160 MY SOMALI BOOK 



Oil this march the character of the country changed 

 considerably, passing from open bush into the thick 

 khansa jungle of Kaddu, with soft green grass under- 

 foot, yet except for an occasional dik-dik, of game there 

 was none. Of dik-dik, by the way, I never saw any 

 but the one species, Madoqua Phillipsi (Somali sahdro 

 gol ass), the habitat of M. Swaynei {sakdro guyu) not 

 apparently extending so far north as its discoverer sup- 

 posed — in this connection, vide Mammals of Somaliland. 



In the afternoon we reached more hiUy country, 

 with dry river-beds and a greater variety of vegetation, 

 and obviously better watered than any we had been 

 through. We met, too, the first herds of cattle we had 

 seen, small humped animals like the miscalled " zebu " 

 of India, but mainly of a red colouring which was quite 

 home-like. 



On these river-banks I found the African " spur- 





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J225S 



fowl " plentiful, and shot several. They are not spur- 

 fowl at all, but a large species of francolin with a bare 

 throat {Pternistes). The Somali calls these and the 

 smaller partridge, in common wi^ the guinea-fowl, 

 digirin, a name which properly belongs to the latter 

 alone. There were reports of lions hereabouts, but 

 nothing definite. 



