202 Mr. A. J. Cholmley ofi the Birds of 



AYorn crushing-stones scattered about, and the remains of 

 stone-built houses and furnaces. There were hardly any 

 birds in this region — a few black-and-white Wheatears, and a 

 small bird, black with a white tail, which was very wild, and 

 which 1 failed to get. I think, from its habit, it was a 

 Saxicola. 



As we got near to Mount Erba the country improved 

 much ; there were large bushes of arrack, ten feet high and 

 several yards across, with bright green fleshy leaves, with a 

 very foxy smell, and trees of dififerent kinds, in the valleys. 

 This country was about 3000 feet above the sea, and the nights 

 were very cold. Wadi Kour was very fine ; Mount Erba, 

 8000 feet high, was right in front, looking pale pinkish- 

 purple in the sunlight. We passed through narrow valleys 

 with high rocky cliifs on each side, in some places covered 

 with huge stones, where we had to dismount and lead the 

 camels. Our destination was a place called Sellalat, where 

 we had been promised by Sheikh Ali Hamet that we should 

 find an oasis with large trees, green grass, and running water. 

 When we arrived there we found no trees, no grass, and no 

 lunning water — nothing but a waste of drifting sand and a 

 well of dirty water. It was a great disappointment. We 

 were taken to see some " antiquas,^^ about eight miles from 

 Sellalat, which consisted of some large rocks covered with 

 very ancient drawings of camels, elephants, and gazelles, 

 mixed up with religious symbols. After leaving this we 

 passed round the end of the Erba range and got into Wadi 

 Ambaya and Wadi Kukut on the east side of the mountain. 

 In Kukut there was a pair of the Abyssinian Raven, looking 

 very quaint with their broad wings and short tails; they 

 were not nearly so tame as the Brown-necked Raven that we 

 had met with before. 



We stayed only three days in these two wadis. It was very 

 hot there, the valleys being narrow with high rocks at the 

 sides, which got so hot that they could scarcely be touched 

 with the bare hand. There was a good deal of both bird and 

 insect life, the water-supply lasting the whole year, and much 

 might have been done here with more time. 



