The last Journal of W. A. Forbes. 529 



fifteen, and is awfully active, incessantly in motion. Got my 

 tenth Polyptenis (undamaged) from fishermen in marshes. 

 About 10 p.m., as Greenshields and I were sitting in piazza, 

 "with lamp, a snake's head appeared above low parapet-wall 

 separating piazza from factory, and disappeared again di- 

 rectly. I saw it, and going out killed (in three shots from 

 16-bore) — a good deal damaging it — a fine puff-adder, 4i 

 inches long. On dissection it turned out a female full of 

 eggs, but witli empty stomach. Shonga cannot be con- 

 sidered exhausted as regards birds, as to-day I have got 

 eight new species, six of which I had not even seen before. 

 Have been here eight weeks, and have got or seen about 

 105 birds. 



Nov. 30th. Not out in morning, but put spirit-specimens 

 in order. Got some fish from Suma ( = Sheedi), a black 

 Osteoglossum (?), a Percine form, and a silvery Clupeoid 

 with ventral and anal fins slightly tinged, with lower lobe of 

 caudal entirely bright red (? same as got at Lukoja). In 

 evening went down creek, but only got a MeUerax (has not 

 this bird lumbar powder-doAvns ?), beautifully shot. Had a 

 shot at Macrodipteryx ; of course saw, but did not get, the 

 big Ceryle. 



Dec. 1st. Down to palm-groves, but unlucky ; only got 

 one new species, Estrelda subflava, a Euplectes franciscanus 

 in moult, and another of the doubtful Ploceus. Saw little 

 else, except a flock of five Colius (one of which I might, if not 

 short-sighted, have got), Crithagra, Agapornh, &&. Got 

 five fishes from natives — two Siluroids (new species : of the 

 silvery form which has lower lobe of tail reddish, and one 

 very heavily armoured), a Polypterus, and two banded- 

 tailed Percoids. The natives have an idea that the esrffs of 

 the puff-adder (Edou-Tappa-Nupi-Ai'ka-Yagi = Yoruba)' pro- 

 duce Polypterus. Got a lot of eggs of a very large Teleostean 

 (? Siluroid), full of yolk (size and colour of a large white-heart 

 cherry), with small very vascular area, pellucid above, in 

 which lie well- developed and active l|-inch embryos, with 

 perfect black conspicuous eyes and limbs, extracted from 

 uterus : natives say eggs grow to twice size before hatching : 



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