144 AN EXCURSION TO LUR.

their hair dark red. The painting was still more grotesque. One belle had painted her legs grey, with red stripes, and placed on each cheek a bright red spot. The lower lips were pierced, and generally contained a long straw stalk. The following ornaments were noted: iron ornaments of all kinds (iron beads excepted), ivory rings, necklaces of teeth, long conical brass ear-rings, and half-moons made of brass. Gorgets appear to be very popular, wide at the bottom, narrowing at the top; brass and copper seem to be rare. I could, of course, learn little about habits and customs during so short a stay.

Considerable intercourse exists between the Shuli on the eastern bank of the Nile and the people here. Fatiko can be reached from here wdé Fagaki and Fabo in three days. A march of six or seven days to the west leads to Lubari, beyond which lies Kalika. It is said that a large river exists in the south-west, but no one has seen it; branches from the Bahrel-Jebel to the west certainly do not exist. Our stay here was unfortunately too short—only a few hours—to allow of excursions. The enormous number of flies was remarkable; they appeared to be the common house-flies, and in the evenings heaps of greenish flies could be swept together on deck.

At ten A.M. the aneroid marked 27.70 in. (temp. 87.5° Fahr.) Somewhat later we continued our journey. From this point the voyage was less impeded by floating vegetation, and the accumulation of reeds near the bank disappeared ; we passed many villages. Hippopotami are rarer than they are farther to the north, probably on account of the deep water. The only birds I saw were the heron, which abounds everywhere, the darter, and the cormorant; the pied kinefisher (Ceryle rudis), generally so common, becomes scarce towards the south. After a slow voyage of five hours seventeen minutes, against a very strong current, we anchored near the foot of a chain of hills, in order to visit another chief. Unfortunately, after we had climbed the hills to his village, which is situated behind them, all the people had fled, so a dragoman had to be sent to them as an ambassador. Murhakkas (grindstones) and talabun, ready to be ground, lay before each of the ten small huts which I found here, besides which I noticed quantities of water-