TWO DIANAS IN SOMALILAND 45 



ing's Gazelle, and the exquisitely graceful koodoo, the 

 most beautiful animal, to my thinking, that lives in 

 Somaliland. The horns are magnificent, with the most 

 artistic of curves. The females are hornless in this 

 species also. When come upon suddenly, or when 

 frightened, this animal " barks " exactly as our own red 

 deer are wont to do. In colour they are of a greyish 

 hue, and their sides are striped in lines of white. 



It was not our intention to stay and stalk the quan- 

 tities of game about us. Our desire was all to push on 

 to the kingdom of His Majesty King Leo. So for days 

 we went on, halting o' nights now in glorious scenery, 

 and everywhere the game tracks were plentiful. The 

 other side of the Golis we thought really lovely, the 

 trees were so lofty and the jungle so thick. The 

 atmosphere was much damper, and it was not long 

 before we felt the difference in our tents. However, 

 there was one consolation, water was plentiful, and 

 we were so soon to leave that most necessary of all 

 things. 



The birds were beautiful, and as tame as the spar- 

 rows in Kensington Gardens. One afternoon I walked 

 into a small nullah, where, to my joy, I found some 

 ferns, on which some of the most lovely weaver-finches 

 had built their nests. The small birds are, to my 

 mind, the sweetest in the world. Some were crimson, 

 some were golden, and the metallic lustre of their 

 plumage made them glitter in the sun. There was also 

 a variety of the long-tailed whydah bird, some honey- 

 suckers, and a number of exquisite purple martins. 

 Two of the last flew just behind me, snapping up the 



