NOTES ON SPORT IN SOMALI LAND. 
By C, G. Dopason, I.C.S. 
(Read before the Bombay Natural History Society 
on 21st June 1893.) 
I spent 10 weeks in Somali Land during the past cold season ; at this time of 
year there is very little water in the country, almost all the nullahs being dry, and 
water being obtainable only by digging deep down into the sandy beds of the 
streams, and occasionally found in pools which are drying up. The Somalis are 
nearly all to be found north of the range of hills which runs east and west 
parallel to the coast line and at a distance of about 80 or 40 miles from it, The 
high lying plateau to the south of these hills is almost devoid of human 
habitation during the dry season ; the result is, that the lions, dependent as they 
are, toa great extent, on the peoples’ sheep and camels for food, are generally 
fairly close to the Somalis’ “ karias,” or temporary settlements. The antelope, on. 
the other hand, are mostly further south far away from water, which they can do 
without, and undisturbed by camels and cattle grazing and by the sight of man. 
The maritime plain extends for about 30 miles inland up to the foot of the 
high range of hills which runs east and west ; there is, at all events in the dry _ 
season, very little game to be seen between Berbera and the hills. I was told 
that south of Bulhar, which lies to the west of Berbera, things are better in this 
respect ; as far as my experience goes, the best country is to the south of the 
range of hills on the plateau, which is, roughly speaking, about 4,000 feet above 
the level of the sea. The ground here is good for tracking, consisting, due 
south of Berbera, of loose red soil, free from stones; as one, however, marches 
further west, the plateau becomes more undulating. The lower lands, which 
contain the densest vegetation, are excellent for tracking over ; the higher lands, 
which are mostly covered with a scanty growth of small thorny bushes, are freely 
strewn with stones and pebbles, which in some parts areso numerous as to render 
it absolutely impossible to follow an animal for a yard by his footprints, 
