258 AFRICAN WAXDERINGS.

saltiana) seems to have completely vanished. Formerly here, in Taka, hyenas were so numerous, that they broke into houses, and attacked full-grown men. Sobi Aga in one night's ride shot thirteen of these marauders, as his people assured us.

Snakes' bites and scorpions' stings grow more common. Although men have repeatedly been brought to us who had been found delirious, and with all their limbs greatly swollen, still until now my brother has succeeded in saving all by administering sal-ammoniac inwardly, and washing the wound with it, without having to apply fire, as is the usual habit here, and which is also the custom in cases of poisoned lance wounds in Kordofan. There are some other good remedies in use among the natives themselves, as e. g. fresh pounded ricimis seed mixed in butter quickly cleans the ulcer ; and they have also some singular remedies, as, for instance, for colds and sore throats, the cutting of the uvula.

Although we have everywhere inquired after, and looked about on all sides for, old remains, we have not as yet fallen in with even a single stone which is either hewn or marked with figures ; however, Achmet Scherifi" tells us (and he it was who first gave us tidings of the great Queen Kaliua who ruled up in the mountains), of a part of the Beni-Amer country, where the city of Eidip stands at the head of the Gohr of Baraka, called Assaramm Dehera, a day's journey from the Eed Sea, where there are scattered about seven pyramids and many great stones, and that at the foot of the hills of Kostahn, Plabab, and Maria are also many remains of ancient buildings of great extent.

A main source of amusement has been, and will be, during all this campaign, hunting, or rather shooting ; and, on the whole, we have succeeded well, as not only have gazelles and antelopes, but also hares, bustards, guinea fowls, wild geese, and I ducks, kept our kitchen pretty well supplied. The neighboui-in forest affords liere and tliere sufiicient shade for us to rest under, and in early morning or late of an evening listen to the song of the birds, who by their songs often make us forget we are in the centre of Africa. The first of these is a kind of thrush, with fire-red breast and black wings (Larius barbarus, Afr. spec, nov.)

which has the song of our blackbird, and first showed itself inj numbers in the rainy season. These mostly frequent the highei