Kit; Meshra er Eek ; Bahr el Arab. 35 spots, which are partly nothing more than flooded termite s' nests, a proof that in previous years the Kit had long remained free from the inundations. But some of these dry places are also real islands, on which the tall Balmnice'ps Hex may occasionally be seen mounting guard in his peculiarly motionless attitude.

" At some distance from the left bank I noticed a Negro village, beyond whose conic mud hats the southern horizon was bounded by a semicircular fringe of woodlands, a sure indication that we were at last approaching more elevated dry land. Presently our weary eyes were gladdened by the siht of the straw-thatched huts and the masts of some Nile boats grouped about the landingstage. " Four hours after leaving our last anchorage below the Kit we reached the new station of Meshra er Req. a little to the south-east of the now abandoned Meshra el Tujar ("Landing-place of the Traders"), which was formerly the starting point for all expeditions to the interior. The IsmaUia cast anchor for the last time off a little island, on which nothing was to be seen except a few Government huts. Beyond it the flooded land still stretched away southwards to the already-mentioned amphitheatre of low-wooded rising grounds. " We had entered the Bahr el Ghazal on the 21st February, consequently we had taken nearly eight clays to ascend the river, owing to delays caused by the numerous floating obstructions. In order to render possible the cartographic survey of the river, I estimated for the IsmaUia six different rates of speed, and in my calculations applied this scheme according to the nature of the obstacles. The course of the stream, as determined by 1,781 angular measurements, I found to be 214 kilometres, or say 130 miles long. It may be incidentally remarked that these results were found to agree in a surprising manner with a chart afterwards prepared by Marno, as well as with the section surveyed by Lupton Bey."

(p) The Bahr el Arab.

The Bahr el Arab rises in Southern Darfur and flows for. a distance of about 4'>0 miles before reaching the Bahr el Ghazal. Yery little is known of its course ; it is (386) d 2