XII 
THE FAUNA OF SOMALILAND 
323 
repaid me for my labour. It is worth knowing that a Midg^n or 
a starving Somali may sometimes be bribed to do this unclean 
work, provided no one is looking on and the matter is kept a 
secret. 
Ostriches (G or emu) are occasionally seen on level plains all 
over the country, especially where the bush is not very thick. 
They are only numerous in the open prairies ; and are terribly 
shy. The best rifle to take in hand on seeing an ostrich is the 
WART-HOG ( Phacochcerus cethiopicus). 
Outside width in a straight line across tusks, 12| inches. 
Lee-Metford. As a rule, they are seen running along at a great 
pace at a distance of between eight hundred yards and a mile 
away, having seen the human beings first. Or they stand 
perfectly still, with their bodies under cover and their small heads 
looking over the top of a bush if there is one to be found. In 
all our journeys my brother and I only succeeded in shooting one 
cock ostrich each. 
In 1891, on the plain south of the Miriya Pass, my brother 
and I witnessed an instance of the manner in which Midgdns 
