TWO DIANAS IN SOMALILAND 221 



instanter, but returned carefully to investigate. 'Twas 

 a hideous monstrosity indeed, alligator-like, with yellow 

 claws. In length about a foot, with tail of twice as 

 much, yellow gray, with whitish markings, and 

 appeared to have no interest in us or animosity towards 

 us. We knew it was of the lizard fraternity, and 

 afterwards natural history revealed it to us as a 

 Monitor. He disturbed my slumbers all that night. 

 I could not get the hideous thing out of my dreams, 

 and my fancy peopled the tent with creatures of his 

 kind, and every place on which I would set my foot 

 was covered with monitors. Next morning our friend 

 was still on his perch, and we saw a smaller brother 

 on another tree. Common chameleons frequented 

 this part also. They lay thickly on the branches 

 of the guda trees, brown-green, and almost unnotice- 

 able. 



That evening, as the light was fading, I shot a 

 marabou stork, not often to be met with in these parts. 

 It was indeed a prize, and we spent hours of semi- 

 darkness, in a dim religious light, skinning our treasure. 

 It sounds so easy — it seems nothing — but try your 

 hand on a common or garden hen, and see if the 

 business is as simple as you think ? We poked and 

 pushed, and, I'm afraid, tore a little, but in the end 

 were successful, and stretched the result to dry. The 

 splendid colour of the pouch of this marabou, which 

 was so much admired by us, faded after skinning, and 

 was gone. The feathers, so reminiscent of civilisation, 

 and beloved of suburban fan proprietors, were very 

 fine and fluffy. We measured the beak of our trophy, 



