1894.] ME. J. T. LAST ON THE BONES OF jEPTOENIS. 127 



in size, dotted about over these extensive flats. Often a numbei* 

 of small lakes may be seen in close proximity, and these, looked 

 upon as a whole, seem to be only the remains of wbat was 

 formerly a lake of considerable extent. Tbe boggj'' nature of the 

 surrounding country also seems to indicate the same thing. Some 

 of these small lakes dry up during the dry season, others are 

 too large and have no outlets into the sea. The water is very 

 brackish, and always leaves a thick deposit of salt as it slowly 

 subsides. It is in the beds of these lakes that the various 

 fossihzed forms are found. 



At Ambiihsiitra, in about lat. 23° S., a place visited by M. 

 Grandidier several years ago, I found a variety of fossil bones. 

 These consisted chiefly of remains of the Hippopotamus, Crocodile, 

 Tortoise, and a few of the ^pyomis. If any of these creatures 

 died in the M'ater, the skeletons must have been much washed 

 about and the bones separated, for it was seldom that two bones 

 of the same animal were found together. The formation of 

 the country shows that there was formerly a very extensive lake at 

 this place. In the part where I excavated, the ground was fairly dry 

 above, but we foand it full of water below. The soil is a blackish 

 clay for about two feet ; next we came to a stratum of white clay or 

 loam from one to two feet thick ; after this, some greenish sand 

 and a layer of green sand mixed with pebbles. The fossils were 

 found lying between the band of greenish sand and the layer of 

 green sand and pebbles. I made two visits to this place, and during 

 my second visit I intended to make considerable excavations in 

 search for ^pyornis-bones, but after a few days my work was 

 stopped by the king sending orders for my men to return home. 

 The men were obliged to do as the king ordered. The king, 

 personally, did not care what digging I did, for some time previously 

 I had visited him, paid him tbe accustomed honours, told him my 

 business, and he, in the presence of his chiefs, gave me leave to go 

 where I pleased about his country and to collect what I wanted, 

 naming one or two things which were "/rtcZi" or prohibited. It 

 was some of the big chiefs who really stopped my work. They 

 thought I ought to be continually giving them presents ; and as I 

 held a different opinion, they resolved to cut my work off. This 

 they easily did, by telhng the king some story, that it was bad for 

 the cattle that the A^hite man should dig holes in places where 

 the cattle were likely to go ; they would fall in and be lost. 

 Of course the king had to comply with their wishes, and this he 

 easily did by sending a messenger to take away my men, in his 

 name. This ended my work at Ambiilisatra. 



From Ambulisatra we must proceed to a place some few miles 

 further north — Ambatumifuku, in about lat. 22° 40' S. It was 

 in this district that I obtained the large semi-fossil Tortoises 

 which I have sent home during the last two years \ The flat 

 country at this place, between the sea and the hills, is very similar 



' [These have been described by Mr. Boulenger. See Trans. Zool. Soc. xiii. 

 p. 305.— Ed.] 



