504 The last Journal of W. A. Forbes. 



Aug. 17tli. Passed Osomari, Alenso, Atani^ and about 

 noon got to Abutsclii. In morning, just above Osomari, met 

 Captain Macintosh in the ' Jessie ' from Lukoja. He came 

 on board for a few minutes and went on to Akassa. Abut- 

 schi is about 270 miles by river from Akassa, a little way 

 below Onitschi, on the left bank of the river. Caught a few 

 butterflies about the steamer on landing at factory, and in 

 afternoon went down to a large sand-bank with Captain D. 

 Macintosh and succeeded in shooting a hippopotamus from 

 the bank. He sank, but his body could not be found, though 

 we sent a boat and boys to Avatch for its rising. I shot a Gla- 

 reola cinerea (legs and base of beak bright red), a Hyphantor- 

 nis personatus, male, and one of another species (eyes orange- 

 brown) which was nesting on the acacia-bushes on the bank. 

 The nests are of grass, nearly circular, of the size of one's 

 two fists, with the aperture vertical to one side. An egg 

 was bluish green, thickly freckled with red -brown blotches, 

 forming a zone round larger pole. Captain D. Macintosh also 

 shot a Rhynchops for me ; we had seen large flocks of it on 

 the banks coming up. When settled on the ground looks 

 peculiarly small. Saw also Corvus curvirostris , which has a 

 caw like our Crow. 



Aug. 18tli. At Abutschi. Captain D. Macintosh out 

 shooting in the morning and brought me in six or seven 

 birds, including a nice Centropus and a Pogonias. Caught a 

 most peculiar pale glaucous-green Homopteron in garden, 

 flying about amongst shrubs, like a Geometer, which it was, 

 I thought, till I pinned it. In evening shot two Euplectes 

 flammiceps, these and Vidua macrocerca being very common 

 in grass-lands behind factory amongst their plantations. 



Aug. 19th. Went out in morning with young Macintosh 

 along bank. Shot thirty of the orange-headed Hyphantornis, 

 an Estrelda, and a Pluvianus (Egypticus, of which I had seen 

 plenty before (bill black, eyes dark brown, legs beautiful 

 pale greyish blue, claws black). Started to get ready for 

 Onitschi ; but a heavy shower came on just after we 

 started, so Greenshields and I turned back, Ashbury going 

 on. After lunch at Abutschi on ' King Massaba' we went 



