NOTES ON SOMALILAND, Hil 
getting his camels collected some weeks beforehand, in order that at the last 
minute he may not be at the mercy of ‘‘ rings” in the local market. 
My present sojourn in the country was undertaken under unusually 
pleasant auspices, H.H. The Gaikwar of Baroda had commissioned an old 
friend of mine, Dr, Donaldson-Smith, a traveller well known to European 
Geographers for an excellent piece of exploration which he carried out in 
Central Africa some four years ago, to lead an expedition to Somaliland for 
the purpose of making collections in various branches of natural history for 
the new State Museum at Baroda, in which the Maharajah takes a lively and 
liberal interest, I was fortunate enough to obtain permission to take leave | 
and accompany the expedition, and my companion and I accordingly arrang- 
ed to rendezvous at Aden, he starting from London andI from India, 
Things did not open very well for me, as on arrival at Aden, a few days too 
early for the tryst, I was landed unexpectedly with two unfortunate fellow- 
travellers of the gentler sex, one of them the partner of my joys and sorrows, 
on the quarantine island in the harbour, Only those who have partaken of 
the hospitality of Flint Island can form any idea of what it is like, Short 
commons on occasion I rather welcome, it corrects the system and reduces 
the weight. Absolute discomfort, when there is any reason for it, I can put 
up with ; but close confinement under the most unpleasant conditions, and 
semi-starvation within hail of plenty, were, I admit, hard to bear with be- 
coming composure, and must have been infinitely more soto my fellow- 
sufferers, However, the dreary days of quarantine came to an end at last, 
and in the meanwhile my shooting companion, accompanied by a taxidermist, 
had arrived from England ; but so also had six gallant officers, likewise 
bound for Somaliland and burning to get under way, making nine of us all 
told. The presence of so many sportsmen almoss reminded me of the rush 
for ground in Kashmir at the beginning of the season, and had I been one of 
that other six I might have been somewhat exercised thereby, but with the 
comforting knowledge that we had plenty of time before us, and that there 
was no need to compete for ground with anybody, we took things leisurely 
and let them get ahead, for it was no part of our present plans to make a 
large bag of big game in general or one species in particular. What we 
contemplated was to visit the habitat of each species in turn, according as 
seasou or circumstances made convenient, and while obtaining one or two 
good specimens of each, to exploit the locality generally for birds, butterflies, 
et hoc genus omne, moving on when additions to the collection began to get 
too few and far between. 
I do not propose to give any continuous narrative of our progress, the 
mere itinerary of suck an expedition would differ little from a dozen others 
and would have nointerest for the general reader, but I will chronicle such 
incidents and unscientific natural history notes as may seem worth recording 
under the head of the species to which they refer, 
