SJENAFE. 101 



of hyrax found in the neighbourhood, which served 

 admirably to illustrate the astonishing variation in the 

 colour and even the texture of the fur which is exhibited 

 by these animals, and which is scarcely equalled, so far as 

 I knov^r, by any other wild mammal. 



We reached Senafe on the 25th May. Very little rain 

 had fallen in this part of the country, and it was conse- 

 quently less green than in February, and contrasted 

 strongly with the southern portions of Tigre between 

 Antalo and Adigrat. Kassa, the Tigre chief, was en- 

 camped in the neighbourhood, and durbars and military 

 exercises by both Abyssinians and British troops were the 

 order of the day. 



At Senafe I first met Mr. Jesse, the gentleman sent out 

 by the Zoological Society of London. He had hitherto 

 been most unfortunate, for he had only landed in March, 

 and had been detained in the rear both by want of 

 carriage and by iUness. His collections at this period 

 were consequently comparatively small. The collector 

 whom I had left behind at Undul WeUs had proved 

 thoroughly worthless, and had found it more profitable to 

 skin birds for some of the officers than to do his own 

 work. Lieut. Stuft, however, had a considerable number 

 of birds, of which he allowed me to take such as I had 

 not myself collected. Altogether, before I. left the high- 

 lands I had about 900 specimens of birds, mammals, and 

 reptiles, representing above 250 species. 



A considerable change had taken place in the avi- 

 fauna, caused chiefly by the immigration of birds from 

 lower elevations and the departure of the Saxicolce, and 



