MUSEUMS. I 



in Sokotra, the most remarkable botanical discovery of the expedi- 

 tion. The new species of birds, Passer hemileucus and Motacilla 

 forwoodi, only slightly differentiated from species occurring both 

 in Sokotra and Somaliland, indicate the comparatively recent separa- 

 tion of Abd-el-Kuri from the mainland. The geological structure 

 of the island was found to present many points of similarity to that 

 of Sokotra. It has suffered great denudation, however, for the 

 limestone, which is of both Cretaceous and Tertiary age, has dis- 

 appeared everywhere except on one or two summits. Volcanic rocks 

 abound, and from the high peak — 1,750 feet in height — overlooking 

 the anchorage they resembled a number of papillae rising from a 

 desert of sand. The island has but few inhabitants, who are very 

 poor and miserably housed. Some of them are fishers and divers 

 for pearl-shells. Numerous chelonian carapaces strewn about near 

 their huts indicated that the Hawk's-bill turtle was a common fre- 

 quenter of their coasts. The most notable feature of the vegetation 

 was the absence of those characteristic plants of Sokotra,the Dragons 

 blood {Draccena), Myrrh (Bal samodendron), and Frankincense {Bos- 

 well ut) trees, though Abd-el-Kuri lies nearer to the African coast 

 than the main island. The Geological collections, therefore, show 

 that the whole of it was submerged at a time when Sokotra was 

 probably a land area. The poverty of the fauna and flora of the 

 island is, therefore, in agreement with its geological history. 



On December 6th the El plan done left Abd-el-Kuri, and on the 

 7th anchored off Hadilnr, the capital of Sokotra. On the Sth the 

 Director, accompanied by the commander of the El jihin stone, landed 

 and was received by the Sultan, to whom he presented letters of 

 recommendation from the Government, and readily received permis- 

 sion for the expedition to visit all parts of the island. The next day 

 the party went ashore and camped in the mountain-girt plain in 

 which Hadibu stands. A week was spent there investigating the 

 northern slopes of the Haghier Mountains. On the 18th of the 

 month the camp was moved to Dahamis, at an elevation 

 of 1,500 feet, where all the European members of the 

 Expedition were unfortunately very soon laid down 

 by a pernicious form of malaria. On the 26th, however, 

 it was decided to move to Kamahanu, a hill in the Garieh 



