ACROSS THE WATERLESS DESERT 
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of the most beautiful sun-birds I have ever seen. Its 
brilliant red breast attracted my notice when it was flying 
fully 50 yards off, although it was smaller than a sparrow. 
The exquisite beauty of this perfect little gem baffles any 
description I can give — a dark olive-green back and wings, 
the ‘ shoulders ’ of the latter and the rump being of a 
metallic green. The upper part of the breast was a bright 
vermilion, surrounded by a thin fringe of metallic blue. 
The base of these red feathers of the breast had a thin 
band of copper, showing in some lights green, in others 
yellow. The lower part of the breast and the throat were 
a rich black. It had a long, curved black beak, black legs, 
and a brown eye. 
In the afternoon we left the stones behind, and en- 
countered similar low thorn-bushes to those seen on the 
maritime plain near Berbera. Tall trees were to be seen 
every half-mile or so. As I was resting under the shade of 
one of the latter, I caught sight of a plover squatting on 
the sand, and thinking it was wounded, I walked slowly 
up to it, when it jumped up, disclosing three pretty little 
nestlings. I retired hastily to the tree again, some 5 yards 
off, when the mother came running back, and, without 
taking the slightest notice of me, sat down again upon the 
youngsters. Presently up ran the cock bird with a fat 
slug, which he deposited before his spouse, who promptly 
swallowed it, and off her husband ran aofain to And another. 
The whole performance was enacted within a few feet of 
me. so tame are the birds in Somaliland. 
Next morning we were going at 3 o'clock, and the thorn - 
bushes, some 3 feet high, scratched my legs so fearfully that, 
in spite of the intense cold, I was obliged to ride the pony, 
upon which I fell fast asleep twice, and all but fell out 
of the saddle. We camped at Goorasafsaf at 10 a.m., after 
passing several huge plains without seeing a sign of animal 
life. The wilderness here was devoid of trees, so that one 
could see for miles around. On camping, I lay on my bed 
and went fast asleep, and was with difficulty roused for 
