6o 
SOMALILAND 
showing up clearly in the now fast-approaching dawn. 
That morning the whole village turned out to see the dead 
leopard, and I left them a priceless curio in the shape of an 
empty whisky-bottle as a souvenir. 
Early in the afternoon we set off again. We soon 
reached the edge of a precipice, 400 or more feet high, 
from the top of which we got a magnificent view of the sea 
of trees below, and the hills near the river Farfan, backed 
by the mountains of the Boorgha Country, looking west. 
Then we descended a steep kind of staircase when we 
reached the bottom of the ridge of hill. During the night 
there was heavy rain. 
In the morning we traversed open bush, where I shot 
at, and unfortunately missed, a lesser koodoo (Strepsiceros 
imberbis), the first we had seen. 
We then came to what looked exactly like a wheat- 
field, when the green is just beginning to show up out of 
the brown earth. Through this imitation wheat-field we 
trudged, and as it was ankle-deep in soft soil and mud 
after the recent rains, the walking was terribly tiring work. 
Presently the grass disappeared, but the brown mud con- 
tinued, until about 9 a.m. we reached the Webbi Bolarli, in 
the middle of which sandy water-course we found a tiny 
stream of real running water. 
Close to the river-bed were the most luxuriant and 
brilliant green grass, and high trees covered with birds’ 
nests. By the banks of this river bird and insect life 
swarmed. At the bottom of two wells by the side of 
the .river could be seen some water-tortoises with flat 
shells. 
All along our route during the morning we had seen 
gigantic land- tortoises slowly wending their way to the rich 
grass by the river-bed. The birds here were ridiculously 
tame. Weaver birds in plenty, including the pretty white- 
headed weaver (D. leucocepliala), and the superb glossy 
starling (A. superbus). The curious yellow-billed hornbill 
sat in the trees above me and croaked aloud. The pretty 
