TWO DIANAS IN SOMALILAND 221 
seats instanter , but returned carefully to investigate. 
’Twas a hideous monstrosity indeed, alligator-like, 
with yellow claws. In length about a foot, with tail 
of twice as much, yellow gray, with whitish markings, 
and appeared to have no interest in us or animosity 
towards us. We knew it was of the lizard fraternity, 
and afterwards natural history revealed it to us as a 
Monitor. He disturbed my slumbers all that night. 
I could not get the hideous thing out of my dreams, 
and my fancy peopled the tent with creatures of his 
kind, and every place on which I would set my foot 
was covered with monitors. Next morning our friend 
was still on his perch, and we saw a smaller brother 
on another tree. Common chameleons frequented 
this part also* They lay thickly on the branches 
of the guda trees, brown-green and almost unnotice- 
able. 
That evening, as the light was fading, I shot a 
marabou stork, not often to be met with in these parts. 
It was indeed a prize, and we spent hours of semi- 
darkness, in a dim religious light, skinning our treasure. 
It sounds so easy — it seems nothing — but try your 
hand on a common or garden hen, and see if the 
business is as simple as you think ? We poked and 
pushed, and, I’m afraid, tore a little, but in the end 
were successful, and stretched the result to dry. The 
splendid colour of the pouch of this marabou, which 
was so much admired by us, faded after skinning, and 
was gone. The feathers, so reminiscent of civilisation, 
and beloved of suburban fan proprietors, were very 
fine and fluffy. We measured the beak of our trophy, 
