2 MB. C. B. MITFOBD OS ELEPHAS AFB1CASUS. [Jan. IB, 



to him by Mr. 0. B. Mitford, dated Freetown, Sierra Leone, 26tb 

 November, 1893 : — 



" I have one of the most interesting phenomena to tell you about, 

 which has not been seen in Freetown for the last 60 or 70 years, 

 but as it only commenced yesterday I can give you but a short 

 account of it now. At 1.30 P.M. yesterday I noticed the hills at 

 Wilberforce assuming a very driea-up appearance, which gradu- 

 ally extended to the water's edge, and on calling the attention of a 

 native to the peculiar change in the appearance of the ' bush ' he 

 informed me that Locusts were coming. 



" What he said proved to be correct, for in a very short time huge 

 black clouds appeared above the hills, as if a severe storm were 

 brewing, and those I at first saw, the advance guard, in the bril- 

 liant sunshine gradually gave one an idea that the whole of the sides 

 of the hills were on fire ; these hills, I should say, are three miles 

 off in a bee-line. 



" At 2.45 p.m. these supposed clouds reached Freetown, and 

 proved to be a continuous mass of locusts, which passed without 

 intermission till 5.10. p.m., and. as in their progress they were 

 only 30 or -40 feet above the ground, a sound like a rushing stream 

 at a distance could be distinctly heard. 



" During their course the sky was obscured. Myriads settled on 

 the houses, trees, roads, &c, but made no apparent difference in 

 the size of the swarms passing over. The whole town was covered 

 with their excrement. 



" Last night, when I went out about 10 p.m. to see what was 

 going on, I found plenty of locusts in the garden, but on a near 

 approach to the plants they dropped suddenly on to the ground. 



" This morning, when I got up about 6 a.m., only two or three 

 were to be seen. At 9.45 a.m. the stream began again, but not in 

 ^uch dense masses as were seen yesterday, and continued up to 1 p.m. 

 " A more marvellous sight I have never seen, nor has. so far as I 

 can ascertain, the oldest resident in Freetown, although I hear they 

 appeared here sixty or seventy years ago. as I said before. 



" As you walk along the roads they rise like a large nock of birds, 

 most of them rising and joining the main band, but others coming 

 down and taking their places." 



The Secretary stated that Mr. C. O. Waterhouse, of the British 

 Museum, in whose hands he had placed specimens of this Locust 

 transmitted by Mr. Mitford for examination, had determined them 

 to belong to Pachytybtg migratoroides (Eeiche et Fairmaire) (Ferr. 

 et Gral. Voy. en Abyss, iii. p. 430), originally described from 

 Abyssinia, but recently ascertained to occur also in West Africa. 



A second extract from the same letter referred to the occurrence 

 of the Elephant (EUphas africanus) in Sierra Leone : — 



" In reference to the occurrence of the Elephant in Sierra Leone, 

 I cau only state, in continuation of what I told you before, that 1 

 have been informed, on, I think, very reliable information, that 

 within a certain mountainous portion of the western district 



