538 MR. P. L. SCLATER ON [Nov. 18, 



therefore a very valuable property to the British North-Borneo 

 Company. 



On the 22nd March, at 7 a.m., I left Simud Putih, and after a 

 farewell visit to Simud Itam commenced the return journey. The 

 Sapugaya River was reached before noon, but I was disappointed at 

 finding our boat high and dry, the tide being out. As it had not 

 returned at half-past 4 o'clock all hands were mustered to carry 

 the boat down bodily to deep water ; this was soon accomplished, 

 although the boat was a very heavy one. Just at dusk we rowed 

 up to the steam-launch ; several of that very peculiar animal the 

 Galeopithecus were floating from tree to tree on the plantation, and I 

 noticed some very large Bats flying about. Getting up steam, we 

 then proceeded very cautiously along between the high Nipas which 

 lined the banks and rendered steering in the dark a difficult matter. 

 At half-past 10 p.m. the pier at Elopura was reached. 



2. On some Mammals from Somali-land. 

 By P. L. Sclater, M.A., Ph.D., F.E.S., 



Secretary to the Society. 



[Eeceived November 12, 1884.] 



(Plates XLIX. & L.) 



Mr. C. Hagenbeck of Hamburg, the well-known dealer in living 

 animals, has kindly sent to me some flat skins of Mammals, pre- 

 pared by the natives of Somali-land, which he received along with 

 a collection of living animals recently imported from Berberah. 



As little is yet known of the Mammals of this interesting 

 country, I have thought it worth while to lay these skins before 

 the Meeting, and to offer a few remarks upon some of them which 

 present points worthy of notice. 



Our present authorities upon the Mammals of Somali-laud are 

 but few in number. Mr. Blyth's report on Captain Speke's col- 

 lection \ Heuglin's essay on the Fauna of the Red Sea and Somali- 

 coast 2 , and Revoil's ' Faune et Flore des Pays-Somalis,' 3 are the only 

 ones that I can mention concerning the north of Somali-land ; but 

 Von der Decken's expedition penetrated into the south of the same 

 country, and the reports on his collections should also be consulted. 



In Captain Speke's list but three species of Antelopes are 

 mentioned, one of which, called by Mr. Blyth Gazella cuvieri and 

 subsequently Gazella spekii, may probably be the same as that of 

 which a skin is now before you. In the zoological volume on the 



1 " Report on a Zoological Collection from the Somali Country," by E. Blyth : 

 Journ. Asiatic Soc. Bengal, vol. xxiv. p. 291 (8vo, Calcutta, 1856). 



"Report on a Zoological Collection from the Somali Country," by Edward 

 Blyth. Reprinted from the 24th vol. of the Journ. Asiatic Soc. Bengal ; 

 with Additions and Corrections by the Collector, John Hanning Speke (Svo, 

 London, 1860). 



2 ' Petermann's Mittheilungen,' 1861, p. 11. 



3 Revoil, 'Faune et Flore des Pays-Somalis' (Svo, Paris, 1882). 



