﻿176 JAS. J. SIMPSON— ENTOMOLOGICAL 



The whole district of Ahoada is flat and low ; it lies between two rivers and 

 is very swampy in the wet season. In certain parts, however, stretches of long 

 grass are found as well as forest. Much of it is comparable to the " fadama " of 

 Northern Nigeria, in which water lies to a depth of nearly six feet in the wet 

 season, but which, during the dry season, is baked hard and cracked by the sun. 

 The main river is the Sombreiro, which is navigable by launch as far as Ihoaba 

 at all times of the year, by canoe during the rains to the source of the Nkissi 

 River, and in the dry season at least to Ikri. Leopards, bush-cow and antelope 

 are not uncommon, while elephant are occasionally encountered in the Anenzoh 

 country. 



The district of Owerri is flat and sandy, and is covered for the most part with 

 thick low bush. Goats, sheep and cattle are kept, but horses do not thrive. 

 Buck of various sorts are common, as also are leopards, while hippopotami are 

 occasionally seen near Oguta. 



(2) Eket. 



To the east of Opobo is the district of Eket on the Kwa-Ibo River. This 

 river, like the Opobo, rises some distance from the coast and is independent 

 of either the Cross River or the Niger, that is, it pours its waters direct into the 

 sea near the town of Eket. The southern half of the country is low-lying, wet 

 and swampy, and covered with virgin forest. This part is practically uninhabited, 

 and, except on the coast where fishing huts are to be found at intervals, no 

 natives exist. The remainder of the district is covered with low bush cut every 

 few years for cultivation. 



Capt. L. E. H. Humfrey, District Commissioner in S. Nigeria, was stationed 

 here for a short time and found the following blood-sucking insects : — Tabanus 

 secedens, T. socialis, T. obscurehirtus, T. obscurefumatus and Clirysops silacea. 

 With the exception of these records the entomology of this district is absolutely 

 unknown. 



(3) Aba, Ikot-Ekpene, Bende and Okigwi. 



The districts in the next series are all inland, being situated between the Niger 

 and the Cross River. 



The most southerly is Aba, which lies on the river of the same name, a 

 tributary of the Opobo, while Okigwi, the most northerly, is situated at the head 

 waters of the River Opobo, known in its upper reaches as the Imo. The Bende 

 district is not far from the head of the Enyong Creek, a tributary of the Cross 

 River, while Ikot-Ekpene also lies in the basin of the same river. 



Aba. — Around Aba the country is flat, for the most part waterless, and 

 covered with low scrub or else under cultivation. Groups of large trees at 

 market-places serve to show how dense must have been the forest at one time. 

 A large navigable river, the Imo, forms the western boundary ; the Aba River 

 flows through the central part of the district, and the Achacha River, which 

 joins the Kwa-Ibo River near Itu, forms the eastern boundary. These rivers 

 form practically the only water-supply of the district, Goats, sheep, pigs and dogs 

 are common, but horses do not thrive. Leopards, antelopes and monkeys are to 

 be found in the district. 



