ohsewed hi Northern Somali-land. 69 



with light, a leopard had the audacity to spring into the 

 sheep-pen — which was in the centre of the camp — and out 

 again with one of our best milch-goats, but it got hung up 

 in the tent-ropes, and had to relinquish its prey, which 

 had its throat nearly bitten through. 



At Dooloob we were brought two perfectly fresh Ostrich 

 eggs, which proved delicious eating, one e^^ making both 

 omelets and pancakes for five people. Wild Ostriches are 

 getting very scarce, but there are a few on the Hainwaina 

 plain. The Midgans (low-caste Somalis) keep tame Ostriches, 

 and take the feathers to Berbera for sale. 



Tlie only bit of cultivation we saw the whole time after 

 leaving Dobar was at Dooloob ; here three brothers had 

 cleverly laid out a garden with an irrigation-trench above it, 

 so as to insure a constant supply of water. Their only tools 

 were their spears, and they were so much struck with a spade 

 and rake we bad in camp that we promised to leave those 

 articles for them with the Governor at Berbera when we 

 quitted the coiintry. So great, however, was their desire to 

 possess these useful implements that one of the brothers 

 appeared at Berbera the very day we arrived, having walked 

 50 miles in order that there should be no mistake about getting 

 them ; and there certainly was no mistake about his joy at 

 becoming the proud possessor of them. After Dooloob our 

 camps were Allareea, Djedanio, Oombayle, Gotten, Wadaba, 

 Bihen, Faradairo, and then into Berbera. Gottin and 

 Wadaba were both delightful spots ; there had been several 

 heavy local showers about a fortnight previously, so that 

 when we arrived everything was wearing its brightest green, 

 and the ladies made great botanical hauls. Of their dried 

 specimens sent to the Herbarium at Kew 69 represent new 

 species, including 3 new genera*, while their seeds, bulbs, and 

 orchids have not yet made sufficient growth to be finally 

 pronounced upon. Among our other collections, we were 

 fortunate enough to obtain two new lizards, two new 

 scorpions, two new spiders, and one new fossil coral, as well 

 as the new Corvus and Merula mentioned hereafter. 



* See "Diagnoses Africanse," no. vii., in Kew Bull. 1895, p. 211. 



