322 ZOOLOGY.

appeared to be restricted to the tropical dry coast
region.

M. albicollis usually keeps to trees, but I have seen
it settle on the ground, in company with M. viridis-
simus.

59. M. Lafresnayii, Gueér.

? M. erythropterus, P large variety. Salt, No. 19, App. p. xlvi—
Guér. Rey. Zool. 1843, p. 322.—Ferr. et Gal. Voy. iii. p.
243 ; Atlas, pl. 15.—Brehm, Habesch, No. 35.

M. variegatus, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 100.

M. Lefebvriit, Desm. et Prev.—Lefebvre, Voyage en Abyssinie,
Zool. p. 83; Atlas, pl. 5.

Iris crimson, legs brown, bill black. A common bird
in the passes from 3,000 ft. upwards, and often seen on
the highlands, especially after March.

In the Anseba Valley this bird was replaced by the

next species.

60. M. erythropterus, Gm.

Gm. Syst. Nat. i. p. 464.—Salt, No. 16, App. p. xlvii—Rupp. Syst.
Uebers. No. 99.—Lefebvre, p. 83.

Common in the Anseba Valley in July. I unfor-
tunately only took a single specimen, for the birds were
moulting, and I mistook them at the time for specimens
of M. Lafresnayi in bad plumage.

Famity HALCYONIDA.

61. Halcyon semiczrulea (Forsk.).

Forsk. Descr. Animalium, 1775, p. 2.—Rupp. Neu. Wirb. p. 68

t. 24, fig. 1, et Syst. Uebers. No. 87.—Ferr. et Gal. No. 166.
Dacelo semicwrulea, Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr. No. 147.

Iris brown, bill and legs scarlet. A purely insectivo-
rous bird, rarely seen near water, and occasionally found

AVES. 323

in dry portions of the jungle. It occurred about Ailat
and Ain at the base of the hills, and was also seen in the
Anseba valley.

Hartlaub (Syst. Ornith. West-Afrika’s) separates
Swainson’s Halcyon rufiventer (B. of W. Afriea, ii. p.
101) from this species; but my specimens agree very
well with Swainson’s figure and description.

62. H. senegalensis (Linn.).

Ferr. et Gall. No. 171.
H. cancrophaga, Heugl. Syst. Uebers. No. 129 (nec. Lath.).
Dacelo senegalensis, Heugl. Orn. N.O. Afr. No. 148.

Iris brown, upper mandible red, lower mandible black,
legs purplish black, soles of feet salmon colour. This is
also an insectivorous species. It was only met with on
the Anseba, where it occurred, far from commonly, in the
thickets along the bank of the stream. It was, however,
never seen sitting beside the water, nor were there any
fish in the torrent which could have attracted it, and the
stomach in all the specimens killed contained insects
only. This bird has a very loud shrill ery, quickly
repeated, not unlike the alarm-note of a Woodpecker.

Apparently this Kingfisher migrated into the Anseba,
valley about the latter end of July, as it was not seen
there before.

63. Ispidina picta (Bodd.).

Alcedo caerulea, Kuhl.—Riipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 70, et Syst. Uebers.
No. 93.

Ispidina cyanotis, Brehm, Habesch, No. 32.

I, picta, Sharpe, Alcedinide, pt. iv.

Alcedo picta, Heugl. Ornith. N.O. Afr. No. 148.

Iris brown, bill and legs scarlet. In the young bird
¥Y 2

324 ZOOLOGY.

the beak is black with a yellowish tip, and the legs
pale orange.

This species also is insectivorous. It was not very.
unfrequent in the Anseba valley, keeping to the thickets,
and often sitting in the densest bushes. It was not seen
elsewhere.

A young bird, which had apparently only just left the
nest, was shot on July 30th. A few days later, in the
evening, a pair of adult birds were observed keeping
about one spot, as if they had a nest there. The nest,
however, could not be found. The spot was in rather
thick bushes near a small ravine.

64. Corythornis cyanostigma (Riipp.).

Alcedo cyanostigma, Riipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 70, fig. 24, f. 2, et Syst.
Uebers, No. 92.-—Ferr. et Gal. No. 170,

C. cristata, Sharpe, Alcedinide, part vi—Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr.
Nos. 140 and 142.

Iris brown, legs and bill coral-red. Only seen on the
highlands, but not much above 7,000 feet. It was most
common near Agula and Dongolo, but was nowhere
abundant.

The habits of this bird are entirely different from
those of the previous species. It is a fish-eater, and was
never seen away from the streams, on the banks of which
it might be observed resting on a branch over the water,
and thence dashing down upon fish, or skimming rapidly
up or down the stream precisely like Alcedo ispida.

A. cyanostigma of Riippell was founded on a young
specimen. The adult has always been looked upon as the
true A. cristata, L., and the two have been separated by

AVES. 329

most ornithologists. I learn from Mr. Sharpe that since
publishing the description of this species in his “ Alcedi-
nide,” he has become convinced that the true 4. cristata
of Linneus is the Madagascar species, and that the
African form must bear Riippell’s name. This is to be
regretted, as the name is objectionable.

65. Alcedo semitorquata, Swains.

Swains. Zool. Ill. t. 151.—Rupp. Syst. Uebers. p. 20, t. 7.—Sharpe
Alcedinide, pt. v.—Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr. No. 139.

I am indebted to Captain Newport of the Commissariat
department for the only specimen of this bird which I
saw in Abyssinia. This was killed at Adigrat on the
highlands of Tigré.

66. Ceryle rudis, L.

Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 89.—Lefebvre, p. 80.—Ferr. et Gal. No.
168.—Heugl. Ornith. N. O. Afr. No. 144.

This also was a rare bird in the country traversed,
doubtless in consequence of the few large streams. I
saw it on the Jedda river near Magdala, and again
near Dongolo, at about 7,000 ft. above the sea, which I
suspect to be a higher elevation than this Kingfisher
usually affects. I shot one specimen at the latter place.
It differs considerably from all Indian specimens with
which I have compared it, in the much less amount of
black on the breast and the larger quantity on the sides
‘of the abdomen. It has also a much shorter bill; but
‘this is a variable character in Kingfishers. Mr. R. B.
Sharpe, however, considers that there is no- constant
difference between African and Asiatic birds, both vary-

ing much.

326 ZOOLOGY.

Famiry BUCEROTID &.

67. Toccus Hemprichii, Ehr.

Tockus Hemprichii, Ehr.

Buceros (Lophoceros) Hemprichii, Ehr., Symb. Phys., Aves, 1828.

B. limbatus, Riipp. Neu. Wizb. p. 5, t. 2, fig. 1, 1835.

Tockus limbatus, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 325.—Ferr. et Gal. No,
43.—Brehm, Habesch, No. 107.

Iris yellow brown, clouded with darker colour near
the pupil, bill dull red, legs dusky.

A highland species, but by no means very common in
the country traversed. It was most frequently seen
around Senafé in small flocks, probably families, of about
four to eight birds. I occasionally met with it im the
higher parts of the Anseba valley, keeping to the hills.
On the Wadela plateau, near Bethor, I saw what appeared
to me a darker variety, or distinct race; but I had not
the means of procuring a specimen at the time.

The measurements of a female are :—Wing 11°4 in.
tail 10°5; bill, nostril to point 4°1, gape to point 4°7;
height of bill 1:4; tarsus 1°3: whole length about 23 in.

By Brehm, “Reise nach Habesch,” p. 219, and by
Hartlaub, “Syst. der Orn. West Afr.” p. 164, Buceros
Hemprichit of Ehrenberg is considered a synonym of
B. nasutus, Hartlaub especially calling it the female.
This is evidently a mistake, the female of B. nasutus
being the B. hemileucos of the “Symbole Physicz.”
Ehrenberg’s descriptions are not very good, but the cha-
racters of the bills alone serve to show what the birds
really are to which they refer.

It is also as well to call attention to the fact that the
subgeneric names, Alophius proposed by Ehrenberg in

AVES. 327

the “‘Symbolze Physicee” for Buceros erythrorhynchus,
and Lophoceros for B. nasutus and B. Hemprichii, have
priority over Lesson’s genus Yockus proposed for B.
erythrorhynchus and its allies in 1831 (Less. “Traité
d’Ornithologie,” p. 252).

68. T. flavirostris (Riipp.).

Buceros flavirostris, Ripp. Neu. Wirb. p. 6, t. ii. £ 2—Ferr. et
Gal. No. 42.

Yellow-billed Hornbill, Latham, Gen. Hist. Birds, ii. 331.

Tockus flavirostris, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 224.

Iris pale yellow, pupil small, bill orange yellow, gape
dusky, legs dusky. The note is a harsh cluck several
times repeated, especially when the bird is disturbed.

In January and February this Hornbill was abundant
in the pass leading to the highlands from about 2,500
to 5,000 feet above the sea. It was usually in small
flocks. In May and June all had migrated to higher
ground, and were met with, often singly, about Senafé
at 7,000 and 8,000 feet.

Like its allies, 7. flavirostris is partly insectivorous.
In the stomach I found beetles, ants, and seeds. It often
feeds on the ground. All the Abyssinian Tocc?, like the
Barbets, appear much more insectivorous than their Indian
‘representatives. The bill varies greatly in size in the
two sexes, as it also does in the next two species. The
measurements are :—

Billfrom Billfrom Height of hill

Wing. Tail. nostrilto tip. gape. across nostril.
in. in. in, in. in.
Male .... 8 9 2'°9 3°3 1°35

Female . . . 73 87 2°2 2°8 115

328 ZOOLOGY.

69. T. erythrorhynchus (Temm.).

Buceros erythrorhynchus, Temm. Pl. Col. ii. p. 59.—Ferr. et Gal.

oe ee erythrorhynchus, var. leucopareus, Hemp. and
Ehr., Symb. Phys.

Tockus erythrorhynchus, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 322.—Brehm,
Habesch, No. 108.

Iris brown, skin in front of the eye pale yellow, bill
dull red, base of lower mandible dusky beneath, legs
dusky.

Except the colour of the iris and bill, and the shape of
the latter, there is very little to distinguish this Hornbill
from the last. T. erythrorhynchus, however, inhabits
a lower zone of elevation in general than its congener.
The two occurred together about Mayen (3,500 feet)
in the Senafé pass, in January and February, but T.
erythrorhynchus was also found in Samhar in July
and August. It was also common throughout the Lebka
valley and on the Anseba, but I never saw it on the
highlands.

In July and August these birds were very lively.
Their call is something like “ whoot-whoot-whoot-whoot-
whoot-tawut-tawut-tawut-tawut - tawut,” increasing in
intensity and rapidity and rising in the scale towards
the end. Measurements :—

. . Bill, nostril Bill, gape Height of bill ;
Wing. Tail. ne id : = across nostril.

in, in.

Male . .... 74 "9 3°15 3°8 1
Female... . 72 87 2°45 31 0°95

AVES, 329
yo. T. nasutus, L.

Buceros nasutus, Linn. Syst. Nat. 12th ed. i. p. 154.
Tockus nasutus, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 323.—Brehm, Habesch,
No. 106.

Buceros (Lophoceros) Forskalu, Hemp. and Ehr. (male) ; B. (Lopho-
ceros) hemileucos, Hemp. and Ehr. (female), Symb. Phys.
Tockus pocilorhynchus, Lafresnaye (female), Rev. Zool. 1839,

p. 257.

Iris brown, legs dusky, soles and interstices between
the scales pale. The bill differs greatly in the two sexes.
In the male it is much larger and black, except one spot
below the nostril: in the female the upper mandible is
yellowish white towards the base, except around the
nostrils, where it is dusky; the lower mandible dusky
near the base, with one or two diagonal pale streaks ;
both mandibles reddish brown towards the tip.

Not very common about Komayli, at the foot of the
hills, in February; much more frequent in the Lebka
valley in July, and not rare in the Anseba.

Like the others, this bird is often seen on the ground,}
and is highly insectivorous ; coleoptera, ants, and seeds
being found in the stomach. Amongst the coleoptera in
one instance were several of a species of Molwrus. At
another time I saw a bird of this species fly after and
capture a locust in the air. The Hornbill was not very
skilful in hawking, and the locust eluded him at first, bu
was soon caught.

It is not quite clear that this species is not distinguish-

1 Brehm’s observations on the Abyssinian Hornbills are opposed to mine.
He says they rarely descend to the ground, that they feed on fruits, and that
the voice of different species is similar (“ Reise nach Habesch,” p. 357). I
examined the stomachs in numerous instances.

330 ZOOLOGY.

able from that of South Africa. If so, it must bear
Ehrenberg’s name, B. Forskali. The dimensions are :—

Wing. Tail Bill, nostril Bill, gape Height of bill

to tip. to tip. across nostril.
in. in, in. in. in.
Male... . . 87 84 33 39 12
Female .... 75 Tl 2°5 34 1:05

71. Bucorvus abyssinicus (Gm.).

Buceros abyssinicus, Gmel. Syst. Nat. i. p. 358.

Abbagumba and Erkoom, Bruce, Travels, vol. v. p. 169, with plate.
Tragopan abyssinicus, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 320,

Bucorax abyssinicus, Brehm, Habesch, No. 109.

Iris brown, legs dusky, bill and casque black. In the
female the skin of the neck is purple, in the male bright
red, in part at least, and at all seasons ; but I believe the
extent of the red differs in different individuals, perhaps
with age, and it may be absent in the young.

The Abbagumba is one of the most extraordinary birds
of Africa. Belonging to a family essentially consti-
tuted for perching and climbing, it has the legs modified
so as to enable it to seek its food entirely on the ground.
To any one accustomed to the Hornbills of India and
Malayasia it is as startling to see one of the family stalk-
ing over the ground in an open plain, as it would be to
find plovers feeding in trees.

I paid some attention to the habits and food of this
curious bird. It is almost entirely insectivorous ; in every
case in which I examined the stomach the contents were
principally large beetles and locusts. In one instance I
found remains of scorpions and some large spiders; in

AVES. 331
another there were fragments of bones, apparently of a
tortoise. They were not in a state to give any indication
as to whether the animal had been killed and eaten by
the Hornbill, or whether its remains had been found and
swallowed after death. I once saw an Abbagumba near
a number of mule carcases, but not, so far as I could
see, feeding on them. I think.in all probability it was
attracted by the insects.

During the day the Abbagumba is generally seen,
often in pairs or three together, on open plains. At
night they roost upon trees. Their flight is heavy and
somewhat noisy ; not nearly so much so, however, as that
of the great Indian Hornbill, Buceros bicornis, L., which
may be heard at an immense distance. I have occasion-
ally seen B. abyssinicus on trees in the day, but it does
not frequently remain upon them.

Their voice is very deep and sonorous. They have
two principal notes ; one, only uttered, so far as I heard,
on the ground, is something like “him-him,” the first note
higher in the scale and longer than the second. The
‘other is a peculiar booming sound, so much resembling
the rather distant roar of a Lion, that on the Anseba,
where both Lions and Ground Hornbills are common, it
was some time before I could distinguish the two. This
noise was made both on the ground and on trees, and is
frequently heard in the evening.

Bucorvus abyssinicus is chiefly found from about
4,000 feet to 7,000 or 8,000, but it is occasionally
met with at lower elevations, and I once saw a bird at
Komayli.

332 ZOOLOGY.

Famity UPUPID/.

72. Upupa epops, L.

Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 102.
U. minor, Lefebvre, p. 86.
U. senegalensis, (?) Ferr. et Gal. No. 161.—Brehm, Habesch, No. 37

Generally distributed. I shot one specimen, a female,
in July in the Anseba valley, and saw others; so some
must remain throughout the summer. It is just possible
that these may belong to Swainson’s U. senegalensis, and
may be a distinguishable non-migratory race; but the
differences appear to me of no importance.

73. Irrisor erythrorhynchus (Lath.).

Upupa erythrorhynchos, Lath., Gen. Syn., Supp. pl. 110.

P do. variety with a black tail, Salt, No. 22, App. p. xlvi.

Promerops erythrorhynchus, Ripp. Syst. Uebers. No. 103.—Ferr. et
Gal. No. 158.

P. senegalensis, Cuv. apud Blyth, Report on Zool. Coll. from
Somali Country, Journ. As. Soc. Bengal, 1855, p. 299.

Iris dark brown, legs pink, rather dull. The bill is
sometimes red throughout, at others entirely black ; more
frequently partly one colour, partly the other: it is con-
siderably longer (about 4 in.) in the male than in the
female. These birds have a very peculiar and rather un-
pleasant odour. They are met with in small flocks, which
are very noisy, and hunt for their food, small insects,
about the trunks and branches of trees. After hunting for
some time about one tree, they fly, often singly, one after
the other, to another, keeping up a great chattering.

I found Irrisor erythrorhynchus most common in the
Anseba valley, and it appears chiefly to belong to the

ATES. 333

subtropical and the warmer portion of the temperate
region, being occasionally seen on the highlands around
Senafé, &c., wherever there are many trees. I also saw it,
and shot one bird, in the tropical region at Ailat.

The sternum has a much lower keel than that of
Upupa, which it otherwise resembles. There is a single
moderate notch in the hinder edge.

By comparison I have ascertained that the bird from
the Somali country in the Calcutta Museum, named Prom.
senegalensis by Mr. Blyth, and which he considered dis-
tinct from the Cape I. erythrorhynchus, is a young
female with a short bill and less metallic gloss on the
feathers. I obtained precisely similar specimens myself.
In some specimens from South Africa I find the white
spots on the primaries quite as well developed as in those
from Abyssinia. The colour of the bill varies—red, black,
or the two colours mixed in every conceivable proportion.
. The following are dimensions of five specimens :—

Wing. Tai. Whole length. Bill from

about nostril.
in. in. in. in.
1. Male from Senafé. . . 59 88 16°5 18
2. 5 Anseba. . . 56 85 15 1:9
3. Female from Anseba . . 5'4 86. 14°75 13
4, 35 os » . 545 82 14:8 1:25
5. 3 Ailat. . . 53 imperfect — 1:25

The last is immature and in dusky plumage, almost with-
out iridescent colour.

I presume Salt refers to this bird, and that the black
tail attributed to it is a mistake for black beak. Of
course he is in error in stating that they feed on the
fruits of Ficus: it is the insects in the fruits.

334 ZOOLOGY.

74. 1. (Bhinopomastes) aterrimus (Steph.).

Promerops aterrimus, Steph. Shaw’s Gen. Zool., Aves, xiv. 257.

P. pusillus, Swains. B. West Afr. ii. p. 120.

P. cyanomelas, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No, 104,—Ferr. et Gal.
No. 159.

Iris brown, bill black, gape yellow, legs black.

A silent bird, only seen solitary, and apparently not
associating in flocks like I. erythrorhynchus. It was
met with rarely in the Anseba valley amongst thick

bushes and trees. Dimensions :

‘ F Whole length —_—Bill from nostril
Wing. Tail. about to tip.

in, in. in. in.
Male. . .... 43 58 10 1
Female . . . . . 38 5:3 8°75 0°85

The latter is in duller plumage, and is perhaps im-
mature.

Famity CYPSELIDZ.

75. Cypselus equatorialis, Mull.

Miller, Naum. 1851, iv. p. 27.—Id. Desc. de nouv. Ois. d’Afr.
tab. vii—Sclater, P. Z. 8. 1865, p. 598.
C. Riippelli, Heugl. Syst. Uebers. No. 106 (without descr.) ; Orn.
N. O. Afr. p. 141, No. 102.
C. melba, Lefebvre, p.'77.—Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr. p. 140.

This bird was not rare around Senafé in February and
March, and I am inclined to believe, from having seen
the birds late in the evening and early in the morning
flying round the cliffs of the trachyte hills (known in
the army as Senafé rocks) west of the camp, that they
roosted there. In May they had disappeared ; at least
I could see none. Their flight is very similar to that of
C. melba, and I think equally swift. I only shot two
specimens. The measurements of one of these, a female,

ATES. 335

are :—Whole length 8°5 in.; wing 76 ; tail, outer feather
34, middle feathers 3; bill, point to gape nearly 1.

Von Heuglin’s attempt to substitute his name C.
Riippelli, published without any description in his “ Syst:
Uebers.” in the Sitzwngsberichte der mathem.-natiirw.
Classe der Kais. Akad. der Wissenschaften (Vienna)
for 1856, and only described in Cabanis’ “Journal
fiir Ornithologie” for 1861, for Von Miiller’s name
C. equatorialis, published with a description in the
Naumannia for 1851, and figured in Von Miiller’s “ De-
scription des nouveaux Oiseaux d’Afrique,” published
in 1853, deserves especial notice and reprobation. The
excuse given in Von Heuglin’s nate, “Ornith. N. 0.
Afr.” p. 142, that the name C! equatorialis cannot be
retained because the species has not yet been observed
south of 14° north lat., is scarcely valid.

76. C. apus, L.

Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 68.—Ferr. et Gal. No. 153.—Heugl. Orn.
N. 0. Afr. No. 103.

This bird was not noticed on the highlands. In the
Anseba valley many appeared at the end of July, none
being seen before the 25th. Some of the specimens shot
had pale edgings to the feathers, and were evidently
young birds ; others were of uniform colour.

\

77. C. affinis, Gray and Hardwicke.

Ill. Ind. Zool. pl. 35, fig. 2—Sclater, P. ZS. 1865, p. 604.
C. abyssinicus, Streubel, Isis, 1848, p. 354.

C. galileensis, Antinori.

C. affinis, Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr. No. 146.

Only met with at the base of the hills and for a short
distance within the pass. In May many were breeding

336 ZOOLOGY,

under rocks in the Suru pass. Brehm states that this
bird breeds on palms. Of course he has confounded its
nidification with that of another group of Swifts, to
which belong C. batassiensis, Gray, of India, and C.
parvus, Licht. of Africa.

Famity CAPRIMULGID.

78. Caprimulgus nubicus, Licht.

Dubl. Cat. p. 59.

C. infuscatus, Rupp. Atlas, t. 6, p. 9.—Syst. Uebers. No. 61.
C. tamaricis, Tristram, Ibis, 1866, p. 75, pl. ii.

C. nubicus, Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr. No, 92.

I obtained a single specimen of a Nightjar near Zulla,
which may perhaps belong to this species, as it agrees
in measurements and in most of the characters with
Riippell’s description. It differs in colour from the
plate, being much greyer, but in the case of other
species figured in Riippell’s Atlas the coloration is not
always quite accurate. Riippell only mentions a white
band on the three outer primaries. In the bird from
Zulla the four first primaries are banded, the band being
imperfect on the first. The measurements are: Wing
5'6 in., tail 4, tarsus 0°8, whole length about 8°75.

I think there can scarcely be a doubt but that my
bird is also identical with C. tamaricis, Tristram. That
ornithologist has doubtless been misled by Riippell’s
very poorly executed plate. It also agrees with Lich-
tenstein’s description.

There are two white spots on the throat.

AVES. 337

79. C. inornatus, Heugl.

Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr. No. 94, p. 129.

Common at Ain, Mohabar, and Kokai in the Lebka
valley ; I also shot one specimen at Komayli. At
Kokai many of these Goatsuckers, together with Kites,
Rollers, and other insectivorous birds, were attracted by
a swarm of winged termites issuing from their nest.
Measurements :—

Wing. Tail. Tarsus.
in in. in.
Male. ©. 2 6 1 1 ee ee ew 6 47 06
Female . 6 46 0°7

80. C. tristigma, Riipp.
Syst. Uebers. p. 14, t. 3—Ferr. et Gal. No. 151,—Brehm,
Habesch, No. 21.—Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr. No. 91.

A wing obtained near Antalo was given to me by
Lieut. St. John.

Besides these Caprimulgi a bright rufous species was
seen two or three times on the Anseba in thick wood,
but no specimen was shot. This may have been C.
asabellinus, Temm.

Sup-Orper PASSERES.
Famity LANIAD.
8x. Lanius fallax, Finsch,
Finsch, Trans. Zool. Soc.

This race is distinguished by Dr. Finsch from L.
lahtora, Sykes, on account of its greyish breast and
abdomen. The younger birds are dull earthy grey
above, the adults pure cinereous as in L. lahtora, and
Dr. Finsch informs me that he had only seen the former.
Lord Walden, who has kindly examined my specimens,

Zz

338 ZOOLOGY.

and compared them with his fine series of L. lahtora,
tells me thatthe only difference he can discover is that
in the fallax race the secondaries are white-tipped and
have the basal half of the inner web white, asin L. excu-
bitor; whilst in ZL. lahtora of India, the whole inner
web of the secondaries is white. Further examination of
specimens from intermediate localities will be necessary.

Lanius fallax was abundant on the shores of Annesley
Bay in January and February. It is evidently migra-
tory there, for it had disappeared in May. I again
obtained specimens near Massowa in August.

82. L. humeralis, Stanley.

Stanley, in Salt’s Voyage, App. p. li.

L. fiscus, Cabanis, Mus. Hein. i. p. 74.

Abyssinian Shrike, Latham, Gen. Hist. Birds, ii. p. 33.

Laniarius collaris, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 230.—Ferr. et Gal.
No. 52.

Iris dark brown, pupil large.

Very common throughout the highlands, and seen as
low down as the Anseba valley, where, however, it is rare.
It is a true Shrike in all its habits, and has none of the
skulking, hiding manner of the bush Shrikes. Riippell
was certainly in error in calling it Laniarius. It is
usually seen sitting on the tops of bushes, and then
pouncing down upon insects. .

It breeds in the rainy season. I shot a female con-
taining a completely developed egg on July 18th. The
egg was of a bluish green colour.

The most conspicuous distinction between this race
and the Cape L. collaris, L.,is that the Abyssinian bird
has the breast pure white, whilst in the southern form

AVES. 339

it is greyish. Cabanis also states that the northern form
has narrower tail feathers, and the dimensions are rather
smaller. I give those of a pair collected by myself :—

Wing. Tail. Tarsus. Bill from front.
in. in. in. in.
Male, Senafé . . . . 37 46 0°95 0°58
Female, Adigrat . . . 3°7 4°85 0:98 0°56

I am somewhat surprised that all previous writers
should have overlooked Lord Stanley’s description of
this bird. His measurements of the bill are not quite ac-
curate, but otherwise the description is excellent. I was
for some time puzzled by one character mentioned by
him, the presence of a chestnut spot on the sides above
the thighs; but I find it in one of the specimens before
me, a female. ‘ In order to detect it, it is necessary in
general to turn up the long uropygial feathers. In a
male specimen | cannot detect it, so it is certainly not
constant, and may be sexual. It is noticed by Cabanis
as occurring also in L. collaris.

83. L. isabellinus, Hemp. and Ebr.

Hemp. and Ehr., Symb. Phys., Aves.—Walden, Ibis, 1867, p. 224,
pl. v. f. 1.

Common on the coast in December, January, and
February. I shot it also near Massowa in August. In
June and July I did not observe it, and think it had
migrated. The only specimen of a male im fully adult
plumage agrees very well with the figure and description
in the “Ibis.” A female has the head much less rufous,
only the trace of a white band on the primaries, and
the under parts pale brownish, with a pinkish tinge. A
young bird wants both the band on the quills and the

Z2

340 ZOOLOGY.

black eye-streak, and has crescentic marks on the breast
as in L. cristatus, &c. The tail also is dusky. In all there
is a sub-obsolete banding of the rectrices. Dimensions :—

Wing. Tail. Tarsus. Bill from front.
in. in. in. in.
Male «wa 4 « + « 3% 3°55 09 *b2
Female. . . ... . 38 3°75 10 53

84. L. collurio, L.
Enneoctonus collurio, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No, 211.

Not common. The only specimen I obtained was shot
on the coast in August.

85. L. rufus, Brisson.
Pl. enl. 9, f. 2.— Rupp. Syst. Uebers. No. 317.
Only seen on the highlands, where it is rare.

86. L. nubicus, Licht.

Lichtenstein, Verz. d. Doubl. p. 47.—Hemp. and Ehr., Symb. Phys.

L. personatus, Temm, Pl. Col, 25, f. 2.—Riipp. Syst. Uebers,
No. 218.

Seen occasionally about Komayli in January and
February, and in the lower Lebka valley in August. It
appeared to leave the tropical region in the intermediate
period, and I did not meet with it in the highlands.

87. Laniarius zthiopicus (Gm.).

Merle noir et blanc d’Abyssinie, Buff. Hist. Nat. des Ois. t. iii
p. 406 (1775 edit.).—Ibid. tome iv. p. 123 (1777).

Turdus cthiopicus, Gm. Syst. Nat. i part il. p. 824—Latham,
Ind. Orn. i. p. 357.—Shaw, Gen. Zool. vol. x. p. 237.

Lanius ferrugineus, var. Stanley ; Salt’s Journey, App. p. 51.

L. ethiopicus, Vieill. Tab. Enc. et Meth. Ois. p. 731, part.—Rupp.
Neu. Wirb. p. 32.

Telophorus ethiopicus, Ripp. Syst. Uebers. p. 50, t. xxiii—Guérin,

Rev. Zool. 1843, p. 161.—Ferr. et Gal. Voy. en Abyss. iii.
195.—Atlas, pl. 4.

Iris reddish brown, bill black, legs bluish grey.

AVES. 341

A lively active bird, and less skulking in its habits than
most bush Shrikes. The male has a most melodious
flute-like whistle, rarely single, generally of three or
four notes, which must be familiar to every Abyssinian
traveller: the answer of the female is a hoarse note,
something like that of the common Shrike. Besides this,
the bird has another call, like ‘tik-tik-tik-tatatatitik ’
quickly uttered.

In January and February these Shrikes abounded,
generally in families of four or five, in the pass leading
to Senafé between 3,000 and 6,000 feet. None were
ever seen around Zulla. In May they were common at
a much greater elevation, even at 8,000 and 9,000 feet
near Senafé, where none were met with three months
before. They were occasionally seen in Samhar around
Ailat, &c. in July, and they abounded in the Anseba
valley. They thus appear to have a considerable range in
altitude, being, however, most common at all periods of
the year in the subtropical regions. They feed, like other
bush Shrikes, on various small insects picked off the
leaves and stems.

In July, near Kelamet in the Lebka valley, I saw two
couples of these birds together, engaged in a most extra-
ordinary dance-like motion. They were sitting on small
branches, moving their bodies up and down, as if cour-
tesying to each other, the males meantime constantly
repeating their flute-like notes, to which the females
answered. This extraordinary proceeding continued for
a long time.

I give the synonymy of this bird at. some length,

342 ZOOLOGY.

because the species is generally incorrectly attributed to
Vieillot or Latham, instead of to Gmelin. A drawing
of the bird was brought from Abyssinia by Bruce, and
on this drawing Buffon founded his “ Merle noir et blanc
d’Abyssinie,” on the description of which both Gmelin’s
Turdus ethiopicus and Vieillot’s Lanius ethiopicus were
founded.

There can be no doubt also, I think, that this is the
Lanius ferrugineus, var. of Stanley.

88. L. gambensis (Licht).

Lanius gambensis, Licht. Verz. d. Doubl. p, 48.
? L. cubla, Stanley, Salt’s Journey, App. p. li.
Dryoscopus cubla, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 226.

Iris pale reddish orange (burnt sienna), bill and legs
bluish grey.

Only seen on the Anseba. A bird of very shy retired
habits, much more so than the last species. I did not
hear its voice. Dimensions of a pair :—

Wing, Tail, ‘Tarsus. —_Bill.
Mile... ....... 36 31 09 07
Female . ........ 84 305 09 07

The male has the top and sides of the head and neck
black, with greenish reflections, tail also black. In the
female these parts are dusky brown. The underparts
are purer white in the male.

89. L. cruentus (H. and Ehr.).

Lanius cruentus, Hemp. and Ehr., Symb. Phys., Aves, t. iii.
Lanius cruentatus, Riipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 31.
Laniarius cruentus, Rupp. Syst. Uebers. No, 227.

Iris pearl grey, bill dusky, legs greenish horny.

AVES. 343

The male has the throat and centre of breast pure rose-
coloured ; in the female the upper part of the breast and
sides of the throat are black, as excellently shown in
Hemprich and Ehrenberg’s figure, but they reverse the
sexes in the description. This bird has very similar
habits to the next species, but is perhaps more easily
seen, as it inhabits thinner bushes. It was not rare
around Annesley Bay, and was occasionally seen in
Samhar and Hahab, up to an elevation of about 3,000
feet, never, however, above the range of tropical flora
and fauna. In December and January, small families
were met with, hopping along the ground, and flying
one after the other from bush to bush like Crateropi
or Malacocerci; in May and June, all met with were

in pairs. Measurements :—
Wing. Tail. Tarsus.

in. in in.
Male . bs aS IP he oho Ge ke 2 BUNS 48 1:3
Female . Pe bas ge ge BYOB: 44 13

go. L. erythropterus (Shaw).

Lanius erythrop terus, Shaw’s Gen. Zool. Aves, vol. vii. p. 201. °
Laniarius erythropterus, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 229.

Iris peculiar, brown with seven white specks in a circle
surrounding the pupil.

A skulking bush-haunting bird and quite intermediate
in form between the true Shrikes and the Crateropide.
It has the flight, and to a great extent the habits, of
the latter.

In January and February I found the Red-winged Bush
Shrike in small families; later in the year they were in
pairs. I shot a young bird only just able to fly, near the

344 ZOOLOGY.

end of July. I never saw any below about 4,000 feet,
and they are common on the highlands.

g1. Nilaus brubru (Lath.).

Lanius brubru, Lath. Ind. Ornith. Supp. p. xx.
Nilaus brubru, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No, 223.

Iris brown, legs bluish grey, rather dark, bill dusky
above, paler and greyish beneath.

Usually seen in trees. It was not very common. One
specimen was shot at Ailat in Samhar, and two or three
others on the Anseba. The feet are very weak for those
of a Shrike.

92. Dicrurus divaricatus (Licht.).

Musicapa divaricata, Licht. Verz. d. Doubl. p. 52.
Edolius lugubris, Hemp. and Ehr., Symb. Phys., t. viii. 3.
Dicrurus canipennis, Swains. B. West. Afr. i. p. 254.

D. lugubris, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 216,

Iris red.

Chiefly found in the lower part of the subtropical zone,
but occurs also in the coast plain. It is a quicker bird
than the well-known “King Crow” of India, but has
a somewhat similar call, heard only in the summer.

Dr. Finsch considers the Abyssinian species identical
with Lichtenstein’s bird from Senegambia. I unfor-
tunately omitted to compare them when in Berlin.

93- Tchitrea melanogastra (Swains.).

Musicapa paradisi, and M. mutata, var. Salt, Nos. 34 and 35, App.
p. xlvii.

Muscipeta melanogastra, Swains. B. of W. Afr. ii. p. 55.—Riipp.
Neu. Wirb. p. 108; Syst. Uebers. No. 211.

M. Ferreti, Guér. Rev. Zool. 1843, p. 162.

Tchitrea Ferreti, Ferr. et Gal. Voy. en Abyss. iii. p. 212; Atlas,
pl. 8.—Antinori, Cat. Uce. p. 46,—Journ. f. Orn. 1867, p. 96.

The variations in this bird’s plumage are described by

AVES. 345

Antinori (Joc. cit.). It is by no means clear, however, that
they are due to age alone. I have seen specimens in all
stages, precisely as with the Indian species, but pure
white and black birds are very rare. J never saw but
one in Abyssinia, and that I was unable to secure.

The Abyssinian Paradise Flycatcher is most common in
the subtropical region, but is also found in warm valleys
on the highlands, up to about 7,000 feet, and it is
occasionally seen almost at the sea-level.

I find that Dr. Finsch has united the Abyssinian species
to that described by Swainson from Senegal. I had pre-
viously suspected that the two were identical, the only
difference I could detect being the darker or paler colour
of the abdomen, which, probably like the various distri-
bution of the chestnut, black, and white colours, and
especially the replacement of chestnut by white in the
long tail feathers insisted on by Guérin-Meneville, is a
distinction due to age.

94. Platysteira pririt (Vieill.).

Muscicapa pririt, Vieill. Nouv. Dict. d’Hist. Nat. xxi. p. 486.

Iris golden yellow.

The male has a black breast, female chestnut; they
were constantly seen and shot in pairs. Dr. Finsch con-
siders that there are two distinct species, P. senegalensis
and P. pririt, Vieill. in Mr. Jesse’s collection. In this
case I probably have them also, but not in England.
I found this Flycatcher from just above the level of the
.. coast plains to the highland: It was most common about
Mayen, in the Senafé pass, and in the Anseba valley, at
elevations of from 3,000 to 5,000 feet.

346 ZOOLOGY.

95. Bradyornis chocolatina, Riipp.

Muscicapa chocolatina, Riipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 107, et Syst. Uebers.
p. 49, t. 20.—Ferr. et Gal. Voy. en Abyss. iii. p. 211.

M. fumigata, Guér. Rev. Zool. 1843, p. 161.

Curruca chocolatina, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. p. 37, t. xiv.

Iris a peculiar greyish yellow, bill bluish grey.

Not very rare on the highlands, generally seen on trees.
I am informed by Dr. Finsch that he has examined the
original specimen of Curruca chocolatina, and that it
also belongs to this species.

Famity HIRUNDINIDA.

96. Hirundo melanocrissus, Riipp.
Riipp. Syst. Uebers. p. 17, t. v—Heugl. Orn. N.O. Afr. No. 118.
Only seen by me at low or moderate elevations, but
found at greater heights by Riippell and Heuglin. I do
not recollect ever seeing this bird on the tableland.

97. H. alpestris, Pall.

Pallas Zoog. Ros. As. i. p. 534.—Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr. No. 117.
HT. rufula, Temm. Man. d’ Orn, iii. p. 298,

I shot two specimens of this bird at Komayli, in
February.

98. H. puella, Temm.

Fauna Japonica, p. 33.—Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr. No. 120.

H. abyssinica, Guér. Rev. Zool. 1843, p. 322.—Ferr. et Gal. iii.
p. 240, No. 154; Atlas, pl. x—Lefebvre, p. 77.—Brehm,
Habesch, No, 25.

Cecropis striolata, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. p. 18, t. 6.

This bird appeared to me to replace H. melanocrissus
in the temperate region. I have, however, very few
notes on the Swallows, as I had not many opportunities
of shooting specimens.

Drawn and litl

J ti Keulemans

HIRUNDO ALTHIOPICA,W. Blanf

Printed and Coloure il hy
PWM. Trap Jeyden

AVES. 347

99. H. rustica, L.
Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 70.—Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr. No. 111.

Common everywhere. This bird abounded on the
shores of Annesley Bay in the middle of June.

too. H. zthiopica, W. Blanf. (Pl. II.).

Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist., Nov. 1869.

Cecropis rufifrons, Lefebvre, p. 78.—Heugl. Syst. Uebers. No. 113.—
Brehm, Habesch, No. 26.

H. albigularis, Strickland apud Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr. No. 153,
p. 113 (nec Strickland, Cont. to Orn. 1849, pl. 17).

H. similis H. albigulari, Strickl. sed conspicu minor et torque
pectorali interrupta, gutture pectoreque rufescenti-lavatis.

Fem. Long. tota 525 in., ale 4°3, rect. med. 1°5, eat. 2°3, tarsi 0°45,
rostr. a fr. 0°3, a rictu 0°5, poll. et dec. Angl.

This species is very similar in coloration to the South
African H. albigularis, Strickland (Jard. “Contrib. to
Ornith.,” 1849, p. 17—4 with plate), but conspicuously
smaller, Strickland’s dimensions being—whole length
7 in, wing 5 in. 2 lines, median rectrices 2 in., outer
ditto 3 in. 4 lines, so that the closed wing in the
Abyssinian bird is nearly an inch shorter. The pectoral
band also is imperfect in all the specimens I have been
able to examine. That the northern and southern species
are distinguishable is certain, and they are correctly
separated by Von Heuglin in his new work, but it is
equally clear that it is a mistake to apply Strickland’s
name to the north-eastern race, since Strickland’s mea-
surements and description are unquestionably those of
the southern form, and he particularly mentions that one
of the two specimens in his possession came from South
Africa. He discriminates the-species from H. rufifrons of
Vieillot founded on Le Vaillant’s figure of the Hzrondelle

348 ZOOLOGY.

a front roux (“Ois. d’Afr.” pl. 245, f 2), with the whole
throat and upper breast black, and adds that it is the
HI. rufifrons of Shaw. The synonymy is :—

1. H. rufifrons, Vieill. Nouv. Dict. d’Hist. Nat. xiv. p. 521—Ene.
Meth. p. 524.—Hirondelle & front roux, Le Vaillant Ois. d’Afr. pl.
245, fig. 2—Stephens, Shaw’s Zoology, Aves, x. p. 91.—Bp. Consp.
p. 318. Sundevall om Le Vaill. Ois. d’Afr. p. 51.
(I cannot help suspecting that Le Vaillant’s plate is founded on a
bad specimen of H. rustica from Senegal, perhaps restored or
manufactured.)

2. H. albigularis, Strickland (loc. cit.),—H. rufifrons, Vieill. apud Lesson,
Traité d’Ornith. p. 268, nec Vieill.—H. albigula, Bonp. Consp. p. 338.

3. H. ethiopica, sp. nov. ut supra.

(If, as appears highly probable, Vieillot’s name must be given up as
being applicable to a manufactured or imaginary bird, No. 2 will
stand as H. rufifrons, Less. Strickland’s name is to be preferred,
to avoid ambiguity.)

ror. H. ruficeps, Licht.

Verz. d. Doubl. des Zool. Mus. Berl. p. 58.—Ferr. et Gal. iii.
No. 225.

Cecropis filicaudata, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 75.

Ubromitus filifera, Brehm, Habesch, No. 28.

A. filifera, Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr. No. 115.

I only saw this Swallow once, when I shot a pair, a
male and female, sitting together on a spray overhanging
a small stream near Agula, about half-way between
Adigrat and Antalo. The outer tail feathers are very
much shorter than is usual in Indian specimens, and I
am far from convinced that the species are identical. If
they be, of course the prior name of H, filifera, Stephens,
must apply.

In both the specimens shot by me, the chin, throat,
and breast are pale buff, with an imperfect dusky pectoral
band, much more marked in the female. In the original

AVES. 349

description by Lichtensteim this is noticed, “ fascia pec-
torali obsolete ferruginea.” In the male the head is bright
chestnut above; in the female, doubtless a young bird,

dark brown. Measurements :-—
Middle tail Outer tail

Wing. feathers, feathers,

in. in. in.
Male... .... ee ee 46 13 46
Female 4 « 3 « 4 © » = » » 43 1°35 18

102. Psalidoprocne pristoptera (Riipp.).

Hirundo pristoptera, Riipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 105, t. xxxix. f. 2.

Chelidon pristoptera, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 81.

Atticora pristoptera, Brehm, Habesch, No. 23.

Psalidoprocne pristoptera, Sclater, P. Z. S. 1864, p. 109.—Heugl.

Orn. N. O. Afr. No. 148.
I shot but a single specimen of this curious little bird.

I saw it occasionally both on the highlands and in the
Anseba valley. In habits and flight it differs in no
important respect from other Swallows, so far as I

observed.
103. Chelidon urbica (Linn.).

Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 80.—Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr. No. 129,
A single specimen obtained at Komayli in February,
It was hunting over jungle in company with Hirundo
rustica and H. melanocrissus.

104. Cotyle cincta (Bodd.).

Hirwndo cincta, Bodd.—Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr. No. 125.
H. torquata, Gmelin.— Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 76.

I twice found this Martin abundantly, first on the
shores of Lake Ashangi in April, and again about a
fortnight later on the banks of a stream near Antalo.

350 ZOOLOGY.

105. C. rupestris (Scopoli).
Heugl Orn. N. O. Afr. No, 122.

A very common bird in the rocky passes, and found
almost from the sea-level to 8,000 feet. A specimen
from Senafé differs in no respect from others brought
from Southern Europe. Singularly enough, a single
specimen obtained by Mr. Jesse appears to belong to a
small variety of the southern form C. fuligula, Licht.
T probably saw both. Heuglin only gives Cotyle obsoleta,
Cab., a paler form, as common in Abyssinia. If I
obtained either of the other species, I have over-
looked them.

106. C. minor, Cab.
Cab. Mus. Hein. pt. .i p. 49.-Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr. No. 166.

But a single specimen was obtained, which agrees well
with Cabanis’s description, except that the chin and
throat are ashy grey instead of yellowish grey. The
only difference I can see between the bird brought back
by myself and a specimen of C. palustris are the smaller
size and the rather squarer tail of the former. I am
indebted to Mr. R. B. Sharpe for this identification.

This little Bank Martin was seen in countless swarms
on Lake Ashangi in April. They kept much in flocks,
roosting amongst reeds at night.

Dimensions, wing 3°9 in., tail 1:9, whole length about

APES. 351

Famity NECTARINID.©%.

1o7. Nectarinia habessinica, Hemp. and Ehr.

Symb. Phys., Aves, Taf. [V.—Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 112.

Ferr. et Gal. No. 175 and 176.—Brehm, Habesch, No. 40.—Heugl.
Orn. N. O. Afr. p. 229.

Cinnyris gularis, Rupp. Neu. Wirb. p. 88, t. xxxi. f. 2 (the young
bird).—Syst. Uebers. No. 111.

Very common near the coast, and, up to about 4,000
feet above the sea, in the passes leading to the highlands.
In January and February many birds were in the
plumage described by Riippell as N. gularis. Others,
however, were in the full plumage, and it is not quite
clear whether the gularis plumage is assumed by all
males after the breeding season or whether it is only the
livery of the first year. I am strongly inclined to the
latter opinion. The nest, figured by Ehrenberg, and
which I also found, is very similar to that of Nectarinia
asiatica.

That WV. gularis is identical with NV. habessinica cannot,
I think, admit of a doubt. I only saw the former in
places where the latter also occurred. I shot two or three
specimens when trying to obtain females (always more
difficult to see and procure than the males), and one
specimen which I shot was moulting and in intermediate
plumage.

108. N. affinis, Riipp.

Ripp. Neu. Wib. p. 87, t. xxxi. f. 1; et Syst. Uebers. No. 110.—
Ferr. et Gal. No. 177.—Lefebvre, p. 87.—Brehm, Habesch,
No. 41.—-Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr. p. 232.

This replaces V. habessinica above 3,500 to 4,000 feet
and extends upwards into the temperate region. It

352 re ZOOLOGY.

breeds about May, and I saw young birds with the
parents in July. The extent of blue on the neck
appears to vary slightly.

tog. N. Jardinii, Verreaux.

Hartlaub, Orn. West Afr. No. 133, p. 47—Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr.
p. 227.

I am indebted for a specimen of this Sun-Bird to
Captain Sturt. I did not myself meet with it. The
specimen given to me was shot at an elevation of be-
tween 5,000 and 6,000 feet below Senafé, as was another
obtained by Mr. Jesse.

Dimensions of a male: Wing 2°6 in., tail 1°85, tarsus
0°65, bill from front 0°7, whole length about 4°75 in.

110. N. cruentata, Riipp.

Riipp. Syst. Uebers. p. 26, t. ix—Ferr. et Gal. No. 179.—Brehm,
Habesch, No. 43.—Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr, p. 228.

Not a common bird anywhere, and only seen in the
upper part of the subtropical and in the temperate
region, It was occasionally met with about Senafé and
in the upper part of the pass. I again met with it in
the Anseba valley, keeping, however, to the hills around,
and Mr. Jesse shot two or three specimens. It is an
exquisitely coloured bird when in full plumage; more
beautiful perhaps than its. more gaudily attired allies.

111. N. tacazze, Stanley.
Certhia tacazze, Stanley; Salt’s Journey, Appendix, p. 58.
Cinnyris tacazze, Riipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 89, t, xxxi. f. 3.—Ferr. et
Gal. No. 177.—Lefebvre, p. 88,
Nectarinia tacazze, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 108.
Nectarina tacaziena, Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr. p. 222.

This fine Nectarinia ranges to a much higher elevation

AVES. 353

than the other species. It was common about Senafé
and Adigrat, and was still abundant at 10,500 feet on
the Wandaj pass. The non-breeding plumage is dull ;
it is only in the breeding season that the males acquire
their rich purple colour.

In May they were apparently breeding about Senafé.
It was very difficult to find the females, which were
probably occupied in incubation. A collector of mine
shot seven or eight males, and on my sending him out
again for females he could only obtain one.

112. N. metallica, Licht.

Verz. der Doubl. p. 15.—Riipp. Atlas, p. 10, t. viii—Hemp. and Ehr,
Symb. Phys. t. i—Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 109.—Ferr. et
Gal. No. 174.—Lefebvre, p. 89.—Brehm, Habesch, No. 39.—
Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr. p. 222. :

In December, January, and February, NV. habessinica
was the only Sun-Bird seen near the coast. The present
species first appeared in March. It was only met with
in the tropical region, but about Komayli it was
common in pairs in June, and apparently commencing
to breed. I saw one nest of cocoons, tree-cotton, and
fine grass. It was suspended from an acacia, and had
the usual form, with an entrance from the side; there
were no eggs in it in the commencement of June. After
the breeding season this bird probably loses its long
tail-feathers, as they were wanting in a specimen I shot
in the beginning of August. I also met with NV. metal-
lica in Samhar, the Lebka valley, and very rarely on
the Anseba.

AA

354 ZOOLOGY.

113. N. pulchella, Vieill.

Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 107.—Ferr. et Gal. No, 173.—Heugl. Orn.
N. O. Afr. p. 223.

Common on the Anseba, especially in the thickets near
the river, usually upon high acacia trees, but not seen
anywhere else. Females were very rarely noticed. This
bird has a fine song.

Specimens of NV. pulchella without the elongated tail-
feathers are often mistaken for N. habessinica. They
may be distinguished by being bronzed green and not
purple on the crown of the head, and by the shorter bill.

Famity MELIPHAGIDZ.
114. Zosterops poliogastra, Heugl.

Von Heuglin, Ibis, 1861, p. 357, pl. xiii. ; et Orn. N. O. Afr. p. 412.
Hartlaub, Journ. of Ornith. 1865, p. 9.

I obtained a solitary female specimen of a Zosterops
at Dongolo, which I can only refer to this species. It
appears to differ in having the forehead bright yellow; in
the black of the lores extending slightly under the eye ;
the yellow supercilium, which in the figure in the “ Ibis”
is represented as much produced behind, scarcely dis-
tinguishable beyond the middle of the eye; the upper
tail coverts are not yellow but green, the same colour as
the back ; and the general colouring cannot be correctly
termed “wirescenti-flava.” It is green with an olivaceous
tinge. The dimensions too are identical. Length 5 in.,
bill from front 0°4, wing 2°5, tail 1°8, tarsus 0°7.
If new, this may be called Z. flavigula,

Drawn and Lith. by
JG. Keulemans

iL
Ge

EREMOMELA GRISEO-FLAVA, Heugl
PHYLLOSCOPUS ABYSSINICUS, W. Blanf.

AVES. 355

115. Z. abyssinica, Guér.

Guérin, Rev. Zool. 1843, p. 162.—Ferr. et Gal. Voy. en Abyss.
part ili. p. 209; Atlas, pl. ix. f. 2.
? Z. madagascariensis, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 150.

I shot two specimens of this bird in the Komayli pass
at Mayen, 3,500 feet above the sea. Dimensions of a
female :—Wing 2°25 in. tail 1°7, tarsus 0°6, bill at
front 0°4 in.

116. Eremomela griseoflava, Heugl. (Pl. III. fig. 1.)

Von Heuglin, Journ. f. Orn. 1862, x. p. 40, et Orn. N. O. Afr. p.
284.

I only met with this lively and active little bird in
the Anseba valley and its neighbourhood, where it was
first found by Von Heuglin. It has much the same
habits as Zosterops. It appeared to be in parties of
three or four constantly moving amongst the bushes.
I preserved a pair, of which the following are the
dimensions :—

Wing. Tail. Tarsus. _ Bill from front.

in. in. in. in.
Male... .... 20 ll 07 0°36
Female . . . .. . 20 1:05 0°68 0°36

In coloration this bird scarcely differs from EF. flaw-
ventris, Sund. It is, however, smaller in all its measure-
ments. The position of Hremomela in the series is
somewhat dubious. I cannot see that it has any affinity
with Drymeca, but it certainly approaches Phylloscopus
and Oligura. It appears to me, however, to be most
closely allied to Zosterops, especially to the grey-coloured

form, Malacirops of Bonaparte.
AA

356 ZOOLOGY.

Famity PARIDA.

117. Parus leucopterus, Swains.

Birds of W. Afr. ii. p. 42.
Parus leucomelas, Riipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 100, t. xxxvii. f. 2; et Syst.
Uebers. No. 170.—Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr. p. 407.

This species I only saw in the Anseba valley, but
Captain Sturt gave me a specimen shot near Senafé.
Measurements :—Wing 3°2 to 3°25 in., tail 2°5 to 2°6,
tarsus 0°8, beak 0°5.

Riippell in his description (“ Neu. Wirb.” p. 100, note) re-
ferred to Swainson’s prior description of this species, but
proposed a new name, because Swainson had confounded the
Cape species, P. niger, with it. There can be no question
that both Swainson and Riippell described and figured
the same species, for which Swainson’s name is thus
proved by Riippell’s own remark to be the oldest.
Swainson’s title-page is undated (the date was 1837),
and Riippell’s “Neue Wirbelthiere” was published at
intervals between 1835 and 1840.

118. P. leuconotus, Guér.

Guér. Rev. Zool. 1848, p. 162.—Ferr. et Gal. Voyage en Abyss.
iii. p. 2225 Atlas, pl. ix. f 1—Heugl Or. N. O. Afr.
p. 408;
P. dorsatus, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 253, p. 42, t. xviii.
Occasionally seen about Senafé and Adigrat, but not
very common.
Measurements of four specimens :—Wing 3'1 to 3°2 in,

tail 2°55 in.

AVES. 357

Famity TURDIDA,

11g. Turdus simensis, Riipp.

T. musicus, high-coloured variety, Salt, No. 40, App. p. 58.

T. simensis, Rupp. Neu. Wirb. p. 81, t. xxix, f. 1—Syst. Uebers.
No. 190,

T. semiensis, Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr. p. 380.

Common throughout the highlands, but not observed
below 5,000 or 6,000 feet elevation. I did not meet
with this Thrush in the Anseha valley. In the stomach
of specimens killed in February, I found various insects,
including ants. All the specimens collected are much
less rufous beneath than in Riippell’s figure.

In a male the wing measured 5:2 in,, tail 2°9, tarsus
1-4; in a female, wing 4'3 in., tail 2°7, tarsus 1°3 in.

120. T. olivacinus, Bp.

Bonaparte, Consp. Gen. Ay. p. 273.—Hengl. Orn. N. O. Afr. p. 382.
2 T. abyssinicus, Gm. Syst. Nat. i. part 2, p. 824.

Merula olivaeea, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 194.

Turdus olivaceus, Ferr. et Gal. No. 54.—Lefebvre, p. 168.

I obtained specimens of this Thrush at Senafé, Adigrat,
and Lake Ashangi. At the latter locality it was not
rare. It was not seen away from the highlands, and in
the Anseba valley appeared to be replaced by 7. pelios,
Bp., of which Mr. Jesse obtained specimens. A male
measures :—Wing 4°7 in., tail 4°1, tarsus 1°3; a female,
wing 4°4 in., tail, 3°75, tarsus 1°3 in.

121. Petrocincla cyanea, L.

‘Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 187.—Heugl. Journ. f. Ornith. 1869, p. 145.
Monticola cyana, Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr. p. 371.

Occasionally met with on the highlands.

358 ZOOLOGY.

122. P. saxatilis, L.
Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 188.—Heugl. Journ. f. Orn. p. 146.
Monticola saxatilis, Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr. p. 370.
Rare on the highlands. I am indebted to Captain
Newport for a specimen shot at Adigrat. I did not
myself kill any.

123. P. rufocinerea, Riipp.

Saaxicola rufocinerea, Riipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 76, t. xxvii. £ 1 and 2,
—Syst. Uebers. No. 166.

Thamnolea rufocinerea, Heugl. Journ. f. Orn. 1869, p. 151; et
Orn. N. O. Afr. p. 369.

“Ry no means rare on the highlands, and found as low
as about 4,500 feet. It appears to be a permanent
resident, as I saw it on the hills close to the Anseba
valley in pairs, in July. The female is much greyer
than the male. It has very much the habits of a Red-
start, and is, in coloration also, a connecting link between
the Ruticelline and the true Thrushes. It is in no way
a Saaxicola, nor, I think, a Thamnolea either. In the
stomach were small insects. Measurements :—

Wing. Tail. Tarsus.
a. 1n. in.
Male: Geo 42 oe Ae ce alas 84, 25 1
Female . . . 1... 1 eee 885 QA 1

124. Ruticilla pheenicura, L.

Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 142.
Turdus phenicurus, Salt, No. 39, App. p. xlvil.

Not very common about Senafé in February and
March.

Seas

yy

AVES, 359

125. Ruticilla (?) fuscicaudata, W. Blanford (Plate IV.).

Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist. Nov. 1869.

R. supra brunnescenti-fusca, uropygio magis rufescenti, remigibus
rectribusque fuscis, vic pallidiori-marginatis, macula preoculart
nigrescenti, albido-circumdata, mento, gula, abdomineque medio
sordide albis, pectore et hypochondriis cinerascentibus. Rostro
pedibusque Fuscis,

Long. ale 2°95 in., caude 2°2, tarsi 9°9, rostri a sro 0°45, a rictu
0°7, tota circa 5: 5, poll, et dee, Angl.

Hab. in Abyssinia septentrionali,

This is a somewhat anomalous bird. In the general
form, the bill, and non-scutellated tarsi it agrees with
Ruticilla, but the sombre plumage rather resembles that
of a Sylvia. The tail also is more rounded. It approaches
nearest to R. (Saxicola) familiaris, Stephens, and R.
(Erythacus) sinuata, Schlegel. None of the three are
typical Ruticille. But for the non-scutellated tarsi I
should have placed the present form in Sylvia. It may
be allied to Cuphopterus.

I obtained a single specimen only on the hills between
the Anseba and Lebka valleys, at an elevation of about
4,000 feet, in bushes.

I see that, in his new work, Von Heuglin identifies
my new species with his Saszcola scotocerca. I believe
my name, published on the 1st of November, has priority
over Dr. Von Heuglin’s, first “ published” in the 9th—
11th livraison of his “Ornithologie Nord-Ost Afrikas,”
which did not reach England till the middle of December,
though it may have been issued in Germany a week or

two sooner.

360 ZOOLOGY.

126. Cossypha semirufa (Riipp.).

Petrocincla semirufa, Riipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 81.

Bessonornis semirufa, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. p. 44, t. 21,—
Lefebvre, p. 96.

Cossypha rubrocapilla, Guér. Rev. Zool. 1843, p. 162.

C. semirufa, Ferr. et Gal. Voy. en Abyss. iii. p. 202; Atlas, pl. 6.—
Heugl. Journ. f. Orn. 1869, p. 147.

Bessornis semirufa, Heugl. Orn. N.O. Afr. p. 376.

Not a common bird, but generally distributed in the
temperate region, and met with at nearly 10,000 feet on
the Alaji pass. I also saw it on the Anseba.

A specimen from Guna Guna measures, wing 3°3 in.,
tail 3°3 in.

127. Cercotrichas erythropterus (Gm.).

Turdus erythropterus, Gin. Syst. Nat. i. p. 835.
Cercotrichas erythropterus, Rupp. Syst. Uebers. No. 195.—Heugl.
Orn. N. O. Afr. p. 280.

Common amongst bushes, especially along the banks of
stream beds in Samhar and the country around Annesley
Bay. Its habits are precisely those of the Indian Tham-
noblie ; it keeps much to the ground, and has a habit of
jerking its tail completely over its back, especially when
stopping after running or on settling from flight. It
appeared to me to be more of a ground bird than the
Indian Shama, Copsychus macrourus.

128. Thamnolza albiscapulata, Riipp.

Saxicola albiscapulata, Riipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 74, t. 26, f. 1.
Thamnobia albiscapulata, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 168.

Thamnolea albiscapulata, Heugl, Journ. f. Ornith. 1869, p. 149; et
Orn, N. O, Afr. p. 367.

Usually found near water, especially about the rocky
banks of streams. It was seen from the sea-level to the

AVES. 361

highlands, and was common in the pass wherever water
was to be found, as in the Sooroo defile. It feeds on
insects: on one occasion I found ants in the stomach.

Measurements :—
Wing. Tail. Tarsus.

in. in. in.
Miall@iw mags 4) fee te 6. © oe e465 3°65 1:2
BRemalesies on ta oo 6 2 we AA 3°56 11

129. Thamnobia melzna (Riipp.).

Saaicola melena, Riipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 77, t.21, f.2; Syst. Uebers.
No. 154.—Heugl. Journ. f. Orn. 1869, p. 153.
Pentholea melena, Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr. p. 364.

Pretty common on the highlands, keeping much to
rocky places amongst bushes. It has much the habits
of the Indian Thamnobie, and jerks its tail like them.
In the stomach I found only insects, principally small -
Coleoptera.

130. Saxicola cenanthe, L.

Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 161.—Heugl. Journ. f. Orn. 1869, p. 158 ;
et Orn. N.O. Afr. p. 347.

Only seen about Senafé and Adigrat on the highlands
in March. It was not noticed earlier, and appeared to
be migrating northwards.

131. S. isabellina, Riipp.

Riipp. Atlas, p. 52, t. 34, f. 2; Syst. Uebers. No. 159.—Heugl.
Journ. f. Orn. 1869, p. 157; et Orn. N.O. Afr. p. 344,

Equally common on the highlands and in the plains
on the coast until the middle of March. All other

species appeared restricted to one region or the other.
There appears to have been much confusion about this

362 ZOOLOGY.

species, and I have seen specimens of S. frenata which
were distributed by Rtippell himself for it.

132. S. frenata, Heugl.

Journ. f. Orn. 1869, p. 158; et Orn. N. O, Afr. p. 345.

It is extraordinary that this bird should have remained
until so recently unnamed. Specimens of it are to be
found in many museums, and both in London at the
British Museum and at Calcutta there are examples
received from Dr. Riippell as S. csabellina. Indeed I
think Dr. Riippell must have considered this bird as the
summer plumage of that species. Mr. Tristram, however,
informs me that he has a smaller race labelled Saaicola
sordida by Dr. Ritppell. The true S. sordida is a very
different bird.

I only met with S. frenata on the very highest
portions of the Wadela plateau, near Saintora and Gazoo,
at an elevation of 10,500 feet’ above the sea; there it
abounded. Von Heuglin states that he has seen it at
a much lower elevation also.

133. S. deserti, Riipp.

Temm. Pl, Col. 350, f. 2,—Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 153.—Heugl.
Journ. f. Orn. p. 161; et Orn. N.O. Afr. p. 352.

Only seen close to the coast. Abundant in December
and January about Annesley Bay, but it became scarce
and appeared to migrate in February. There were none
in May, June, July, or August near Annesley Bay and
Massowa. This species can scarcely be a permanent
resident on the coast at least, as Von Heuglin appears
to think probable.

AVES, 363

134. S. lugens, Licht.

Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 156.—Heugl. Journ. f. Orn. 1869, p. 161 ;
et Orn. N.O. Afr. p. 351.
S. leucomela, Temm. Pl. Col. 257 (nec Pallas).

This Stonechat appeared to replace the last on the
highlands. It was only seen in the temperate region,
where it abounded until the middle of March, after
which it disappeared.

135. Saxicola lugubris, Riipp.

Ripp. Neu. Wirb. p. 77, t. 28, £1; et Syst, Uebers. No. 153.—
Hengl. Journ. f. Orn. 1869, p. 159; et Orn. N. O. Afr. p. 354.

I saw this Chat frequently on the highlands, and
obtained several specimens. It is a constant resident,
as I shot birds in May,. when all true Saxicole had left.
I saw it in the passes at about 3,000 feet above the sea,
but not so commonly as at a higher elevation. It keeps
more tq bushes and rocks than the true Sazicola, in this
resembling S. melanura.

136. S. (Cercomela) melanura, Riipp.

Temm. Pl. Col, 257, f.1.—Rupp. Neu. Wirb. p. 80; et Syst. Uebers.
No. 158.—Heugl. Journ. f. Orn, 1869, p. 165 ; et Orn. N. O. Afr.
p. 361.

Iris dark brown ; beak and legs black.

Very common near the coast and in the passes up to
about 3,000 or 4,000 feet elevation. It is not migratory.
This bird may always be immediately recognised by its
peculiar habit of spreading and reclosing its tail, some-
thing in the same manner as Leucocerca does. This it
repeats constantly when on the ground, or a bush. It
keeps much to bushes and stones, but is not seen in

364 ZOOLOGY.

thick jungle, nor does it perch on the tops of bushes like
the true Saxicole. Cercomela melanura is common at
Aden, and apparently throughout the district of the
Red Sea.

137. Pratincola rubetra, L.

Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 165.—Heugl. Journ. f. Orn. 1869, p. 167;
et Orn. N. O. Afr, p. 338.

I only once met with this species, when I shot a
young bird at Rairo in Habab, about the middle of
August, at an elevation of 3,000 feet above the sea.

138. P. pastor, Strickland.

Strickland, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 1844, xiii. p. 410,
Saxicola pratincola sybilla, Heugl. Journ. f. Orn. 1869, p. 188 ; er
Om. N. O. Afr. p. 341,

Not rare on the highlands. As mentioned by Von
Heuglin, this bird appears to breed in Abyssinia. I shot
specimens at Senafé at the end of May. I did not
obtain P. rubicola. All my specimens have a broad
white uropygium, more or less tinged with ferruginous.
Dimensions :—

Wing. Tail Tarsus. Bin.
in. in. in. in,

Male, Adigrat . 2°99 21 0°86 0°46 (bill abnormally long
» Senafé . 295 Q1 0°85 0'37
Female, Senafé. 2°'8 2°03 0°86) (0'48

139. P. Hemprichii, Ehr.

Saxicola Hemprichii, Ehr. Symb. Phys.—Heugl. Journ. f. Orith.
1869, p. 168.

Pratincola rubicola Hemprichii, Heugl, Orn. N.O. Afr. p. 339.
A single male specimen from the shores of Annesley
Bay differs from those from the highlands by having
much more of the basal portion of the tail-feathers white.

AVES, 365

and therefore belongs probably to this race. The tail is
a little shorter, very much more rounded, and the rec-
trices are of rather different shape, being more pointed.
In P. pastor the central rectrices are only white at the
extreme base, and on the outermost pair nearly 14 in. at
the end is black; whilst in the specimen from Annesley
Bay the white on the base of the central rectrices extends
nearly to the end of the coverts, and on all the outer
rectrices only about ? in. at the end is black. The junc-
tion of black and white is zigzagged, the black running to
a point up the quill and the inner margin, the white ex-
tending further down on the outer margin and the centre
of the inner web. The middle rectrices are 0-2 in. longer
than the outer ones. The bill appears to be very slightly
more slender. I can see no other differences. The
measurements are :—
Wing. Tail Tarsus, Bill.
28 «19709
140. P. semitorquata, Heugl. (Plate V.).
Journ. f. Orn. 1869, p. 166, et Orn. N.O. Afr. p. 341.

I had named and described this bird at a meeting of
the Zoological Society of London when Von Heuglin’s
description appeared in the “Journal fur Ornithologie.”
He is only acquainted with the male ; I therefore append
a description and figure of both sexes :—

Mas. niger, macula subquadrata collar laterali, fascia
alari longitudinali ea remigibus secundartis ultimis
cum earum tectricibus compositd, abdomine toto cum
hypochondriis uropygioque albis; rostro pedibusque

366 ZOOLOGY.

migris. Long. ale 2°65, caud@ 1°95, tarsi 0°85, rostr. a
Jr. 0°4, tota circa 5 poll. Angl. et dec.

Femina supra brunnea, plumis rufo-marginatis ;
supercilits, mento, gula superiori abdomeneque rsabellinis,
hoc pallidiori, fascia alari longitudinalt et wropygio
albis, pectore ferrugineo, remigibus cum tectricibus
alarum fusco-brunneis, vic pallide marginatis, rectri-
cibus nigricantibus ; a mari dimensionibus non discrepat.

This bird is very near the Indian P. caprata, L. The
male is at once distinguished by the white mark at the
side of the neck, the female by being much more rufous
on the under-parts. It is not a rare bird in Abyssinia,
and it is surprising that it has remained so long unde-
scribed. I collected three pairs. I first met with it near
Adigrat, where it was far from scarce, and I again met with
it on some of the passes south of Antalo, and at Lake
Ashangi. It was never noticed below about 8,000 feet
of elevation, but at the same time I did not observe it in
the higher plateaux, so that it appears to belong to the
temperate rather than to the subalpine fauna.

141. P. sordida (Riipp.).

Saxicola sordida, Rupp. Neu. Wirb. p. 75, t. xxvi. f. 2. et Syst.
Uebers. No. 176.—Heugl. Journ, f. Orn. 1869, p. 164; et
Orn. N. O. Afr. p. 342.

This Bush Chat belongs to the subalpine fauna, and was
never seen below 9,000 feet. Above that height it was
common. It kept much to rocky parts of the hills. It
is by no means a typical Pratincola, the bill being rather
larger and the tarsi much longer, but it is much nearer

AVES. 367

to that genus than to true Sazicola. The following are
the dimensions of a pair :—

Wing. Tail. Tarsus. Bill from front.
in. in. in. in.

DY Ale? on) ek ee Se ee oe BEDS 16 0°95 05
Female: ss) = # 4 3 (295 18 ll 0°45

142. Grandala leucogaster (Gm.).

Turdus leucogaster, Gm. Syst. Nat. vol. i. pt. ii. p. 819.

Lamprotornis leucogaster, Rupp. Neu. Wirb. p. 24; et Syst. Uebers.
No. 245.

Pholidauges leucogaster, Cab. Mus. Hein, i. p. 198. — Brehm,
Habesch, No. 85.—Heugl. Journ. f. Orn. 1869, p. 10.

Iris dark grey within, and an outer circle of yellowish
grey.

This beautiful bird appears to me fairly congeneric
with the Himalayan Grrandala celicolor, Hodgson.
Both are of very dubious affinity, but their relationship
to the Starlings is at least as questionable as to the
Saaxicoline. Their very short legs contrast with both,
whilst the form of the wing is quite different from that
found amongst the short-legged Bulbuls and Orioles to
which the present form might otherwise be assigned
The habits are rather Starling-like.

There appears to have been some doubt on the part of
previous observers as to whether the plain thrush-like
plumage is the livery of the female or only of the young.
The latter is stated by Riippell and Heuglin. The
former was the case in all the birds shot by me, and a
very large number of pairs seen by me in May consisted
of a brilliantly-plumaged male and a dull female. Mr.
Jesse and Captain Sturt, who both frequently saw and
shot the bird, came to precisely the same conclusion, and

368 ZOOLOGY.

it is this difference of plumage in the two sexes and the
colouring of the female which tend to unite this bird so
closely with Grandala ccelicolor.

From December up to the end of February this bird
was entirely absent from the passes below Senafé. About
the commencement of March flocks began to make their
appearance, and the numbers gradually increased. ‘The
flocks consisted of males and females. In May, when I
returned from the highlands, I’ found these lovely birds
most abundant, and almost always in pairs. They
occurred from about 2,000 feet elevation up to 5,000 or
6,000 feet. I again met with them in the Lebka valley
at very nearly the same elevations, one bird being seen
rather lower down at Ain; but individuals were scarce
below about 2,000 feet. On the Anseba it was occasion-
ally seen, all the birds noticed being males. The females
were probably in July engaged in incubation. I could
never find the nest.

Grandala leucogaster keeps much to trees and high
bushes, but is occasionally seen on the ground. Its prin-
cipal food appears to consist of seeds. Dimensions :—

in. i
MAIS eg lad ate poled ada? ago aR ag ik 42° 275. 09
Wemiale.:; ao a: 8 sw Sb w “ee ew 39 a4 09

The male is perhaps the handsomest of all the birds
met with in Abyssinia. The play of colours in the sun-
light from pure azure to deep crimson, and again to
copper colour, is most exquisite. Brehm is incorrect in
saying that the iris is brown.

AVES. 369
Famity PYCNONOTID.

143. Pycnonotus arsinoé (Licht.).

Turdus arsinoé, Licht. Verz. d. Doubl. p. 39.
Ixos arsinoé, Riipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 83.
Pycnonotus arsinoé, Rupp. Syst. Uebers. No. 196.
Habits, song, &c. much like those of Indian species,
This Bulbul abounds at the base of the hills, and ranges
to the highlands. It lives on fruits and buds.

Famity ORIOLIDA,

144. Oriolus monacha (Gm.).

Turdus monacha, Gmel. Syst. Nat. i. pt. ii, p. 824.—Lath. Ind.
Ornith. i 357.—Id. Gen. Hist. iii. p. 142 (Nun Oriole).

O. monacha, Salt, No. 10, App. p. xlvi.

O. moloxita, Riipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 29, t. xii. f. 1—Lefebvre, p. 169.
—Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 206.

O. monachus, Heugl. Journ. f, Orn. 1868, p. 325.

Iris dull red ; beak pinkish brown ; legs bluish grey.
Not a common bird in the country traversed, and I
only obtained two specimens. It has a peculiar harsh
double call note. The measurements rather exceed
those given by Riippell. In a female shot near Antalo
the wing is 3°5 in, tail 3°9, tarsus 0°8, bill from point
0°8 in.

Riippell, in the note preceding his description of
O. moloxita, after mentioning the descriptions of the
Abyssinian and South African birds, states that Latham
named the latter O. monachus, and added the moloxita of
‘Buffon, described from Bruce’s drawing, as a synonym.
Precisely the reverse is the case, Latham, in the “Index

BB

370 ZOOLOGY.

Ornithologicus,” i. p. 357, refers to Buffon alone, and it is
only in the latter work, the “ General History of Birds,”
that he adds a reference to Le Vaillant’s figure. Latham,
moreover, as Riippell ought to have noticed, copies the
name from Gmelin, whose Turdus monacha is described
from Buffon’s “moloxita, ou Religieuse d’Abyssinie,” so
that there can be no question of Gmelin’s name applying
to the species. Von Heuglin’s change of the name into
O. monachus is also inaccurate.

O. monacha is easily distinguished from the black-
headed oriole of the Cape, O. larvatus, Licht. by the paler
colour of the quills, the edges of the secondaries being
pale grey instead of white. The bill, too, is shorter and
stouter in the northern form.

Famiry CRATEROPIDA,, Swainson. (TIMALIDA, Bonaparte
and Jerdon.)

To this family I most unhesitatingly refer the Timaline
of Indian writers. No one who has seen both in their
native state would, I think, have any hesitation on the
subject. But besides the African Crateropi, the Indian
Malacocercit, Timalie, Garrulaces, and their allies, I
consider that certainly Drymaca and Cisticola, and
probably Prinia, Orthotomus, and the allied forms should
be classed here, and not in the Sylviada, that refugium
peccatorum of modern ornithologists. I have stated
my reasons elsewhere, and need not repeat them here.
The Crateropi are very closely allied to the Bush
Shrikes, Telephonus, Laniarius, &e.

AVES. 371
145. Crateropus leucopygius (Riipp.).

Ixos leucopygius, Riipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 82, t. xxx. f. 1.
Cratcropus leucopygius, Rupp. Syst. Uebers. No. 199.
C. limbatus, Rupp. Syst. Uebers. p. 48, and No. 202, p. 60.

Tris orange yellow, almost scarlet; beak black; legs
olivaceous.

Occurs in small flocks not exceeding eight or
ten in number, constantly employed hunting about
on the ground and amongst the branches of trees
and bushes for their food, which consists chiefly of
insects. These birds fly one after the other from tree
to tree, and every now and then, usually when hidden
in the middle of a thick bush, burst out in a chorus
of chattering, precisely in the same manner as does
Garrulax. Indeed, the resemblance in general appear-
ance, flight, habits, and voice of these birds to some
of the white-headed species of Garrulax inhabiting
the Himalayas and Burma are most striking, and
there is also considerable similarity to some of the
Mealacocerez.

Crateropus leucopygius is found from about 3,500 or
4,000 feet above the sea to 8,000 or 9,000 feet. It was
common throughout the highlands on the route traversed.
There can, 1 think, be no question of C. limbatus of
Riippell being merely the young of this bird. The two
certainly occurred together, and I believe in the same
flock.

Dimensions :—Total length about 10 to 10°5 in., wing
4°75, tail 4°5 to 4°75, bill 0°8, tarsus 1‘4 in.

BB 2

372 ZOOLOGY.

146. C. leucocephalus (Riipp.).

Turdoides leucocephala, Riipp. Atlas, p. 6, t. iv.
Ixos leucocephala, Riipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 84.
Crateropus leucocephalus, Rupp. Syst. Uebers. No. 198.

Iris yellow, with a slight orange tinge; bill black ;
legs purplish horn-colour.

This species replaces the last below 3,000 feet. It is
found up to about 4,000 or 5,000 feet, but was not seen
on the highlands. In the Anseba valley at about 4,000
feet, both species were met with inhabiting the same
thickets. Their habits are precisely similar.

Dimensions :—Male, length about 9:25 in., wing 4:3,
tail 4°75, tarsus 1°4, bill from forehead 0°75. Female,
length about 9 in. wing 4°25, tail 4 (perhaps not fully
grown), tarsus 1:4, bill 0°75.

147. Malacocercus (Chatarrhea) acaciz (Licht.).

Malurus acacie, Licht, Verz. d. Doubl. p. 40.—Riipp. Atlas,
t. xviii.

Sphenura acacie, Riipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 115.—Syst. Uebers. No. 203.
Argya acacia, Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr. p. 387.

It would be difficult for any one to recognise this bird
from Riippell’s figure, which is far too grey. It ought to
be very much more rufous. I only obtained one speci-
men, and I very rarely saw the bird about Zulla. It
appeared, so far as I had opportunities of observing, to
have precisely the appearance and habits of Malacocercus
caudatus of India, which is, I think, unquestionably con-
generic, being one of the numerous instances in which

the forms of the Indian peninsula are closly related to
African species.

AVES, 373

The measurements of the specimen obtained, a female,
are :—Whole length about 10 in., wing 3°8, tail 5:2,
tarsus 1°25. The specimen was shot by a collector, and
I did not note the colours of the soft parts.

148. Drymeeca gracilis (Licht.).

Malurus gracilis, Riipp. Atlas, p. 3, t. ii b.

Drymoica gracilis, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 117.—Heugl. Ibis,
1869, p. 91, et Orn. N. O. Afr. p. 242.

? Burnesia lepida, Blyth, Journ. As. Soc. Beng. xiii. p. 376, and
xvi 460.—Jerdon, Birds of India, ii p. 85.

Sylvia gracilis, Licht. Verz. d. Doubl. p. 34.

Iris burnt sienna (orange brown); beak black ; legs
flesh-colour ; tail-feathers 10. Very common amongst the
low bushes of the plain country near Zulla.

This bird has the usual hiding, skulking habits of the
genus, and consequently it was by no means easy to pro-
cure specimens. In general, it is only seen for an instant
flying with a weak uncertain flight from one bush to
another, which it immediately enters, and is lost amongst
the roots and branches. It is always solitary or in
pairs, never in flocks. Mr. Jesse found the nest, with
two young birds apparently only hatched a few days
before, on June 12. It was neatly constructed chiefly
of grass, with the entrance at the side, and placed in a
hedge which surrounded the Commissariat enclosure.

149. D. mystacea (Riipp.).

Prinia mistacea, Ripp. Neu. With. p. 110.
D. mystacea, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. p. 31, t. x—Ferr. et Gal. No. 62.
—Heugl. Ibis, 1869, p. 88; et Orn. N. O. Afr. p. 239,

A solitary specimen, a male, was only obtained of this
species also. This was shot on the highlands at Adabagi,
two marches south of Adigrat.

374 ZOOLOGY.

Dimensions :—Wing 2°05 in, tail 2°3, tarsus 0°8, bill
0°45, tail-feathers apparently 10, but the tail is rather
imperfect in my specimen.

150. D. pulchella (Riipp.).

Malurus pulchellas, Riipp. Atlas, t. xxxv. fig. a.
Drymoica pulchella, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 118.—Ferr. et Gal.
No. 63.—Heugl. Ibis, 1869, p. 92; et Orn. N. O. Afr. p. 243,

The label of the single specimen obtained has un-
fortunately been lost, and I have forgotten the exact
locality. I believe, however, that the bird was shot in
the Anseba valley.

This is by no means a typical Drymeca, although it
has only 10 tail-feathers. The bill is peculiarly small.

Length of wing 1°85 in., tail 1-7, tarsus 0°65, bill
0°3 In.

151. D. rufifrons (Riipp.).

Prinia rufifrons, Riipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 110, t. xli. f. 2.

Drymoica rufifrons, Rupp. Syst. Uebers. No, 121.—Ferr. et Gal.
No. 61.—Brehm, Habesch, No. 44.—Heugl. Ibis, 1869, p. 87.

Cisticola rufifrons, Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr. p. 245.

Two or three specimens of this pretty little species
were shot, but only one adult preserved. Its habits are
unlike those of most of its allies, and greatly resemble
those of the little Prinia gracilis of India. It is found
in small flocks amongst low trees and bushes in the coast
country about Annesley Bay. It hides less in thickets
near the ground than most of its allies ; indeed its habits
generally are more those of Malacocerct or Crateropi
than of Drymece. It has 12 tail-feathers, but I cannot
agree in classing these birds as Drymece or Cisticole,
solely with regard to the number of rectrices.

AVES. 3795
152. Graminicola Le Vaillantii (Smith).

Drymeca Le Vaillantii, Smith, HL 8. Afr. Zool. Aves, t. Ixsiii. f. 2.
Drymneca cantans, Heugl. Ibis, 1869, p. 96.
Cisticola cantans, Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr. p. 252.

Iris orange-brown.

I only met with this species at Senafé. The tail is
imperfect, and I cannot distinctly tell whether it has 10
or 12 rectrices ; the latter is probably the correct number.
Wing 2°25, tail 2-45, tarsus 0°95, bill 0°5 in. I am
indebted to Dr. Finsch for the identification of this bird
with the South African form.

This and the two subsequent species belong to one
group, for which Jerdon (‘ Birds of India,” ii. p. 177) has
proposed the generic name Graminicolt. It imeludes
several South African species, and one Indian form,
G. bengalensis. They are, I think, correctly distinguished
from both Cisticola and Dryinceca.

153- G. robusta (Riipp.).

Drymoica robusta, Rupp. Syst. Uebers. p. 35, t. xiii—Lefebvre,
p. $9.—Hengl. Ibis, 1569, p. 99.
Cisticola robusta, Heugl Orn. N. O. Afr. p. 254.

The only specimen obtained was killed at Adigrat.
It has 12 tail-feathers. Measurement :—Wing 3 in,, tail
2-6, tarsus 1°1, bill 0°55 in.

154. G. erythrogenys (Riipp.).

Cisticola erythrogenys, Rupp. Neu. Wirb., p. 111. :

Drymeca erythrogenys, Riipp. Syst. Uebers, p. 34, t. xii—Ferr. et
Gal. No. 64.—Heugl. Ibis, 1869, p. 95.

Cisticola erythrogenys, Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr. p. 250.

Only a single specimen obtained. This also was shot at
Senafé. It measures: wing 2°5 in., tail 2°25, tarsus 1, bill 0°5.

376 ZOOLOGY.

155. Cisticola habessinica (Heugl.).

Hemipteria habessinica, Heugl. Ibis, 1869, p. 138; et Orn. N. 0.
Afr. p. 272,

Of this species I obtained a single specimen only,
which was shot near Fokada in grass. Its habits and
flight resembled precisely those of the common C%sticola
schenicola.

The measurements of the specimen obtained, a male,
are :—Wing 2°11 in, tail 1°3, tarsus 0°75, bill 0°4, whole
length about 4°3 in.

Famity SYLVIAD,
156. Oligocercus micrurus (Riipp.).

Troglodytes micrurus, Rupp. Neu. Wirb. p. 109, t. xli. f, 1.
Oligura micrura, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 115.

Sylvietta brachyura, Lefebvre, p. 89.

Oligocercus micrurus, Heugl. Ibis, 1869, p. 141.

O. rufescens, Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr. p. 286.

Iris orange-brown, pupil small ; legs deep flesh-colour ;
bill dusky above, pale below.

A most active and lively little bird, constantly hunting
about bushes and trees, and often seen running round
branches, and even hanging head downwards. In July
seen in pairs. It was only met with in the subtropical
region, from about 3,000 to 5,000 feet, both in the passes
below Senafé and in the Anseba valley. It was not rare
in those localities.

157. Camaroptera brevicaudata (Riipp.).

Sylvia brevicaudata, Riipp. Atlas, t. xxxv. fig. b.

Ficedula brevicaudata, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 149.

Camaroptera brevicaudata, Brehm, Habesch, No. 45.—Heugl. Ibis,
1869, p. 138; et Orn. N. O. Afr. p. 281.

Syncopta tincta, Cassin. Proc. Ac. Phil. 1855, p. 325.

AVES. 377

Iris burnt sienna, pupil small, orbit pinkish brown ;
legs flesh colour ; bill black. In the female the iris is
pearl grey, the colour of the plumage duller and more
uniform, and the throat whiter.

I never saw this bird in the winter, and I am inclined
to suspect that, ike Grandala leucogaster, it emigrated
into the passes during the spring months. In May, it
was far from rare at 4,000 to 6,000 feet, and it abounded
on the Anseba in July and August. The females were
very rarely seen, and I only obtained one. The males
were most conspicuous. Perched on the topmost branch
of a tree, or some conspicuous spray, they kept up a re-
iterated monosyllabic call like “todk-todk-todk,” repeated
at a regular interval. In the stomach I found small
insects,

Wing. Pail, Tarsus.
in, in.

Male 9p Geta Ge. Wa ae 2°3 16 1:0
B50 SE RR ER i ROR RE BG 2°25 1°55 0°95
Female... 1 1. 1p ee ee 20 15 0'8

From the much shorter tarsus in the only female
obtained, I should have thought it belonged to a distinct
species, but that it was with a male (also killed). On
another occasion, when I saw both together but only
succeeded in securing the male, I noticed the paler tinge
of the female plumage.

Riippell’s figure and description are probably taken
from a hen. C. tincta of Cassen is founded on a male
bird. Sundevall’s C. olivacea, to judge from a specimen
in the Berlin Museum, is quite distinct, being much
greener above.

378 ZOOLOGY.

158. Phylloscopus abyssinicus, W. Blanf. (Pl. III. fig. 2).

Ph. Ph. trochili similis sed supra magis viridescens, subtus isabellinus
vie flavescens, cauda longiori.

Al. Caud. Tars. Rostr.afr. Long. tota circa.

in, in. in. in. in.
Mas... . . . 2 2°05 077 0°36 45
Femina. . . . 25 2°05 079 0°37 45

Common about Mayen in the pass below Senafé, and
at Senafé, Halai, and other places on the highlands. It
differs from P. Bonelli, Vieill. (S. Nattereri, Temm.),
which it otherwise much resembles, in being pale buff
instead silky white below and less brown above. From
P. trochalus it is distinguished by being more green above
and less yellow below. It is very close to the Indian
P. affinis. It may easily be recognised by its isabelline
coloured breast.

The first short primary is above an inch (in one
specimen 1°1 in.) shorter than the second, which is
nearly + in. shorter than the third. The third and
fourth are the same length, the fifth very little shorter.

I obtained several specimens of this little Wren-
warbler at Undul Wells and Senafé. I believe it occurs
throughout the highlands, I did not meet with it in the
Anseba valley.

159. P. umbrovirens (Riipp.).

Ficedula wmbrovirens, Riipp. Neu. Wirb, p. 112; et Syst. Uebers,
No, 148.—Ferr. et Gal. No. 71.
Phyllopneuste wmbrovirens, Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr. p. 301.

Only a single specimen was obtained ; this was shot at
Senafé. The wing measures 2°25 in., tail 1°7, tarsus 0°85.
The length of the tail somewhat exceeds that given by
Riippell.

AVES. 379

160. Sylvia melanocephala, Gm.

Syst. Nat. i. pt. ii, p. 970.—Heugl Orn. N. O. Afr. p. 303.
Curruca melanocephala, Rupp. Syst. Uebers. No. 131.

I shot a single specimen at Rairo in Habab.

161. S. cinerea, Briss.
Ripp. Syst. Uebers. No. 133.—Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr. p. 307.

Not rare in Samhar near Massowa in the middle of
August.

162. Hypolais languida, Hempr. and Ehr.

Curruca languida, Hempr. and Ehr., Symb. Phys.—Heugl. Orn.
N. O. Afr. p. 296.

From comparison with the type specimen in the
Berlin Museum I have ascertained that this is identical
with Hemprich and Ehrenberg’s bird. I shot specimens
in the Lebka valley and Samhar. It has precisely the
habits of the Indian Acrocephalus dumetorum of Blyth,
living amongst thick bushes and hunting about the
branches for insects, uttering every now and then a sharp
ery like “tchick-tchick.” It is a restless active little
bird. The dimensions of a pair are :—

Wing. Tail Tarsus. Bill.
in. in. in, in.
Male... 3 ae eee Ge 280 2°45 0°86 0°53
Female. . . . ... . 38°05 2°52 0°85 0°55

The colour scarcely differs perceptibly from that of the
next species, The first primary extends about $ in. in
one specimen, 3 in. in the other, beyond the under wing-
coverts, and is very pointed; the second is in. shorter
than the third, which is the longest.

380 ZOOLOGY.

163. H. elaica (Lindermayer).
Salicaria elaica, Linder. Isis, 1843, pp. 342, 343.

This is a much smaller bird than the last, easily dis-
tinguished by the larger first primary, which is rounded,
not pointed, at the end.

Measurements :—Wing 2°6 in., tail 21, bill 0°47, tarsus
8°5 ; the first primary is 0°6 in. long outside the under
wing-coverts, and twice as broad as in the last species ;
second primary 0°2 in. shorter than the third, which is
the longest.

r64. Aedon galactodes, Temm.

Sylvia galactodes, Temm. Pl. Col. 251, f. 1.
A. minor, Cab. Mus. Hein. i. p. 39.—Brehm, Habesch, No. 48,
Aédon galactodes, Heugl. Ibis, 1869, p. 84; et Orn. N. O. Afr. p. 276.

Common from the base of the hills to about 3,500 or
4,000 feet, but not seen above. In the winter (January
and February) it was only seen at the base of the ranges ;
in May it was common as high as Mayen, about 3,500
feet. It appears to be confined to the tropical region.

Famity ALAUDIDZ.
165. Motacilla alba, L.

Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 173.—Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr. p, 316.
1M. dukhunensis, Sykes, P. Z. 8. 1832, p. 91.

Common both on the highlands and near the coast. I
cannot see that the specimens collected by me in Abys-
sinia show the slightest difference from others shot in
Western India, and belonging to the supposed species
M. dukhunensis, Sykes.

On the 1st of May there were still specimens on the

AVES. 381

highlands around Lake Ashangi, but only very few re-
mained. A month earlier they had been numerous.

166. M. (Calobates) sulphurea (Bechst.).
Motacilla sulphurea, Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr. p. 318.

Not common. I only killed one specimen, which I
obtained in the Lebka valley in August.

167. Budytes melanocephala (Licht.), or B. flava, L. var.
melanocephala.

Motacilla flava melanocephala, Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr. p. 321.
Motacilla melanocephala, Licht. Verz. der Doubl. p. 36.—Riipp.
Atlas, t. xxxili, b. ; et Syst. Uebers. No. 178.

Common everywhere during the winter, and I suspect
many remain and breed on the highlands of Abyssinia,
for birds of this species were still abundant around Lake
Ashangi at the beginning of May, although they had
then assumed the nuptial plumage more than a month.

The Yellow Wagtails pass gradually into each other,
and are considered by many of the best ornithologists, as
Tristram and Finsch, as merely varieties of one species,
B. flava, L.

Specimens of B. melanocephala killed in December
and January are perfectly indistinguishable from the
Indian specimens generally assigned by Jerdon and
others to B. viridis, Gm.

168. B. cinereocapilla, Savi.

? B. flava, L. Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 176.
Motacilla flava cinereoscapilla, Heugl. N. O. Afr. p. 321.

A single specimen in breeding plumage was shot at
Lake Ashangi at the beginning of April. It is interme-

382 ZOOLOGY.

diate between the var. cinereoscapilla and true flava, as
it has only a trace of a white superciliary stripe. :

169. B. campestris, Pallas, or B. flava, L. var. campestris?

A single specimen obtained on the highlands in spring
has the forehead and greater portion of the crown of the
head yellow. Mr. Tristram informs me that he has seen
but one other specimen with an equally yellow head.
That was shot in England. I am informed by Dr. Finsch
that this race is the true Motacilla campestris of Pallas,
and that M. Ray of Linneeus differs by having the
crown greenish and well-marked yellow supercilia. Mr.
Tristram, however, does not consider that this is Pallas’s
bird. I confess myself unable to decide anything with
respect to these races.

170. Anthus cecilii, Savigny.

Sav. Descr, de l’Egypte, Explic. somm. des Planches, p. 281.—Ois.
pl. 5, f. 6, 1825,

Motacilla cervina, Pallas, Zoogr. Ros. As. i. p. 511, 1831.

Anthus cervinus, Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr. p. 323.

Common around Senafé on ploughed fields.
171. Anthus (Agrodroma) sordidus, Riipp. or A. campestris,
var. sordidus.

Anthus sordidus, Rupp. Neu. Wirb. p. 103, t. xxxix. f. 1—Heugl.
Orn. N. O. Afr. p. 326.

This bird varies much, apparently with age and the
state of the plumage. Some specimens are almost uni-
formly dusky above, with part of the outer tail-feathers
alone pale buff, and only a trace of pale edgings to the
quills and wing-coverts. This is the plumage of two
specimens shot in the Anseba valley in July. All the

e

AVES. 383

specimens shot on the highlands in the winter and spring
are more rufous, and have more or less broad rufous
margins to the tail-feathers, quills, and wing-coverts.
The greater portion of the outer tail-feathers and a por-
tion of the next pair are whitish in colour, the centres of
the latter being usually dusky. The coloration of the
underparts also varies slightly. In some birds the breast
is distinctly spotted ; in others there is not a trace of
spots. Mr. Tristram, who has kindly examined my
specimens, considers that all the varieties belong to one
species, and I am quite disposed to agree. There is great
variation in dimensions. I give those of all the specimens
collected, five in number :—

Wing Tail. Tarsus. TLCS Bill.
in. in. ip. in. in.
Anseba . 38 3°2 1:05 6°75 0°65 Male, dusky.
3 . &5 30 10 65 06 Female, ,,
Senafé 40 34 1:0 70 0°56 Male, _,,
° » 39 32 1:05 7-0 0°65 Female,morerufous.
3 . 355 25 1:05 5°75 0°56 Young, very pale.
It is just possible that the last specimen, which is entirely
without spots on the breast, should be referred to A.
campestris, L., but I am disposed to consider it a young
specimen of A. sordidus.
Anthus sordidus keeps much to rocky hill-sides, where
there is but little bush. It was common near Senafé,
and equally so on the more barren hills bordering the

Anseba valley. It sometimes perches on trees.

172. A. (Agrodroma) campestris !
Anthus campestris, Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr. p. 325.

Only seen on the highlands. There it was everywhere

384 ZOOLOGY.

abundant on grassy meadows. A. cervinus appeared to
replace it on cultivated land.

It is quite impossible in the series preserved by me to
distinguish this species from the last. As a rule A. cam-
pestris is a smaller bird, brighter and more rufous in
colour above, and paler beneath, with a distinct spotted
breast. The bill is conspicuously smaller. But not one
of these characters can be relied upon. I append
measurements of specimens, by comparing which with
those of the last species it will be seen that there is
complete gradation, and the colour also varies :—

Wing. Tail. Tarsus. Bill.
in. 10. in. m.
Female... .. 3°75 27 1 0°53 Senafé
Male. ..... 3°55 2°65 11 0°57 Adigrat
Female. . ... 3°5 2°65 1:07 06 = =©Ashangi

34 2°6 1:05 0°54 a5

The first two should perhaps rather be classed in
A. sordidus, but it is simply impossible to draw a
distinct line.

173. Macronyx flavicollis, Riipp.

Riipp. Neu. Wirb. t. xxxviii. fig. 2—Heugl. Orn. N. 0. Afr. p. 330.

Iris brown ; bill black above, bluish grey below ; legs
brown.

Tn habits and flight this bird is rather a Pipit than a
Lark, and it wants the rudimentary first primary quill,
though its bill and feet are Lark-like. It was only seen
on the highest part of the Dalanta plateau, and near the
crest of the Wandaj pass, and was never observed below:
10,000 feet. It was not common, but occurred generally
in pairs ; sometimes three were seen together.

AVES. 385

Measurements taken in the flesh: whole length 6°75
in., closed wing 3°85, tail 2°12, tarsus 1:12, hind toe
0°5, claw 0°3, bill in front 0°5 in.

174. Certhilauda desertorum (Stanley).

Alauda desertorum, Stanley, Salt’s Journey, App. p. lx.
Certhilauda desertorum, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 304.
Alemon desertorum, Heugl. Journ. f. Orn. 1868, p. 280.

Rather common about Zulla, but comparatively rare
near Massowa. The flight of this bird did not appear to
me at all Plover-like; it was certainly not the least
similar to that of other Larks ; but although more rapid,
there was something in the mode of flight which always
reminded me of a Hoopoe, and the two conspicuous
white wing bands greatly increased the resemblance. It
is not a wary bird, but when running it is very swift. It
keeps to comparatively open spots, and is usually solitary
or in pairs. I only once saw three together, and then
two appeared to be young birds.

The bill varies much in length, and appears to be
longest in the male. I append measurements of four

specimens :—
Wing. Tail. Bill. Tarsus.

in, in. in. in.
TeMale 0 ee gsi 50 38 11 13
Ds 9 Sy DY Se owe Sas. Gere 48 3°6 1:0 1:22
3. Female « 4. « % 6 6% 43 3:2 0°85 1:22
4, S52 cae ee 4:25 30 0°85 13

Much doubt appears to overshroud the synonomy of
this bird. It was originally described by Lord Stanley,
from a specimen brought by Mr. Salt from Amphila, on
the Abyssinian coast, and was characterised as greyish
sandy brown. A more rufous race inhabiting Nubia, which

cc

386 ZOOLOGY.

passes into the grey one by imperceptible degrees, is the
type of A. bifasciata, Licht. I do not intend to enter
at length into the question of the identity or distinctness
of these two races, but merely to show that if they are
to be distinguished, the name desertorwm must be re-
tained for the greyer form, found on the shores of the
Red Sea and in Arabia, and bifasciata for the more
rufous race which is found in Nubia. Latham’s Desert
Lark (Gen. Hist.” vol. vi. p. 301), as was pointed out to
me by Dr. Finsch, seems to apply to the bifasciata type,
as the head, neck, and back are said to be dun or brownish
buff colour, and the specimen, although stated to be in
the collection of Mr. Salt, can scarcely have been the same
_as the type described by Lord Stanley. The synonymy
will be :—
CertuitaupDa (Alauda) pEsERToRUM, Stanley, loc. cit.—Heugl.
No. 183.—Faun. d. Rothen Meer.—Peterman’s Mitth, 1861.

—Ibis, 1859, p. 343.—Journ. f. Orn. 1865, p. 230.

C. bifasciata, Gould, B. Europe, pl. 168.
(This is a somewhat intermediate variety.)

C. Salvini, Tristram, Ibis, 1859, p. 57.

OrrruiLaupa (Alauda) srrascrata, Licht. Verz. d. Doubl. p. 27.
—Riipp. Atlas, t. v—Temm. Pl. Col. 393.

C. desertorum, Stanley, apud Latham, Gen. Hist. vi. p. 301.—Riipp.
Syst. Uebers. p. 78, No. 304.—Heugl. Syst. Uebers. No. 438.—

? Jerdon, Birds of India, ii. p. 438.
? Saaicola ? pallida, Blyth, Journ. As. Soc. Bengal, xvi. p. 130.

(This also appears somewhat intermediate, and
Jerdon notices that an Indian specimen is
darker than that figured by Riippell.)

My specimens, all from the same locality, show great
Variation in the amount of spotting on the breast, though

AVES. 387

all have far more than Nubian specimens. The relative
extent of the two white bands, and the intervening
dusky space on the secondary quills, are also marvel-
lously inconstant, and even the colour of the back varies
somewhat. Some specimens from Arabia in the Berlin
Museum have the breast even darker and more thickly
spotted than in the birds from Annesley Bay. There are
also amongst the very fine series in that museum decided
traces of a passage from the grey C. desertorum to the
rufous C. bifasciata, and as none of the characters which
at first sight distinguished the two appear to be at all
constant, even in birds from the same locality, I should
be disposed to unite the two races.

175. Alauda (Galerita) cristata, L.

G. lutea, Brehm, Habesch, No. 97.—Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 309.
—Heugl. Journ. f. Orn. 1868, p. 233.
? Galerida isabellina, Bon. Consp. p. 242.

Common near the coast. I can see no difference
between specimens from the Red Sea and others from
India, and do not understand why Bonaparte proposed
to separate them.

I obtained at Zulla an albino specimen of this bird of
pale isabelline colour, without any dark marks either on

the back or breast.

176. A. (G.) arenicola? Tristram, var. fusca.
This, 1859, p. 58.

I obtained a single specimen of a very dark-coloured
Lark on the Abyssinian highlands at Ashangi, which I

co 2

388 ZOOLOGY.

was inclined to refer to G. abyssinica, Bon., although its
dimensions are much smaller.
Wing Tail. Bill. Tarsus.

in. in.

4 93 065 «1-05
Mr. Tristram, however, informs me that it agrees in
everything except colour with his G. arenicola.

177. Alauda prztermissa, W. Blanf. (Plate VI).

Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist. Nov. 1869.

A, supra fusco-wmbrina, capitis, colli postici, interscapuliique
plumis late et pallide rufescenti marginatis, dorso posteriori
magis cinerascenti, vix striolato ; swperctliis et gastreo toto
isabellinis; genis, colli lateribus, pectoreque saturatioribus et
fusco-guttatis, regione paroticd fuscescentt; remigibus et tectri-
cibus alarum umbrinis, primariis eatus isabellino secundariis
tectricibusque rufo-marginatis, remigibus omnibus intus versus
basin rufo-fulvis ; wropygio et rectricibus medianis rufescenti-
umbrinis, rectricibus exteris pogoniointerno basin versus exceptis
et pagoniis externis secundarum rufo-isabellinis, ceteris cum
partibus reliquis externarum fumoso-nigricantibus. Caput sub-
cristatum, rostrum supra fuscum, subtus pallidum, pedes carnet
trides brunnew.

Long. ale. Caud. es bd post. ae afr. ss circa.
in. in.
Dimensiones avis maris . 3°9 2°15 1 0 0 "45 Or 5 6: 35
Pe » femine 37 20 10 04 05 6:0

The first primary is } to yo inch in length, the second
very. little shorter than the third, which is nearly equal
to the fourth.

I found this to be the common Skylark around Senafé
and Adigrat, with precisely the habits of the European
bird. It is distinguished by the bill being stronger and
the wing decidedly shorter. I cannot find any descrip-
tion agreeing with it amongst the birds included in
Von Heuglin’s lists; and as Mr. Gray, Dr. Finsch, and

JUEIA M'VSSIN YS Ld VONVIV

AVES. 389

Mons. Jules Verreaux all agreed with me in considering it
new, I described it as such. Mr. Tristram considers it a
form of Galerita cristata, in which I cannot coincide ; the
nearest described species is probably Alauda erythropygia
of Strickland (P. Z. 8. 1850, Aves, pl. xxiv.), but the
present form is smaller, and the rufous colouring on the
tail-feathers is differently distributed.

178. Calandrella brachydactyla (Temm.).
Rupp. Syst. Uebers. No, 306.—Heugl. Journ. f, Orn. p. 232.

Not rare on the shores of Annesley Bay. I did not
meet with it in the highlands,

179. C. Anderssoni (Tristram). M.S, Ibis, 1869, p. 434.

Closely allied to A. cinerea, Latham (A. rujiceps,
Riipp.), but smaller, and without the black spot at the
side of the neck. Mr. Tristram informs me that he
considers it distinct, and has named it after the
South African Naturalist, who discovered it also in
Damara Land.

This bird is unquestionably a Calandrella, and per-
fectly congeneric with the last species, which it probably
replaces on the Abyssinian highlands, both in form and
habits.

I found this small Lark abundant on stony ground
near Senafé, keeping much in large communities, and
highly social, precisely like C. brachydactyla.

A male specimen measures: wing 3°25 in., tail 2:1,
tarsus 0°8, hind claw 0°35, bill from front 0°4 in.

390 ZOOLOGY.

180. Ammomanes deserti (Licht.).

Alauda deserti, Lichtenstein, Verz. d. Doubl. p. 28.
A, isabellina, Temm. Pl, Col. 144, f. 2.
Melanocorypha isabellina, Rupp. Syst. Uebers. No. 306.
Ammomanes deserti, Heug]. Journ. f. Orn. 1868, p. 226.
Not rare to the west and north-west of Massowa,
in rocky and stony ground, amongst thin bushes.
A specimen measures: wing 3°7 in., tail 2°5, tarsus
8°7, bill from nostril to point 0°42 in.

181. Pyrrhulauda melanauchen, Cab.

Coraphites melamauchen, Cabanis, Mus. Hein. i. p, 124.—Heugl,
Journ, f. Orn. 1868, p. 219.

Pyrrhulauda crucigera, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No, 313.—Brehm,
Habesch, No. 101.

Extremely abundant in all the sandy country near the
coast. These birds, like other species of the genus, are
true Larks and not Finches in all their habits: they always
live on the ground, very rarely indeed, if ever, perching
on bushes; they are social, several keeping about one spot,
but they do not exactly associate in flocks, and when
disturbed rise one after the other, not simultaneously,
and fly off without keeping close to each other. In the
middle of the day several may be seen together in the
shade of a tree or a bush. They run, too, and do not
hop, and their flight is lark-like. Altogether, con-
sidering their flight, habits, and plumage, there can be
no question that they are true Larks and not Finches,
and the presence of a small first primary confirms this
position.

The following are the measurements of a pair :—

AVES. 391

Wing. Tail. Bil from Tarsus.

in. in. in. in.

Male, Zulla, Annesley Bay. . 3°05 1:95 04 07
Female, Massowa. . . . . 31 1:95 041 0°75

The outer rectrices in both sexes are isabelline nearly
throughout ; the margins of the second pair and the tips
of the remainder are the same, the colour decreasing
towards the middle.

182. P. albifrons (Sund.).

Coraphites albifrons, Sund, Ofvers. k. Vet. Akad. Forb. 1850,
cP. aren Licht,” Bon. Consp. Gen. Av. i, 512.
C. nigriceps, Heugl. Journ. f. Orn. 1868, p. 218,

Some of the specimens obtained by me appear to
belong to this species, from which the last is but doubt-
fully distinct. I cannot find the original description by
Lichtenstein, but the species is by Cabanis (“ Journ. f.
Orn.” 1868, p. 219, note) said to be distinct from
C. wgriceps, Gould. This is probably the case, judging
from Gould’s description (‘‘ Voy. Beagle,” Birds, p. 87), in
which the C! mgriceps from the Cape Verde Islands is
said to have the centre of the back-feathers dark, and
a white line on each side of the breast, neither of
which characters are found in the East African form:
the dimensions of the latter are also slightly larger.
Sundevall’s name, dated May 1850, has priority over
Lichtenstein’s if the latter was not published before
given to the world in Bonaparte’s “ Conspectus,” as the
portion containing it bears date, August 1850. The
name does not occur in the “ Verz. d. Doubletten.”

392 ZOOLOGY.

As I did not discriminate between the two races amongst
the numerous specimens of this bird which I brought from
Abyssinia, I am inclined to suspect that they pass into
each other. In the only adult male specimen now before
me, which [ refer to P. frontalis, the ears are grey and
the cheek-patch not separated by a black line from the
grey of the back. In a younger specimen the ears are
white ; the white of the forehead is much less extended.
In both birds the rectrices have no pale margins. In a
female, which I refer also to this species, the outer rectrices
have the greater portion of inner web blackish brown ;
the outer web, with part of the inner, and the outer
edges of the second pair, are isabelline. The following
are the measurements :—

Wing. Fail, Bill. Tarsus.

in, in. in. in.

Male, Zula... ,., 30 195 037 0°65
Do. young, Amba, Samhar 3°0 19 0-4 0°62
Female, Zulla . . . . . 295 18 0°35 0°67

183. P. leucotis (Stanley).

Loxia leucotis, Stanley, Salt’s Journey, App. p. lx.
Pyrrhujauda leucotis, Riipp. Syst, Uebers. No. 314.
Coraphites leucotis, Heugl. Journ. f. Orn. 1868, p. 217.

Tris raw sienna; beak white ; legs flesh colour.

This Lark inhabits the same localities as the last, and
associates with it, so that I have killed specimens of both
with one shot. It is, however, far less abundant. Dimen-
slons :—

Wing. Tail. Bill. Tarsus,

in. in. in. in.
Malés a) ee A ee BO) 19 0°35 06
Female ....... 31 20 0°35 0°65

AVES. 393
Famity CORVIDZA.

184. Corvus affinis, Riipp.

Neu. Wirb. p. 20, t. x. f£ 2; Syst. Uebers, No. 239.—Tristram
Ibis, 1866, p. 72.—Heugl. Journ. f. Orn. 1868, p. 316.
Corax affinis, Brehm, Habesch, No. 79.

Iris dark brown ; bill and legs black.

This Crow lias been well described by Tristram (loc. cit.).
In the air it may immediately be recognised by its short tail
and long secondary quills, and its croak is much deeper
than that of most Crows. It abounds everywhere on the
highlands and in the subtropical zone, and it descends
almost to the sea-level at times. When I first visited
Komayli, at the base of the hills, in J. anuary, the only
Crow to be seen was C’ scapulatus, but in February, after
some rain had fallen, C. affinis abounded. In the former
instance I first met with this species at about 3,000 feet,
near Mayen. In May it had retreated once more to its
former range, and the white-breasted Crow alone was to
be seen in the tropical region. In ascending to the
Bogos country it first appeared on the Lebka at about
12,000 feet above the sea, at Ain,

i

185. C. scapulatus, Daud.

Daudin, Traité complet d’Orn, ii. p. 232.—Lefebyre, p, 105.—
Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No, 238.—Heugl. Journ. f. Orn, p. 313.

The distribution of this species is most remarkable.
It was common near the coast, and was always found in
smaller or larger numbers about Zulla, Komayli, &c., but
not further up the passes. In ascending the Lebka
valley, N.W. of Massowa, it only appeared as far as
about 3,000 feet above the sea, near Kelamet. Through-

394 ZOOLOGY.

out Tigré and in the Anseba country I never once saw it.
When, therefore, I came upon a Crow with a white collar
on the top of the Wadela and Dalanta plateaux, close to
Magdala, at an elevation exceeding 9,000 feet, I confi-
dently expected that it must prove a distinct species,
and it was only after most careful comparison that I
became satisfied of its perfect identity with the form so
common on the coast.

This Crow has a harsh deep croak, but less deep than
that of C. affinis.

The following are measurements taken from four
specimens :—

Mboxt «Wing, «= Tail. «Tarsus. 209°
in, in. in. Im. in.
Male, Habat . . . 21 145 8-0 25 2°3
» Zila... . 2 149% 80 25 24
» Wadla. .. 20 150 94 25 23
Female , ... 18 14°25 775 25 215

186. Corvultur crassirostris (Riipp.).

Raven, Bruce, vol. v. p. 153.

Corvus crassirostris, Riipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 18, t. viii.
C. albicollis, Lefebvre, p. 104.

Corvultur crassirostris, Riipp. Syst. Uebers, No. 142,— Heugl.
Journ, f. Orn, 1868, p. 317,

Iris very dark brown ; bill and legs black.

Common in places on the higher portions of the high-
lands, but locally distributed. I first saw it at Fokada,
two marches south of Senafé, again about Dolo and other
camps a little north of Antalo, and again abundantly in
the Wadela plateau. At Yasendyé, three marches from
Magdala, all three species of Crows occurred.

Corvultur crassirostris has a deep guttural croak, and
appears to be more exclusively carrion-feeding in its

AVES, 395

habits than other species. I always saw it associating
with Vultures near carcases. It flies heavily, expanding
its tail much. Other Crows (C. affinis) pursue and tease
it, just as they do Lammergeyers, Eagles, and other birds
of prey.

Fregilus graculus I met with once on the Wadela
plateau, near Gaso, at an elevation of 10,500 feet, but I
did not secure a specimen. There was a small flock, not
very wary; indeed I approached so near that I could
only account for my not killing a bird by my cartridges
being damp. They appeared to be searching for insects
on the ground.

Famiry STURNIDA,
187. Lamprocolius chalybzeus (Hemp. and Ehr.).

Lamprotornis chalybeus, Hemp. and Ehr., Sym. Phys. t. x.—Rtpp.
Syst. Uebers. No, 242.—Heugl. Journ, f. Orn. 1869, p. 5.

L. cyaniventris, Blyth, Journ. As. Soc. Bengal, 1855, p. 255.

L, chalybeus and L, abyssinicus, Hartlaub, Journ. f. Orn. 1859,
p. 21,

Iris golden yellow, sometimes orange or scarlet near
the pupil.

This bird varies greatly in size, so much so that it
is not at all surprising that two races should have
been distinguished. But despite the great differences
in the specimens obtained, amounting to 14 inches in the
length of the closed wing, I am unable to see any
constant distinction, there being numerous specimens of
intermediate size. The following series of measurements
will illustrate this :—

396 ZOOLOGY.

Wing. Tail, Bill at front. Tarsus.

in. in, in, in.
1, Haik-hallat, near Antalo . 5°9 4:2 0°75 1°25
2. Kokai, Lebka valley, Hahab 5°8 40 O7 13
3. Musga, near Antalo . . . 53 35 07 12
4. Lake Ashangi . . . . . 5°15 35 06 13
5, Anseba valley . . . . . 4°75 30 06 13
6. Aclat, Samhar. . . . . 46 32 0°6 115
7 5 (ayoungbird) . . 42 16 0°55 11

It is very difficult, if not impossible, to draw a line
here. The type specimens of L. cyaniventris,’ Blyth, in
the Indian Museum at Calcutta, which I have examined, .
belong to the larger race, to which indeed all, or almost all,
of the numerous specimens obtained on the table-land
may be referred, the skin from Lake Ashangi (No. 4 of
the above table) being the smallest preserved; whilst the
few specimens from the low country are much smaller.
Both varieties were found on the Anseba. The iris in
the large variety appeared to be more orange, but this is
very possibly a difference depending upon age.

Lamprocolius chalybeus was not seen in the passes or
at Senafé in January, February, or March. It was occa-
sionally met with, as at Fokada, Dongolo, and Lake
Ashangi, on the march to Magdala, but usually at this
season appeared confined to lower levels, In May, how-
ever, it was abundant about Senafé and throughout the
upper part of the passes, and it was also met with
commonly in July in the Anseba valley, and even at the
base of the hills near Ailat, but it was not observed in the

1 This name is prior by four years to that of L. abyssinicus; and if the
two races be kept distinct, as is done by Von Heuglin, must be adopted
for the larger one.

AVES. 397

coast region. I obtained birds in the young plumage
figured by Riippell in July.
This bird has very much the flight and habits of the

common Starling.

188. L. chrysogaster (Gm.).

Turdus chrysogaster, Gm. Syst. Nat. i. pt. ii. p. 835.

Lamprotornis rufiwentris, Riipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 27, t. xi. f. 1;
Syst. Uebers. No. 247.

Notauges chrysogaster, Cab. Mus. Hein. i. p. 198. — Hartlaub,
Journ. f. Orn. 1859, p. 26. — Heugl. Journ. f. Orn. 1869, p. 9.

Iris yellowish white ; legs and bill black.

This species was never observed on the highlands or to
the south of Massowa, but it was common about Ailat,
Ain, &c. at the base of the hills, and in the Lebka
and Anseba valleys, usually occurring in small companies
or flocks, and feeding on the ground on insects, not
unfrequently in company with L. chalybeus, which it
greatly resembles both in flight and habits. Measure-
ments :—

Wing. Tail. Bill, Tarsus.

in. in, in! in,

Male from Ailat. . . . . 45 2°85 0°75 1:25
Female, Anseba valley. . . 4°4 2°9 0°65 1:25

189. Lamprotornis purpuroptera, Riipp.

Syst. Uebers. No. 251, p. 64, t. xxv.—Hartlaub, Journ. f. Orn. 1859,
p. 11.—Heugl.- Journ. f. Orn. 1860, p. 2.
L. eneus, Brehm, Habesch, No. 82.

Iris yellow white ; legs and bill black.

Only seen in the Anseba valley, where it was abundant,
and often observed associating with Lamprocolius chaly-
beus and L. chrysogaster, especially about villages and
cattle enclosures. It was occasionally seen hawking

398 ZOOLOGY.

insects in the air, as was also L. chrysogaster. It appears,
however, to be also frugivorous at times. More than three
or four were seldom seen together. Dimensions of three
specimens :—

Wing. = Tail. Bil, Tarsus. eo dength
in. in, in. in. in.
1. Male . . . . . 6°75 86 0-75 16 14:0
De 5 Se hy case'd. Sec CORT 82 08 16 138
3. Female . . . . 6°65 83 0°75 16 14:0

LI. enea has black spots on the wing-coverts, and
the back greenish. This bird has unspotted wing-coverts
and a purple beak, and the measurements are different.
The specimens obtained greatly exceed Riippell’s types
of L. purpuroptera in size, the bill, wings, and tail
being all much larger than the specimens in the British
Museum. But the coloration is identical, while that
of L. enea is quite distinct.

1go. Amydrus Ruppelli, Verreaux.

J. Verr. Chen. Encycl. d’Hist. Nat. Ois, v. p. 166.—Hartlaub,
Journ. f. Orn. 1859, p. 31.—Heugl. Journ. f. Orn. 1869, p. 12,

Lamprotornis morio, Ripp. Neu. Wirb. p. 26; Syst. Uebers.
No. 252,

Tris red ; bill and legs black.

This race abounded around Senafé and elsewhere in
Tigré. I did not notice any Amydri in Lasta. Asa
rule these birds kept to the highlands, at about from
7,000 to 8,000 feet, but I shot one specimen in May as
low as Suru, barely 2,000 feet above the sea. The fol-
lowing measurements are taken from four specimens
of each sex :—

Wing Tail. Bill.
Male... . 65 6251065 11 to Ls
Female . . . 6°12 to 6°26 6°25 1° to 1:05

AVES. 399

All the three species of Amydrus collected by me
appeared to be mainly if not entirely frugivorous, living
chiefly on the fruits of various kinds of Ficus, of Juni-
perus procera, &c. They also occasionally feed on the
ground on seeds. They roost at night amongst rocks
in large communities.

191. A. Blythii, Hartl.

Hartlaub, Journ. f. Orn. 1859, p, 32.—Heugl. Journ. f. Orn.
1869, p. 14,
A, Riippelli, Blyth, Journ. As, Soc. Beng. 1836, p. 300.

This appears to be a fairly distinguishable race so far
as my specimens show. It has, I believe, never been
brought to Europe before, the only known examples
being in the Museum of the Asiatic Society of Bengal
at Calcutta, brought by Captain Speke from Somali
land. The female differs more conspicuously from
A. Riippelli than the male does; for in A. Blythii the
whole head and neck are ashy grey, the colour terminating
abruptly, and not passing into the black of the neck and
breast, whilst in A. Riippell: the feathers have black
centres, which increase in size below until all become
black, Both sexes of A. Blyth are larger, but with a
smaller bill, than A. Riippell. In the former species
also the dusky tips to the chestnut primary quills are
larger and more marked, on the first primary especially ;
nearly two inches of the inner web and from two and a
half to three inches of the outer web are entirely dusky ;
whilst in A. Riippelli all near the centre is rufous.

As this race appears never to have been described

400 ZOOLOGY.

from an actual specimen, for even Heuglin only saw
it, and failed to secure examples, I add the following :—

A. Blythit, Hartl—aA. similis A. Ritppelli sed major,
rostro breviori, colore fusco ad apices remmgum magis
eatenso capite colloque femine pure cinereis, haud
nigro strigatis.

Tota

a ale. Candee, Bostri afr. Tatsty circa

in.
Maris dimensiones. 7:0 ad 725 7°5 id 8:25 09 a 10 1 35 155
Femine 4, . . 637,675 667, 725 09,095 15 145

Amydrus Blyth abounded around Mayen at an
elevation of from 3,000 to 4,000 feet in the pass below
Senafé. In January and February they were frequently
met with in flocks, which were often seen flying around
the rocks, their red wings flashing conspicuously in the
sun. I once found a great roosting-place, where evidently
large numbers from all quarters collected at night.
It was in a ravine, where, owing to the presence of a
band of hard rock, the watercourse made a sudden
descent, and here even in the dryest season a very small
quantity of water trickled over the rocks. As in many
similar places where water trickled down the face of a
steep cliff, a large deposit of calcareous tufa had taken
place, and, probably owing to the subsequent wearing
action of the torrent, which in rainy weather rushes
down the ravine, had been so excavated as to form an
overhanging cliff, beneath which these birds took up
their abode at nightfall in great numbers, clinging to
the rock. The water also attracted numerous Cynoce-
phalus hamadryas Monkeys, aud a few Pigeons and
other birds; the principal inhabitants, however, being

AVES. 401

the Monkeys and Amydri, and the noise produced by

the two was deafening, especially whenever a shot was
fired.

192. A. albirostris (Riipp.).

Ptilonorhynchus albirostris, Riipp. Ney. Wirb. p, 22, pl. 10, f. 1, 2 ;
Syst. Uebers, No, 244,
Ptilorhinus albirostris, Cab. Mus. Hein. i. p. 201.—Hartl. Journ.
f, Orn. 1859, p. 30.—Heugl. Journ. f. Orn. 1869, p. 12.
_ Iris deep coppery red, a darker ring round the pupil ;
bill white ; legs black.

To separate this bird generically from the last, as is done
by many ornithologists, on account of its plumed nares,
is simply absurd, when in every other detail of plumage,
even to the minutize of colouring in both sexes, in flight,
and in habits the two are so closely allied. Precisely
like A. Riippelli, the present bird is social, lives on
fruits, and roosts in large communities amongst rocks.
It was only seen on the highlands, and was particularly
common in the neighbourhood of Senafé,

193. Buphaga erythrorhyncha (Stanley).

Tanagra erythrorhyncha, Stanley, Appendix to Salt’s Journey, App.
p. lix.

B. habessinica, Hemp. and Ehr., Symb. Phys. t. ix.

B. erythrorhyncha, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 254.

Iris scarlet, orbit yellow; bill within and without,
and tongue, bright scarlet, dusky in the young; feet
dusky.

The habits of this bird are well known. It usually
abounds wherever cattle are to be met with, and perches
on oxen, mules, or camels, running over their backs, and

DD

402 ZOOLOGY.

up and down their sides, searching for parasites, especially
Ixodes, on which it feeds, and frequently appearing to
defy the attempts of the animal to induce it to leave.
The number of ticks which assail both wild and domestic
animals in Abyssinia, especially in the rainy season, is
astonishing; not even the thick hard hide of the Rhino-
ceros is proof against them, though the species found
upon him appears to be peculiar. I did not, how-
ever, notice this bird on a Rhinoceros, or any other
wild animal.

Buphaga erythrorhyncha is found both on the high-
lands and near the coast. It is more abundant in the
former. The noise is much like that of a Starling
or Myna.

194. Textor alecto, Temm.

Temminck, Pl. Col. 446.—Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No, 257.—Heugl.
Journ. f. Orn. 1867, p. 366.

Legs dusky, horn-coloured ; bill black, the basal portion
in adults (males) ‘only covered with a fleshy cere, pale
yellow in colour.

I saw this bird only on the Anseba. It is quite
in its habits and flight, and belongs, I think,
ily rather to the Fringillide. I frequently

saw it associating with Lamprotornis wneus, Lampro-
colius chalybeus, and L. chrysogaster, hunting for insects
on the ground, especially about cattle-pens. The massive
nests are not unlike those of Stwrnopastor contra. All
which I saw were in high acacia-trees, but the breeding
season was over long before July.

AVES. 403

Famity FRINGILLIDZ.

195. Hyphantornis larvata, Riipp.

Riipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 91, t. xxxii. f. 1; Syst. Uebers. No. 260,—
Heugl. Journ. f. Orn. 1867, p. 378.
P. flavoviridis, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. p. 69, t. xxix.

Iris scarlet ; beak black ; legs greyish black.

Only met with about Dolo and Agula in Tigré,
about half-way on the road between Adigrat and
Antalo; at these places it abounded. Scarcely any
birds had attained their full breeding plumage in the
middle of May.

The eggs are stated by Von Heuglin to be pale bluish
green, with a few violet-brownish spots at the blunter
end.

Ploceus flavoviridis, Riipp., is the same bird in winter
plumage, when the bill is horn-coloured.

196. Hyphantornis melanotis (Guér.).

Ploceus melanotis, Guér. Rev. Zool. 1848, p. 321 (nec Lafresnaye).—
Lefebvre, p. 110, Atlas, pl. ix.

P. Guérini, G. R. Gray, Gen. of Birds, ii. p. 351.—Ferr. et Gal.
No. 110.—Heugl. Journ. f. Orn. 1867, p. 388,

Iris yellowish grey ; beak black in the male, horn-
coloured in both sexes in non-breeding plumage, and in
the female always; legs flesh colour.

Common throughout the highlands, and seen at
nearly 10,000 feet, though in general more common
at a rather lower elevation. Specimens shot at Senafé
at the end of May had assumed the full breeding
plumage.

DD 2

404 ZOOLOGY.

197. H. galbula (Riipp.).

Ploceus galbulus, Riipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 92, t. xxxii. f. 2; Syst.
Uebers. No. 261.—Ferr. et Gal. No. 109.—Lefebvre, p.
109.—Brehm, Habesch, No. 87.—Hengl. Journ. f. Orn. 1867,
p. 385.

Iris orange brown ; bill black—in the male in breeding
plumage only it is horn-coloured, the upper mandible
being darker in the female, and in the male in non-
breeding plumage ; legs flesh-coloured.

Abundant on the shores of Annesley Bay, in the passes
up to about 4,000 feet, and in the Anseba valley. In
the latter locality it breeds in August; at the com-
mencement of the month the nests were all built,
but no eggs were laid. The nest is of grass, as usual
shaped like a pear, with an opening at the side without

any long tubular entrance, and is often hung on acacia
trees,

198. H. luteola (Licht.).

Fringilla luteola, Licht. Verz. d. Doubl. p. 23, nota,
Ploceus personatus, Vieill. Gal. pl. lxxxiv. p. 117.
Hyphantornis chrysomelas, Heugl. Journ. f. Orn. 1862, p. 25.
Hyphantornis personata, Heugl. Journ. f. Orn. 1867, p. 390.
H. luteola, Finsch, Journ. f. Orn. 1868, p. 170.

__ Iris burnt sienna ; bill black (in male only); legs horn
colour.

Rare in the Anseba, and not seen elsewhere. It was
breeding in the commencement of August. Mr. Jesse
obtained the nest, which is, as usual, bottle-shaped, but
with a long tubular entrance. It contained two white
eggs.

AVES. 405

199. Euplectes xanthomelas, Riipp.

Riipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 94; Syst. Uebers. No. 266, p. 67, t. xxviii—
Heugl. Journ. f. Orn. xv. 1867, p. 375.

This handsome species ranged to a greater height above
the sea than any other Weaver-bird met with. It was
common at 10,500 feet on the Wandaj pass and at
Santara in Dalanta. I also found it at Ashangi at
8,000 feet, but never noticed it in any other locality. It

had not quite assumed the full plumage at the beginning
of May.

200. Quelea zthiopica (Sund.).

Ploceus ethiopicus, Sundevall, Ofv, k. Vet. Akad. Forh, 1850,
p. 126. 4

Euplectes quelea ou sanguinirostris, Ferr. et Gal. No. 112.

Q. sanguinirostris orientalis, Heugl Journ. f. Orn. xv. 1867,
p. 391.

Bill in male deep blood-red, paler towards the tip;
orbit orange red; legs brown. In the female both bill
and legs are much paler.

Only met with in Northern Abyssinia; it was first seen
at Ailat, and occurred abundantly in the Anseba valley.
It was several times seen feeding on insects, and even
pursuing winged ants and catching them in the air. It
was always in flocks, and did not appear to be breeding
in the rains.

201. Coliuspasser laticauda (Licht.).

Fringilla laticauda, Licht. Verz. der Doubl. p. 24.

Coliuspasser torquatus, Riipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 36.

Vidua laticauda, Heugl. Syst. Uebers. No. 273.—Journ. f. Orn.
1867, p. 395.

Only met with on two occasions on the highlands,
once near Antalo, the other time near Agula, both in

406 ZOOLOGY.

May. It was in flocks in both instances, and very wary.
Tt feeds on the ground.
A pair shot in the beginning of May measure :—

x F Bill from Whole length
Wing. Tail. Tarsus. forehead. about

in. in. in. in. in.
Malle: ofa) Goh ogo at 33 56 10 06 9°0
Female ...... 32 4:3 10 0°55 76

All the specimens killed by me were in winter plumage,
although they had assumed the long tail. The whole
upper surface in both sexes is black, with pale brown
margins to the feathers of the head, neck, and intersca-
pularies—much less marked, however, on the last—and
whitish on the rump. Wings and tail black, secondaries
and outer rectrices with brown margins. Lower surface
pale isabelline with black striz, yellowish on chin and
throat in some specimens. There is a distinct pale
supercilium.

On closely examining the feathers, it is evident that a
change of colour is taking place, on the head especially ;
here and there portions of the web are becoming reddish ;
and it is evident that in this bird the change from black
and brown to red takes place without a moult.

I cannot help feeling surprised that so few naturalists
admit Coliuspasser as a distinct genus from Vidua.
Both have, it is true, lengthened tails; but there their
resemblance ends. In Vidua only the central tail-feathers
are elongated, and they are greatly changed in form ;
in Coliuspasser all are lengthened, and no modification
takes place in form. Vidua has the bill of the Estrildina,
Coliuspasser that of the Ploceine.

AVES. 407

202. C. flavi-scapulatus, Riipp.

Riipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 98.
Vidua macrocerca, Heugl. Journ. f. Orn. 1867, p. 394.

I am indebted for the only specimen in my collection
to Mr. Jesse, who shot it at Guna Guna. It is in winter
dress. The upper part of the wing above being brilliant
yellow, and the rectrices not produced in this dress, it
has all the appearance of an Huplectes.

In this dress it may be distinguished from the southern
C. macrocerca, Licht., by the tips of the quill feathers
being dark. In C. macrocerca they are pale. This was
pointed out to me by Dr. Finsch. In full plumage the
two birds are very distinct, the interscapularies being
yellow.

203. Vidua sphenura, Verr.

Bp. Consp. Gen. Av. i. p. 449.

V. paradisea, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 270.—Brehm, Habesch,
No. 217.

V. sphenura, Heugl. Journ. f. Orn. 1867, p. 393.

Not rare at Komayli, at the base of the hills west of
Zulla, in February and March, but not seen anywhere
else; and it had apparently disappeared from the dis-
trict in May. The male in full plumage is equal to
V. paradisea, L., in size. The following are the dimen-
sions of a fine male skin for which I am indebted to
Captain Sturt. The length exceeds that given by Von
Heuglin :—

Totallength . 2 1. 1 ee te ee . 15°75
Tan ts: a vey) Stee! GOP inn Wr fe cei ke GS ~ ow ADE
Outer tail-feathers . . . . .- 1. ee wee 23
Wing oe & wm 4 Ea Ae ‘ ‘ 32
Beak eve es ww OR) OS oe eR lS 64

408 ZOOLOGY.
204. V. serena, L.

V. erythrorhynchus, Swains. Birds of W. Afr. i. pl. 12.— Riipp. Syst.
Uebers. No. 271.

1 V. principalis, Heugl. Journ. f. Orn. 1867, p. 392.
Iris brown ; bill scarlet ; legs dusky.
Only met with on the Anseba and in the Upper Lebka

valley, where. a few birds occurred solitary or in pairs
in July and August.

A male measures: total length 11°5 in., wing 2°75, tail 9,
outer tail-feathers 1°9 in.

205. Amadina (Uroloncha) cantans (Gm.).

Loxia cantans, Gm. Syst. Nat. i. pt. ii. p. 859.
Estrilda cantans, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 279.
Uroloncha cantans, Heugl. Journ. f. Orn. 1868, p. 2.
In flocks about Ailat and Ain, and on the Anseba. Not
very abundant.

206. A. (Ortygospiza) polyzona (Temm.).

Fringilla polyzona, Temm. Pl. Col. 221, 3.—Lefebvre, p. 172.
Amadina polyzona, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 224. ,
Ortygospiza polyzona, Heugl. Journ, f. Orn. 1868, p. 4.

I am indebted for specimens of this bird to Captain
Sturt, who shot them at Senafé. It appears to be rare
in Abyssinia. Lefebvre found it once at Adowa, Von
Heuglin on the Lake Tzana.

207. Estrilda rhodopyga, Sund.

Sund. Ofv.k. Vet. Akad. Forh. 1850, p. 126.
E, leucotis, Heugl. Journ. f. Orn. 1862, p. 69.
E. frenata, Licht. apud Heugl. Journ. f. Orn, 1868, p. 8.

In flocks at Zulla. Obtained also by Mr. Jesse on the

AVES, 409

Anseba. The dimensions of my specimens slightly ex-
ceed those given by Von Heuglin :—

Wing. Tail. § Tarsus. —Bll.

in, in. in. in.
Female. . . .... =%&19 1°85 05 0:36
a EtG aoe eS dD 175 05 0°34

208. E. minima, Vieill.

Vieillot, Ois. Chant. t. x—Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 276.—Heugl.
Journ. f. Orn. 1868, p. 14.

Iris brown, orbit yellow ; bill crimson, except a dusky
line along the commissure, pink near the base; legs
brown.

Not unfrequently met with on the highlands, and
also in the Anseba valley.

209. E. quartinia, Bp.
Bp. Consp. Gen. Av. i. p. 461.
E. Ernesti II. Heugl. Journ. f. Orn. 1862, p. 29, et 1868, p. 10.
Iris crimson ; legs dusky ; upper mandible black, lower
crimson.
Two specimens, both females, were obtained at Senafé.
One of them measures: wing 1°8 in, tail 1°6, tarsus
0°6, bill from forehead 0°3 in.

210. E. phoenicotis, Swains.

Swainson, Birds of W. Afr. p. 192, pl. xiv.—Heugl. Journ. f. Orn.
1868, p. 18. .

E. bengalus, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 275.
Common on the highlands, less so at a lower elevation,
but seen not infrequently in the Anseba valley, and even

as low as Ailat (1,200 feet above the sea) in Samhar.

410 ZOOLOGY.

211. Pytelia citerior, Strickl.

Strickland, Contributions to Ornith, 1852, p. 150,
Estrilda elegans, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 278.
Zonagastris citertor, Heugl. Journ. f. Orn. 1868, p. 19.
Iris sienna brown ; beak light red ; legs flesh colour.
Occasionally met with near the coast, and also in the
Anseba valley up to 4,000 or 4,500 feet above the sea.
The bill in my specimen measures nearly half an
inch. Von Heuglin gives 44 Paris lines.

212. Emberiza. septemstriata, Riipp.

Lefeb. p. 120.—Brehm, Habesch, No. 96.—Riipp. Neu. Wir. p. 86,
t. xxx. f. 2; Syst. Uebers. No, 299,.—Heugl. Journ. f. Orn.
1868, p. 77.

Tris dark brown; upper mandible dusky, lower yel-
lowish ; feet horn colour.

Abundant at places where water occurred near the
coast, as at Saati, Ailat, &c. in Samhar, in July and August.
Found also at Ain, and more rarely at higher levels. I
shot one specimen at Senafé at the end of May.

Von Heuglin is probably correct in considering this
Bunting as a permanent inhabitant. It very likely
leaves the coast plain, however, in winter, like many
other birds.

In Riippell’s description of this species the sexes are
said to be similar, and the head is described as black
above with a white streak in the centre. In the speci-
mens collected by me the male alone has the head black
above, and the central stripe above is grey, not white,
the three side stripes, through the eye and above and
below it, being white; the chin is white with a central

AVES. 411

black mark ; throat cinereous, becoming blackish below.
In the female the head-feathers are dusky brown with
pale margins, the central stripe above being obsolete or
rudimentary, and the lateral stripes isabelline ; chin and
throat pale brown with fine black marks. This is E.
capistrata, Cab., to judge from the specimen in the
Berlin Museum.

213. E. flaviventris, Vieill.

Vieillot, Encyc. Meth. 929.
EL, flavigaster, Riipp. Atlas, t. xxv; Syst. Uebers. No. 298.—
Heugl. Journ. f. Orn. 1868, p. 75.

Bill brown ; upper mandible dusky ;- legs brown.

Not a common bird in the Anseba valley, and met
with also in Habab at about 3,000 feet above the sea.
Captain Sturt shot specimens in a valley below Senafé.

Dimensions :—
Wing. Tail. Tarsus. Bill.

in. in. in. in.
Male: sa gow a es ee ee BIB 2°8 07 0°45
Female: i) vas eh Gi AB 2°6 07 0-4

214. Passer Swainsoni, Riipp.

Emberiza capensis, Salt, No. 46, App. p. xlviii.

Pyrgita Swainsonit, Riipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 94, t. xxxiii. f 2.
P. simplex, Swains. Birds W. Afr. p. 208.

P. Swainsonit, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 295.

Tris brown.

The common Sparrow of the Abyssinian highlands,
abundant about all villages: it is also common in
woods, away from human habitation, It is rare at
lower elevations, though I met with it once at Ailat.

In Riippell’s figure the white bars on the wing-
coverts are omitted, and the ferruginous rump is neither

412 ZOOLOGY.

shown in the drawing nor mentioned in the description.
The dimensions also appear too small.

215. P. (Gymnoris) canicapillus (1), Blyth.

Blyth, Ibis, 1865, p. 46.

P. supra brunneus, capite cinereo, superciliis latis cinnamoneis postice
in lateribus cervicis diffusis : rectricibus remigibusque fuligenosis,
pallido-marginatis ; genis, lateribus colli et pectore sordide
canis, mento, gula abdomineque medio albescentibus macula
gulari flavo haud conspicuo : iridibus olivaceis, pedibus rubello-
corneis, mandibuld fuscd maxilla palide corned.

Long. tota. Al. Caud. Tarsi. Rostr. a fr.
in. in. in. im. in.
1, Femina . . .. 50 31 2°0 0°65 0°45
2. a soe ee 45 315 19 0°65 05
3. Mas? re wf) 3°0 18 0°65 0-4

I found this bird solitary or in small flocks both in
the woods and around villages in the Lebka valley and
its neighbourhood, at 3,000 to 4,000 feet above the sea.
It was especially abundant at the village of Rairo in
Habab.

It is distinguished from Xanthodina dentata, Sunde-
vall (“ Ofvers. k. Vetensk. Acad.” Stock. 1850, p. 127),
and Petronia albiqularis, Brehm (“Naumannia,” 1856,
p- 377), which Dr. Finsch considers to be the young of
X. dentata, by having the eyebrow cinnamon instead of
pale rufous, by the head being more grey, and by the
back being browner and more uniform in coloration.
Mr. Blyth considers that it is his canicapillus, and it
only differs from the description in being a little smaller
than Passer (Gymmnoris) flavicollis, Frankl., while Blyth’s
type was of the same size. The specimen in the Liver-
pool Museum described by Blyth was probably from
South Africa.

AVES. 413

216. P. (Gymnoris) pyrgita (Heugl.).

Xanthodina pyrgita, Heugl. Journ. f. Orn. 1862, p. 30; ibid.
1868, p. 80.

Only killed once. A female was shot in the Komayli
pass near Suru. It is a much larger bird than the last,
with far more uniform colouring. Dimensions: wing
3°3 in., tail 2°5, tarsus 0°75, bill from forehead 0°45,
whole length about 6 in.

217. Fringilla (Polyospiza) tristriata (Riipp.).

Serinus tristriatus, Riipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 97, t. xxxv. f. 2.—
Lefebvre, p. 118.—Rutipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 289.
F. tristriate, Heugl. Journ. f. Orn. 1868, p. 91.

Iris brown, pupil small.

Very common throughout the highlands, generally
amongst bushes, in small flocks or singly. It keeps
much to the ground. I never saw it at lower elevations.

218. F. (Poliospiza) xanthopygia (Riipp.).

Serinus xanthopygvus, Ripp. Neu. Wirb. p. 96, t. xxxv. f. 1;
Syst. Uebers. No. 288.—Heugl. Journ. f. Orn. 1868, p. 90.

I only twice obtained specimens of this species, both
on the highlands, one near Senafé, the other south of
Antalo. Mr. Jesse shot it in the Anseba valley.

21g. Crithagra striolata (Riipp.).

Pyrrhula_ striolata, Riipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 99, t. xxxxii. f. 1;
Syst. Uebers. No. 317.
Serinus striolatus, Heugl. Journ. f. Orn. 1868, p. 94.

Iris brown.

This is not a very common bird, and it was only
observed on the higher levels, usually solitary, but occa-
sionally in flocks. I met with it above 9,000 feet.

414 ZOOLOGY.

220, Crithagra flavivertex, W. Blanford (Plate VII.).

C. supra olivacea, obsolete fusco-maculata fronte latd awred, colore
ad swmmo pileo paulatim olivascenti, superciliis flavis, postice
productis, loris fuscis, colli lateribus olivaceis, immaculatis,
uropygio flavo, remigibus cum tectricibus alarum rectricibusque
fuscis, flavo-marginatis, remigium marginibus internis pallidis
gastreo sordide flavo, olivascenti-lavato, crisso albescenti ; rostro
bruneo, pedibus fuscis,

Femina vix dilutius colorata.

Long. ale maris 3:15, tarsi 0°6, rostr. a fronte 0'35 ; femine, al,
3°05, caude 2:25: long. tota circa 5°25 poll. Angl. et dec.

This bird is closely allied to Crithagra butyracea,
L., and C. canicollis, Swains. It may be distinguished
from the first by its yellow forehead being broader and by
the colour passing gradually to olivaceous on the crown,
whereas in C. butyracea the yellow is a narrow band
sharply defined. There are several minor differences also.
From C. canicollis it is distinguished by the back and
sides of the neck being olive instead of bluish grey, and
by both the forehead and underparts being brighter in
colour. Itis a much greener bird than Serinus aurifrons,
Tristram, larger in size and with a less conical bill. C.
chloropsis, Cab., from Mozambique is distinguished by
having a much larger bill than the present species, larger
wings, and less yellow coloration.

221. Serinus citrinelloides, Riipp.

Riipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 95, t. xxxiv. f. 1; Syst. Uebers. No. 286.
Fringilla citrinelloides, Heugl. Journ, f, Orn, 1868, p. 92.

Iris brown.

This bird agrees very poorly with Riippell’s description,
but better with his figure, and still better with Von
Heuglin’s description. I shot a pair at Senafé on a large fig-

Toology

rae

Drawn and lith by
Jf Keulemans

CRITHAGRA FLAVIVERTEX, W. Blanf.

PL. Vil

Printed and Coloured

PWM ‘hap, Leyden

he

AVES, 415

tree. The dimensions are: wing 2°65 in., tail 1:9, tarsus
0°54, bill from forehead 0°37, whole length about 4:25 in,

222..S. nigriceps, Riipp.

‘Riipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 96, t. xxxiv. £ 2; Syst. Uebers. No, 287.—
Lefebvre, p. 118.
Fringilla nigriceps, Heugl. Journ. f. Orn, 1868, p. 93.

Only seen at considerable elevations, but very common
on the passes above 9,000 feet. It appears to belong
to the Subalpine fauna, though a specimen was shot
by my collector at Adigrat. It was always met with
in flocks, keeping to open ground, and often seen on
ploughed fields.

ORDER GEMITORES.
Famity COLUMBID~.

223. Columba guinea, L.

Linnzus, Syst. Nat. ed. 12%, p, 282.—Salt, No. 47, App. p. xlviii.
—Rupp. Syst. Uebers. No. 363,

Iris bronze yellow within near the pupil, copper
colour externally.

This bird lives about rocks, also on Kolqual trees, around
churches, and probably occasionally about houses. It is
often seen in flocks in the fields. In the passes below
Senafé it was not observed below 4,000 feet, but in the
Lebka it occurred at only 2,000 feet above the sea.

I should scarcely call it a domestic Pigeon, as some
writers do. It certainly is not nearly so constantly seen
about villages as C. intermedia is in India, though it
is often met with in the neighbourhood of houses.

416 ZOOLOGY.

224. C. albitorques, Riipp. ,

Riippell, Neu. Wirb. p. 63, t. xxii. f. 1—Syst. Uebers. No. 364.

Iris dull red, approaching violet; beak black, cere
white ; legs pink.

This bird is somewhat intermediate in its characters
between Columba and Turtur, but in its habits it is
rather a Pigeon than a Dove, keeping in flocks, and
usually on the ground. It is also excellent eating,
not bitter and tough like most Doves. It was only
seen on the highlands, in the temperate region.

225. Turtur semitorquatus (Riipp.).

Columba semitorquata, Riipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 66, pl. 23, fig. 2.
Turtur erythrophrys, Swains. Birds W. Aft. ii. p. 207, pl 22.
Turtur semitorquatus, Rupp. Syst. Uebers. No. 369.

Iris orange, orbit purplish ; red legs; as also the bill
black.

I first met with this large Dove about Lake
Ashangi, and in the valleys further south about Lat
and Dildi. It was not seen on the highlands of Tigré,
but it occurred abundantly at Ain, on the Lebka, in
Habab at a very low elevation, and in the Anseba
valley. It always keeps to thick bushes and trees.

226. T. lugens (Riipp.),

Columba lugens, Riipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 64, t. xxii. f. 2.
Turtur lugens, Riipp, Syst. Uebers. No. 368.

Iris orange yellow, with a tinge of orange ; feet pink ;
bill reddish dusky.

The common Dove of the Abyssinian highlands. I did
not notice it below 6,000 feet,

AVES. 417

227. T. albiventris, G. R. Gray.

Gray, Genera of Birds, vol. li. p, 472.
T. semitorquatus, Swains. Birds W. Afr. ii, p. 108,
T. risorius, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 366.

Iris crimson ; beak dull slaty ; legs purplish red.

The common Dove of the coast country, far more
abundant, however, after the rains in February than
before.

228. T. senegalensis, L.
Rupp. Syst. Uebers. No. 367.

Iris dark brown.

This Dove ranges in altitude to a greater extent
than the preceding species. It is most abundant in
the subtropical belt, from 3,000 to 6,000 feet, but
occurs both above and below these limits.

229. Peristera afra (L.).

Syst. Nat. ed. 124, i. p. 284.:
P. chaleopsilos, Wagler, Systema Avium, No. 83,—Riipp. Syst.
Uebers. p. 98, t. xxxviii.

Iris brown ; bill deep purple ; legs purplish red.

A ground Dove, which keeps itself almost always
amongst bushes and thick underwood. It was seen com-
monly in the thick jungles along the banks of ravines
and watercourses in Samhar and Habab, especially about
Ailat and Ain. Near Annesley Bay it was not met
with, nor in the passes below Senafé, except about
Mayen and Undul. On the highlands it was only
observed in the western valleys, about Marawa and
Dildi, south of Lake Ashangi. It is a shy, silent bird.

EE

418 ZOOLOGY.

230. Aina capensis (L.).

Columba capensis, Linn. Syst. Nat. ed. 12,, 1. p. 288.
Aina capensis, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 371.

Iris brown; basal half of bill purplish red, tip yellow ;
legs pink. In young birds the plumage is mottled,
the bill dusky, all of one colour, and the legs purplish
brown. They were in this plumage, and evidently full-
grown, in August.

I first met with this little Dove close to Dongolo,
at about 6,500 feet above the sea, halfway between
Adigrat and Antalo. It is, however, rare on the high-
lands. In December, January, and February, there were
none whatever near Annesley Bay, but after the rain
in the latter month numbers appeared, and in May and
June it was one of the commonest birds about Zulla
and Komayli. It also abounded in Samhar and the
tropical portion of Habab, becoming, however, very rare
or wanting in the subtropical or Anseba. valley.

Famity TRERONIDZ.

231. Treron abyssinica (Lath.).

Waalia, Bruce, Travels, vol. v. p. 186.

Columba abyssinica, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp. p. lx.—Salt, No. 48,
App. p. xlviii.

Vinago abyssinica, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 360.

Iris yellow or salmon colour, with a circle of pure
blue round the pupil; bill dirty white; cere purplish
pink : legs deep yellow.

This bird is very closely allied in its form and habits
to the Indian Green Pigeon

ATES. 419

and its allies, and its call is a very similar liquid whistle,
slightly differing in tone, and with the concluding por-
tion a little harsher and more prolonged, but it was
recognised immediately by all who were familiar with
the peculiar note of the Indian bird. It feeds on fruit,
especially those of different kinds of Ficus.

The Abyssinian Green Pigeon is chiefly found in the
subtropical belt. I very rarely saw it on the highlands.
In the passes below Senafé, it first appeared above Mayen
or Undul Wells, at about 4,000 feet above the sea,
and it was not seen above 6,000 feet. In the Lebka
valley it made its appearance, as did many other birds,
at a somewhat lower level, about 2,000 feet, and was
common at 4,000 to 5,000 feet in the Upper Lebka
valley, and on the Anseba. Like all its allies, it is
delicious eating.

OrvER RASORES.
Famity PTEROCLIDZ.

232. Pterocles exustus, Temm.
Temm. Pl, Col. 354.—Riipp. Svst. Uebers. No. 384.
Occasionally seen near the coast, but not very common.
Specimens killed were quite undistinguishable from Indian

skins.

233. Pt. Lichtensteini, Temm.
Tenm. Pl. Col, 355, 361.—Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 357.
Iris brown ; orbit lemon yellow; bill orange brown ;
feet orange yellow.
EE2

420 ZOOLOGY.

This bird has precisely the same habits as the
closely allied Pt. fasciatus of India. It is rarely
if ever seen on open sandy plains; like Pt. exustus,
it keeps to bush and thin tree jungle, and is usually
found solitary, in pairs, or at the most two or three
pairs together. I once came upon a considerable flock,
in January, and possibly at that time these birds
may collect in large numbers; but in May, June, July,
and August, it was rare to see more than four together,
except about watering-places. When disturbed the Sand-
Grouse rises with a sharp cackling cry, affording a very
difficult shot. It does not rise high, and usually settles
again after a short flight.

All kinds of Pterocles, as is well known, fly to
water at particular hours in the day, the hours varying
with different species. Pt. exustus drinks about 9 A.M.
and 4 p.m. In the present case the drinking-hour
is at daybreak in the morning and at dusk in the
evening, as is also the case with the Indian Pt. fasci-
atus, the crepuscular habits of which are mentioned
by Jerdon (“Birds of India,” vol. ii. p. 498), and have
been noticed by myself also. In the semi-desert country
west and north-west of Massowa, in which Pt. Lich-
tensteint abounds, and there are but very few places
where water is found, the scene at each spring of an
evening, after a hot day especially, is very interesting.
At Saati, Ailat, and Ain there was a constant rush of these
birds from sunset till dark, and again in the morning
before sunrise. Singly and in small flocks, uttering their
peculiar “ queep-queep ”-like note, they flew up and down

AVES. 421

the watercourse, on their way to or from the water,
keeping only a few feet above the bushes and low trees ;
the noise of their wings being heard in the dusk before
the birds themselves appeared. Like all other Sand
Grouse, they are excellent eating, the flesh being rather
hard, but of delicious flavour: and our party used
generally to shoot a few each evening, not an easy
matter, for the great swiftness and power of wing
possessed by these birds rendered them, in the dusk
especially, by no means an easy shot.

Pt. Lichtensteini appears entirely confined to the
tropical coast region. At some water in the Lebka
valley at Mohabar, only 2,000 feet above the sea, scarcely
any came to drink in the evening, and at higher
elevations none were met with.

234. Pt. gutturalis, A. Smith.

Smith, Zool. South Afr. Aves, pl. 3 and 31.—Riipp. Syst. Uebers.
No, 388. :

Iris deep brown.—This fine species was only seen in
two or three places on the highlands, and is probably
local, as it is only mentioned in Riippell’s lists from
Shoa, though Von Heuglin procured it near Adowa. I
shot a pair near Agula, drinking at about 5 o'clock in
the afternoon, and I also saw a few close to Antalo,

Faminy NUMIDIDA
235. Numida ptilorhyncha, Licht.
N. ptilorhyncha, Licht, teste Riipp. Syst. Uebers, p. 102, t. xxxix.
Iris brown ; wattles bright verdigris blue ; casque and
the bristles above the bill pale horny ; legs reddish, dusky.

422 ZOOLOGY.

The Abyssinian Guinea-fowl is found throughout
the country, from the sea-coast itself to an altitude of
at least 9,000 feet. These birds keep much to craggy
places, especially to rocky valleys, and often remain during
the middle of the day on the sides of the steep or preci-
pitous hills. They feed either in open fields or in woods
amongst bushes, &c., in the morning and evening, and
roost at night on high trees, a grove of lofty junipers
being frequently selected for that purpose in the highlands.

Throughout the winter and spring, the Guinea-fowls
remain in large flocks, usually of 200 or 300 birds each.
These subdivide into smaller flocks to seek food during
the day, but keep to one general tract of country, and
unite again at night. Where not pursued they are not
particularly wary, and but little difficulty is found in
getting within gunshot; but along the line of march of
the British army the Guinea-fowl soon became much more
watchful, and in places around Annesley Bay where at
first many were killed, it became almost impossible after
a time to get near the birds, even in cover.

In July and August the flocks divide into pairs, two
or three of which are often found together, and the
breeding season commences. At this time the birds never
appear to collect into large flocks; I did not, however,
happen to see any of the roosting-places. I shot a
female with a fully-formed egg on the 9th of August. The
young are probably hatched about the end of August
" or beginning of September, as they are full-grown by the
end of the year.

The voice is very similar to that of the common tame

AVES. 423

Guinea-fowl. The food appears to consist to a larger extent
of seeds and fruits than amongst the Partridges, insects
being apparently but little sought after. In one instance
three birds shot one morning near Halai had been feeding
chiefly upon the small tubers or corms of the Quentee
(Cyperus esculentus). Their crops also contained seeds
and a few fragments of leaves, but amongst the three
only one insect, a Hemipter. Their being so exclusively
gramnivorous is probably the cause of the excellence of
their flesh, which is far superior to that of most game
birds) As may be imagined, they were much sought
after by the sportsmen of the army, and during the stay
of our small party in the Anseba valley we lived to no
small extent upon these birds, as their flesh was as far
superior to that of all other game except the Koodoo, as
it was to that of the tough goats which we could obtain
not without difficulty from the villagers.

Famitry PERDICID.

236. Francolinus Erkelii (Riipp.).

Perdiz Erkelii, Riipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 12, t. vi.
Frankolinus Erkelii, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 378.

Iris hair brown; beak black; legs yellow with much
dusky on the toes ; claws dusky.

This is perhaps the commonest Partridge of the
Abyssinian highlands. It keeps much to rocky hill-
sides, and has a considerable range in altitude, from
about 3,000 feet above the sea to 10,000 feet. It
abounded in the upper portion of the Senafé pass, and
from the male being provided with two strong spurs,

424 ZOOLOGY.

it was very generally known in the army as Spur-fowl,
the name by which Galloperdix spadiceus, the male
of which is also double-spurred, is generally known in
India. The two forms are not by any means closely allied,
but the name is far less objectionable than that of Pheasant
applied by the Cape colonists to a species closely allied
to F. Erkelii. In the Anseba at 4,500 feet F. Erkelir
was only occasionally seen, but it inhabited the hills
above the valley.

This Francolin is highly insectivorous, and the flesh,
although generally excellent, has occasionally a rather
strong taste, due doubtless to its food. Some which I
killed about Undul in January had the crops filled with
locusts. The grain dropped from the bags in the pass
was a great attraction, and many might be seen late in
the evening or early in the morning picking it from the
road through the pass. Just below Senafé, I have seen
fifteen or twenty of these birds in awalk of a mile. On
being disturbed they usually ran up the hill, very
rarely down, and never took flight, unless fired at or
suddenly surprised. About dusk in the evening they
roosted in trees, and the whole hill-side resounded with
their cries “ kri-kri-kri-kri-kri-k4-wi-w4-wi-wi,” a harsh
sound, the first syllables lengthened, the others quickly
uttered.

I never saw Francolinus Erkelit in coveys; it was
usually in pairs, or single. ‘The difference in size between
the sexes is very great, far more than is common amongst
Partridges. The following are measurements in inches of
a pair, taken in the flesh :—

AVES, 425

Length. Wing. Tail. Tarsus. Beak in front.
in. in, in. in. in.
Male: 4° 3240 a ae Gi 1D) 8 5 22 ii
Female... . . 16 9 43 2h 14

237. Fr. Riippelli, G. R. Gray.

Gen. Birds, iii. p. 505.
Perdix Clappertoni, Riipp. (nec Childr,) Atlas, t. ix.
Francolinus Riippelli, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 379.

Iris brown ; naked skin around the eye and legs deep
red; the male with a double spur ; bill black.

This bird, though found in the temperate region, and
common in places about Antalo, rather belongs on the
whole to a lower zone than F. Erkelui and F. gutturalis.
I never met with it in the Senafé pass, nor in the province
of Agamé about Senafé or Adigrat, nor in the higher
valleys further south, whilst it was most abundant in the
Upper Lebka and Anseba valleys at from 4,000 to 5,000
feet. The ery is harsh and monotonous,

238. Fr. gutturalis, Riipp.
Rippell, Syst, Uebers. p. 103, t. xl.

Iris brown; legs yellowish brown,

In December, January, and February these birds were
met with in small coveys; subsequently they were seen
in pairs, generally amongst bushes in valleys, and not
keeping to rocky hill-sides like the last species. They
were not seen in the pass, but were common around
Senafé, and moderately so throughout the highlands. In
the Anseba valley they were less abundant than the next
species, but were more common in the valley itself than

F. Erkelii. At this time in July and August the flesh

426 ZOOLOGY.

was sometimes go rank as to be scarcely eatable, doubtless
from their having fed largely on the Coleoptera which
then abounded. In the winter months they were
excellent.

The call is very similar to that of the common English
Partridge, to which the plumage also presents some
resemblance, so that sportsmen often take them for the
same bird. In reality the present species rather resembles
the common grey Partridge of India, Francolinus (Orty-
geornis) pondicerianus.

239. Pternistes rubricollis (Riipp.).

Perdix rubricollis, Riipp. Atlas, t. xxx.
Pternistes rubricollis, Rupp. Syst. Uebers. No, 382.

Iris brown; legs reddish, dusky; beak dusky; gape
reddish ; naked skin around the eyes, with the lores, part
of the ear, chin, and throat scarlet, passing downwards
into yellow on the neck.

This is the Partridge of the coast, and was never seen
above 3,000 feet. It was not observed above Komayli
at the bottom of the pass leading to Senafé. In Decem-
ber and January it occurred in coveys of six to eight
birds, subsequently single or in pairs. It chiefly keeps
about bushy ravines, and is a great runner, not taking
wing readily, but generally when disturbed endeavouring
to run away. It has a peculiar harsh cry, uttered when
disturbed ; I did not notice its call. Like Francolinus
Erkela, it was generally known by the sportsmen of the
army as Spur-fowl. :

AVES, 427

Orper GRALLATORES.
Famity OTIDA:.

240. Otis (Hupodotis) arabs, L.

Linneus, Syst. Nat. ed. 12%, i, p. 264.—Ritippell, Atlas, t. xvi;
Syst. Uebers. No. 319.

Tris pale brown, with rather irregular dark streaks
radiating from the pupil; bill dusky above, dirty white
below ; legs pale dirty yellow.

This fine Bustard is common on the plains near the
coast, in open places, or in thin jungle, keeping a good
deal to the former. The tracks were seen at an elevation
of about 3,000 feet at Rairo in Habab, but as a rule it
appears confined to the plains. Like most Bustards, it is
rather wary, and is much easier to approach on horseback
than on foot. I shot several from the saddle. The flesh
is very good.

In the stomach I found locusts and a few Coleoptera.
The male is much larger than the female, as usual in this
sub-genus of Bustards.

241. O. (Sypheotides) melanogaster, Riipp.

Otis melanogaster, Riipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 16, t. vii. (mas.); Syst.
Uebers. p. 107, t. xli,

Though this small Bustard was common on the table-
land in places, especially on the open plains between
Adigrat and Antalo, I never shot a specimen myself, and
for the two obtained I am indebted to Lieut. St. John.
Many were killed by officers along the line of march.
They occurred in grass and bushes, generally lying close,

428 ZOOLOGY.

and hiding as the Floriken of India does. Indeed this
bird is a true Floriken in all its habits, and the plumage
of the male undergoes a similar change to that of the two
Indian species of Sypheotides, being grey in the winter
and becoming in great measure black in the spring.
Specimens shot in May had assumed the black plumage
to a great extent. The flesh is delicious, quite equal to
that of the Indian Floriken, which is one of the most
delicately-flavoured game birds, and far superior to
the large Bustards,

Faminy CHARADRIDA,

242, Aidicnemus crepitans, Temm.
Rupp. Syst. Uebers. No. 395.

Common near the coast. I cannot see any difference
from European specimens.

243. AE. affinis, Riipp.

Riipp. Mus. Senck. ii. p. 210; Syst. Uebers. p. 11], t. xlii.

I only saw this bird twice or three times, and | killed
in August a single specimen in the Anseba valley, into
which it appeared to be migrating, as I saw none before,
but both I and Mr. Jesse saw it there more than once
just before leaving. It appeared to have precisely the
same habits as the common Stone Curlew.

The figure of this bird in Riippell’s “Systematische
Uebersicht”” is unsatisfactory. This is the only instance
in the book, I believe, as most of the plates are admir-
able, and give an excellent representation of the birds
figured.

AVES. 429

244. Eudromias asiaticus (Pall.).

Apparently less abundant than the last on the coast.
I shot some specimens inland at Rairo in Habab in
August. They were in flocks, on open grassy ground.

245. Egialitis Geoffroyi (Wagler).

Charadrius Geoffroyi, Wagl. Syst. Avium, Charadrius 19, 1827.
C. Leschenaultii, Lesson, Manual d’Orn. i. p. 322, 1828,
Hiaticula Geoffroyi, Rupp. Syst. Uebers. No. 415.

Common on the sea-coast. I killed one specimen with
a red breast in January.

246. Az. niveifrons, Cuv.

This was abundant at Zulla in June, and apparently
breeding, for the birds ran about with the usual tricks,
pretending lameness and inability to fly. I also shot a
specimen at Massowa in August.

247. AX. tricollaris, Vieill.

Charadrius tricollaris, Vieillot, Nouv. Dict. d’Hist. Nat. xxvii.
p. 147.
Hiaticula indica, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 412,

Iris grey, darker outside, orbit orange red; bill with
basal half flesh-coloured, tip black; legs livid flesh-
colour.—In flocks about freshwater springs at Ailat and
Amba near Massowa, never seen on the sea-coast.

248. Chettusia melanoptera, Riipp.

Iris yellow, greenish round the pupils; skin round
the eye and legs purplish red.

In the characters of the wing and in the absence
of the hind toe, this form belongs to the Charadrius

430 ZOOLOGY.

group, while its voice, habits, and flight are unmistake-
ably those of a Lapwing. In voice and flight it resembles
Hoplopterus. It is found usually in small flocks on
grassy meadows throughout the highlands, ascending
above 10,000 feet. I never met with it below about
7,000 feet; indeed the small meadows along the banks
of streams in which it is generally seen are not common
below the temperate region in Abyssinia.

249. Sarciophorus tectus (Bodd).

Charadrius pileatus, Gm. Syst. Nat. i. p. 691.
Sarciophorus pileatus, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 408.

Iris yellow, with a dusky circle round the pupil; bill
and small wattle dull crimson ; tip of bill dusky ; legs
purplish red.

This is a lowland form, chiefly confined to the coast
country, but I met with it in the Anseba valley.

250. Lobivanellus melanocephalus, Riipp.
Riippell, Syst. Uebers. p. 115, t. xliv.

Iris grey, darker towards the pupil; skin round the
eyes orange, paler externally; bill black; wattle and
fleshy portion of base of upper mandible pale lemon
yellow ; legs yellow.

This species of Plover was only seen on the higher
portion of the Dalanta and Wadela plateaux, above 10,000
feet elevation. Riippell met with it on the mountains
of Simen in April, when I saw it. It was in large
flocks, which were very wary. It is a noisy bird, with
a shrill call like “che-wip.” The following measurements
were taken in the flesh :—Length 133 in., extent 30,

AVES. 431

closed wing 93, tail 4, tarsus 23, middle toc 15, beak
from front 1,35.

251. L. senegallus (L.).

Parra senegalla, L. Syst. Nat. ed. 12, i. p. 259.
Lobiwanellus senegalensis, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 406.

Iris grey, clouded towards the pupil; skin round eye
yellow; wattle triangular, pointed below, stretching from
the eye to the beak, the upper portion red, lower yellow,
the two colours distinct, not blending ; beak yellow, except
the tip of the upper mandible, which is black; legs
greenish yellow.

This Lapwing was only seen on the highlands near
Agula below 7,000 feet, and in the Anseba valley, and
was evidently scarce in both localities.

252. Hoplopterus spinosus (L.).
Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 407.

Iris crimson ; legs and bill black.

Only seen on the highlands on the banks of Lake
Ashangi, but it also occurred at Ailat, and on the edges of
a small stream at Amba near Massowa. Like the Indian
species H. ventralis, it is probably mainly found on river
banks, and never away from fresh water. The cry is
precisely similar in both races.

253. Glareola pratincola, L.
G. limbata, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. p. 113, t, xliii.

I obtained two specimens at Rairo in Habab, at about
1,000 feet above the sea, on a grassy plain far from any
water. There is no question but that Riippell’s species

432 ZOOLOGY.

was founded on a young bird. The Eastern form G.
orientalis, distinguished by having the tail square and
not forked, does not appear to be found so far west as
the coasts of the Red Sea.

254. Dromas ardeola, Paykull

Paykull, Hand. k. Vetenk. Acad. Stockholm, 1805, p. 108, t. viii,
Id. Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 439.
Erodia amphilensis, Salt, App. p. xi. and plate.

Not rare on the coast, usually in small flocks.

Famity SCOLOPACIDA.

255. Numenius arquatus, L.
Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 452.

Common on the shore in winter.

256. N. phezopus, L.
Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 453.
A single specimen obtained at Massowa on August 25.

257. Scolopax gallinago, L.
Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 470.

Common on the highlands in the winter months.
There were many in marshy spots on the shores of Lake
Ashangi ; as late as the beginning of May, eight to ten
couple were shot by a single officer on two afternoons,
in about a couple of hours’ time.

a58. Rhynchza bengalensis (L.).
Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 469.
The Painted Snipe was only met with in reeds on
the banks of running water at Ailat and Ain, near

AVES, 433

Massowa. Only two or three birds were seen at each
place. The specimens are quite undistinguishable from
Indian ones.

259. Terekia cinerea (Gm.).
A single specimen shot at Zulla in January.

260. Actitis hypoleucos (L.).
Totanus hypoleucos, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No, 458.
Common near inland streams. I only collected speci-
mens on the Anseba.
261. A. ochropus (L.).
Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 460.
Common on the highlands. I did not note its occur-
rence on the coast.

262. Totanus calidris, Bechst.

Scolopasx calidris, Salt, No. 52, App. p. xlviii.
T. calidris, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 459,

A single specimen obtained on the coast in January.

263. Tringa cinclus, L.
Obtained at the same place and about the same time
as the last.

264. T. minuta, Bechstein.

Also shot at Zulla.

Famity RALLIDZ.

265. Rallus Rougeti, Guér.

Guérin, Rev. Zool. 1844, p. 322.—Ferr. et Gal. iii, p. 253.
R, abyssinicus, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. p. 127, t. xlvi.

Iris dull red ; beak also dull red ; legs reddish brown.
Common amongst reeds and bushes in swamps, and on
FF

434 ZOOLOGY.

the banks of streams in the highlands. It has the usual
habits of the genus, being a skulking shy bird, not easy to
shoot, from its always hiding in the thickest bush or tuft
of grass, and from its unwillingness to take. flight. It
has a very loud harsh croaking call, repeated several
times in succession. On the borders of Lake Ashangi,
in some swamps with rushes about three feet high, there
were many of these Rails. In the day-time they were
invisible ; one might walk about the marshes for hours
without suspecting their presence ; but about sunset they
used to sit on the tops of the rushes and call. At a shot
all vanished amongst the reeds, but they soon reappeared.
By noticing this habit I obtained several specimens.

266. Gallinula chloropus, L.

Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 479.

The common Moor-hen was pretty common around

Lake Ashangi, and I occasionally saw it elsewhere.

267. Fulica cristata, L.

Iris dull red ; legs olive-grey ; beak and forehead flesh-
coloured ; the two fleshy knobs on the occiput dull red,
and much larger in the male than in the female.

The Crested Coot precisely resembles the Common Coot
in its habits, and abounds on Lake Ashangi.

Famity ARDEIDA.
268. Ardea atricollis, Wagl.

Wagl, Syst. Av. Ardea, sp. 4.
Smith, Il. 8, Afr. Zool. Aves, pl. 86.—Heugl. Syst. Uebers.
No. 599.

Iris bronze yellow ; upper mandible dusky, lower pale ;
legs dusky ; soles of feet yellowish.

AVES. 435

I only once obtained a specimen of this Heron. It was
killed in a swampy meadow near Adabagi, two marches
south of Adigrat, at an altitude of about 8,000 feet above
the sea.

269. Herodius garzetta, L. var.

Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 427.

Common on the coast. Jalso saw an Egret on the
highlands, probably the same, but I failed to secure a
specimen.

270. Ardea (Demi-egretta) gularis, Bosk.

Act. Soc. d’Hist. Nat. i p. 4, pl. it

A, schistacea, Hemp. and Ehr., Symb. Phys. t. vi.
A, asha, Sykes, P. Z. §. 1832, p. 157.

Egretia gularis, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 428°,

Iris yellowish white ; bill reddish yellow ; legs black ;
feet yellow.

I obtained a single specimen at Dissee Island. As
shown by Mr. Blyth (Journ: As. Soc. Bengal, 1855), there
can be no question of the identity of this species with
the Indian form. I have compared my specimen care-
fully with those in the Calcutta Museum.

271. Ardea (Ardeola) comata, Pall.

Pallas, Reise, ii. p. 715. :
A, ralloides, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No, 432.

I obtained a specimen at Antalo, This bird was only
occasionally seen on the banks of freshwater streams.

272. Ardea (Butorides) atricapilla, Afzel.
Afzel. Of Stockh. 1804,
I shot a specimen in winter plumage in February, and
another in the breeding livery in August, both on the

sea-shore amongst mangrove.
FF2

A436 ZOOLOGY.

Famity CICONIDA,

273. Scopus umbretta, Gm.
Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 435.

This peculiar bird was not common in general on the
highlands, although a few were seen about Lake Ashangi
and elsewhere. It was abundant on the Anseba, after
the rains had fairly set in.

274. Ciconia abdimii (Hemp. and Ehr.).

‘ Sphenorhynchus abdimii, Hemp. and Ehr., Symb. Phys. t. v.
Ciconia abdimii, Riipp. Atlas, t. viii; Syst. Uebers. No. 443.

Iris dusky grey ; beak dusky green, reddish at the gape
towards the tip; naked skin of the sides of the head
lavender, deep red in front of the eye and under the
chin, white round the back of the orbit; ears red; the
skin beneath the feathers red throughout ; feet dull red ;
legs olivaceous.

Occasionally seen on the highlands, but not common.
About the shores of Annesley Bay it is much more
frequent, and I several times saw it in the Anseba valley.
It is by no means a shy bird in general, but sometimes
difficult to approach when on open plains. I once saw
five by some carcases of mules at Komayli, doubtless
attracted by the insects.

Famity TANTALIDA.

275. Ibis (Geronticus) comata, Ehr.
Geronticus comatus, Ehr. apud Rupp. Syst. Uebers. p. 199, t. xlv.
I only met with this bird on the highlands, once near
Senafé, and again in a large flock near Antalo. On the

AVES. 437

second occasion I secured two specimens. It appears to
be by no means common in the region traversed.

276. I. (Harpiprion) carunculata, Riipp.

Ripp. Neu. Wirb. p. 49, t. xix.; Syst. Uebers, No. 448,

Iris pearly white, with a broad brown ring round the
pupil.

This is a far more common bird than the last,
abounding throughout the higher portions of the high-
lands. It was common around Senafé, at Ashangi in the
meadows and swamps around the lake, and above all on
the Wadela and Dalanta plateaux. It is seen solitary or
in small flocks, usually keeping to open meadows or
cultivated fields, and feeding upon snails, caterpillars,
beetles, locusts, &. It has a harsh cry, seldom uttered.

OrpER NAZATORES.
Famity ANATIDZ.

277. Anas flavirostris, Smith.

Bill yellow ; nail at end, a stripe between the nostrils,
and all the basal part of the lower mandible black ; legs
blackish brown.

Common throughout the highlands, and especially on
the higher plateaux, in all streams.

Measurements in the flesh: length 21 in., closed
wing 104, tail 34, bill from front 1 in.

278. Fuligula cristata, Ray.
Lake Ashangi, in pairs, and not very common at the
commencement of May.

438 ZOOLOGY.

279. Querquedula crecca, L.

Occasionally met with on the highlands. I did not
see Q. curcia.

280. Chenalopex zgyptiaca, L.
Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 487.

Iris orange yellow ; bill flesh colour above and below;
tips and edges of both mandibles and base of the upper
one dusky, but the dark colour is unequally distributed
in different specimens, and is sometimes wanting; legs
pink, with pale mottling.

A common bird throughout the highlands. It is in
general excellent eating, and was consequently much
sought after by the sportsmen of the army ; and a large
plain, about four miles south of Senafé, on which the
3d Bombay Cavalry were for some time encamped, was
known as “Goose Plain,” from the numbers of these
birds found upon it. It keeps chiefly to open grassy
plains near streams, during the winter and spring
months at least, and, like most Shieldrakes, appears to
keep much in pairs at all seasons of the year, these pairs
occasionally collecting into considerable societies, which
however have by no means the same united volition
which may be seen in birds habitually found in flocks,
like most Ducks and Geese. On the shores of Lake
Ashangi the Egyptian Goose abounded, and hundreds
might be seen scattered over the grassy plains around
the lake; but they came to the feeding-grounds singly

or in pairs, rarely in larger numbers, and flew away in
the same manner.

AVES. 439

About the middle of July several of these birds made
their appearance in pairs along the banks of the Anseba,
then a muddy torrent, and commenced building on
the trees overhanging the stream. Mr. Jesse killed
one hen bird at the end of July, containing a fully-
developed egg.

In most of its habits this bird closely resembles
the common Chakwa of India, Casarca rutilans, but
it is more frequently seen on meadows. Both its flight
and call are those of a Shieldrake rather than of a
Goose. :

The brown chest-spot varies much in dimensions, and
is sometimes wanting. It is usually larger in the males
than in the females.

281. Bernicla cyanoptera, Riipp.
Rippell, Syst. Uebers. p. 129, t. xlvii.

This dwarf Goose abounds on the Wadela and Dalanta
plateaux, above 9,000 to 10,000 feet, and is a conspicuous
member of the Subalpine fauna to which reference has
so frequently been made. I only saw the bird once
elsewhere : this was in a high valley at about 8,500
feet above the sea, between Antalo and Ashangi. The
habits of the bird are rather those of a Shieldrake than
of a Goose, for it is not met with in flocks (at least that
is not the case in April, the season when I saw it), but
singly or in pairs, walking about on open grass plains
near streams and swamps.

440 ZOOLOGY.

Famity PODICIPIDA.

282. Podiceps cristatus, L.

Heugl. Syst. Uebers. No, 706.

Iris Indian red ; beak dusky reddish brown ; legs and
feet dusky olive; dirty yellow on the webs, and on the
upper part of the tarsus.

The Crested Grebe is extremely abundant on Lake
Ashangi, where it is doubtless a permanent resident.

283. P. auritus, L.

Heugl. Syst. Uebers. No. 708.

Not very common on Lake Ashangi. It is curious
that the people in the neighbourhood persist in declaring
that there are no fish in this lake, yet it abounds in fish-
eating birds. I saw shoals of small fish, but had no
means of catching them; and I have little doubt that
larger kinds also occur, for I found tracks of Otters along
the shore, and several were seen by a friend.

284. P. minor, Lath.
Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No, 502.
Not abundant on Lake Ashangi. I also saw it once on
a pool; and one species, perhaps the same, occurred on
the coast at Zulla.

Famiry LARIDA.
285. Larus fuscus, L.
Common at Zulla. The wing is a little longer, about
an inch, and the bill a trifle smaller, than in most

European specimens, but there appears to be no constant
distinction.

AVES. pO

286. L. Hemprichii, Bonap.

Perhaps the commonest species in Annesley Bay. It
also abounds in Aden harbour.

287. L. leucophthalmus, Licht.

Temm. Pl. Col. 366.
Xema leucophthalmum, Ripp. Syst. Uebers. No. 507.

Common in Annesley Bay.

288. Sterna (Zhalasseus) affinis, Riipp.

Ruppell, Atlas, t. xiv. 1826; Syst. Uebers. No. 518,
S. bengalensis, Lesson, Traité d’Ornith. p. 621 (1831).

Abundant on the sea-coast near Zulla. Frequently
seen in large flocks.

289. Sterna (Onychoprion) panayensis, Gm.

Iris dark brown ; bill and legs black.

I did not meet with this species in Annesley Bay, but
it abounded farther south in the Red Sea, and I captured
several specimens, which alighted on the boat during my
voyage from Massowa to Aden.

Fammy PHAETONIDZ.

290. Phaeton rubricauda, Bodd.

A single specimen of a young bird was captured alive
in Annesley Bay, and sent to me by Captain Mockler.
I did not notice any flying about the bay. The Tropic
Birds usually keep out at sea.

Fay GRACULID.

291. Graculus africanus, Gm.

Iris crimson ; bill flesh colour, dusky on culmen ; feet
black.

442 ZOOLOGY.

I only saw Cormorants on Lake Ashangi, and only
this species. It is not very abundant.

Famity PELICANID.

292. Pelicanus rufescens, Lath.

Riipp. Atlas, t. ii.

Iris yellowish brown, mottled darker ; bill yellowish
white ; nail at tip of upper mandible orange ; pouch flesh
colour, with fine transverse equidistant and parallel
yellow lines; legs yellowish white.

I shot a pair of these birds on Dissi Island, at the end
of August. They were in fine plumage, with a rich
roseate tinge on the back.

293- P. phillipensis, Gm.

Iris grey brown ; bill flesh colour ; nail at end of upper
mandible yellow; gular pouch livid; legs and feet pale
flesh colour.

Between this bird—which was common on the shore
at Zulla, and of which I shot a single specimen—and
the last there is no difference in measurements, in
the form of the frontal feathers, or the disposition of
those behind the eye. The crest also appears similar ;
and although the feathers of the head are shorter and
more woolly, this may partly be due to wear. Under
these circumstances, I should have been inclined to con-
sider the roseate back and breast of P. rufescens as
seasonal, but for the circumstance that while the present
specimen is unquestionably identical with the common

AVES. 443

Indian P. phillipensis, with specimens of which I have
compared it, P. rufescens does not appear to have
been noticed in India. If it were only the nuptial
plumage of the present species, it ought to be equally
common.

444 ZOOLOGY.

Crass REPTILIA.?
Ornver CHELONTIA.

1. Cinixys belliana, Gray.

Kinixys belliana, Gray, Synopsis Rept. Add. and Corr. p. 69.—
Catalogue of Shield Rept. in Coll. Brit. Mus. 1855, p. 18, t. ii.

Cinixys belliana, Dum. et Bibr. Erp. Gen. ii. p. 168.

Kiniays Sheensis, Riipp. Mus. Senck. iii. p. 223.

Five specimens were obtained in the Anseba valley, at
between 4,000 and 5,000 feet above the sea. This land
Tortoise chiefly inhabits the thickets on the banks of the
river, and under bushes in the neighbourhood. I never

saw it on open ground.

2. Pelomedusa gehafie, Riipp.

Gray, Oat. Tort. Croc, &c. Brit. Mus. p. 38.; Cat, Shield Rept.
p. 53.

Pentonyx gehafie, Riipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 2. t. i.

Pelomedusa gehafie, Gray, Cat. Tort, Croc, &c. Brit, Mus. p. 383
Cat. Shield Rept. p, 53.

Not uncommon in the Anseba and its feeders. I also
found it in the Lebka. During the dry season these
rivers completely disappear, and this Tortoise must bury
itself. It has a most offensive smell.

1 For the determinations of the majority of the reptiles, I am indebted to
the kindness of Dr, Giinther,

REPTILL!. 445

The name gehajfie is taken from the Tigréan language.

To alter it into gehafie, as Gray has done, is of course a
mistake.

OrpER SAURIA.

3. Chameelio leevigatus (?), Gray.
Gray, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1863, p. 95.

I obtained a single young specimen in the Anseba
valley. JI am far from certain that it belongs to the
above-named species, as, despite its not being adult, the
erest is more strongly developed than in the full-grown
specimen in the British Museum. The colouring is the
usual greenish grey, varying according to circumstances,
with two rows of subquadrate white spots along the sides.

4. Varanus ocellatus, Riipp.
Riipp. Atlas, t. vi.
Dum. et Bibr. Erp. Gen. iii. p. 496.
Regenia ocellata, Gray, Cat. Lizards, Brit. Mus. p. 9.

One specimen procured in the Anseba valley ; it was
under a rock in rather open ground. The spots are
scarcely perceptible, and the head is longer and not
rounded above, as in Riippell’s figure, but there is no
essential difference. The measurements are the follow-
ing :—

ft. in.
Whole length from nose to end of tail 2 7:0
Length of tail from anus . : . 1 20
» of head, about. . 0 30
,», from ear to point of nose . 0 2°75
,», of foreleg from shoulder to end of snide: toe 0 4°75
» of middle toe of same and claw . . . O 1:25
» of hindleg to end of second toe . . 0 60
» of longest toe (second) and claw . . 0 13

446 ZOOLOGY.

5. Agama (Stellco) cyanogaster, Riipp.

Riipp. Neu. Wirb. Rept. p. 10, t. v.—Dum. et Bibr. iv. p. 532.

Extremely abundant throughout the highlands, where it
may often be seen upon rocks. It is especially common
in Northern Tigré on sandstone. It is a large, brightly
coloured, and handsome lizard, and very active and wary,
so much so that I could only obtain specimens by shoot-
ing them. I never saw it in the Anseba valley, nor in
general below 7,000 feet of elevation.

The blue veining of the under-parts is far more con-
spicuous in some specimens than in others ; usually it is
to a great extent confined to the chin. The following
are the dimensions of a moderate-sized specimen :—

in.

Whole length ow aa a we ee we ws ee TO

Length of head. . 2. 1 1 ww ee ee eee 8
» of tailfromanus .......... «57
» fromeartoendof nose ..,..... «210
» Of foreleg withtoe. . .. 2. . 1...) 28
» Of fourth toe of forefoot . . . . . . . . 06
» of hindleg to end of longest toe. . . . . . 3°0
» Of fourth toe of hindfoot . . . . ., .. O06

6. Agama annectans, sp. nov.

A. rufo-fusca, nigro-marmorata, sguamis omnibus parvis, fere equalibus,
capite depresso subtriangulari, regionibus paroticis et interscapulio sparsim
spinosis, dorso non cristato, cauda elongata, attenuata, sqguamis caudalibus
antice distincte annulatis, postice subimbricatis.

ii 2

Long. tota . . . . 1... sss. 120 _
fy ROGPUUBY id. aah RR ote ote a de Ay Ge NS 15

3) COTPONS 3 by ks ee we ey ee HD 40

» caudeabano. ....... 75 _—

» pedis anterioris cum digitis . . . 28 30

» Gjusdem dig. primi cum ungui . . 0°4 04

5 55 secundi ,, - , O47 05

tertit #6 . » 06 0°6

” ”

oe ai

a

REPTILIA.

Long. ejusdem dig, quarti cum ungut

”

»

”

”

>

”

quinte 5

pedis posterioris cum dig. . .
ejusdem dig. primi cum ungui

secundt ,, “
tertit a
quarts 55
quintt “

0°75

447

2
0°65
0°55
3°9
o4
06
08
0°87
0°75

Hab, haud procul a littore maris Erythrei in montibus Habessinicis ad elev.
etrca 2,000 ped.

Rufous brown (in spirit) with irregular blackish -rings,
and an indistinct whitish line down the centre of the
back. Scales small throughout, and subequal. Head
subtriangular, flat, the length twice the height at the
eyes, and exceeding the breadth in the proportion of
4 to 3. Nose rather blunt, terminated by a single

448 ZOOLOGY.

punctulated rostral scale, much more broad than high; nos-
trils towards the hinder part of a swollen subovate scale,
separated by one or two scales from the rostral. Canthus
rostralis and supra-orbital ridge prominent, terminating
at the nasal scale. Frenal region depressed, covered with
small elongate scales. Forepart of the head covered with
nearly flat scales, those in the centre a little longer than
the others ; occiput covered with flat scales towards the
forehead, whilst behind and towards the temporal regions
they are slightly keeled. Ear-opening large, nearly equal
to the eye. A few spines scattered around it, especially
behind eyelid, covered with small scales. Mental shield
almost oval, a little broader than high. Supra-labials about
14, not extending to the gape, the row of larger scales
constituting them being, however, continued backwards,
and terminating in a small spine above the gape. Infra-
labials 12—13, also not extending back quite as far as
the gape. Chin covered with small rhomboidal scales
decreasing in size backwards. Throat with two or three
irregular cross folds. Back not crested, covered with
' small imbricate scales, those near the centre larger and
slightly keeled, especially towards the front. A few
scattered spines of small size between the shoulders.
Tail longer than the head and body; scales a. little
larger than elsewhere, strongly keeled, disposed in narrow
rings in front, but becoming gradually imbricate towards
the tip. Scales of the belly small, smooth, rhombic, sub-
equal. Pre-anal pores eight in a single row. Third and
fourth toes in the fore foot subequal; in the hind foot the
third toe is very little shorter than the fourth. Point of

REPTILIA. 449

longest hind toe reaching the eye when the hind leg is
laid along the side. Fore toe just extending back to
the thigh.

I obtained two specimens of this apparently new
Agama near the base of the pass leading from Komayli
to the highlands. In one the tail is imperfect. The
species forms an unmistakeable link between Agama
and Stellio, for although the structure of the tail scales
is that of the latter, they being arranged in distinct
rings, the animal otherwise agrees best with the former.

7. Agama colonorum, Daud.

Lacerta agama, L. Syst. Nat. ed. 12, vol. i p. 367.
A. colonorum, Daudin, Hist. Rep. iii. p. 356.—Dum. et Bibr. iv. p.
489.—Ruiipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 14, t. iv.

This Lizard was common on granite rocks about Rairo
near Af Abed, north of the Lebka, at about 3,000 feet
above the sea. The head in many specimens was bright
blue in colour, chin scarlet. Doubtless these colours are
seasonal as in Calotes.

8. A. occipitalis, Gray.
Gray, Phil. Mag. 1827, p. 264.
A, colonorwm, var. Dum. et Bibr. Erp. Gen. iv. p. 490.
A single specimen taken at Antalo on the highlands
with Stellio cyanogaster.

g. Lacerta samharica, sp. nov.
Dum, et Bibr. v. p. 278.

L. grisea, superne longitudinaliter fusco-fasciata et maculato-strigata,
squamis dorsalibus antice rotundatis convexis, postice carinatis, ventralibus
6-seriatis, rhombeis, preanali una majori ; squamis postoccipitalibus magnis
a minoribus polygonis circwmdatis, naribus in angulo posteriori et inferiort
squame inflate nasalis positis, et a squama nasali duobus post nasalibus et

GG

450 ZOOLOGY.

prima supralabialt circumdatis; cauda duplo quam corpore cum capite
longiort, pede posteriori ad humerum attingente.
» pede p

1 2
TOG: COG oi ae a a SB 12°75 12°25
a CADIS a a Bo ee lw OD 0°85
Lat. ejusdem 2 2 1 we ee we 0D 0°45
Long. corporis . . . . . ss ss B84 2°95
» caudeabano. . .... . . 875 9:0
» pedis anterioris cum digitis . . . 1°25 11
» ejusdem digits primi cum ungur . 02 0°18
5 a5 secundt » + 085 0°25
‘ a tertit et quarty ,, . O04 0°35
5 5) quints » + 08 0°24
» pedis posterioris cum digitis. . . 28 2°15
» ejusdem digitis primi cum ungut . 0°22 0°22
5 5 secundt s » 0°85 0°35
¥5 % tertiv s » 05 0°46
es 3 quartt 3 . 08 0°75
<9 3 quintt 45 + 04 0°35

Colour grey, with varying dusky lines and rows of
spots along the back. Head not quite twice as long as
it is broad, bluntly conoidal ; nostrils in the lower hinder
angle of the nasal shield just above the first upper
labial, with two post-nasals, the upper of which, however,
scarcely reaches the nostril. Two loreal scales, one before
the other, the posterior largest. A large post-occipital
-**-11 on each side surrounded by smaller polygonal

; between the two is an elongated pentagonal
suiciu, With a small ring-shaped depression in the centre,
one shield behind it and two in front. Two supra-orbital

shields on each side, separated from the supra-orbital |

ridge of small shields by a row of small granular scales.
Lower eyelid covered with small granular scales. Upper
labials about 10, the seventh from the rostral expanded
above, and forming the lower portion of the orbit.

REPTILIA. A51

Lower labials about 7. Collar distinct of about eight
enlarged scales. Ventral shields rhombic in six rows,
a row of smaller semicircular shields along each side
of them. Scales of the back rounded in front, be-
coming rather larger and keeled behind, those of the
tail strongly keeled, arranged in distinct rings. Pre-anal

shield of moderate size, with about three rows of smaller
shields between it and the thighs. About 10 to 11
femoral pores on each thigh. Hind-foot laid forward
reaching to the shoulder, fore-foot laid back reaching
about half-way to the thigh. Tail compressed, about
twice as long as the head and body.

This Lizard was common near the coast. I unfortu-
nately only brought two specimens away, however.

ae 2

452 ZOOLOGY.

ro. L. Sturti, sp. nov.

L. perafinis pracedenti, sed cauda longiort magis rotundata, digitis
brevioribus, squama pre-anali majori nulla, digitus quartus pedis posterioris
aurem attingit.

Poll. Angl.
Long. tota, . 2 1 1 ee ee ee we ee ee 180
yy capitis 6 we ew ew ee ew OS
Lat. ejusdem. 6 we ee ee we 045
Long. corporis . . 6 6 6 ee we ee we we) BAB
» caudweabano . . 1 1 1 ee we ew ew ee) 98
» ‘pedis amteriorisc. digitis . . . . . . «s Li
» Gjusdem digitt primic.ungut. . . . . . . O16
53 i secundt ,, be ew Se ee OD
5 ‘3 tertii et quartic. ungut. . . . 0°35
. - quinti yee ee OBB
» pedisposterioris . 1. 1. 6 ew we we ew ee) 185
» gusdem digitt primicung . . . « « « « O22
4 $5 secundt es ew se = 082
2 - tera gg we ee 48
i 5 quartt ,, Oe a me eg COT
5 33 qunti ,, gg) ee a wg te oe 104

But for the difference in the pre-anal shields I should
not describe this specimen as a separate species from the
last, the other distinctions being very trifling. The head
is a little shorter and blunter, but the shields are very
similar, there being a very small additional shield be-
tween the two post-frontals. Supra-labials 9, the sixth
from the rostral expanded above ; infra-labials 6. Shields
of the collar about 14, but they pass so completely into
the smaller scales at each end that it is difficult to
assign a precise number. Ventral shields in six rows, with
a row of smaller flat shields at each side of them.
Scales of back granular, passing gradually behind into
the strongly-keeled scales of the tail. Toes compressed,

REPTILIA. 453

not keeled beneath. Hind-toe reaching forward to the
ear, fore-toe extending back more than two-thirds of the
distance to the thigh. Femoral pores 12 in each thigh.
Pre-anal shields all smaller than the ventral.

A single specimen was obtained by Captain Sturt, to
whom I am indebted for it, and after whom I have
named it, in the Komayli pass, near Undul Wells.

11. Acanthodactylus mucronatus, sp. nov.

A. griseo-fulva, fascia mediand fusca dorsal, strigisque lateralibus ex
griseo et fusco compositis ornata, pedibus supra fuscis, griseo-maculatis ;
nari in medio 4 squamarum positd duarum anteriorum, duarwm posteriorum,
squamis supra-orbitalibus utrinque duobus, granulis supra infra et postice
sed non antice circumdatis, verticali. Elongato-pentagonali, in medio sulcatd,
post-occipitalibus magnis, polygonis squamis parvis 4 valde inequalibus

454 ZOOLOGY.

intervenientibus. Pedis posterioris digitus fere ad rostrum attingit. Squama
pre-analis magna, minoribus circumdata.

DONG HOGS po Gee ke ee Bo RS Rn en OD
jy. COPiliss xk ae A ey ee Rs A080

Lat.ejusdem. 2 6 ee ee OB

Long. corporis . . . 1... ied cae. Se ae, DAD
» caoudeabano ...... 1. eee es 46
» pedis anterioris. . . te te OFS
» gjusdem digits tertir (et quart) ¢. sini - + « 0°25
» pedis posterioris. . . pot ee ae a ce RBS
» ejusdem digitt primi c. eee ede nee arc a> “O22.
5 5 secundt ,, oie. tee te. te ee 2ORZD
” ” tertit Pe Se PBA: tee ar 0°35
” » quarti beta are Se WODS
” »” quints a3 ‘ F 35

Greyish tawny in colour, with a dark band aig the
centre of the back, and others of dusky mixed with

ef

grey at the sides. Legs dusky above, spotted pale.
Snout very pointed, somewhat alternate ; nostrils in the
centre of four small shields, two anterior and two pos-
terior, a distinct canthus rostralis passing from the
supra-orbital ridge to the nostrils; frenal region flat,
vertical, consisting of two shields, the posterior by far

REPTILIA. A55

the largest. Two large supra-orbital shields on each side,
the two surrounded, except in front, by small granular
scales ; between them in front is an elongately pentagonal
vertical shield, with a central depressed groove; post-
occipital shields large, separated by a row of small shields
of very unequal size. Lower eyelid covered with small
granular scales. Upper iabials 8 or 9; of which six
or seven are of moderate size, then a large sub-orbital
shield, expanded above, and forming the lower part of the
orbit. Lower labials 6; sub-mental shields 4 on each side,
the hindmost about three-quarters the length of the other
three together. Collar not very distinct, composed of about
six larger scales, the central being the largest, passing at the
extremities into the ordinary neck scales. Large ventral
shields in six rows, with a smaller row at each side. A
large pre-anal shield, surrounded by a ring of smaller
ones, Femoral pores 18 in each thigh. Dorsal scales
smail, granular. Caudal scales oblong, strongly keeled.
Hind legs long, the toe when laid forward almost reaches
the end of the nose, the fore-foot laid back reaches three-
quarters of the distance to the thigh.

A single individual was procured in the Anseba valley,
where this lizard apparently abounded. Unfortunately
no other specimens were taken, as I had confounded it
with the next species. It closely allied to Hremias
Brenneri, Peters (Monatsber, K. Preuss. Acad. 1869,
p. 432); but differs in several points, especially in the
number of supra-labial shields, the proportion of the sub-
mental shields, and the greater length of the limbs.
The colour also is very different.

456 ZOOLOGY.

12. A. boskianus, Fitz.

Dum. et Bibr. v. p. 278.
Common in Samhar. Two specimens collected near
Zulla.

13- Eupressis quinquetzniatus, Licht.

Scincus quinqueteniatus, Licht. Verz. Doubl. Mus. Berl. p. 103.
Eupressis Savignit, Dum. et Bibr. Erp. Gen. v. p. 677.

I obtained one large specimen at Suru, and four
smaller ones on the highlands, three of them from the
stomach of a Secretary-bird. They differ greatly in
markings, but Dr. Giinther considers all to be varieties
of the same.

14. E. Perrottetii, Dum. et Bib.

Dum. et Bibr. Erp. Gen, v. p. 669.
P Tiliqua Burtoni, Blyth, Jour. As. Soc. Beng.

This was obtained by Mr. Jesse at Wonber Harattib, in
the Lebka valley. I did not procure a specimen. I sus-
pect that Ziliqua Burtoni of Blyth from Somali-land,
the type specimen of which in the Calcutta Museum
has unfortunately been lost, may very possibly be this
species.

15. Gongylus ocellatus, Forsk.
Lacerta occelata, Forsk. Desc. Anim. p. 13.
G. ocellatus, Dum. et Bibr. Erp. Gen. v. p. 616.
Several specimens, taken, with Hupressis quinquete-
niatus, from the stomach of a Secretary bird shot at
Ashangi. All are small. .

REPTILIA. 457

Orver OPHIDIA.

16. Typhlops Eschrichtii, Schlegel.

Schleg. Abbild. Amph. p. 37, pl. 32, figs. 13—16.
Ophthalmidion Eschritchtti, Dum. et Bibr. vi. p. 265.

I am indebted for a single specimen taken at Senafé
to Capt. Sturt. It is small, measuring only 12 in. in
length.

17. Echis arenicola, Boie.

Isis, 1827, p. 558.
E. varia, Reuss. Mus. Senkenb. ii. p. 160, t. vii. f. 2.

This viperine Snake was common in the camp at Zulla,
individuals frequently being found about the tents, and
it is surprising that no one suffered from its bite. All
the specimens seen by me were small. I preserved two,
one of which has 193 ventral shields.

18. Dasypeltis abyssinicus, Dum. et Bib.

Rachiodon abyssinus, Dumeril et Bibron, Erp. Gen. vii. p. 496,
pl. 81, figs. 1 and 2,

A single specimen, quite young, only 12 in. long, was
obtained at Senafé by Lieut. Sturt, to whom I am in-
debted for it. Dr. Giinther informs me that he doubts if
this species be distinct from D. palmarum. The tail
measures 12 in. The colours are not so bright as in
Dumeril and Bibron’s figure.

Ig. Boodon lemniscatum, Dum. et Bibr.
Dumeril et Bibron, Erp. Gen. vii. p. 365.

I obtained two specimens, one at Ashangi, the other at
Adabagi. The former, a male, measures 21 in., the latter,
a female, 30 in., of which the tail is 4in. The male is
much the darker in colour.

458 ZOOLOGY.

20. Homalosoma lutrix, L.

Coluber lutriz, L. Syst. Nat. ed. 12, i, p. 275.
Homalosoma lutriz, Dum. et Bibr. vii. p. 110.

A very young specimen, only 9 in. long, was taken at
Ashangi.

21. Bucephalus typus, Smith.

Zoological Journal, vii. p. 441.
B. capensis, Smith, Ill. Zool. South Afr. Rept. pl. 12.—Guinther.
B. typus, Dum. et Bibr. Erp. Gen. vii. p. 877.

One specimen, only 22 in. long, was procured at
Senafé ; a larger one, which was captured on the Anseba,
measures 33 in.

22. Psammophis sibilans, L.

Coluber sibilans, L. Syst. Nat. ed. 12, p. 383. 5
Phammophis monoliger, Dum, et Bibr. vii. p. 891.

A single individual of this common African Tree Snake
was taken in the Anseba valley. It is 23 in. long.

Orprer BATRACHTA.

23. Pyxicephalus rugosus.

A single specimen found at Senafeé.

24. Rana mascariensis, Dum. et Bibr.
Dum, et Bibr. Erp. Gen. viii. p. 350,
This Frog was common in the streams at Suru, and at

Ain on the Lebka, both at low elevations, not exceeding
2,000 feet above the sea.

REPTILIA., 459

25. Dactylethra levis, Daud.

Bufo levis, Daud. Hist. Nat. Rain. p. 85, pl. 30, f. 1.; Hist. Rept.
viii. p. 171.
Dactylethra capensis, Dum. et Bibr. viii. p. 765.

I obtained two specimens at Senafeé.

26. Bufo pantherinus, Boie.

Dum. et Bibr. Erp. Gen. viii. p. 687.
B. arabicus, Riipp. Atlas, t. iii. f. 2.
B. regularis, Reuss. Mus. Senck. i. p. 60.

This Toad abounded about Lake Ashangi and other
places on the highlands. It is highly variable; some
specimens being covered with small tubercles, others quite
smooth. I also obtained some young specimens, appar-
ently belonging to the same species, at Ain in the Lebka
valley, only about 1,200 feet above the sea.

27. Bufo, sp. indet.

A single young Toad captured at Suru is too im-
mature for determination. It appears to belong to a
distinct species from the last.

460 ZOOLOGY.

Cuass PISCES.

I obtained but two species of Fish. The route taken
by the army avoided all rivers, and in Lake Ashangi I
was unable to capture anything, and only procured one
specimen from the stomach of a Grebe. The fish taken
are both Cyprinoids; I am indebted to Dr. Giinther for
their names.

1. Capoeta Dillonii, Cuv. et Val.

I preserved a skin of a Fish taken in a stream at
Agula, which Dr. Giinther is inclined to refer to this
species, although it differs slightly from the description.
The dorsal fin contains 3 spiny and 9 soft rays, whereas
C. Dillon is said to have only 1 spine. There are 32
scales on the lateral line.

2. Discognathus lamta, Hans Buch.

I obtained several specimens in the stream at Suru,
and others were caught by Mr. Jesse in a small pool left
in a watercourse at Amba, about twenty-five miles north
of Massowa. These differ in no respect from specimens
from Palestine in the British Museum. They all have
the black mark at the base of the gill opening, although
the lateral marks are less distinct than in Indian speci-
mens. The scales on the lateral line are 33 to 34 in
number.

PISCES. 461

The same Fish has been obtained in abundance by
Lieut. Mockler at Lahej, near Aden, in a small stream
which occurs there.

Singular to state, the single Fish procured at Lake
Ashangi, though not in sufficiently good condition for
accurate determination, appears also to belong to this
species. It is of course possible that it may be a
distinct form occurring on the highlands, but it is
clearly very closely allied, if not identical.

462 ZOOLOGY.

MOLLUSCA,

L

OCEANIC MOLLUSCA OBTAINED OFF THE S.E, COAST
OF ARABIA.

Ciass PTEROPODA.

1. Hyalea uncinata, Rang.

Scarce.

2. H. longirostris, Lesueur.
Abundant.

3. Spirialis trochiformis, 1)’Orb.
Rare.

4, Styliola corniformis, D’Orb.
Not abundant.

Crass GASTEROPODA.

5. Lntiopa bombyx, Rang.
Not very common : attached to floating weed.

Ciass HETEROPODA.
6. Lanthina fragilis, Lam. (not Reeve).
Syn. J. roseola, Rv. and J. affints, Rv.
Common: the variety is that called I. roseola by
Reeve, but it appears to be merely a variety of fragilis.

MOLLUSCA. 463

«. I. globosa, Swains.
Not rare: a variety with rather a high spire.

8. I. bifida, Nuttall.

Less common than the other two, but not rare. It is
near I. Vinsoni, Deshayes.

9. Atlanta Peroni, Lesueur and Blainv.

II.

MARINE MOLLUSCA FROM ANNESLEY BAY.

CLass GASTEROPODA.
OrpER PROSOBRANCHIATA.
Famity MURICIDZ.

. Murex anguliferus, Lam.
. MM. ternispina, Lam.

. MW. scolopax, Dillwyn.

. HM. margariticola, Brod.

. Tritonidea rubiginosa, Rv.

A small variety, with fine sculpture.

oP oe tore

6. Hemifusus paradisiacus, Chem.

Famity TRITONID.

Persona cancellina, Desh.
Ranella tuberculata, Brod.
. R. spinosa, Lam.

oon

Fasuty BUCCINIDA.

10. Nassa pullus, L.
Very common.

464 ZOOLOGY.
ll. MW. Kienert.
12. N. plicatella, A. Ad. var.
The sculpture a little more nodose, and the form
rather less tumid than in the types from Mr. Cuming’s
cabinet, now in the British Museum.

13. NY. marginulata (1) Lam.
A very small form, approaching N. delicata, Rv.

Famity PURPURID.
14. Purpura hippocastanum, L.
The only species found. None of the usual types
allied to P. persica and P. carinata were observed.

15. Sistrum elatum, Krauss.
16. S. anaxares, Duclos.

Famiry OLIVIDZ:.
17. Oliva inflata, Lam.
Very abundant.

18, Ancillaria exigua, Sow.
Rare.

Famity MITRIDZA.

19, Mitra amabilis, Rv.

20. ML. pretiosa, Rv.

21. Columbella varians, Sow.
22. C. flava, Brug.

23. Engina mendicaria, Lam.

Famity MARGINELLID.

24, Marginella monilis, L.

Famity NATICIDA,

25. Natica mammilla, L.
26. NV. melanostoma, Gm.

MOLLUSCA. AG5

Famity EULIMID 4.

27. Letostraca, sp. nov.

This is closely allied to LZ. pura, A. Ad., but it has fewer
whorls, and the mouth is differently shaped, the columella
being straight instead of sinuate. The specimens were
found parasitic on a species of Scutella.

Famity SOLARITIDA.

28. Solarium perspectivum, L.
Syn. S. nodile, Hinds.

Famity CONID.

29. Conus arenatus, Hwass.
30. C. Adansoni, Lam.

Famity TEREBRID-.

31. Terebra cinctella (1), Desh.

Only one specimen found, which is in poor condition.

It belongs either to the above, or a closely allied species,
32. 7. nassoides, Hinds.

The plaits are less numerous than in the British
Museum specimens, but this character is evidently
variable.

Fammy STROMBIDZ.
33. Strombus tricornis, Martini.

Common about coral reefs. Several living specimens
were washed up at Malkatto one day when the sea was
tougher than usual.

34, S§. fasciatus, Born.

35. S. floridus, Lam.
36. S. elegans, Sow.

HH

466 ZOOLOGY.

37. S. dentatus, L.
38. Rostellaria curvirostiis, Lam.

Common on sandy shore at Malkatto.

Famty CYPREIDA.

39. Cyprea turdus, L.
40, Trina oryza, Lam.

Famiry CERITHIIDA.

41. Cerithum aspersum, Desh.
42. C. variegatum, Quoy.
Very common.
43. C. Adenense, Rv.
Not rare.
44, C. interstriatum, Sow.
45, C. Kochii, Phil.
46. C. bifasciatum, Sow.
47. C. sp. nov.
A single specimen in poor condition.
48. C. columna, Sow.
49. Tympanotonos Layardt, Rv.
50. 7. flunatile, Pot. and Mich.
51. Pyrazus palustris, Brug.
Common amongst mangroves.
52. Bitttum, sp. nov.
A single specimen.

53. Triforis ruber, Hinds.
54. TP. distinctus, Desh.
55. Fastegiella (2) sp.

A single specimen in bad condition.

Famity CERITHIOPSID.
56. Gerithiopsis, sp.
Apparently new.

MOLLUSCA. 467

Famity LITTORINIDA.

57. Littorina malaccana, Phil.
58. L. intermedia, Phil.

Famity PLANAXID.

59, Planaxis sulcata, Born.
Common.
Syn. P. undulata, Lam,

Famity RISSOIDZ.

60. Rissoina myosoroides, Recl.
61. R. plicata, A. Ad.

62. R. media, Schwartz, v. Mohr.
63. &. d’Orbignyi, A. Ad. var.
64. R. sp. nov.

65. Alaba, sp. nov.

Famity NERITIDZ.

66. Nerita polita, L.
Very common.
67. NV. rudis, Gray.

Common.
68. XW. albicella, L.

Common.
Famity TROCHIDZ.

69. Tectus dentatus, Forsk.

70. 7. noduliferus, Lam.

71. Eucheilus edentulus, A. Ad.
72. E. baccatus, Kiister.

73. Trochus crebriliratus, Jonas.
74. Monodonta canalifera, Lam.
75. Gibbula, sp. nov.

Near G. adriatica, Phil., but the spire is higher, and
the sutures less impressed. It also approaches G. leu-
HH 2

468 ZOOLOGY.

costicta, A. Ad., but the whorls are flatter, and the
spire higher.
76. Gena, sp. Nov.

A peculiar carinate species.

Famity TURBINIDZ.

77. Turbo Chemnitzianus, Rv.
78. T. sp.

I cannot find any name for this species ; it is a small

form figured in the “ Descr. de V Egypte,” pl. v. fig. 26.

79. Z. coronatus, Gmel.

Common.
Famity FISSURELLIDA.
80. Fissurella cyathulum, Rv.
Faminy PATELLIDZ.
81. Patella rota, Chem.
Common.

82. Helcion, sp.

A single young specimen.

Famity CHITONIDA.

83. Chiton brevispinosus, Rv.

Common.
84, Ch. incurvatus, Carp.

Orper OPISTHOBRANCHIATA.

Famity BULLIDA.
85. Bulla ampulla, L.

MOLLUSCA. 469

OrverR PULMONIFERA.

Famity AURICULIDZ.

86. IMelampus castaneus, Muhlf.
87. Jf. Massauensis, Pfr.
88. Plecotrema, sp. nov.

It is usual to consider the Awriculide land-shells :
this, however, is incorrect ; they are no more land-shells
than Pyrazus or Littorina are; the majority of them
inhabit estuaries and mangrove swamps, others are
littoral shells, ike Patella or Purpura.

Crass LAMELLIBRANCHIATA.

Famtty GASTROCH.ENIDE.

89.

Rocellaria ovata, Sow.

A Mazatlan species, but unmistakeably identical.

Famity CORBULID.

90. Corbula crassa, Hinds.

Famity AIACTRIDE.

91.

Mactra semisulcata, Ry.

Famiry TELLINIDZ.

92.
93.

94.
95.
96.
97.
98.

A saphis deflorata, L.

Donaz wittatus, Lam.

Syn. D. trifasciatus, Mawe.
Tellina culter, Hanley.

T. carnea, Bens.

T. capsoides, Lam.

Strigilla Senegalensis, Hanley.
Paphia striata, Chem.

470 ZOOLOGY.

Famizy VENERID ZA.

99. Dosinia hepatica, Sow.
100. Chione nebulosa, Lam.
101. Circe Arabica, Chem.
Common.
102. C. pectinata, L.
103. C. corrugata, Chem.
104. Rupellaria macrophylla, Desh.
105. Petricola, sp. nov.

Faminry CARDIADZ.

106. Cardium rugosum, Lam.

Famity CHAMIDA.

107. Chama gryphoides, Phil.
108. C. costoma, Conrad.

Famity LUCINID.

109. Lucina exasperata, Rv.

Famity KELLIADZ,
110. Kellia, sp. nov.
A new and peculiar milk-white shell.

Famity ASTARTIDA,
111. Cardita sulcata, Brug.
Perfectly identical with specimens from the Medi-
terranean.
Famity MYTILIDA.

112. Septefer Kraussi, Dunker.

113. Madiola hepatica, Gould.

114. A, sp. nov. :
A peculiar small species, with strong denticulation. qt

115. Lnthodomus Hanleyanus, Rv. YoY

MOLLUSCA.

Famity AVICULIDA.

116. Melegrina margaritifera (2), L.
117. Avicula radiata, Desh.
118. A. sp.

Perhaps a variety of the last.
119, Malleus regula, Forsk.

Faminy ARCIDZ.

120. Arca imbricata, Brug.

121. A. (Barbatia) decussata, Sow.

122. A. (Scapharca) inequivalvis, Brug.

123. A. (Anomalocardia) scapha, Chem.
: 124. Pectunculus roseus (1), Rv.

Famity SPONDYLIDA.
' 125. Spondylus, sp.
I cannot discriminate the species of this genus.
126. Plicatula imbricata, Menke.

Famity OSTREIDA.

127. O. mytiloides, Lam.
128. O. sp.
On mangroves.

II.

¥ FRESHWATER MOLLUSCA.

471

Of these but very few were obtained, as I had no
opportunity of visiting the large rivers. For a complete
account of the species of land.and freshwater mollusca
previously known to exist in Abyssinia, see V. Marten’s

?

“ Malakozoologische Blitter ‘
1866, vol. xii.

for 1865, vol. xii, and

472, ZOOLOGY.

1. Bythinia, sp. nov (2).
Antalo. A single specimen only.

2. Melania tuberculata, Mull.

Stream at Ailat, Samhar, very little above the sea-

level.
3. Lymnea Natalensis, Krauss.

Stream at Guna-Guna, on the highlands. Some
specimens are precisely similar to those from South
Africa ; others are rather more tumid.

A larger variety was obtained in the stream forming
the head of the Haddas river, near Takonda.

4. Physa contorta, Mich.
Lake Ashangi. Specimens from the Nile in the
British Museum have a smaller mouth. Others from
Natal are very similar in form.

5. Physa, sp.

Stream on Wadela plateau, at about 9,500 feet near
Yasendyé. The two specimens obtained are small, and
probably immature. They resemble in form P. fon-
tinalis, but are not smooth like that species, nor have
they any internal labiation. They may possibly be only
an elongated variety of P. contorta.

6. Ancylus fluviatilis, Mull.
Streams, Guna Guna, &c., Tigré.
7. A. sp.
Stream near Mai Wahiz, Tigré. Four small specimens

found. They closely resemble some varieties of the
Indian A. verruca, Bens.

MOLLUSCA. 473

8. Planorbis Riippelli, Dunker.

t -sineamns on highlands of Tigré. Common. The peculiar
feel near the suture described by Dunker is wanting in
‘my specimens, and is probably accidental. The mouth is

very oblique, less so, however, than in the Natal species,
L. Pfefferi, Krauss.

9. P. sp. nov.

Lake Ashangi. Dead specimens found on the shore
with Physa contorta. This is very near the Indian
P. compressus, but the umbilicus is more open, and the
keel more basal and less median. It is very near
P. Natalensis also, but differs in the mouth being sinuate
near the periphery, and less arcuate above, in the lower
surface being more convex, and the shell more com-
pressed,

10. P. Natalensis (1) Krauss.

Stream on Wadela plateau. Only a single specimen
was obtained, which may be the above species; the
whorls appear rather narrower and less angulate at the

periphery.

IV.
LAND MOLLUSCA.

Of these also but a very meagre series was obtained,
the country being evidently excessively poor in land-
shells. No Cyclostomacea have ever been found in this
part of Africa, and the large Achatine and their allies
were entirely wanting in the country traversed, although

474, ZOOLOGY.

they appear to have been found further to the south-
west, near Lake Dembea.

1. Heliz Darnaudi, Pfr.

Common throughout Northern Tigré, from about
3,000 to 8,000 feet above the sea. I found it at Undul
Wells, Senafé, Takonda, Adigrat, and in the Anseba

valley.
2. H. sp. nov.

An ally of H. pisana, and still more closely allied to
H. subrostrata, Fer. It is distinguished from the former
in its much more open umbilicus, from the latter in being
smaller and less solid. Specimens, undistinguishable
from those collected by me in Abyssinia, were brought
from Persia by Mr. Loftus, and are in the British Museum
collection.

This shell abounded in the limestone tract north of
Antalo, the aloes and some of the bushes being frequently
covered with it.

3. H. cryophila, V. Martens,

Occasionally found in the mountainous country of
Lasta near Meshek, Lat, &c. It has four whorls, and the
last appears to be rather less broad than would appear
to be the case with the types described by Von Martens,
but there is no essential difference.

A single worn specimen from Adigrat is higher in
proportion to the diameter, and may belong to a distinct
species.

4. H. rivularis(?) Krauss.

Agula, Tigré. This agrees very well, except that it is

MOLLUSCA. 475

very finely costulate throughout rather than striated.
The measurements are identical.

5. Zonites, sp.

Meshek. A single specimen only. It is very close to

H. egenula, Mor., from Senegal.
6. Vitrina Riippelliana, Pfr.
Syn. V. Darnaudi, Pfr.

Common in Northern Tigré about Takonda, Senafé,
and Adigrat, above 6,000 feet. V. Darnaudi appears
to be only a variety of V. Riippelliana. I obtained both,

and intermediate forms as well.

7. V. Abyssinica, Pfr.

Takonda. I only found this shell once. My speci-
mens are a little more angulate at the periphery than

the type.
8. V. sp. nov.

Ashangi. Found alive abundantly amongst long grass.
The animal is a true Vitrina and not a Helicarion,
having no mucus-pore at the end of the tail.

Two or three specimens found at Lat and Antalo
differ somewhat from this form, but may be varieties
only.

9. Suceinea debilis, Mor.
1S. Pfeiffert, ex Abyssinia, auct.

Ashangi. There are larger specimens in the British
Museum of the same shell, also from Abyssinia, labelled
S. Pfeifferi. It differs, however, from all European forms
of that species by its much smaller spire and larger
mouth.

476 ZOOLOGY.

10. S. amphibia, Drap. var.

Adigrat and Antalo. The mouth is a little rounder
than in European specimens, but there appears to be no
important distinction. sa

11. Bulimus Abyssinicus, Riipp.
Hadoda near Zulla, and Keren in Bogos. I found but

a single specimen in each place.

12. B. Olivieri, Pfr.

Scarce in Tigré. Common further south above 6,000
feet. I found it first near Undul, but it was scarce.
About Ashangi and throughout the Lasta hills it was
the commonest shell met with, and it is the finest and
handsomest land-shell found by me in Abyssinia. A
specimen from the Wadela plateau is greatly elongated.
There is considerable variation in size.

13. Stenogyra gracilis (1) Hutton.

Adabagi, Tigré. A single immature specimen of this
or some closely allied species.

14. Pupa cenopicta, Hutt.
Syn. P. Sennaarensis, Pfr.
P. Senegalensis, Mor.

Meshek. I was surprised at finding this common
Indian shell on the Abyssinian highlands. The speci-
mens were quite indistinguishable from some Indian
examples, and there can, I think, be no question that
the two forms described by Pfeiffer and Morelet are the
same,

MOLLUSC. 477

15. P. sp. nov.

Senafé, Adierat, Agula,and Meshek. A common form
in Tigré. I can find nothing like it described. The
nearest known form is perhaps P. doliolwm.

16, P. fontana(?) Krauss.

Same localities as last, and very abundant. It has a
vertical groove behind the lip, and an indentation corre-
sponding to the lower tooth of the dextral margin,
neither of which is described in the South African shell,
otherwise it agrees admirably.

17, P. sp. nov.
Agula, and near Takonda, Tigré. Very near P. um-
bilicata, Drap., but there is one whorl less and the
aperture is rounder, not being pointed below.

18. Vertigo, sp. nov.
Agula, rare. A small reversed species, of which I found

only two specimens.

19. Clausilia Sennaarensis, Pfr.

Near Lat, south of Ashangi. Only an immature
specimen, but apparently belonging to this species,
was found.

20. Ennea, sp. nov.

Meshek, Ashangi, Lat, Wandaj pass. Nowhere com-
mon. This is allied to EH. crystallum, Mor., but is a
_tauch longer and more slender shell, with fewer whorls.

INDEX.

A.

ABYSSINIAN houses, 59; Abyssinian
indignation meeting at Atala, 73;
scramble for the discarded stores, 96 ;
author’s conversation with an Abys-
sinian, 99; law of blood for blood
among the Abyssinians, 119 ; zoolo-
gical division of, 216, 221.

Acanthodactylus boskianus, 456.

Acanthodactylus mucronatus, 453.

Accipiter unduliventer, 55.

Actitis hypoleucos, 433.

Actitis ochropus, 443.

Aden, 4; sail to, 7b. ; fauna found at,
4, 6; birds shot between Bombay and
Aden, 5; land shells found at, i. ;
rocks of volcanic origin, 5, 193 ; birds
seen at, 6 ; author leaves Aden, 6;
return voyage to, 137.

Adigrat, merch to, 58 ; geology of, 59 ;
Adigrat sandstones, .170.

Adicnemus affinis, 428.

A:dicnemus crepitans, 428.

don galactodes, 380.

Agialitis niveifrons, 429.

Aigialitis tricollaris, 108, 429.

Ena capensis, 65, 416.

pias annectans, 446.
gama cyanogaster, 446.

Agama aunts 449,

Agula, camping-ground at, 64; geology
of, 2b. ; ruins of a church near, 65 ;
scenery of, 7b. ; departure from, 66 ;
oolitic fossils found near, 99.

Aiba valley, 74, 75.

Ajusé, coral island of, reached, 6 ; diffi-
culty of landing on, 7 ; description of
the island, 7b. ; departure from, to
Annesley Bay, 2.

Alauda arenicola, 387.

Alanda cristata, 387.

Alauda pretermissa, 388.

Alaude, 46.

Alcedo semitorquata, 325.

Alluvial deposits near the coast, 194.

Amadina polyzona, 408.

Ammomanes deserti, 390.

Amydrus albirostris, 46, 401.

Amydrus Blythi, 34, 399, 400.

Amydrus Riippelli, 46, 398,

Anatide, family, 437.

Ancylus fluviatilis, 472.

Animals of Abyssinia, principles of
classifying, 214-221.

Annesley Bay, 7, 8; country around
the bay and its fauna, 9-14.

Anseba valley, fauna of, 125.

Antalo limestones, 176; description
of fossils in, 201-203.

Anthus campestris, 46, 383.

Anthus cervinus, 46.

Anthus sordidus, 46.

Aquila rapax, 44, 295.

Ardea comata, 435.

Ardea gularis, 435.

Ardeide, 434,

Ascide, family, 471.

Ashangi, lake of, 77; geology of the
neighbourhood, 7b. ; rear-guard of the
army at, 95; physical geography of,
159.

Atala, valley of, 73; Abyssinian in-
dignation meeting at, 73; scenery
of, 74.

Auriculide, family, 469.

Aviculide, family, 471.

B.

BaRBATULA pusilla, 34, 311.

Bathyergus splendens, 95, 279.

Batrachia, order, 458.

Beni Israel, 29, 31, 268.

Bernicla cyanoptera, 75, 85, 439.

Birds, scarcity of, in the Indian Ocean, 4.

Bombay Harbour, author leaves, for
Abyssinia, 3.

II

482

Boddon lemniscatum, 457.

Bradyornis chocolatina, 45, 95, 346.

Bubo cinerascens, 302.

Bubo lacteus, 302.

Buccinide, 463.

Bucentaur, transport ship, author
leaves Bombay harbour in, for Abys-
sinia, 3.

Bucephalus typus, 458.

Bucorvus abyssinicus, 45, 330.

Budytes campestris, 382.

Budytes cinereocapilla, 381.

Budytes melauocephala, 13, 381.

Bufo pantherinus, 459,

Bulimus labiosus, 5.

Bulimus Olivieri, 95, 476.

Bullide, family, 468.

Buphaga erythrorhyncha, 46, 106, 401,
402.

Buteo augur, 44, 85, 297.
Buya, camp at, 69.
Bythinia, species nova, 472.

Cc.

CALANDRELLA Anderssoni, 389.
Calandrella brachydactyla, 12, 46, 389.
Camaroptera brevicaudata, 376.
Canis mesomelas, 237.

Canis variegatus, 44, 238.
Capitonide, family, 309.
Caprimulgide, family, 336.
Caprimulgus inornatus, 337.
Caprimulgus nubicus, 336.
Caprimulgus tristigma, 337.
Cardiade, 470.

Carnivora, order, 226.

Centropus monachus, 68, 314.
Centropus superciliosus, 315.
Cephalophus madoqua, 68, 93, 267.
Cercomela melanura, 13.
Cercopithecus griseo-viridis, 224.
Cercotrichas erythropterus, 13, 360.
Cerithiide, 466.

Cerithiopside, 466.

Certhilauda desertorum, 12, 385.
Ceryle rudis, 325.

Chamelio levigatus, 128, 445.
Chamidee, 470.

Cheiroptera, order, 226.
Chelidon urbica, 249.

Chelitropis found at Aden, 4.
Chenalopex egyptica, 46, 94, 438.
Chettusia melanoptera, 46.
Chitonide, 468.

Chizaeris zonura, 316.
Chrysococcyx cupreus, 120, 313.
Chrysococcyx Klaasi, 314.

INDEX.

Churches, Abyssinian, 49.

Ciconia abdimii, 436.

Ciconide, family, 436.

Cinixys belliana, 128, 444.

Circus zruginosus, 301.

Circus cineraceus, 68, 301.

Circus Swainsoni, 68, 301.

Cisticola habessinica, 376.

Clausilia Sennaarensis, 477.

Climate of Abyssinia, 138.

Coliide, family, 317.

Colius leucotis, 56.

Colius macrourus, 318. ‘

Coliuspasser flavi-scapulatus, 407.

Coliuspasser laticauda, 405.

Columba albitorques, 46, 416.

Columba guinea, 46.

Conide, 465.

Coracias abyssinica, 95, 115, 319.

Coracias pilosa, 319.

— formation of Red Sea coast,
195.

Corbulide, 469.

Corvide, family, 393.

Corvultur, 58, 394.

Corvultur crassirostris, 85.

Corvus affinis, 28, 127.

Corvus scapulatus, 13, 86, 393.

Corythornis cyanostigma, 324.

Cossypha semirufa, 360.

Cotyle cincta, 95, 349.

Cotyle minor, 350.

Cotyle rupestris, 350.

Crateropide, 370.

Crateropus leucocephalus, 113, 372.

Crateropus leucopygius, 28, 145, 371.

Crithagra flavivertex, 414,

Crithagra nigriceps, 85.

Crithagra striolata, 46, 418..

Cuculide, family, 312.

Cuculus canorus, 312.

Cynocephalus hamadryas, 125.

Cypreide, 466.

Cypselide, family, 334.

Cypselus affinis, 335, 393.

Cypselus apus, 335.

Cypselus equatorialis, 45, 335.

D.

DasyPpE ris abyssinicus, 457.

Denudation (in Geology), 154, 160.

Dicrurus divaricatus, 28, 109, 344.

Dildi, march to, 81; character of its
valleys, <b. ; camp at, <b.

Dipus gerbillus, 284.

Dissi, island of, at entrance to Annesley
Bay, composed of metamorphics, 19.

4

‘

INDEX.

Dolo, camping-ground at, 66; tele-
graph put up at, 67.

Dongolo, valley of, 63.

Dorcas gazelle, 14.

Dromas ardeola, 13, 142.

Drymeea gracilis, 373.

Drymeca mystacea, 373.

Drymeca pulchella, 374.

Drymece, 12, 45.

E.

Ecurs arenicola, 15, 457.
Elephants, wild, 115, 116.
Emberiza flaviventris, 411.
Eremomela griseoflava, 355.
Estrelda minima, 46, 409.
Estrelda phenicotis, 409.
Estrelda quartinia, 409.
Estrelda rhodopyga, 13, 408.
Eudromias asiaticus, 429.
Eulimide, 465.

Euplectes xanthomelas, 82, 93, 95, 405.
Eupressis Peronellii, 456.
Eupressis quinqueteniatus, 456.
Eurystomus afer, 320.

F.

Fatco barbarus, 288.

Falco sacer, 289.

Falco tanypterus, 93, 289.

Falco tinnunculus, 290.

Felis caligata, 228.

Felis leo, 230.

Felis maniculata, 14, 226.

Ferra pass, 75 ; geology of, 76.

Finches, 128.

Fissurellide, 468.

Fokada, author’s journey to, 56 ; geo-
logy and fauna of, 57, 58 ; camp at,
58.

Formations, geological, list of, 162;
recent formations, 194.

-Fossils, description of the new species
from the Antalo limestone, 199-
203. °

Francolinus Erkelii, 28, 31, 46, 82,
423,

Francolinus gutturalis, 46, 425.

Francolinus Riippelli, 46, 425.

Fregilus graculus, 395.

Fringilla tristriata, 413.

Fringilla xanthopygia, 413.

Fringillide, family, 403.

Fulica cristata, 94.

Fuligula cristata, 94, 434, 437.

483

G.

GALERITA cristata, 12.

Gallinula chloropus, 94, 434,

Gasteropoda, 462.

Gastrochenide, 469.

Gate of Weeping, the, 6.

Gazella Bennetti, 15.

Gazella Semmeringii, 11, 16, 112, 260.

Gazelle, the Dorcas, 14, 261. °

Gemitores, order, 415. ;

Genetta tigrina, 233.

Geological formations, list of, 62.

Geology of Abyssinia, 148-203; la-
bours of previous observers, 143-150 ;
physical geography of Abyssinia, and
its relations to geology, 151.

George, Saint, patron saint of Abys-
sinia, 49.

Glareola pratincola, 421.

Gongylus ocellatus, 456.

Graculus africanus, 94, 441.

Graminicola erythrogenys, 375.

Graminicola Le Vaillantii, 375.

Graminicola robusta, 375.

Grandala leucogaster, 367.

Greek ruins, 49; Greek temple near
Agula, 65.

Guinea-fowl Plain, 29.

Guna Guna, valley of, 55; scenery of,
56; geology of, 7b.

Gyogeranus serpentarius, 297.

Gypaétos barbatus, 44, 298.

Gypaétos meridionalis, 25, 44.

Gyps Riippelli, 44, 285.

H.

HapopA, author rides over to, from
Zulla camp, 15; trees and fauna
met with on the journey, 7b. ; the
camp at, described, 16 ; baboons at,
17; geology of, 17, 18 ; rare squirrel,
Pectinator Spekei, 18.

Halai, 49 ; geology of, 50-53.

Halcyonide, 322.

Halcyon semicerulea, 322.

Halcyon senegalensis, 323,

Harat hills, 58.

Harpiprion carunculata, 85.

Helix Darnaudi, &c., 474.

Helix pisana, 69.

Helotarsus ecaudatus, 44, 296.

Herodius garzetta, 485.

Herpestes mutgigella, 48, 234.

Heteropoda, class of Mollusca, 462,

Hirundinide, family, 346.

Hirundo ethiopica, 347.

484

Hirundo alpestris, 346.
Hirundo melanocrissus, 346.
Hirundo puella, 346.

Hirundo ruficeps, 348,
Hirundo rustica, 347.
Homalosoma lutrix, 458.
Hoplopterus spinosus, 95, 109, 431.
Huts, Bedouin, described, 111.
Hyena crocuta, 14, 235.
Hyena striata, 14,

Hyenas, 58.

Hyphantornis galbula, 13, 404.
Hyphantornis Guerini, 46.
Hyphantornis larvata, 403.
Hyphantornis luteola, 404.
Hyphantornis melanotis, 403.
Hypolais elaica, 380.
Hypolais languida, 379.
Hypotriorchis concolor, 93.
Hyrax abyssinicus, 249,
Hyrax Brucei, 43, 252.
Hyrax ? species nova, 257.

I.

Ianruina, three species of, found at
Aden, 4.

Ibis carunculata, 95, 437.

Ibis comata, 97, 436.

Ibis Harpiprion, 46.

Indian Ocean, scarcity of birds in, 4.

Indicatoride, family, 307.

Indicator minor, 307.

Indicator Sparmanni, 307.

Insessores, order, 305.

Irisor aterrimus, 334.

Trisor erythrorhynchus, 45, 109, 332.

Ispidina picta, 323. .

J.

JACKALS, found at Zulla or Malkatto,
14; probably the Canis riparius of
Hemprich and Ehrenberg, 7d.

Jitta ravine, 87 ; geology of, 88.

K.

Keriiiapa, 470.

Keren, visit to, 123.

Kokai, 115 ; wild elephants at, 2d.

Kolqual, rare plant, found at Mayen,
29

Komayli, author’s ride over to, from
Hadoda, 21; wells dug there, 21,
22; geology of, 23; roads made
there, 24; people of, 25; their cha-
racter, 2b. ; and food, 2b. ; fauna of,
25,38 ; two days’ stay at, 38; heavy
fall of rain at, 2d,

INDEX.

L.

Lacerta samharica, 449.

Lacerta Sturti, 452.

Lamellibranchiata, 469.

Lamprocolius chalybeus, 57, 64, 95,
109, 395, 396.

Lamprocolius chrysogaster, 128, 397.

Lamprotornis, 46.

Lamprotornis purpuroptera, 128, 397.

Land shells, 33.

Laniade, family, 337.

Laniarius cruentatus, 13.

Laniarius erythropterus, 45, 343,

Lanius collurio, 340.

Lanius cruentus, 342.

Lanius fallax, 337.

Lanius gambensis, 342.

Lanius humeralis, 45, 338.

Lanius isabellinus, 12, 339.

Lanius lahtora, 12.

Lanius rufus, 340.

Laride, 440.

Larus fuscus, 18, 440.

Larus Hemprichii, 13, 441.

Larus leucophthalmus, 13, 441.

Lebka valley, the march through, 113.

Lepus egypticus, 10, 275.

Lepus tigrensis, 126, 274.

Limestones of Antalo, 176, 180.

Lioness shot, 133.

Littorinide, 467.

Lobivanellus melanocephalus, 85, 93,
430.

Lobivanellus senegalus, 431.

Lucinide, 470.

Lymnea Natalensis, 472.

M.

Maccintivraya found at Aden, 4, }
Macronyx flavicollis, 85, 93, 384.
Mactride, 469.

Magdala, arrival before, 89; pronun-
ciation of the word, 2b. ; geology of
the neighbourhood, 90 ; camp at, 18, ;
author departs from, 92.

. Mai Wahiz, 60 ; camping-ground at, 2b. ;
geology of, 60, 63.

Malacocercus, 373.

Malkatto, see Zulla.

Mammalia, 221-284,

Margenellide, family of Mollusca, 464.

Masagita, Cee eramnn at, 78.

Mayen or Undul Wells, 28; fauna of,
28, 29, 34 ; exploration of the Undul
Valley, 30; search for springs, 33.

Melania tuberculata, 472,

INDEX. 485

Melierax polyzonus, 291. Olivide, 464.

Meliphagide, family, 354. Oolitic fossils found near Agula, 99.
Merops albicollis, 321. Ophidia, order, 457.

Merops erythropterus, 321. Opisthobranchiata, 468.

Merops Lafresnayi, 28, 322. Oryx beisa, 113; one shot, 135;
Merops nubicus, 13, 321. scarcity of, 135, 262.

Merops superciliosus, 321. Oryx leucoryx, 136.

Merops viridissimus, 13, 320. Oreotragus saltatrix, 265.

Meshek, scenery and geology of, 71. Oriolide, 369.

Metamorphics, 164-169. Oriolus monacha, 369.

Milvide, 464. Ostreide, 471.

Milvus zgyptius, 44, 300. Otis Arabs, 10, 109, 427.

Milvus migrans, 13, 44, 300. Otis aurita, 69.

Mollusca, 462. Otis melanogaster, 57, 427.

Mollusca, oceanic, 462; marine, ob- Otis Rhaad, 46.
tained from Annesley Bay, 463; Oxylophus afer, 312.
freshwater, 472 ; land, 473.

Motacilla alba, 13, 380.

Motacilla sulphurea, 381. Dee
ini 2 283.
be Pidieueery hee ee PACHYDERMATA, order, 241.
Mus? species, 284. Paleornis torquatus, 305.
Mytilide, 470. Paride, family, 356.
Parus leuconatus, 356.
N Parus leucopterus, 356.

Passer canicapillus, 412.

Passer pyrgita, 413. |

Naratorss, 437. Passer Swainsoni, 46, 109, 128, 411.
Naticide, family of Mollusca, 464. Passeres, sub-order, 337.
Nectarinia, 13. _ Patellide, 468.

Nectarinia affinis, 45, 351, Pectinator Spekei, 18, 281.
Nectarinia cruentata, 45. Pelicanide, family, 442.

Nectarinia habessinica, 351. Pelicanus phillipensis, 442,

Nectarinia Jardinii, 352. Pelomedusa gehafie, 444,
Nectarinia metallica, 353. Perdicide, 423.

Nectarinia pulchella, 354. Peristera afra, 108, 417.
Nectarinia Tacazze, 45, 82, 352. Petrocincla cyanea, 357.
Nectarinide, family, 351. Petrocincla rufo-cinerea, 358.

Neophron percnopterus, 18, 287. Petrocincla saxatilis, 358.
Neophron pileatus, 13, 287. Phacocherus liani, or wart-hog, 10,
Neotragus saltianus, 11, 125, 268. 241, 249.
Neritide, 467. Phaetonide, family, 441.
Nilaus brubru, 108, 344. Phylloscopus abyssinicus, 378.
Nisus badius, 114. Phylloscopus umbrovirens, 378.
Nisus niger, 119, 293. Physa contorta, 472.
Nisus niloticus, 108, 292. Pice, sub-order, 305,
Nisus sphenurus, 114, 294. Picide, family, 305.
Nisus tachiro, 291. Picus Hemprichii, 34, 306.
Numenius arquatus, 432. Picus nubicus, 34, 305.
Numenius pheopus, 432. Pionus Meyeri, 114, 304.
Numida ptilorhyncha, 10, 46, 421. Pisces, class, 460.
Numididez, 421. _ Planaxide, 467.
Planorbis Riippelli, 472.
0. Platysteira pririt, 45, 345.
Podiceps auritus, 440.
OssrDIAN, flakes of, 197. Podiceps cristatus, 94, 440.
Olide, 427. Podiceps minor, 440.

Oligocercus micrurus, 35, 376. Pognorhynchus abyssinicus, 309.

486

\

Pognorhynchus melanocephalos, 310.
Pognorhynchus undatus, 45, 310.
Pratincola Hemprichii, 364.
Pratincola pastor, 364.

Pratincola rubicola, 364,

Pratincola semitorquata, 95, 365.
Pratincola sordida, 82, 98, 366.
Psalidoprocne pristoptera, 78, 349.
Psamnophis sibilans, 128.

Psittacula Tarante, 304.

Pternistes rubricollis, 10, 16, 109, 426.

Pterocles exustus, 419.
Pterocles gutturalis, 64.
Pterocles Lichtensteinii, 11, 419, 421.
Pteroclide, 419.

Pteropida, 462.

Pulmonifera, 469.

Pupa insularis, 5.

Pupz Senegalensis, &c., 476.
Purpuride, 464.

Pycnonotide, 369.

Pycnonotus arsinvé, 16, 45, 369.
Pyrrhulauda albifrons, 391.
Pyrrhulauda melanauchen, 390.
Pytelia citerior, 13, 410.

Q *

QUADRUMANA, order, 222.
Quelea ethiopica, 108, 405.
Querquedula crecca, 438,

R.

RAHAGUDDY, camping-ground at, 35.
Rallus Rougeti, 68, 94, 433.

Rana madagascariensis, 458. *‘
Raptorial birds, 126.

Rasores, 419.

Religions of Abyssinia, 118, 119.
Reptilia, class, 445.

Rhinoceros’ hunt, 121.

Rhizomys, 95.

Rhynchea bengalensis, 432.
Rissoide, 467.

Rocks, volcanic, at Aden, 190-193.
Rodentia, order, 273.

Romanos, Saint, his shrine, 55.
Ruminantia, 260; domestic, 272.

8.
SALT used as small change, 67.

Sandstones of Adigrat, 170-175.
Sarciophorus tectus, 11, 128, 430.

INDEX.

:

Sauria, order, 445.

Saxicola znanthe, 46, 361.

Saxicola frenata, 85, 98, 361.

Saxicola isabellina, 45, 361.

Saxicola lugens, 45, 363.

Saxicola lugubris, 46, 363.

Saxicola melanura, 363.

Scolopacide, family, 439.

Scopophorus montanus, 68.

Scops senegalensis, 303,

Senafé, 35; fauna of, 35, 438; geology
of, 35,'39, 55; weather at, 37;
people of, 47.

Serinus cintrinelloides, 414.

Serinus nigriceps, 415.

Shells, land, 33.

Shohos, robbery committed by, 26;
Shoho village, 32.

Sinusigera, 4.

Snakes, 128.

Soils of the Abyssinian highlands, 196.

Solaride, 465.

Spondylide, 471.

‘Stellio cyanogaster, 56.

Stenogyra gracilis, 476.

Strepsiceros Kudu, 270.

Strombide, 465.

Sturnide, 395.

Succinea, 475, 476.

Suru pass, 26; flood at, 27; camp at
Suru, 2b. ; fauna of, 28.

Sylvia cinerea, 379.

Sylvia melanocephala, 379.

Sylviade, 376.

TAKONDA, 53.

Tantalide, 436.

Taranta pass, 47.

Tchitrea melanogastra, 344.
Telegraph set up at Dolo, 67.
Tellinide, 469.

Terebride, 465.

Terekia cinerea, 433.

Thamnolea albiscapulata, 360.
Tockus erythrorhynchus, 16, 108, 328.
Tockus flavirostris, 28, 45, 326, 329.
Tockus Hemprichii, 45, 327.

Tockus nasutus, 113, 329.
Trachyphonus margaritatus, 16, 311.
Trappean series, 181.

Tringe, 433. :

Tritonide, family of Mollusca, 463.
Trochide, 467

Turacus leucotis, 316.

Turbinide, 468.

Turdus olivacinus, 45, 95, 357.

Turdus simensis, 45, 357.
Turtur lugens, 46, 416.
Turtur semitorquatus, 416.
Turtur senegalensis, 417.

U.

Unpvt Wells, see Mayen.

Ve

VARANUS ocellatus, 445.
Veneride, 470.
Vespertilio, 226.

Vidua serena, 128, 408.
Vidua sphenura, 407.

Volcanic rocks at Aden, 5, 190.

INDEX. 487

Ww.
Wave a plateau, fauna of, 85.
Wandaj pass, 83.
Wells, 21-22, 23, 28, 37.

x.

XeErvs leuco-umbrinus, 44, 279.
Xerus rutilus, 26.

Z.

ZONITES, 475.

Zoology of Abyssinia, its bibliography,
208-213. :

Zosterops abyssinica, 355.

Zosterops poligastra, 354.

Zulla or Malkatto, camp at, 8, 37; vol-
canic character of hills at, ib. ; excur-
sion from, 9 ; fauna of, 12-15.

THE END.

LONDON :
4. CLAY, SONS, AND TAYLOR, PRINTERS,
BREAD STREET HILL.

CONTENTS.

PART IL
PAGE
PERSONAL NARRATIVE 2. 1 1 ee eee ee oo 1
PART IT.
GEOLOGY.
INTRODUCTION co ea ke ee BA So Ger oO a, a Ge
SECTION
I—Physical Geography of Abyssinia, and its Relations to the
Geology, with Remarks on Denudation and on Lake
Ashangi. . gene = ap ae ee lakh a tg. Mel Sag
II.—List of Geological Formations. . . . . . . . +. . « 162
III.—Metamorphics . . . Stes BCRP Bie tee ae, ee. SECS
IV.—Adigrat Sandstones . . ©. we ee ee ee ee 170
V.—Antalo Limestones . . . 1. 1 we ee ee ew we 196
VI.—Trappean Series BS ae Be aR Sk. eS ee eI
VIL—Aden Series of Voleanic Rocks . . . . . . . ss. . 190
VIII.—Recent Formations . ... - bode Re ee) @ oad GOS
AppeNnDIx.—Descriptions of the New Species of Fossils from the
Antalo Limestone . . - + s+ + ee ee ee ee 199

ae

prea vy
feta
oa Sat

ie
yey

i
i

f
ey
Hee i
PC Adee
Cite
iit

feds bead
a i
J Stans

oe ASAP aaa)
Fe A WL