480 Mr. D, A. Bannerman on the 



On April 23rd one of the Buea hunters arrived to help 

 me finish the collecting here, especially to try and obtain a 

 rare Francolin which seems to keep entirely to the forest 

 growth above our camp. Often towards sundown we hear 

 its loud ci'y in some steep valley above us. I feel convinced 

 the bird is different from that found above Buea. 



April 24th. — The hunter left early .... and came back 

 about midday with the bush-fowl I wanted. It is a remark- 

 able species, and I think will be new to science*. In the 

 meantime the men are making a path with the idea of 

 reaching the small Cameroon Peak. The path runs along 

 the edge of the forest-growth before the grass is reached. 



The collecting is going on well. Several of the Fernando 

 Po species, or, I hope, their near allies, have turned up ... . 

 and within the last day or two I have, as it were, struck a 

 new vein in bird-life here, and that is in the forest at an 

 altitude of about 4000 feet. As soon as the road to the 

 small hill is made, I shall leave Miissarka and make a camp 

 in the forest to work the ground at this altitude. 



On April 26th, the road having been finished, Jose and I 

 started for the small hill, which we reached after a climb 

 of an hour and forty minutes. I shall have to give up the 

 idea of exploring the smaller Cameroon Peak ; it is too far. 



At the top of the hill we obtained a fine view of the 

 Fernando Po Peak — my aneroid registered 8000 feet. 



[Here follows an account of the great eruption of Came- 

 roon Mountain in April 1909, which has already been 

 published in the Journal of the Royal Geographical Society.] 

 Alexander continues : — 



It was extremely fortunate that our work was practically 

 finished when the earthquake happened, and I mean to 

 leave now for Bituti, a small village about two hours from 

 Victoria, so that Jose can go down and send off the collections 

 by an English steamer. 



On May 7th left for Buea, and on the 9th shifted our 

 camp close to the edge of the forest. ... To the south 



* This proved to be the case. It has been named Francolinus came- 

 runensis Alex. See p. 481. 



