396 
SAVAGE SUDAN 
Such detail may appear small. It is small. But it is only 
by small degree and by close field-observations that Nature’s 
secrets will finally be elucidated. There is no short-cut. 
(hi) The Coral Islands of the Red Sea 
The coral islands which stud the Red Sea, though 
they lie right alongside our British-India route, have 
never been explored by British naturalist. During a 
whole century—since the visit of Hemprich and Ehren- 
berg in 1827—no zoologist whatever has set foot on 
these islands, save only Heuglin in 1861—all respect to 
his enterprise. Hence certain recent notes made 
thereon by a young naval friend, Lieutenant H. Dale 
Nichol, R.N., who spent two war-years patrolling the 
Red Sea and its islands aboard H.M.S. Espiegle, are 
certainly of sufficient interest to summarise here. 
Certain islands received special attention by Espiegle, 
including those of the “ Farisan group,” an archipelago 
which extends for miles along the Arabian coast, and of 
which the Farisan Islands are themselves the largest. 
Though entirely waterless, both these and many smaller 
islands proved to be stocked with gazelles—apparently a 
diminutive or stunted race of the typical Arabian gazelle 
[Gazella arabica), reduced in size by starveling diet. It 
seems, indeed, remarkable that any herbivorous animal 
can support life at all upon such barren arid rocks. 
Apparently they feed on seaweed. A doe weighed on 
Farisan only scaled 10 lb.-—about one-third of a normal 
weight; all, moreover, carried very short stumpy horns, 
strongly recurved forward and rather resembling those of 
a baby reedbuck (Bohor) than a gazelle. That, however, 
may be either merely an index of immaturity, as already 
pointed out at p. 336, or a proof that semi-starvation pre¬ 
cludes the attainment of complete “maturity.” The hoofs 
of these gazelles were almost worn away by traversing the 
sharp coral. Kamaran, the southernmost island (lying 
