THE LAST JOURNAL OF W. A. FORBES. 471 



from same women. Heads all broken, being supposed to be very savage 

 by natives (name Nupi). Went out again in evening in canoe, but got 

 no birds. Saw two or three Ceryle gigantea, lots of Merops nubicus, &c. 

 &c. Got some more fish from boys in evening, all small, and another 

 specimen of Siluroid, very silvery beneath, olivaceous above. A Laby- 

 rinthicine (?) form has a series of small metallic bright blue spots along 

 back, 2-5 in vertical series, and a similar (1-2) series on dorsal fin ; a 

 blackish spot on operculum and another on sides of body posteriorly ; 

 skin at base of scales reddish ; general colour olivaceous green, paler and 

 redder below. 



Nov. 26th. Again down to palm-groves, but only shot a young Cen- 

 tropus. Missed a Hornbill, and only wounded one or two other birds, 

 which escaped. Saw a covey of Guinea-fowls perched in high tree ; the 

 one struck got away wounded. Got another Polypterus^ and a second 

 specimen of one of the Percine forms. In afternoon went out for a ride 

 with Greenshields to Shonga town (the wharf town is called Shonga 

 Patteh) and beyond. Got a nasty tumble, hurting badly left shoulder, 

 hip, and side. Very busy market-place, surrounded by king's house, Ibis, 1883, 

 mosque (destroyed), &c. In garden of former are some fine date-palms p< 52 ' 

 (introduced), and in one of the yards I saw a Cactoid (Euphorbia), which 

 is rare in this part, so far as I have seen. 



Nov. 27th. Did not go out in morning. Got a Polypterm (the ninth) 

 and another fish from people, and in evening one of the large Siluroids 

 and a basinful (about 20) of an eight-barbed species of small size. Went 

 down creek in evening, but got nothing. Saw Ceryle gigantea, a pair of 

 Schizorhis, and a single Podica, which got away wounded ; it climbsd up 

 bank out of water, and rather nimbly up a small tree to ten or twelve 

 feet from ground ; very Duck-like altogether in habit. 



Nov. 28th. Went down creek again in morning to look after Podica, 

 but in vain. Only shot a Platystira with scarlet eye-wattles and a 

 Totanus of same species as one skinned at Egga (iris brown ; beak 

 greyish ; legs pale dead-flesh colour). A small scarlet Homopteron is 

 common on reeds in reed-beds, and a brilliant object when flying in the 

 sun. Eefilled cartridges, labelled birds, &c. rest of day. 



Nov. 29th. Down to palm-groves in morning. Did well, getting 

 three specimens of Woodpeckers (all new to me), Hirundo senegalensis, 

 one of the obscure Ploceus in good (out of colour) plumage, and an dEgia- 

 litis, apparently hiaticula (eyelids narrowly yellow; iris olive-brown; 

 beak black ; legs pale orange), on beach, and a mature moulting specimen 

 of the black-and-white Toccus. Saw three or four Crithagra, the fine 

 Nectarinia, &c. Saw a family of a fine large Cynocephalus, apparently 

 C. anubis, on border of bush and in banana- clearing large, with long 

 tail, mane rather deep colour, and large callosities ; face blackish. Got 

 a small harmless snake in afternoon from a native ; and in afternoon . 



