MADI TRIBES. 365 ‘among themselves. Specimens of it which I noted down show its identity with the Madi idiom of the Bahr-el-Jebel, the distribution of which is therefore, as far as my present knowledge goes, as follows :— (1) The Madi, to the east and west of the Bahr-el-Jebel, (2) the Lubari, (3) the Kalika, (4) the Logo, (5) the Brera division of the Amadi on the Kibali, (6) the Abukaya-Oizila and Oigiga, (7) the Jojeri of Mori, near Wandi.

The relationship between this group and the westerly group in the Bahr-el-Ghazal district, which have a remarkable linguistic similarity, remains still to be discussed. At any rate there is a well-marked difference between the language of the Madi group living in our province and that spoken by all the other -tribes and peoples. It constitutes a compact division, to which I would give the name of southerly, to distinguish it from the northerly group of languages (Dinka, Bari, &c.)

The whole territory occupied by the Madi was formerly enormously rich in cattle, and even to-day in some parts, as, for instance, at Jebel Vatti, large and numerous herds are still maintained. On the whole, however, the number of cattle has been reduced almost to zero, owing to the frequent raids made from Makraka. In many of these razzias, six to eight thousand head of cattle were carried off, and very quickly dissipated. Now, however, agriculture flourishes, and besides talabin, red durrah, and sesame, which used to be cultivated, the largegrained white durrah from Makraka, which yields exceptiona'ly good flour, and was probably originally introduced from the north, is also grown. I need hardly mention that gourds, Helmia bulbifera, Lubias, hibiscus, &c., are largely cultivated, but it is interesting to note that good yams are grown on Jebel Vatti. | At Janda a perfectly new scraggy plant was brought me from Lubari ; it had greyish-green, lancet-shaped leaves, and, like the potato, some forty bulbs upon its roots, each four to five inches long, about an inch in diameter, with a thin white skin; when cooked it forms a good vegetable. It is now much cultivated here, and is called lombo; the natives plant its shoots and bulbs all the year round, and have only to leave sufficient room between the plants (which reach a height of