444 
FOREiS't AND STtlEAM. 
[June 4, 1898. 
East African Mammals. 
BY D. G. ELLIOT, F.R.S.E. 
(^Continued from ^age 424: ) 
IjkssER Koodoo {Strepsiceros imberbis, Bl)'th). Native 
Name, Arreh. 
The lesser koodoo is found at the base of the Golis and 
in the Ogaden, being plentiful in the valley of the She- 
beyleh River. 
This beautiful antelope, by far the handsomest of all 
those to be found in Somaliland, dwells in the thick for- 
est of thorn trees where there is a heavy undergrowth 
of aloes, bearing red or yellow flowers about 5ft. 
above the ground. I have seen it quite near the plains, 
but never in the open. The head and neck are spotted 
with white, and there are usually eleven to thirteen white 
stripes around the body. The ears are very large, and 
the horns of the male rise in a spiral, a miniature imi- 
tation of those of the big koodoo. The lesser koodoo 
is a wary animal, and is very skillful in concealing itself 
among the bushes, over which it looks for a moment at 
an intruder txpon its haunts, and then goes bounding 
away over the bushes and intervening objects in the 
easiest and most graceful manner, more suggestive of 
flying than any other kind of motion. 
Careful stalldng and tracking are necessary to enable 
one to get a favorable shot at one of these animals, and 
when he has reached a suitable shooting distance one 
must be quick and not linger upon his aim. This 
species goes in small herds of from four to six, and it is 
not often that two bucks are seen together. There 
is a great difference in the coloring of the sexes, the 
bucks being blue on head and neck, growing almost 
black with age, while the does are brown, as are also the 
young. At all ages the body is decorated with numerous 
white stripes, which gives it a very beautiful and strik- 
ing effect. The lesser koodoo is gracefully formed and 
all its movements are very easy and attractive, while 
it is a most pleasing sight to witness one, with head and 
tail erect, flying at full speed over the bushes. Unlike 
many of the other antelope, the lesser koodoo where 
once started is rarely seen again, as it generally goes a 
considerable distance when frightened, and the density 
of the forest in which it delights affords every means for 
escape. Frequently a number of does accompany one 
buck, and I suppose he secures as large a Iiarem as he 
is able to maintain. The females are witliout horns, and 
are smaller and of slighter build than the males. Speci- 
mens of this animal are very scarce in collections, in fact 
I know of no institution save the Field Museum which 
possesses a full series from babyhood to adult age to 
represent the species. The skin is not easy to preserve, 
the hair coming out on the slightest provocation. 
Wild Ass {Equus asinm soimlkus, Sclat). Native Name, 
Gjtmbttrt. 
In certain parts of Guban, notably in the sterile dis- 
trict lying near the coast, about twenty miles east of 
Berbera, the wild ass is not very uncommon. We met 
with it also in considerable numbers on the high plateau 
west of Laferug, and also saw some individuals south 
of the Golis range in the vicinity' of "Nasr Hablod," the 
mountains called "Virgin's Breast," wiiere they were 
living among the thorn forests with high aloe imder- 
growth, frequented by the lesser koodoo. In fact, it 
was on an occasion when I was engaged tracking one of 
these antelope that I came suddenly upon a little family 
of wild asses, consisting of a jack, mare and foal. It is 
a very handsome animal, and although the head is large, 
it is very well shaped and has none ot tne heavy ap- 
pearance so characteristic of the donkey generally. The 
blue-gray coat, relieved with the white nose and belly^ 
and the striped whitish legs, all combine to present a very 
handsome animal, and I was most agreeably surprised 
by the first one we obtained, it had so much more of 
a game appearance than I had anticipated. The wild ass 
is an exceedingly wary creature, always on the alert, 
and it is no easy matter to approach within even long 
shooting distance of a single animal, much less a number 
of them together. They go usually either alone or in 
small parties of two or three individuals. The greatest 
number I ever met with at one time was eight. Thy pre- 
fer sterile, rocky districts, the ground covered either with 
sand or broken stones, and when hunting them I often 
wondered what the animals lived on, grass was so scarce 
and the blades grew so far apart when a patch was dis- 
covered. Wild asses are dependent upon water, and 
they never go far from places where it may be easily 
obtained, and their tracks were always visible in the vicin- 
ity of pools or other sources of supply, showing they 
came regularly to drink: In spite of tlieir alertness, 
swiftness and other game qualities, no one, I should 
imagine, would shoot a wild ass for sport, it is too much 
like slaughtering horses, and after killing the first one, 
if it had not been for scientific purposes, none of my 
party or myself would have molested them a second 
time. The flesh of these animals is very good, almost 
the best we ate in Somaliland, being more tender and 
having much more flavor than any of the antelope. It 
dops not seem to be a very plentiful species even in the 
country of its nativity, and^I should judge it would not 
require much persscution to speedily extinguish the race. 
THE Lion {Felis leo. Linn). Native Name, Llbah. 
The lion is pretty well distributed throughout Somali- 
land, becoming mo're plentiful as one penetrates into the 
interior. It is getting to be rather scarce north of the 
Golis Range, and we first came upon its track and heard 
its roar at night at Mandera, near the base of the moun- 
tains. The Somali lion is a degenerate descendant of 
the South African species, much smaller in size as a 
rule, of a grayish hue, and with little or no mane. Rare- 
ly are specimens obtained with even a fairly long mane. 
Judging from our experience with them, they are most 
cowardly in disposition, and avoid man's presence when- 
ever possible. Of course, if wounded and surrounded 
so that escape seems impossible, the Somali lion will 
show fight, as any other animal will, even a rat, but his 
principal idea seems to be when followed to put as 
much ground between himself and his pursuers as pos- 
sible. 
We did not make it a business to 'hunt Hons, as it 
wastes too much time, and after seeing a number of skins 
I decided it would not properly represent the real lion in 
collections, and so after procuring a specimen or so 
we paid no attention to them except when they were 
accidentally met with. At one time we followed one for 
several hours until sunset compelled us to give the chase 
up, and although the beast continually took refuge in 
dense grass and thickets of thorn bushes, he never would 
remain in theiu or show fight, and he was only seen once 
by one of the beaters. We met with lions in the middle 
of the Haud, many miles from water, and these animals 
must depend upon the blood of the creatures they kill to 
quench their thirst. Lions commit great depredations 
upon the flocks of the natives, and will no doubt make a 
meal of one of them also if they happen to find him 
asleep or oif his guard in the bush. The Midgans kill 
many of them with their poisoned arrows, which, al- 
though they inflict but slight wounds, bring death in a 
brief period. Lions are sometimes hunted on horseback 
by large parties of natives, who bother him to such 
an extent that he does not know which way to turn, and 
is killed by their spears and arrows. An unsportsman- 
like way frequently practiced is to tie a donkey secure 
close to an ambuscade built of logs and thorn bushes and 
wait for the lion to come and kill the donkey, and then 
shoot him at close quarters. The lion is attracted by the 
braying of the captive animal and, as he is very fond of 
donkey flesh, soon finds the place where he hopes to 
secure a much desired repast. In the highlands and 
colder parts of the country, as might be expected, the 
coat of the lion is thicker and heavier, but although I 
have handled a considerable number, I have never seen 
a really fine Somali lion skin, and doubt if the country 
produces one. Of course, anywhere near the coast it is 
difficult now to meet with an old lion, they having been 
mostly all killed, and those obtained are usually young 
or three-quarters grown, with the cub look still on their 
faces. Doubtless, to find them at all, one will soon be 
obliged to penetrate far into the interior, for, like most 
wild creatures, the lion is rapidly passing away. 
[to be continued.] 
A Glance at the Sparrows. 
Starting out one April day for a visitation of the 
pastures and a glance at the arriving birds, I found in 
my own .street a "sapsucker" af work on one of the 
maples. He had drilled several small holes in the rough 
bark, which was now darkened by the trickling sap. 
Inserting his bill and wetting it in the sweetish liquid he 
smacked his mandibles with evident satisfaction. There 
used to be controversy as to whether this species really 
cared for sap or did' its boring for grubs under the 
bark. The question was never debatable after Frank 
Bolles pubHshed the result of his painstaking observa- 
tion. Sapsucker this beautiful bird is by nature, as by 
name. In the book he passes as the yellow-bellied wood- 
pecker. Red-throated would better denote his chief dis- 
tinction from the other wood-drillers. Like them this 
species wears the red crown, only in both sexes and more 
extended than in some; but in the adult male the throat 
is of the same brilliant crimson, and this marking identi- 
fies him at once. 
Of course I did not get away from the village without 
the English sparrows offering themselves for observa- 
tion. These little scamps are quick to recognize modern 
improvements that offer them housing. One was carry- 
ing a load of building materials up under the hood of an 
electric light suspended at a street corner, and it was 
not so bad a place for nesting as it might seem. Some- 
thing like an oven when the sun heats up the iron cone, 
and not very cool when the light is burning, one would 
say; but the opening at the top must keep up a con- 
stant draft of air, and the protection from cats is com- 
plete, and from storms fairly so. The man wdio puts 
in the new carbons told me that the lowering of the lamps 
for that purpose does not break up the nesting. He has 
found eggs in the nests where the birds were permitted 
to remain, but they are not encouraged to do so. One 
of the maples beside the walk carried the dead stub 
of a large limb, and from the surface seemed to project 
a bird's head. This proved to be an English sparrow 
looking out from the mouth of a woodpecker's burrow. 
I watched a little afterward, to see if they were nesting 
in this odd place. I could not make out that they were, 
but one of them could not ask a snugger port in a storm. 
The several species of native sparrows have a family 
likeness so marked as to be rather discouraging to the 
ornithological student who is trying to distinguish them. 
With more observation they develop an individuality, 
by which they are recognized, like our human friends, 
without an analysis of their points of appearance. The 
beginner, however, needs to know the characteristic 
marks which can be seen with an opera glass. He can 
seldom get near enough to birds for a satisfactory ex- 
amination with the unaided eye, and he presumably has 
not the license to kill them for study, which the laws 
of some States hedge about with regulations which are 
just about prohibitory. When he sees a bird a little 
bigger than a canary, of a generally brown or grayish 
color, he may take it for a sparrow, and look closer for 
the signs of the species. In a summer walk in my dis- 
trict I expect to see five kinds, and some that nest in 
Canada are likely to be met with here in the migrating 
seasons. Two at least besides the English may some- 
times be seen in the village. The social sparrow, or 
"chipping bird," is quite at home among folks, as the 
name may imply. You will perhaps see him skirmishing 
for crumbs about the kitchen door, and will know him 
by his dull reddish crown, with the white stripe beneath, 
then the clear, black line through the eye, which, when 
seen from the front, in connection with the bill, also 
black, seems to divide the head horizontally. The plain 
ash-colored breast is hke that of some other species. 
Rather less common in the village is the song spar- 
row, which I found further out, hopping briskly about 
shrubs and brush heaps, with tail feathers erected, and its 
dark brown head feathers also when excited or alarmed, 
forming the semblance of a crest; meanwhile uttering the 
single chirp which many kinds of birds use when busied 
or disturbed, over and above the series of notes whicli 
may be more fairly called songs. This is the singing 
sparrow par excellence of those most often seen. It 
comes north with the robin, and the short, sweet song 
which it pours from the topmost twig of some low tree 
is one of the most welcome signs of spring. The song 
sparrow has a streaky front, but three dark spots, one in 
the breast and one under each side of the bill, stand 
out conspicuous enough to distinguish the species. 
In a stumpy pasture I found the vesper sparrow cXt 
actly at home. This is a bird of the fields and of the 
ground. For ten or fifteen minutes 1 watched one 
slowly gliding over the turf hunting insects and worms, 
several of which it caught and devoured while I gazed. 
In general appearance the vesper is of a grayer tone than 
the song sparrow, and it is rather more leisurely in 
action. It is the most streaked of our sparrows. Fine 
streaks traverse the head and coarser ones the body. A 
dark band edged with white crosses the upper part of 
the wing, and a more conspicuous white stripe crosses 
lower down. A noticeable feature is a pale line that 
curves down and back from the mouth and then upward. 
When the bird flies it proclaims its species by displaying 
the white outer feathers of the tail. A bit of rusty color 
on the front of the wing is hardly prominent enough to 
justify the name bay-winged bunting which some give to 
this species. Its evening song suggested the appella- 
tion vesper, which would apply to some other birds as 
well — the robin, for example, is a famous vesper singer. 
Perhaps grassfinch is as good as any of the titles of this 
sparrow^ 
On a stump in the same pasture a field sparrow was 
standing. Throwing back its head it poured out a deli- 
cate song running off into the finest trill, suggesting a 
tiny bell set rapidly jingling and left to stop itself, a song 
small and clear enough to match "the horns of elfland 
faintly blowing." The song of the chipping bird is simi- 
lar, but rather stronger and lower-keyed and lacking the 
bell-like quality. This is the, smallest of our sparrows. 
It has the plain ash-colored breast of the chipping bird, 
and about the same reddish crown, but not the black 
line through the face. Even the bill is not black, but 
pinkish, and this is one of the distinguishing marks. A 
reddish tract across the back and shoulders is very no- 
ticeable. 
Take the field sparrow somewhat enlarged, mark a 
dark spot on the breast and make the wings distinctly 
white and black, and you have the appearance of the 
Canada or tree sparrow, which I saw in these fields about 
the same time on its way north, together with the white- 
throat, the latter, however, rather more partial to the 
woods and shrubs. To one trying to know the birds by 
name it is an important help that so many axe named 
from their most striking characteristic. The white- 
throated sparrow is an example. It is the best named 
and the best marked of them all. The white throat patch 
is unmistakable. Sometimes it makes the bird look as 
if it were trying to swallow a wad of cotton. Another 
distinctive mark is a bit of yellow back of the bill. There 
are several other sparrows, but I have not yet come upon 
them in my district. Bristol Hill. 
Some Man-o*-Warsmen's Pets. 
There is probably not a man-of-war afloat that does 
not carry at least one pet of some sort or another. An 
example of the way the pet business may occasionally 
be overdone was furnished on a United States gunboat 
cruising in iVIexican waters a few years ago. When the 
ship dropped her mudhook in the harbor of Acapulco 
three-quarters of the ship's company forward went ashore 
and bought paroquets to carry to San Francisco. A 
paroquet is about as noisy and garrulous a bunch of 
gorgeous plumage as can be found. These particular 
paroquets could talk nothing but barbarous pigeon 
Spanish, but, so far as swearing went, they were most 
able. The owners of the birds contrived to get on 
fairly good terms with them, but did not succeed in 
teaching them English. One of the results of the estab- 
lishment of friendly relations between the men and the 
birds was that when all hands were summoned aft to 
quarters the paroquets got lonesome and set up a whimp- 
ering and whining just like that of babies, which they 
kept going until the men were dismissed from quarters 
and returned forward. 
The Mexican gunboat Zaragossa, a pretty, yacht-like 
little craft, was in the harbor at the time, and on the 
day before the departure of the American A^essel the Zara- 
gossa's commander, an ex-oificer of the British navy, 
went aboard to make a visit of ceremony, accompanied 
by his staif officers — for the little Zaragossa is a flagship. 
The men on the United States cruiser were drawn up 
at quarters as the Mexican officers came over the side, 
and the paroquets up forward were, as usual, crying over 
their temporary desertion by the tars. 
When the Mexican offlcers got over the gangway and 
started to address the American skipper in Spanish, 
there was a sudden hush among all the paroquets. The 
birds were apparently cocking their ears at the sound 
of their own language. They listened respectfully, with- 
out letting out a word. Then the American skipper, who 
was a man with a big voice, started to reply to the 
Mexican officers. This started the uproar among the 
paroquets again. The skipper had barely gotten out half 
a dozen words before the birds, in a shrill, broken 
chorus, began to lay him out. They exhausted the whole 
Greaser language of vituperation and scorn, and then 
began all over again. They heaped disgrace upon the 
skipper and denounced him in every set term known to. 
distempered Mexican fishermen. The skipper smiled at 
first — a continuance of his conversation was impossible 
on account of the noise — but when the thing continued 
for a matter of five minutes or so he began to get purple 
in the face. He took the Mexican naval offlcers aft and 
entertained them in his cabin, and as he went aft the 
birds up forward hurled a parting volley of denuncia- 
tion after him. The men were dismissed from quarters, 
and then succeeded in quieting the birds, but it was too 
late. The Mexican offlcers had no sooner departed than 
all hands were whistled to quarters and the executive 
officer's order that every one of the profane paroquets 
should be taken ashore by its owner forthwith. 
When the cruiser Olympia arrived on the China station 
