THE WILD FAUNA OF THE EMPIEE 65 



Appendix 1. 



Notes. 



' The western part of Somaliland, more especially the south- 

 western, is less arid than the eastern parts of the country, and has, 

 therefore, favoured game to a greater extent. 



* The great waterless ^ wilderness called the " Haud," which 

 stretches across the centre of our Protectorate from the westward to 

 Burao and Bohotleh, has, moreover, hitherto afforded a great natural 

 sanctuary for wild animals. It is true that with the coming of 

 the rainy season, when pools of water are formed, both our tribes 

 from the north and their traditional rivals, the Ogaden,^ from the 

 south and west, penetrate with their flocks and herds far into the 

 wilderness, but even then, a large neutral zone, created by the 

 enmities of the tribes, is left vacant, and the game has, conse- 

 quently, ample space wherein to find refuge. We have debatable 

 land of this kind also around Burdab Mountain, and the game 

 here, and more especially so on the eastern side, was formerly 

 plentiful. The *' Sorl," south of the Golis Eange, behind Hais 

 and Laskhorai, is another " Haud," and here the same conditions 

 prevail, but although there are rhinoceros, and oryx and the smaller 

 species of antelope are plentiful, there are, for some peculiar 

 reason, no lions. Probably the eastern tribes, having been in 

 possession of rifles for many years past, have exterminated them.^ 



' Certain districts containing many wells — districts which are 

 continually being overrun by the tribes and their flocks and herds 

 — contain comparatively little game. Such, for instance, is the 

 Nogal district and Guban at the foot of the Golis Eange. 



* It will be convenient to roughly divide the country into two 

 zones for game. One the " Haud," where thick bush alternates 

 with great prairies, a succession of which sweeps around in a 

 great concave arc from the Abyssinian frontier on the west to 

 Burao and Bohotleh; and secondly, the mountainous country com- 

 prising the Golis Eange, which runs all along the coast at varying 

 distances inland from west to the east, closing in to the coast as it 

 trends eastward, until at Hais it runs behind the sea-beach up to 

 Cape Guardafui ; and the Gadabursi and Jibril Aboker hill country. 

 In the " Haud " prairies the game feeds in front of and precedes 

 the people in their annual movements in the wake of the rain and 

 grass, and covers an orbit of, perhaps, one hundred and fifty miles 

 in its wanderings. There are also the coast prairies behind the 

 Bulhar-Zeyla coast-line. Here the game probably covers one 

 hundred miles in its migrations, but aoul (Soemmering 's gazelle) 

 are very local, and may always be found at Manda and near 



» Not rainless. 2 Abyssinian tribes.— E. S. 



' The fact that other game here has escaped destruction is a hopeful 

 feature perhaps for dibatag-. — E. S. 



