148 Report on the Island of Socotra. [March, 



know not, but on the low land they have an astonishing number of scorpi- 

 ons, centipedes, and a large and venomous description of spiders, called (?) 

 the bite ofwhichcreatesalarminginflammation, and even with youngchildren, 

 it is said, sometimes proves fatal. In some places it was a chance if a stone 

 was removed but that you would find one or more of these insects. Lo- 

 custs have rarely been seen in Socotra, and those which were, are said to 

 have been few, and were most probably stragglers. Ants are numerous, 

 and the bite of one kind is scarcely less painful than the sting of a wasp ; 

 near the dekhan enclosures, field mice are often observed, and on the hills 

 they are much troubled with rats and other vermin. The chameleon is a 

 native of this island. The only birds I saw were cranes, flamingoes, wild 

 ducks, a species of water-fowl, wood pigeons (very numerous) ; the swallow, 

 the lapwing, owls, bats, and four varieties of the vulture : the last are par- 

 ticularly serviceable in cleansing the earth of carcasses and filth. There 

 is also a small bird, with a red beak and dark purple plumage, called in the 

 Socotrian language Mabeared, which utters a shrill and loud cry, not un- 

 like that which might be produced by an effort of the human voice. Cas- 

 sowaries are said to have been seen on the island, but I neither saw nor 

 could learn any thing of them. 



Government. 

 It has already been noticed, that the government of the Island of Soco- 

 tra, from a very early period, was dependent on the kings of the incense 

 country, and the early Portuguese navigators found them, on their first ar- 

 rival, still in the undisturbed possession of their ancient patrimony ; but 

 after Albuquerque had conquered and overrun the island, he vested its 

 government in the hands of some of his officers, who, with a remnant of 

 his troops, was left behind to retain it. The Portuguese appear to have 

 held possession until the decline of their power in India, when they inter- 

 married with its inhabitants, gradually lost their ascendancy, and Socotra, 

 after this short interruption, again resumed its solitary dependence, under 

 its ancient masters. From this period, there is reason to believe, that a 

 brother or some near relation of the Sultan of Kisbeen, on the Arabian 

 Coast, resided permanently on the island as its governor, until within the 

 last century, when it has been merely subjected to an annual visit from 

 Kisbeen. The revenue is then collected, and any complaints which require 

 the interference of the Sultan, are brought before him. When these ob- 

 jects are accomplished, he again takes his departure. During our stay at 

 Kisbeen and on the island, we made numerous inquiries to ascertain who 

 at present exercised this power, but this it proved no easy matter to dis- 

 cover. The old Sultan is blind, and incapable of managing the affairs of 

 his government, and all has gone to confusion,. Various claimants appeared, 

 but Abdullah was pointed out as the influential individual; from him there- 

 fore we procured letters specifying the nature of our visit, and requiring 

 from the islanders every assistance which we might stand in need of. Little 

 attention was however paid to this letter, and during our stay another 

 $hief, Hamed Bin Tary arrived^ and under the threat of burning the tow% 



