1€2 Bahr El Ghnzal.

White-eared cob.* Great bustard Bushbuck (throughout). Ground hornbili. Reedbuck (in neighbourhood of rivers) Guinea fowl. Oribi. Nile goose. Duiker. Partridge.

Wild boar. Rock fowl. Wart hog. Sand grouse. Lion (throughout, but rare). Snipe.

Leopard (throughout).

Spur fowl. Ostrich. Spur-winged goose. Comb duck. Whistling teal Florican. White ibis.

11. Mdii/inus Brl ii'/s amnmi the Natives of the Biihr Ei Ghazdl: In making enquiries as to religious beliefs among the people here, one is met at the outset by two difficulties. The first and greater is the reticence displayed on such subjects by the natives, and the second is that the interpreter, being invariably an Arabic-speaking native who has with his Arabic acquired the Moslem faith, is liable to colour his translations with ideas of his own ; partly out of shame for the beliefs he has discarded, and partly fron), his anxiety to tell you what he thmks you expect. Perseverance in this line of enquiry is, however, well repaid, as the primitive religions of the tribes in the Bahr El Ghazal are most interesting and suggestive.

The Dinkas, though the most difficult of all to approach on such subjects, appear to have a most elaborate list of gods and demi-gods. At the head of the Divine community are Deng-dit (Rain Giver) and Abok, his wife. They have two sons, Kiir Konga, the elder, and Gurung-dit, the younger, and a daughter called Ai-Yak.

Their devil is called L'wal Burrajok, and is the father of Ab"k, the wife of Deng-dit. There are also other relatives.

Their story of the origin of mankind (or it may be of the Dinka tribe) is curious and poetical. Deng-dit gave to his wife, Abok, a bowl of fat, and she and her children, softening the fat over the fire, proceeded to mould from it men and women, in the image of gods. Deng-dit warned her against L'wal (the Shaitan), who was suspected to have ill-intentions towards Deng-dit. But Abok forgot, and with her children went to gather wood in the forest. There L'wal found the bowl, drank the greater part of the fat, and from the remainder proceeded to mould caricatures of men and women, with distorted limbs, mouths, and eyes. Then, fearing the vengeance of Deng-dit, he descended to earth by the path that then connected it with heaven. On discovering the result of her neglect, Abok hastened to her husband, who, greatly incensed, started in pursuit of L'will. The latter, however, had persuaded the bird Atoitoish to bite asunder with its bill the path from heaven to earth, and thus escaped from the Divine wrath.

In spite of this complicated mythology, the Dinkas appear to be very indifferent to religion as an active principle in life. They are without any plan of prayer, and though they assert that their forefathers made great sacrifices to (Jod, the present generation thinks twice about parting with a goat — to say nothing of a cow — for sacrificial purposes. Sacrifices constitute, however, their only attempts at intercourse with God. In fact, they seem to regard him not as a being likely to confer benefits, but as a destructive power to be propitiated, if possible.

The Golos also believe in male and female deities, called Umvili and Barachi, respectively. This couple is said to have originated the human race, and to be the parents of mankind. This belief is, I think, common to the Golo, N'Doggo, Shere, and Belanda tribes, and possibly also to the A-Zande or Nyam Nyams. They have vague ideas as to future bliss for worthy, and punishment for evil, doers ; the execution of the latter is entrusted to a spirit called Ma-ah, who corresponds to Shaitan, but is the servant rather than the enemy of God ; some of the Golo songs in common use are of the nature of moral exhortations, directing the people to hear the voice of God.

Like the Dinkas, they do not pray to God, but attempt to appease him with sacrifices of chickens. These sacrifices are rather one-sided, as the procedure is to kill 20 chickens, cook and eat 19, and throw out the twentieth for Umvili.

Golos and Dinkas both associate the ideas of reverence and divinity with the sky, and of malignity and punishment with the bowels of the earth ; pointing upwards to their gods and downwards to their devils. This association is, I * Verj- plentiful in east, and along l)anks of .Tur and Bain- El (Jhazal llivers. t Vide also pp. 197, &c.