THE LAST JOURNAL OF W. A. FORBES. 461 



consul. Felt decidedly better. Got a letter from mother, and news of 

 Balfour's death. 



Sept. 14th. On * Fulah,' more or less well. The valley is wider up 

 here, the hills only appearing in the distance. Macintosh tells me that 

 at Abutschi very lately he found, on the rocks exposed by the very low Ibis, 1883, 

 water, freshwater mussels, edible and "spiny;" also that a shark was P- 514. 

 killed there lately and another at Egga. 



Sept. loth. Grot to Egga about 9 and landed at factory in a barge, the 

 water being too low for steamer to come alongside, the passage up a very 

 narrow channel. Saw some Jaganas close to town, also a Sterna, Plotus, 

 Balearica, Pluvianus, Euplectes abystinicus, and HypJiantornis personatus 

 in acacia bushes by river. The town is well built of round mud huts, in 

 mud-walled compounds and very narrow streets. Got a toad in factory 

 and head of big fish (31 x 24| inches in girth, 17| Ibs.). Adipose fin; 

 ventral fin rather thoracic, very bony ; white flesh. There is a tree in 

 yard crowded with Hyphantornis factor, and a large tree (^ Adamsonia) 

 outside more so, with, I should say, near 1000 nests. 



Sept. 16th. Convalescent. Repacked my baggage. There are lots of 

 the two common house-lizards here, and a pair of Corvus curvirostris 

 came to the big tree outside. Greenshields left for Tchunga. 



S. Sept. 17th. Went out shooting with Macintosh down the river, 

 but only got one Chenalopea, though we saw lots of it, and a Duck, 

 apparently a Dendrocygna. On one of the banks Glareola cinerea was in 

 thousands, with a few of a darker one (? nordmani), one of which I got ; 

 also lots of Pluvianus and several flocks of Ehynchops. Also saw several 

 Balearica, the large white black-billed Ardea, a Merops, Vidua principalis, 

 and shot a Chrysococcyx. 



Sept. 18th. In about factory all day. Got from Mr. Bishop a fine 

 pair of horns of an AlcelapJms, apparently Alcelaphus tora. 



Sept. 19th. Out with Macintosh in morning. He shot a Chenalopex, 

 and we saw plenty ; also a pair of Balearica and some Plectropterus. He 

 shot for me also a pair of a deeply-forked-tailed Swallow (? Atticora 

 melbina), very common on the sand-banks ; and I got a Sandpiper on 

 canoe as it lay on beach. Saw a Porphyrio ; alleni, I suppose. Shitta 

 brought in one of the large "singing" snails (?a Paludina), and later 

 another still larger. The canoe-boys believed in it, and pointed out the 

 Ptdudina as the performer. Had a ride in evening. 



Sept. 20th. Shooting in the morning on the island. Got five birds, Ibis, 1883, 

 male and female Euplectes abyssinicus, a CampepTiaga, a Drymceca, and a p< 

 female Hyphanto-niis of a species new to me. Saw also Laniarius 

 barbarus 1 ?, a Merops, and a Kingfisher, with lots of Vidua principalis 

 (female or young), Layonosticta, HypJiantornis personata?, Turtur semitor- 

 quatus and T. senegalensis, and another smaller species with no white on 

 tail. Macintosh and consul left about 4 for Wanengi, en route for 



