578 



DAR-FUR. 



Bar.fiiv. 



Wild 

 'beastsr 



Birds. 



much used for riding:, as few persons but the military, 

 and those who are in immediate attendance at court, 

 make use of horses. The only good asses are those 

 which the merchants bring from Egypt; and one of 

 these will sell at the value of one, two, or three slaves, 

 according to the weight which he is able to bear. Num- 

 bers of horned cattle are reared in the vicinity of the 

 rivers, and the beef, which is a constant article of food 

 with the natives, is of good quality. Cows are numer- 

 ous, but their milk is not palatable. The camels are of 

 A very mixed breed, and are found of all colours and 

 sizes. Those which are reared in the country of Dar- 

 fur are remarkable for enduring thirst, but not capable 

 of bearing great burthens. They are particularly sub- 

 ject to the mange, especially in winter ; and their chief 

 remedy is a kind of tar, procured from the seeds of the 

 water melon. The milk of the camel is much esteemed, 

 and the flesh, especially of the female, which is fattened 

 for the purpose, is much used for food. There are two 

 or three distinct breeds of sheep, but not materially dif- 

 fering from each other. Their wool is coarse, similar 

 to hair, and apparently unfit for any manufacture. 

 Their flesh is interior to that of the Egyptian breed. 

 The goats are more numerous than the sheep ; their 

 flesh is cheaper ; and they grow to a larger size than 

 those of Egypt. The dogs resemble those of Egypt. 

 The common house cat is scarce, and is chiefly brought 

 from the country. The beasts of prey are principally 

 the lion, the leopard, the hyena, the wolf, the jackal, 

 and the wild buffalo ; but, excepting the hyena and 

 jackal, they are not commonly seen within the cultiva- 

 ted parts of the empire. The latter are harmless, but 

 their uncouth howlings are heard to a great distance. 

 The former enter the villages at night in companies of 

 six or eight, kill dogs or asses, drag off the dead carcases 

 of camels or other animals, and are not much alarmed 

 at the sight of a man, or the report of fire arms. The 

 people of the country dig pits for them ; and when one 

 is entrapped, they stun him with clubs, or pierce him 

 with spears'. There are found also elephants in herds 

 sometimes of several hundreds. They are smaller than 

 those of Asia, and are hunted by the Arabs, who aim at 

 them with spears, or make pits into which they fall. 

 Then* flesh is greatly esteemed as food, their fat as an 

 unguent, and their hide as serviceable for many useful 

 purposes. The wild buffaloes are hunted in like manner, 

 and used as food. The hippopotamus is also hunted for 

 his teeth, which are superior to ivory, and his hide, 

 which makes excellent shields and whips. There are 

 found also the camelopardalis, rhinoceros, crocodile, 

 antelope, ostrich, civet cat, jerboa, and porcupine. 

 Among the birds, the most remarkable are the white 

 headed vulture, a bird of surprising strength, and said 

 to be remarkably long-lived. They are very numerous 

 in the inhabited districts ; and carry off, in the day time, 

 the carrion which the hyena has left during night. 

 Near the extremity of each wing there is a strong sharp 

 horny substance, resembling the spur of an old cock, 

 which they use as a formidable instrument of attack. 

 The guinea fowl, of great beauty, is found in abun- 

 dance, and is carried as a profitable commodity to 

 Cairo. There is no external distinction observable be- 

 tween the male and female of this bird ; and their voice, 

 when apparently elated, is very peculiar. Green parro- 



Juets fill the trees in the beginning of summer ; and, 

 eing caught young, are tamed, and carried to Egypt, 

 where they are taught a kind of speech, and sold at a 

 high price. The other birds found in the countr}' are, 

 the quail, dotteral, pigeon, partridge, and owl. Fish 



of the same kinds as those of the Nile in Upper Egypt, Dar-fur. 

 are found in the river Ada, and are caught in wicker S T" W ' 

 baskets. The natives have a method of drying them ; F '*" 

 but they are so offensive to the smell, as to be useless 

 to any except themselves. The chameleon abounds in: Reptiles 

 Dar-fur, and is considered as an impure animal by the and insects, 

 natives. Serpents, lizards, reptiles, and insects of vari- 

 ous kinds are sufficiently common. The scorpion is of 

 a small size, a brown hue, and not very malignant ve- 

 nom. Its sting is cured by the natives, by the imme- 

 diate and renewed application of a bruised onion, till 

 the pain subsides. The white ant is extremely destruc- 

 tive, eating through every thing within its reach. The 

 common bee abounds, but no hives are in use, and the 

 wild honey has a very unpleasant taste. Great quanti- 

 ties of cochineal are to be seen, but the natives apply it 

 to no useful purpose. The locust of Arabia is very com- 

 mon, and is frequently roasted and eaten, particularly 

 by the slaves. The mosquitoe is peculiarly troublesome 

 in the rainy season. 



The rocks in Dar-fur consist chiefly of grey granite, Minerals 

 and are used as mill-stones ; but there is scarcely any and metals, 

 stone suitable for building or convertible into lime. Ala- 

 baster, however, and various kinds of marble, are found 

 within the limits of the empire. Fossile salt is not un- 

 common in a certain district ; and there is a sufficient 

 supply olnitre, of which, however, no use is made. Sul- 

 phur is brought by the Arabs from the south and west ; 

 and the hot springs, said to be found on the mountains 

 called Gebel Marra, may be the effect of sulphureous va- 

 pours. The different metals are also said to exist towards 

 the south and west. The copper is of the finest quality, 

 resembling that of China, and appearing to contain a 

 portion of zinc. Iron is found in abundance, but the 

 natives have not the art of hardening it into steel. There 

 is much gold in the countries on the east and west, but 

 little is brought to Dar-fur ; and there is little silver, 

 lead, or tin, except what comes from Egypt. 



Of the people of Dar-fur a great proportion are Arabs, inhabi- 

 many of whom lead a wandering life on the frontiers ; tants * 

 and are in so unsettled and independent a state, as to be 

 scarcely subservient to the purposes of the government, 

 either in peace or war. Another portion consists of the 

 people of Zeghawa, who once formed a separate nation, 

 and who still speak a different dialect from the Furians. 

 A third class comprehends the people of Dageou, who 

 are also a distinct tribe, formerly the riders of the coun- 

 try, but now subject to the sovereign of Fur. The na- 

 tives of Kordofan, and of some other smaller kingdoms, 

 are likewise dependant on the crown of Dar-fur ; and a 

 considerable portion of the inhabitants of the country, 

 especially of one of the larger cities, viz, Cobbe, are 

 properly foreigners, traders from Egypt, and from the 

 countries on the Rahr-el-Abiad, or western branch of 

 the Nile, viz. Dongola, Mahas, &c. as far as Sennaar. 

 These are supposed to have first opened the communi- 

 cation between Dar-fur and Egypt ; and are described 

 as daring, restless, and turbulent, full of enterprise, and 

 indefatigable in commerce. They usually intermarry 

 with each other, or with the Arabs, and are easily dis- 

 tinguishable from the natives of the country. They 

 have a good stature and figure, often an agreeable and 

 expressive countenance, an olive complexion, short, 

 black, and curly, but not woolly hair, and a form of 

 visage altogether more resembling the European than 

 the African. The amount of the whole population can- 

 not be estimated with any degree of precision. There 

 are not more than eight or ten towns of any consider T 

 able extent, and the most populous of these does not 



