THE LAST JOURNAL OF W. A. FORBES. 463 



Oct. 2nd. Started at 10 in ' Jessie/ with Macintosh, Lever, and Flint, 

 for Kabba. Saw three Balearica in main river. Got to Eabba about 3. 

 Factory in ruins, and town almost deserted. Strolled up river a short 

 way. The surface is river-gravel, derived from a metamorphic (?) fine- 

 grained sandstone conglomerate, generally with rounded quartz-pebbles, 

 only occasionally angular. 



Oct. 3rd. Left Eabba about 5, and got down to Massaba by 8. The 

 country is low, except about Eabba (left bank), generally grass-covered, 

 with scanty dwarf-looking trees scattered about or in clumps. Plotus 

 abundant in creek, and saw several other birds coming down, including 

 an Ardetta, Metopidius (in creek), Balearica, a brown Ibis (? Ibis hage- 

 dash), a pair of blue-winged red-beaked Halcyon, and a large black-and- 

 white Ceryle, also a blue-green Nectarinia with long tail ; these two last 

 from Massaba. A large fulvous Bat was common along banks, flying out Ibis 

 from trees or margins. Very bad night, with fever and mosquitos. 



Oct. 4th. Feverish all day; on 'Massaba,' at anchor in creek, 

 Macintosh &c. being busy in rowing down stream from factory. About 

 4 left Massaba, and went up creek in canoe to factory ; in charge, Mr. 

 Bishop. Creek very narrow latterly. Settled myself in factory. Saw 

 Estrelda on tree close to landing-place ; also Hyphantornis textor, Hypo- 

 chera, Passer, Neophron, Balearica, Lagonosticta, &c. 



Oct. 5th. Good night, and felt much better in morning. Took a 

 short walk up to town, situated on hill beyond factory. Saw many birds 

 Ixos, Turtur vinacea (?), an Ardea (either A. cinerea or A. atricollis), 

 Hoplopterus, Coliopasser, Chrysococcyx, several Drymceca, a new Timeliine, 

 a large grey Pigeon, &c. In afternoon went up hill behind factory. 

 Good view of town, surrounded by castellated mud walls, and of river- 

 valley, very wide; the hills (? on the other side) apparently in distance. 

 Hill covered with rounded flint-pebbles, with occasional blocks of sand- 

 stone conglomerate of dark colour. Is this rock in situ ? Saw Estrelda 

 melpoda, Nectarinia pulchella, and a dark species, Spermestes semitorquatus 

 and S. senegalensis, Centropus, a Treron, &c. About twenty Neophron 

 settled for night in tree outside factory. Greenshields arrived from Eabba 

 about 9. Very bad night, and feverish again. 



Oct. 6th. In factory all day, feeling seedy and weak, with no 

 appetite. Took a short walk in evening up to town. Greenshields had 

 a touch of fever. Good night. 



Oct. 7th. Better and stronger. Greenshields left again for Eabba, 

 feeling better. In and about factory. Walked up to Egga in evening. 

 Good night. 



S. Oct. 8th. Decidedly better, but appetite still very poor. Shot a 

 white-rumped Swiftlet, already, I think, seen at Egga (? Cypselus dbys- 

 siniciis, in spirit), and a red-rumped Swallow (? Hit-undo melanocrissus) in 

 factory-yard. In morning's walk saw Estrelda rufopicta close to factory, 



