THE GREAT NORTH-EAST. 
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creature known as the songom, about which 
much has been said, but little really known. 
It is described as a creature as large as a 
donkey, spotted with red, and dwelling in the 
forests to the north. A recent traveller speaks 
of the native report of a remarkable spider in 
these regions, which constructs a web so strong 
that birds are caught in it, and he says that 
he had no reason to question the truth of the 
report. 
There are numerous serpents in the Antsihan- 
aka marshes, but none of them are venomous. 
An entirely new species was obtained by the 
late Mr Crossley (an English naturalist). The 
body was only a little larger than a spear-shaft, 
its length was about six feet, and its colour 
perfectly white. Twenty different species of 
birds were collected from these woods by M. 
Grandideir—one about the size of a pigeon, and 
of a beautiful blue colour, resembling the finest 
silk, attracting considerable attention. 
The open country is covered with vast herds 
of cattle, which are partly owned by the Sihan- 
aka and partly by the Hovas. Eice is ex¬ 
tremely cheap, and bananas and mangoes are 
very plentiful. Geese and ducks are kept all 
over the district in great numbers; and in this 
part of the country there is said happily to be 
no fever. The plains of the Antsihanaka are 
