THE YALO RIVER. 325 



played an intolerable preference for the corners of the eyes and 

 the nose. If it is crushed between the fingers, a strong smell 

 of honey remains. There are also two other species of flies 

 which are very common. One is like the common European 

 blue-bottle, the other is a large ash-grey species. Butterflies 

 are also seen in great quantities, from the large Eques species 

 down to the almost invisible moths. The most beautifully 

 coloured species I have yet seen is undoubtedly a small green 

 Zygasna, which, being coloured purple silver and steel green, 

 shines like a spark of fire. Unfortunately, I had no insect pins 

 in my possession. 



At midday we arrived at a point where the ridge of hills 

 running along the river is touched by the road, and a few 

 minutes later we came upon the river itself, which has exceed- 

 ingly high banks, but we left it almost immediately. The 

 path branched away between the hills, and was rendered dim- 

 cult by the presence of crevices and very deep rain-gutters, as 

 well as thorns, especially those of the Pandia, which were more 

 numerous here than elsewhere. After about an hour's ex- 

 ceedingly difficult march, we again reached the river-bank, which 

 was about twelve feet above the water, and descending which 

 we arrived at the ford. The current presses upon the steep 

 eastern bank. The river is exactly one hundred and eighty-seven 

 feet broad ; in the middle large blocks of stone were lying, and 

 the water reached up to our waists. The river is called the 

 Yalo, both by the Bun and the Lesi, but farther to the north 

 the Dinka call it Gel. The west bank, which has only a gentle 

 fall, is often flooded, and here, close by the river, is a high tree, 

 a Diospyros, on account of which the ford is called Patokome 

 (Meshrat-el-Jogan). Jogan is the Arabic name for the Dios- 

 pyros, the sweet fruits of which are freely eaten everywhere. 

 Mohammed Mismar's small zeriba lies about ten minutes up- 

 stream ; he lives there alone. Five minutes to the west is 

 the place where Poncet's zeriba, Mvolo, once stood, and this 

 name is retained to the present day. The name Moffa, which 

 has been given by Junker to the place, is the name of the 

 chief of a village near to it, and the word Lesi, which is 

 commonly applied to the small zeriba here, is really the name 

 for the district, and for the small tribe which inhabits it. 



