1900.] INSECTS AND ABACITNIDS FEOM SOMALILAXD. 5 



and the Moths are very local. The latter were nearly all 

 collected on the banks of river-beds where there were trees, long 

 grass, and undergrowth. The Beetles, on the other hand, simply 

 swarmed, and there was also no lack of Orthoptera, Chilopoda, 

 Diplopoda, Arachuida, &c. 



On April 20th, 1S95, 1 started from Berbera, the coast town of 

 Somalilaud, wending my way south-west along the maritime plain 

 to Hargaisa. Insect-life was by no means plentiful in this hot 

 parched-up desert country, but birds were numerous by the sides 

 of the driecl-up river-beds. 



Hargaisa is a permanent Somali village on a gentle slope, over- 

 looking a river-bed. There was luxuriant undergrowth and a 

 few trees. Insect-life was consequently more plentiful, and I 

 collected my first butterflies and moths here. Of the latter, the 

 large species Cylhgramma latona Cr. and Sphingomorpha chlorea 

 Cr. came to my lantern in great quantities at night. After 

 leaving Hargaisa, I went south across the great waterless Haud 

 District, through dense thorn-bush jungle. En route we suddenly 

 emerged upon the Bun Saylah, a large open plain literally covered 

 with game, notably Orvx, Hartebeest, Soemmerring's Gazelle, and 

 Ostriches. It took us a day to cross this, and then we entered dense 

 jungle again. All this time I did but little insect-collecting, as, 

 owing to the scarcity of water, 1 was always on the quick march. 

 At Sassabanah we encountered w ater in deep wells and under the 

 surface of a river-bed, the Webbi Jerrar. Here I collected some 

 of the ticks described. Thence I marched to the Boorgha Country, 

 and passed the everlasting red sand, entering a stony, hilly district. 

 In this latter, Orthoptera were very numerous. I went as far 

 as Mount Kuldush, marching along the Webbi Shebeyli, the great 

 river of Somaliland. 



The banks of this river were lined with trees and dense jungle, 

 and butterflies and other insects were very abundant. Being 

 unable to find a path for the camels down to the river-edge, and as 

 I was running short of food, and many of my men had fever, I 

 retraced my steps at the end of June. I followed the Sule Biver 

 for a long way and reached Bun Jijjiga, a gigantic plain at the 

 foot of the Harah Hills. Here I fell in with Abyssinians, who, 

 however, behaved most cordially. Game was extremely abundant 

 on this plain; but insects were somewhat scarce except at Whardi 

 Data], where there was long grass, in which Orthoptera simply 

 swarmed. After leaving the plain I traversed thick jungle until 

 reaching Hargaisa, where I rested to take up water before recrossing 

 the great maritime plain called Guban (the hot country). 



During this latter journey I came across a small herd of the 

 Somali Wild Ass (Equus somaliei(s), and passed through a dense 

 locust-cloud, which darkened the sun for hours and looked like a 

 great fall of snow, the air being luhite with them. After a very 

 exhausting march through this desert, where we encounted terrific 

 dust-storms every day, we finally returned to Berbera and the coast. 



