146 Journal of Travel and Natural History 



HEUGLIN'S ''REISE NACH ABESSINIEN." * 



WHEN we turned over the leaves of this book the other day, 

 in Messrs WilHams and Norgate's back-shop, and saw 

 them plentifully besprinkled with the scientific names of plants 

 and animals, we thought we had got a prize, and, clutching it under 

 our arm, made off with it to feast in private. Arrived at home, we 

 ensconced ourselves in our sanctum, paper-cutter in hand, and 

 prepared for enjoyment — 



" Shut, shut the door, good John, we said, 

 Tie up the knocker, say we're sick, we're dead." 



According to rule we should have been disappointed, for it is in 

 the nature of things that all enjoyments should be greater in 

 anticipation than in reality ; and in one sense this book is no 

 exception to the rule, for we found the rather prominent display 

 of scientific names which attracted us at first wholly without 

 arrangement, and of little novelty ; but, on the other hand, the 

 reader will see that some of the facts mentioned by Von Heuglin 

 furnish very interesting subjects for meditation and speculation, 

 although he has not worked them out for us. 



In one respect indeed, and for one set of people and one pur- 

 pose, there is no room for disappointment. By those visiting the 

 country, as for instance the officers of the British army, it will be 

 found of much value. Von Heuglin followed a route nearly 

 parallel to that taken by the present expedition in its advance 

 on Magdala, and until he reached that stronghold almost every 

 step that he took will be found traced in his diary — every 

 watering-place, every stoppage, and the time taken between each 

 marked ; every cluster of huts and every church recorded, and 

 the height of almost every mountain range determined. In 

 fact, in this book the topographical department has a portion 

 of the work done to its hand, which, if it had had the oppor- 



* Reisc nach Abcssinien — den Gala Landern est Sudan und Chartum in den 

 Jahren 1861 und 1862. Von M. Th. von Ikuylin. Jena : 1868. 



