18y9.] EXPEUITION TO THE GAMBIA. 935 



mentioned, several speciineas of Scoptelus aterrimug were seen and 

 a skin of a male preserved. 



On April 4 I took my two fishermen, my cook, and canoe up to 

 a small village in the Kunchow creek called Alimaka, and there had 

 some huts built. At this place again the trammel, the seine, and 

 the cast-net were worked with hope of obtaining numbers of 

 Polyptcrus. As a rule in the afternoon I went out to shoot, and 

 fouud it a fair place for game. 



During the fortnight thus spent at Alimaka, only six Polypterl 

 were caught. There were caught also in this creek several 

 specimens of Gi/rnnarchus niloticus and some fine specimens of a 

 freshwater Turtle, Ct/rJcinorbis senegulensis. Lions were heard here 

 frequently, and Leopards were seen, buc at neither did I get a 

 chance of a shot. 



On April j!0 two English gentlemen and a Prenchman arrived 

 at McCarthy's Island, on their way to some supposed gold-mines 

 about 300 miles to the east of M'Carthy's Island. I accompaniect 

 them a short distance beyond the eastward Briti-h frontier to the 

 town of Xetebulu ; the river is not navigable beyond that point. 



Xetebulu is an important native town, where a powerful chief 

 named Sandian had his cas^]e and harem. Here we stayed several 

 days as the guests of the chief, and then I parted from the gold 

 expedition, and made my way back overland to il'Carthy's Island, 

 staying on the way a week at Koiua. 



About 50 miles above M'Carth3^'s Island the river-banks become 

 high and precipitous, the country around being composed of higli 

 plateaux intercepted by vallej-s. Frecjueutly, however, the edges 

 of the plateaux retreat from the river-bank a mile or so, sur- 

 rounding wide pliiins, where one could be fairly certain of finding 

 game. 



Along the steep clifEs of the river-bank, vast numbers of Dogfaced 

 Baboons {Ct/nocephahts babtiin) might be seen wending their wav. 

 Sometimes the cliffs extended so far along the river-side that the 

 Antelope were forced to come down to drink at certain places, and 

 here the ground would be covered with their spoor. 



April and May are the best months for big-game shooting. At 

 Koina, large herds of Tankong {Damaliscus korric/um) were seen 

 almost e\ery day. Several were shot and a complete skin was 

 made, which, however, suffered severely from the attacks of dogs 

 and insects before it reached England. These herds were com- 

 posed of males, females, and young of every age. The largest 

 males seemed to lead the herd, though fine males mingled with 

 the females and young as the}' daily made their way back in long 

 procession from the river-banks to the higher lands. 



Large herds were also seen of Hijjpotrat/us equinvs, the Eoan 

 Antelope, or Dakoio as the natives call it, but this speiies was not 

 so plentiful as the Tankong in these parts. A herd of Elands 

 {Oreas derhianus) are believed to have been seen in the distance, 

 and I was presented with a skull taken by Mr. Wainewright 

 from a carcass floating down the river. 



