68 Mr. E. Lort Phillips on Birds 



distance. From the top of the pass the caravan route con- 

 tinues due south through an opening in the hills, past an 

 ancient mosque-like tomb, or " Sheik/^ from which the pass 

 derives its name. 



Having travelled due south so far, we now turned sharply 

 to the west along the Merzo ledge, our camps being Gooldoo 

 Hamed, Geddinyarli, Darra As, Darra Sarri, Woob, and 

 finally we descended again to the head of the great Hainwaina 

 plain, or bay-like inlet at Dooloob, and worked our way 

 back along the base of the hills, arriving at Bihen on the 20th 

 April, and passing close to the base of the no longer inacces- 

 sible Dimoleh peak. Of all our different camps we give the 

 palm to Darra As. The huge cedar-like junipers {Juniperus 

 procera) there attain a size which we noticed nowhere else, 

 while the open glades, resembling park-like spaces, were in 

 the evening often covered with countless Guinea-fowls. 

 Birds and butterflies were particularly abundant, but 

 alas ! large game is scarcer than it was some years ago. 

 It was here that some natives brought us a little koodoo 

 calf, which we managed, after infinite trouble, to bring alive 

 to London, where it is to be seen at the Zoological Gardens. 

 They also brought us a little klipspringer, which Miss Cole 

 tended with the utmost care ; but, alas ! the little thing 

 died at Dooloob. Leopards we found particularly fearless ; 

 they came into our camp five times, killing sheep and goats, 

 but, to our shame, we never succeeded in slaying one of 

 them in return, though we tried every device. Both the 

 ladies were thirsting for their blood, and were particularly 

 anxious that a leopard should be killed in revenge. They sat 

 up with us on several occasions ; my wife even climbing a 

 large tree, and remaining with me from sunset till the small 

 hours of the morning. The natives were not the least sur- 

 prised at our non-success, declaring, with the old ' Were- 

 Wolf ' superstition, that these leopards were " Orgoobas,'^ 

 or witchfolk, and that they always knew when they were 

 being waited for and would not come, but that they would 

 bide their time. This belief was borne out by the fact that 

 on one occasion, when we were at dinner and the camp ablaze 



