134 MY SOMALI BOOK 



for (jududonne, the African lynx or caracal, but I fancy 

 he was mistaken. 



Another instance in Somali nomenclature which I 

 found differing from that usually given, was in the case 

 of the great bustard, of which I saw two species, if not 

 three, and which my men called cJiugli. The usual 

 name as given by Swayne and Hornby is salalmadli, 

 which I found applied to the secretary bird. The 

 explanation is probably to be found in the Somali's 

 lack of interest in birds generally. The secretary bird 

 stalking about on the plains like a bustard might in 

 the distance be taken for one, but at close quarters 

 its appearance is very different. With its crest of 

 loose feathers, its aquiline beak and its well-feathered 

 thighs it reminded me of pictures one has seen of 

 American Indians in their broidered pantaloons. I 

 found a big nest of sticks at Kotunwein in the fork 

 of a tree a few feet from the ground which I am 

 inclined to think belonged to this bird. Henduleh 

 said it was the nest of a vulture (gurh-gurh), but 

 vultures as a rule prefer to build at the top of a 

 tree. 



To return to the aard-wolf. It is placed in a 

 distinct genus {^protcles) from the hysenas by reason 

 of the five toes instead of four on its fore-feet, another 

 great point of difference being its comparatively rudi- 

 mentary teeth, due no doubt to its diet of insects, 

 though it will sometimes feed on carrion. I cannot 

 believe that, in Somaliland at any rate, it is so essenti- 

 ally nocturnal of habit as has been stated. Though a 

 comparatively scarce animal I met with it four times 

 on the plains of Tuyo and Kotunwein between the 



