49 2 MISCELLANEOUS SUBJECTS 



skins would be considerably increased as the increase 

 in the stock would necessitate a greater slaughter and 

 more skins would find their way down to the coast. 



Ghee. Large quantities of ghee or native butter are 

 yearly exported. It is of excellent quality and superior 

 to that imported from India. The present yearly export 

 is some 3,000-4,000 cwts., valued at something over 

 12,000, and doubtless this would be increased under 

 better conditions. The greater proportion of this comes 

 down to Zeyla and Bulhar from the western tribes. 

 About two-thirds of the total amount is exported from 

 Zeyla to Aden, Djibonti and Perim, while practically 

 all the remainder goes from Bulhar to Aden. 



Vegetable Products. 



Myrrh. There has been a great deal of confusion 

 as to which species really produces the best myrrh 

 exported from the Somali country. 



The Somali recognizes two varieties of myrrh, namely, 

 " Ogo malmal " and " Cuban malmal," according to 

 whether the myrrh comes from the interior or the coast- 

 belt. He, however, only recognizes one myrrh-pro- 

 ducing tree, which he calls " Didin." 



Until quite recently the source of all the myrrh 

 collected in the Somali country was supposed to be the 

 trees scientifically known as Balsamodendron Myrrha, 

 Nees, but this will probably be found to be incorrect 

 when all the specimens sent to Kew for identification 

 have been thoroughly worked out. 



There are unquestionably two varieties of Balsamo- 

 dendron Myrrha, Nees, found growing side by side on 

 Cuban, the low-lying coastal belt which includes the 

 maritime hills. These two trees, owing to the darker 

 appearance of one of them, are called by the Somalis 

 " Didin ad " and " Didin madow " the white and 

 black myrrh trees respectively. Both these varieties 

 produce the Cuban malmal. 



The source of the Ogo malmal is a species which has 

 yet to be identified. The tree is superior in size to, and 

 the foliage thicker than, the myrrh tree of the coast, 



