Birds from the White Nile. 395 



British officers. "When we returned to the boats we found 

 that most of the crew and several of our servants were 

 away ; but having at last retrieved them^ all in a more or 

 less intoxicated condition, we once more set sail for the 

 south. Next day we landed on Abba Island, which is about 

 30 miles long and well-wooded. We saw so many birds 

 there that I determined to collect them on my return, but 

 was prevented from doing so, many of my men being down 

 with fever. On the 10th we stopped near Jebel Ain, one of 

 the few hills which relieve the monotony of the White Nile 

 scenery. The peaks rise abruptly from the plain and are 

 formed of granite. We climbed up the largest hill, and, 

 in doing so, saw a great many Guinea-fowl [Numida ptilo- 

 rliyncha), while from the top Ave had a good view of the 

 surrounding country, which was densely covered with acacia 

 as far as we could see. Here we observed several herds of 

 gazelles [Gazella rufifrons). 



Several miles south of Jebel Ain we saw the tracks of 

 elephants, which evidently came to the river to drink. On 

 the 14th we arrived opposite Jebel Ahmed-Agha, another 

 granite hill, and here one of the crew died. He had caught 

 a chill after a too liberal bout of merissa at El-Kawa and 

 contracted pneumonia. The native treatment finished him. 



There was much wailing at his death, and the rias asked 

 for cloth to bury him in, though he had plenty himself. 

 A shallow trench sufficed for the grave, and the poor fellow's 

 body was buried half an hour after he died. Next day we 

 stopped at the camp of Lord St. Oswald and Mr. Willie 

 James, the latter a well-known traveller in North-east Africa. 

 They had had very little sport, and, unluckily, just after we 

 left them, Mr. James contracted dysentery and was obliged 

 to return to Khartum. 



South of Jebel Ahmed-Agha big game was plentiful, and 

 we saw buffalo, lion, roan antelope, waterbuck, and giraffe. 

 We arrived at Kaka on the 21th, and met the Swedish 

 Expedition under Dr. Jaegerskiold, They were collecting 

 in all branches of zoology, the doctor being chiefly interested 

 in parasites. Dr. Innes, of the Cairo Medical School, was 



