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Show 1885.] FAUNA. OF KILIMA-NJARO. 217 valley of a stream in broad daylight. I think it had been sleeping by the water and was suddenly aroused by m y near approach and too dazed to run off immediately. I shot at a Lion once and missed him, and the king of beasts, after looking at me over his shoulder, magnanimously trotted off. The most common Dog is the Side-striped Jackal. There is a wild Dog found on Kilimanjaro which barks loudly. It is quite nocturnal, and I have never been able to shoot it; but judging from its appearance in bright moonlight it is somewhat like the Abyssinian Dog. The natives know it by a different name than that applied to the Jackal. Hyaenas are very common, and both species, Striped and Spotted, are present; but the Striped Hysena more affects the hills, while the Spotted kind inhabits the plains. The Spotted Hyaena is a much more predatory animal here than one generally imagines. Not only does it steal sheep and calves from the herds, but it even carries off children, and will often attack wounded and weakly men. I once sent a sick man back to the coast a short distance by himself, and he was severely bitten at night by the Hyaenas. He succeeded, however, in beating them off, and recovered from his wound3. Civets and Genets are very common; so also are one or two species of Ichneumon. I noticed no kind of Weasel, Ratel, or Badger. The Orycteropus, or Ant-bear, is common on the plains, to judge by his many huge burrows; but I have never seen him, and only identify him from natives' description. Among the Rodentia there were few that came under m y notice. The Porcupine is fairly common ; and there are divers small Mice. One of them I caught in a trap, and made some drawings of, which are here to-night. Unfortunately its skin, in common with that of a small black Rat infesting natives' houses, was lost. I have brought home skins of a species of Tree-Hyrax which is found on Kilima-njaro between the altitudes of 7000 and 11,000 feet. 1 also prepared its skull and skeleton; but these, along with some other skius of mammals, were accidentally left behind at Taveita when I started for the coast. I did, however, send word to those of m y followers left behind to bring them back and hand them over to Sir" Johp Kirk to forward to England. The Hyrax is much sought after by the Wa-chaga for its warm, furry skin, which is made into cloaks. The Elephant inhabits Kilima-njaro up to a great height. I have seen two females and a young one at an altitude of 13,000 feet. The ivory of this part of Africa is considered superior to any other by the merchants of Zanzibar. Round the base of the mountains the Rhinoceros is very abundant; and in Lake Jipe Hippopotami are found. The Zebra (Equus chapmanni) is found in incredible quantities in the plains round Kilima-njaro. In fact, the vast herds of varied game whieh pasture on the level country between the Snow Mountains and the coast remind one of the tales of Gordon Cumming. |