May 12, 1870} 
NATURE 
38 
Near Bethor (not far from Magdala) they came suddenly 
on the brink of the mighty chasm in which the Jitta river 
runs, describing which he says,— 
“Of all the grand scenery met with in Abyssinia, none 
equalled this wonderful gorge. It is 3,500 feet deep, and 
looks scarcely a mile across. The sices are extremely | 
steep, and in places nearly perpendicular. The 
horizontal beds on both sides appear to correspond exactly. 
Half-way down there is a well-marked terrace, evidently 
formed by the same bed on both sides of the river. At 
the bottom ofthe ravine ran a beautifully clear stream ina 
pebbly bed.” He entertains no doubt that this gorge has 
been formed by the river. 
Magdala fell on the 16th April, and the retreat was so | 
hasty that Mr. Blanford’s opportunities of procuring spe- 
cimens became much limited, especially as Lord Napier 
seized one of our men. Mockler fired off his rifle to 
frighten away the beast, which rushed roaring past our 
tent. On enquiry we were horrified to find that an 
Abyssinian servant of Jesse’s had been killed while 
asleep, and no alarm had been created until the animal 
attempted to drag away the body. The unfortunate man 
had two large tooth-holes in his throat, and must have 
been either so seized that he was unable to cry out, or 
else, as is probable, his neck was broken. The assailant was 
doubtless a leopard, very probably the same small animal 
which had scratched my servant the night before. We 
had a low thorn fence round three sides of our camp, 
and the camels occupied the open side—the usual plan in 
this part of Africa—but we had no fires, a most necessary 
precaution, and one we never neglected after this sad 
lesson.” 
VIEW OF THE PLATEAUX AND VALLEYS WEST OF FOKADA 
would allow no expeditions into the interior. Meeting, 
however, at Senafé, on the return journey, with Mr. Jesse, | 
the Zoological Society’s naturalist, who had been detained 
by illness and want of transport, they organised, with 
Lieut. Mockler, a trip to the Bogos territory, about 100 
miles N.W. of Massowah, the details of which form the 
most interesting part of the work. 
At Ailat they found a hot spring, the water with a 
temperature of 140° F., and perfectly tasteless. Here they 
had a tragical adventure with a leopard, the details of 
which are thus given :—“ On the early morning of the 
29th June, one of my servants rising before daybreak, was 
scratched in the face by some wild animal which had 
come into the camp. The track resembled that of a 
large cat. We thought nothing of this at the time, but 
on the following night we were all aroused by an outcry 
and shouting, and an alarm was given that a lion had 
Subsequently the adventurers had some fine sport with 
rhinoceroses. 
In regard to the Geology of Abyssinia, the various 
rocks observed in ascending order were: 1, Metamorphic 
| rocks ; 2, Adigrat Sandstones ; 3, Antalo limestones ;- 4, 
Trappean series, including the Magdala and the Ashangi 
group ; 5, the Aden series of Volcanic rocks bordering the 
Red Sea ; and 6, Recent formations—soils of the highlands, 
coral islands of the Red Sea, and alluvial deposits near 
the coast. 
We need scarcely add that the Zoological portion 
is carefully drawn up, whilst the plates, which inelude 
illustrations of the Hirundo e@thiopica, Phylloscopus 
abyssinicus, Ruticula fuscicaudata, Pratincola semitor- 
guata, Alauda pretermissa, Crithagra flavivertex, and 
some fossils and horns, are admirably coloured, and very 
expressive, 
