98 ACCOUNTS, ETC.> OF THE BRITISH MUSEUM. 



Expedition to Sokotra. 



The Expedition to Sokotra referred to in last year's 

 report, in which the British Museum and Liverpool Museum 

 co-operated, met with considerable success, as the following 

 report will show. 



Mr, W. R. Ogilvie-Grant, Assistant in the Zoological 

 Department, and Dr. H. O. Forbes, Director of the Liverpool 

 Museums, arrived at Aden on I7th November 1898. 



Mr. Grant's share of the expenses was partly covered by 

 the sum of 1501. received from the Government Grant Com- 

 mittee of the Royal Society. Funds were also supplied by 

 the British Association and the Royal Geographical Society, 

 Dr. Forbes having undertaken to prepare a map of Sokotra 

 for the latter body. 



Owing to some trouble having arisen with the Sultan of 

 Sokotra it was feared at first that the Government of India 

 would not allow the expedition to visit the island, but thanks 

 to the kind help of General Creagh, the Governor of Aden, 

 after three weeks delay, permission was eventually obtained. 

 During this period of uncertainty short collecting trips were 

 made to Shaik Othman, Lahej, and other places near Aden, and 

 a considerable number of valuable specimens were obtained, 

 including a living pair of the Arabian Baboon, which were 

 safely transmitted to the Zoological Gardens of London. 



On 3rd December, accompanied by an interpreter and seven 

 men, mostly Somalis, the expedition left Aden in the Royal 

 Indian Marine Guard Ship " Elphinstone," which the Govern- 

 ment of India had kindly placed at the disposal of Mr. Grant 

 and his party, and arrived on the third day at Abd-el-Kuri, 

 an island lying to the west of Sokotra, the zoology of which 

 was practically unknown. 



Three days were spent on this almost barren spot, where 

 a small colony of Arabs drag out a miserable existence. 

 The researches of the party were fairly rewarded, for though 

 there were no mammalia, except a few sheep and goats, a 

 goodly collection was made of other groups of animals, and 

 among the novelties discovered were a fine species of sparrow, 

 a wagtail, a starling, several lizards, and a number of land 

 shells. One of the hills, attaining an elevation of nearly 

 2,000 feet, is fairly covered with bush and plants of various 

 kinds, and it was there that most of the interesting specimens 

 were obtained. 



On 7th December the " Elphinstone " reached Sokotra, and 

 after some delay, all the baggage was safely landed at Hadibu, 

 the capital of the island, situated on the north coast. The first 

 camp was made on the plain close to the Kerenigi river about 

 a mile to the south of the town, and a fine collection of the 

 low ground fauna was soon got together. The most notable 



