WILD ANIMALS OF THE EASTERN SUDAN 51 



and practically over the entire tract of country that 

 I visited ; but I never saw the bird or its tracks 

 save on the Galegu and Dinder. I have never heard 

 of the ostrich being regularly captured in the Eastern 

 Sudan, and the particular tract of country in which I 

 saw it is much poached by Arabs and Abyssinians 

 alike. Consequently I can see no reason for the 

 absolute protection of this bird against European 

 sportsmen which exists at present. 



The wild ass is said to exist in the Nubian desert, 

 but I never saw so much as its tracks. It is absolutely 

 protected, and in any case could scarcely be regarded 

 as a legitimate object of the chase. 



The Nubian ibex is common on most of the large 

 mountains at the back of Souakin, and I believe that 

 it is found on all the hills on both sides of the Red 

 Sea. I never saw a really good specimen at Akra 

 Rabai, near Kamobsana Railway Station, where I 

 devoted a fortnight to their pursuit, and believe that 

 one would have to go far from the railway to secure a 

 fine head, say to the Wariba range, which lies between 

 the routes from Souakin and Sinkat to Kassala. As 

 practised in the Akra Rabai, the sport is very poor, 

 consisting entirely of driving, and I had my best 

 shooting when climbing among the hill-tops, after the 

 beat was over. However, the Hadendowa Arabs who 

 inhabit this country are an independent race of 

 men, and it would be unwise to fall foul of local 



