308 FROM THE NIGER TO THE NILE 



squatting or lying at full length on the tops of the big 

 boulders, basking in the sun. On the sound of my foot- 

 steps they all sat up alert, eyeing me intently and uttering 

 at intervals their peculiar cry, several high-pitched whines, 

 ending in httle barks ; and then, having satisfied themselves 

 that danger was imminent, they dropped one by one into 

 their holes in the rocks. It is a weird sound on a moonlight 

 night to hear the dassies calling to one another over long 

 distances from their high points of vantage. 



I made up my mind not to attempt to secure specimens 

 that day as I had only my " 12-bore " with me ; and 

 careful stalking was necessary to get within range effective 

 enough to stop the animals wriggling out of reach in the 

 clefts and holes. So I returned the next day and was lucky 

 enough to secure a fine pair which makes a new species that 

 I have named after Jose, Procavia lopesi. 



The birds of this hill, which I found were also difficult 

 to approach, belonged to a local distribution. The most 

 common, perhaps, was a bulbul {Pycnonotus), and then there 

 were two species of plantain-eaters which found a hving 

 on the fruit of a thick-leaved tree which grows on the hill ; 

 the one a Turacus, the other a Schizhornis. With them scores 

 of the fruit pigeon {Vinago waalia) were to be seen. Besides 

 these, there were pairs of the white-shouldered rock-thrush 

 {Cossypha ckiudi), the bird I first found on the Togbau 

 hills. And there was a graceful little brown rock-martin 

 {Cotile rufigula), hardly distinguishable from the rock itself 

 as it patrolled up and down these steep fortresses. 



I was glad to find here also my new species of rock- nightjar 

 [Caprimulgus claudi), for I had not met with it since Kaga 



