NOTES ON SOMALILAND, 301 
therein when pursued, These facts bring one’s thoughts to the question of 
self-protection, How is the Ant-Bear endowed in this respect ? I confess it 
is rather a puzzle, The thought exercised us much when the subject of the 
photograph was alive in our possession ; he seemed so harmless and helpless 
in every way and yet looked so fat and succulent withal, that one would 
expect him to be an easy and desirable prey to any carnivorous animal strong- 
er than himself, including man, He hasno teeth which he could use for 
biting purposes, nor scales to preserve his own skin, like others of his 
persuasion, and, during life at all events, there was no unpleasant smell 
attached to him ; we found however when we began to skin him and prepare 
his skeleton, that the flesh did give off a very pungent and sickening smell, and 
if the flavour of it is at all in proportion, the creature’s apparent immunity 
from the attentions of other better-armed animals is partly, though insuffi- 
ciently, explained, 
The Ant-Bear is found from the Cape to Abyssinia, the southern form 
being known a8 Orycteropus capensis and the northern as (QO, eethiopicus, 
the differences between them are however very slight, I believe, and when 
more specimens are available for comparison, they will probably resolve 
themselves into mere local variations. The one obtained by us is presumably 
the form ethiopicus., s 
I have said nothing about the Hyznas and Foxes or the Wild Dog, nor 
is there much to be said, With the Hyznas, Striped and Spotted, most 
people are familiar as they are to be seen in every Zoo ; the latter variety 
is much the most common in Somaliland, and is a more or less constant 
nuisance to travellers, ever ready as he is to prey upon any unwary camel or 
other animal straying from the caravan, The Wild Dog of Somaliland I have 
never seen alive, and I do not think that in this part of Africa, at all events, 
he exists in such numbers as his Indian cousin does with us, If he does 
he certainly lives a much more retired life, and does not scare game to the 
same extent, As regards Foxes, sportsmen might help a good deal, asin 
the case of the Digdig, by shooting a specimen occasionally and making a 
note Of the locality, Unless there is an unusual margin of difference in the 
colour and texture of the coats of individual specimens dependent on 
season or locality, I am inclined to think the country is responsible 
for more species than is generally supposed. We were under the impres- 
sion that we obtained three varieties, exclusive of the pretty little black 
species, which always hunts in couples, and is known by Somalis as the 
“ Gol-waraba,” the word “ Waraba” being used by itself for the Spotted 
Hyena. Our collections of skins, however, are still under examination, so I 
cannot say anything authoritative on the subject, 
About the small mammals, Birds and Insects, which we collected I can say 
little or nothing for the same reason, namely, that the collections are still under 
examination, Among the former the Hares and Conies (* Bowna” in Somali) 
