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Show 1899.] EXPEDITION TO THE GAMBIA. 933 Island district, I am greatly indebted for allowing me the use of a portion of the Government House at M'Carthy's Island, and also for the use of his huts in the main towns of his district. Very soon after m y arrival at m y headquarters, I made a tour through the district with the Commissioner to get some idea of the kind of country that surrounded me. W e started from Nianimaru, which was subsequently made my second headquarters, and where I spent even more time than at M'Carthy's. The chief interest in this tour lay in the people themselves, the country we travelled through not being of great interest from the point of view of its scenery. Travelling was not difficult, as porters were plentiful, and were employed from one village to the next at the rate of '3d. a man, if the distance was not more than 5 miles. At the important towns a court was held, and a stay was made of two days. The courts were held in the open, the chief, the head-man of the town, and the people all sitting round the Commissioner's chair. There was plenty of time for shooting and no need to carry much in the way of provisions. The bag usually consisted of Bush-fowl and the Barbary Quail, Pterocles quadricincta, Guinea-hen, CEdicne-mus, various Spur-winged Plovers, especially Lobivanellus senegalus and Hoplopterus sjnnosus, also Doves and Pigeons as many as were required. The finest of these, as game, was the Green Pigeon (Treron calva), which is never seen to approach the ground, being especially fond of the fruit of the fig-tree. The commonest birds around us, which were not shot for the pot, were numbers of four species of Coracias, a Centropus known as the " foolish bird " from its fearless habits and its call, which resembles a soft laugh, several species of Bucerotidce, generally seen flying clumsily from tree to tree in small flocks; while overhead hovered large flocks of Bee-eaters (Merops nubicus), swallow-like in flight and song. Other common birds everywhere seen in large flocks were the Metallic Starlings (Lamprocolius auratus and L. caudatus); Wood- Hoopoes (Lrrisor senegalensis) seen in smaller flocks ; while the commonest solitary birds were the Long-tailed Shrike (Corvinella corvina) and a species of Drongo (Dicrurus assimilis). The bushes of course swarmed with Ploceidce. and Nectariniidce. It being the beginning of the dry season, the grass was everywhere yet high, and it was out of the question to do any mammal-shooting ; the only mammals visible were Climbing Squirrels and Monkevs. Burrows of Oryeteropus were seen, though the animal does not appear to be very common in this region. The towns visited during this tour were mostly far from the river and were taken in the order Nianimaru, Sukuta, Kaihai, Demfai, Tabanani, Sami, Koreantab, and back to M'Carthy's Island. Near Kaihai there were news of a Giraffe having been seen, but they appear to be extremely rare in these parts. I heard indirectly that there were two in captivity at Kaies on the Senegal river. |
