OCR Text |
Show 2 MR. C. B. M I T F O R D OX ELEPHAS AFRICANCS. [Jan. 16, to him by Mr. C. B. Mitford, dated Freetown, Sierra Leone, 26tb November, 1893 :- " I have one of the most interesting phenomena to tell you about, which has not been seen in Freetown for the last 60 or 70 years, but as it only commenced yesterday I can give you 'but a short, account of it now. At 1.30 P.M. yesterday I noticed the hills at Wilberforce assuming a very dried-up appearance, which gradually extended to the water's edge, and on calling the attention of a native to the peculiar change in the appearance of the ' bush' he informed me that Locusts were coming. " What he said proved to be correct, for in a very short time huge black clouds appeared above the hills, as if a severe storm were brewing, and those I at first saw, the advance guard, in the brilliant sunshine gradually gave one an idea that the whole of the sides of the hills were on fire; these hills, I should say, are three miles off in a bee-line. " At 2.45 P.M. these supposed clouds reached Freetown, and proved to be a continuous mass of locusts, which passed without intermission till 5.10. P.M., and, as in their progress they were only 30 or 40 feet above the ground, a sound like a rushing stream at a distance coulgl be distinctly heard. " During their course the sky was obscured. Myriads settled on the houses, trees, roads, & c , but made no apparent difference in the size of the swarms passing over. The whole town was covered with their excrement. " Last night, when I went out about 10 P.M. to see what was going on, I found plenty of locusts in the garden, but on a near approach to the plants they dropped suddenly on to the ground. " This morning, when I got up about 6 A.M., only two or three were to be seen. At 9.45 A.M. the stream began again, but not in such dense masses as were seen yesterday, and continued up to 1 P.M. " A more marvellous sight I have never seen, nor has. so far as I can ascertain, the oldest resident in Freetown, although I hear they appeared here sixty or seventy years ago, as I said before. "As you walk along the roads they rise like a large flock of birds, most of them rising and joining the main band, but others coming down and taking their places." The Secretary stated that Mr. C. O. Waterhouse, of the British Museum, in whose hands he had placed specimens of this Locust transmitted by Mr. Mitford for examination, had determined them to belong to Pachytylus migratoroicles (Reiche et Fairmaire) (Ferr et Gal. Voy. en Abyss, iii. p. 430), originally described from Abyssinia, but recently ascertained to occur also in "West Africa. A second extract from the same letter referred to the occurrence of the Elephant (Elephas africanus) in Sierra Leone : - " In reference to the occurrence of the Elephant in Sierra Leone I can only state, in continuation of what I told you before that I have been informed, on, I think, very reliable information, that within a certain mountainous portion of the western district |