462 THE LAST JOURNAL OF W. A. FORBES. 



Bidda, I remaining here with Ashbury, who is better to-day, the 8th of 

 his attack. In morning saw four or five quite black Hornbills. Heavy 

 rain in night. 



Sept. 21st. Showery in morning ; so did not go out till after break- 

 fast, when I shot a Centropus (same as at Abutschi) and a couple of 

 Merops, both with bright crimson irides. Saw Euplectes franciscanus on 

 island, and saw several Euplectes melanogaster. Got a mail per * Wan- 

 derer,' which had arrived in the night. 



Sept. 22nd, 23rd, S. 24th, and 25th. Fever. 



Sept. 26th. Ashbury left in * Formoso.' Consul back. 



Sept. 27th. Better. Still about factory. Dog caught a couple of 

 rats, a blackish moderate-sized species. Also found another Gecko (same 

 species as at Lukoja), and found a dead brown rat of another species in 

 factory-yard. Saw Barber. 



Sept. 29th. Macintosh back from Bidda about 10. Discharged * Jane ' 

 at Egga. Started up river for Eabba on ' King Massaba ' (Macintosh, 

 Flint, Lever, and self) about 3, and steamed till dark. 



Sept. 30th. Fine and bright in morning ; about 5.30 saw a mag- 

 nificent comet, altitude about 20 about E., apparently twice as big as 

 that of 1881, and with splendid tail. Saw an adult Xenorhynchus on a 

 bank ; C. M. had already described it to me at Egga, and Lever had shot 

 at a young one there. Saw also GypoTiieraoc and Ardea goliath and 

 A. flavirostris (yellow beak, clear). About 9 off the Eennell Mountains, 

 1200 feet high (900 feet above river), flat-topped, but very detached, 

 with only some remains of hills, much lower laterally, just above the 

 river ; the cliffs and lower (only) hills are composed of a pale whitish- 

 Ibis, 1883, and-pink stratified sandstone, said by Macintosh to be very clayey. 

 p. 516. About noon got to Egbagi, a factory on left bank. Afterwards the banks 

 are low and grassy, with the flat hills still in distance when visible. 

 About 5 off Kaduna river, and took a photograph of left bank covered 

 with bush. Saw lots of Hornbills in evening, apparently of two species, 

 a Toccus and Buceros atratus ( $ ?), flying high in air to resting-places. 



IS. Oct. 1st. Got aground twice in morning, and ' Jessie ' got damaged. 

 Distant hills on left bank still quite flat-topped ; banks low and grassy. 

 Hills recede going up river, and only seen on horizon. Banks alternate 

 with grass and thick bushy (low) forests, with oil and a flabelliform. 

 palm ; the latter more in grassy lands, and has a fusiform stem. About 

 4 P.M. got to Tchunga creek, on right bank of river ; very narrow. Just 

 before entering saw a single fine Cercopithecus mona in trees. A good 

 number of birds in Tchunga creek, including Plotus, a nearly uniform 

 brown-grey Schizorhis (? concolor), lighter beneath and with yellow bill 

 (three in a tree), the smallish black-capped orange-legged Butorides. 

 Shot a large Owl from ship (vide description at end of Hartlaub) as we 

 were anchored for night two-thirds way up to Tchunga. 



