No. 7.— Mammals from the Blue Nile Valley. 
By GLover M. ALLEN. 
In January and February, 1913, I accompanied Dr. J. C. Phillips 
on his expedition up the Blue Nile and the Dinder River in the 
interests of the Museum. A considerable effort was made to collect 
the birds (see Bull. M. C. Z., December, 1913, 58, p. 1-28) and mam- 
mals of the region, and Dr. Phillips has generously left to me the 
working out of the latter. Our route lay along the Blue Nile, from 
Sennar, where our real start was made, to Singa, the present seat of 
government for Sennar Province. At this point we crossed to the 
north bank, for the south bank is a game reserve, and proceeded along 
it to the Abyssinian border, stopping at Fazogli, an outlying ‘ gebel’ of 
the Abyssinian foothills. We later retraced our steps to Abu Tiga, 
| and thence crossed over to the Dinder, an affluent of the main river, 
that becomes partly dry in the rainless season. The upper portion of 
| this river seemed to have been very little disturbed, and large game 
was abundant and very unsuspicious. Along the Blue Nile, however, 
| and on the lower parts of the Dinder, the native population is increas- 
‘Ing and there is much travelling up and down along the river banks. 
On the Blue Nile especially, parties of Arabs and negroes are con- 
sey passing, and English officials make their rounds between 
‘Singa and Roseires or other points. With the increase of native 
population, the clearing of the land, and disturbance incident to 
human occupation, the large game must inevitably be gradually 
driven back or exterminated by hunting. It is generally believed that 
the native population of the Sudan, during the time of the Mahdi and | 
his successor (1883-1898) was reduced through war, famine, and 
disease about 75%, amounting to the almost total extinction of the 
inhabitants along the Rahad and Dinder, as well as on the Blue Nile, 
so that many of the villages marked on the older maps no longer exist. 
“his no doubt has been favorable for the increase of large game in 
ater years. On these rivers now, however, the habitations are being 
seéstablished gradually, and population will doubtless reclaim the 
‘ountry in time. It therefore has seemed worth while to record the 
nore striking facts we noted concerning the habits and distribution of 
he larger mammals, for they must eventually be much reduced or 
lestroyed altogether. A few species seem better adapted to survive 
