580 The last Journal of W. A. Forbes. 



adult has smooth tliick skiu, of dull silvery colour; across 

 middle of body (in transverse section) 10 inches. In after- 

 noon got a small black snake in stable, coiled up beneath 

 lumber. Took some photographs of beach and natives in 

 afternoon, and afterwards went down creek, shooting a couple 

 of Elminia longicauda in bush. Got a few small fish from 

 native boys, including a nice little Polypterus and the young 

 (of several sizes) of a curious suctorial-mouthed form. This 

 grows to about 18 inches. Felt feverish in evening, and had 

 a wretched night, not getting any sleep after 12. 



Dec. 2nd. Felt seedy, and did not go out in consequence 

 all day. Got a good Polypterus, and in evening a large spe- 

 cimen of the silvery Siluroid (with very long upper tentacle) 

 and an adult of the banded-finned Percoid. Shuma brought 

 in for inspection a mutilated and much-contracted skin of a 

 Viverra, apparently V. civelta, thickly spotted with black, 

 with black head and white patch on each side ; fur rather 

 long. 



S. Dec. 3rd. Got two more Poh/pterus from natives, still 

 alive when bronglit ; neither very big. Greenshields shot a 

 nice Laniarius barbarus in tree behind yard. Went down 

 creek in evening, but did not fire a shot. 



Dec. 4th. Got a Macronyx croceus (structure of tarsus 

 typically Oscinine and Alaudine) and a Halcyon rufiventris (?) 

 in palm-groves ; but saw little else particular, except a flock 

 of six or seven Colius, which I " chivied '^ hard, but could 

 not get within range of. A large specimen (28 inches long) 

 of the large-scaled Ceratodoid Osteoglossum was brought in, 

 but too big for pickling with the poor spirit at my disposal. 



Dec. 5th. Went down to palm-groves in morning, with 

 gun and net. Got a Pogonias and Estrelda cinerea, and saw 

 a solitary Colius, but could not get up to it. Caught a few 

 butterflies &c., and had a little sweeping amongst rushes and 

 ferns &c. in damp parts, producing a very curious Mantis, 

 wonderfully plant-like, and two or three species of stalk- eyed 

 flies. Got two new specimens of fish from natives, a very 

 curious horse-headed form, and two large specimens of a 

 large-scaled Cyprinoid. In evening shot a male Macro- 



