332 BUFI TO RUMBEK.

bers, and not counting slaves or other appendages, I suppose there are some three hundred of these parasites; and if we add to them their slaves, four for each man, as the lowest calculation, there are about fifteen hundred who live upon the natives. Under such conditions, although the country produces a remarkable quantity of corn, sesame, sesame-oil, fat from the buttertree, wax, ground-nuts, &c., it is not to be wondered at that we heard from the natives many complaints of hunger.

After all the disgust which I feel when writing of the state of affairs in this pie. it is quite a relief to turn fom that subject to the fauna and flora of the surrounding country, which, however, is not very rich. Hundreds of lizards climb bent the huts, the hedges, and all the old tree-trunks, hunting the numerous flies and spiders which infest the place. The hzards appear to have been infected by the reigning love of plunder, for they fight and bite each other’s tails off. A small python about five feet long, which I received as a present, and which has become tame very quickly, greatly terrified my servants, — whom nothing would induce to come near it. The horned raven (Z'metoceros abyssinicus) stalked round me, and often allowed me to stroke its head. It was the sworn enemy of two zebra ichneumons (Herpestes fasciatus), which, with the curiously droll impudence which characterises these little beasts, snapped away all tit-bits from him. In comparison to these creeping parasites were several splendid examples of a lemur (Ofolienus galago), which is very common here, and becomes very tame when well treated. They are delightful little creatures, with their large umber-coloured eyes. After waking from sleep in the evening, they came and washed in the water-pot. Civets and genets are said to be common, but I could not obtain any. On the other hand, a nice specimen of the caracal (felis caracal) was brought to me.

As soon as we had left the river and turned in a northerly direction, we passed through the extensive corn and lubia fields which surround Ayak. We then reached grey loamy soil, which is often inundated, and noticed on high patches, where the soil is partially mixed with sand, a luxuriant growth of ground-nuts. Although this plant is cultivated to a great extent by the Agar, no one has ever thought of utilising the