510 The last Journal of W. A. Forbes. 



and others, also Euplectes franciscanus, Spermesies cucullata, 

 and Vidua principalis, as also Passer simplex, the first and 

 last in numbers ; also one Ciconia episcopus, a long-tailed 

 Pigeon, a Woodpecker, &c. The country is flat, with corn- 

 (? Guinea) fields and grassy lands, with 10- or 12-feet high 

 termite- hills of red clay, everywhere interspersed with small 

 trees ; no thick bush or big trees anywhere. The town is like 

 other towns here, surrounded by a mud wall, Avitli regular 

 gate of square shape, and beehive-roofed circular huts, the 

 entrance-gate with tw^o facing doors, enclosed in a palm 

 or wicker fence. People (Mahometan) usually clothed in 

 white or blue cloth. King tributary to Sokoto. Some 

 higher land visible to south beyond left bank of river, 

 here perhaps twice as broad as the Thames at Westminster 

 and with a strong current. Ivory comes from Ademawa 

 country, thirty days off. 



Aug. 31st. Left Loko about 9, and going down Binuc 

 rapidly reached Lukoja about 5. Saw a few Plectropterus on 

 banks of river, and a pair of Balearica. The Neophron very 

 abundant at Loko. Took up our quarters in old factory. 



Sept. 1st. Looking after things in factory, not much 

 done. Caught a Bat and a Gecko in house, the former 

 escaped. Curious ants^ nest in mango-tree in factory com- 

 pound, with the leaves all spun together with abundance of 

 silk. Got female and workers. Male much smaller than 

 latter. 



Sept. 2nd. In morning shot an Emberiza {?forbesi), a 

 couple of male Nectarinia putchella, a Lagonosticta, and a 

 Motacilla. Afterwards went down to old factory and into 

 bush on hill, catching a few butterflies &c. Ashbury photo- 

 graphed M and natives. Got some fish, three species — 



a Clupeoid and a broad Cyprinoid, both with red fins, and a 

 Percine form. Native dance by men — flowing garments, 

 baggy trousers, and tobes. Got an antelope^s head from 

 chief, shot here two days ago, apparently Alcelaphus tora. 



Sept. 3rd. Out shooting in morning and got a new 

 species, an Ortygospiza, a Corythornis, an Elminia ?, and a 

 Platystira ; also Estrehla melpoda and the Sa.ricola. Saw 



