Order, UNGULATA. Family, BOVIDE.

Gazella Dorcas, Cuv. (gazelle). Found in small troops in every portion of the Sahara, and is the principal large game to be depended on for food, especially in the neighbourhood of the dayats beyond Laghouat, where its pasturage is abundant. The fawns are dropped in the early summer, and follow the dam until towards the end of autumn. The Bedouin gather the droppings, which have a strong aromatic scent, to mix with snuff. Arab. "Ghazala."

Gazella Corinna, Cuv. (the corinna). Smaller than the preceding species, and with shorter horns. It appears to be confined chiefly to the more rocky districts of the south.

Gazella Kevella, Cuv. (the kevel). Confined to the scantily wooded slopes on the southern spurs of the Atlas, especially south of Teniet el Haad, in western Algeria.

Addax Nasomaculatus, Gray (Addax antelope). Exists sparingly in the vast region between Waregla and Souf, especially to the south of the latter. We saw one not far from Guerrara in the M'zab country. Arab. "Meha." Musimon Tragelaphus, Gerv. (maned moufflon). This magnificent sheep is far from uncommon throughout the whole of the mountain districts, whether wooded or bare. The officers of Laghouat frequently pursue them, but the chase is attended with no little difficulty and is seldom successful; for, true "wild goats," they betake themselves at once to the highest cliffs and rocks, and bound up the most inaccessible precipices. We saw one that had been shot as far east as the Tunisian Djereed. Arab. "Aoudad."

Alcephalus Bubalis, Blain. (the bubale). The hunters of Souf frequently obtain this, the largest of the wild game of North Africa, but I do not think it ever ventures north of the Wed R'hir and M'zab districts, while its home is certainly further south. It is considered the most savoury meat of the desert epicure. It was well known to Shaw. Arab. "Bekkhra el wahch."

?

Family, EQUIDE.

Onager I have in p. 318 mentioned the wild ass of the Souf desert, but the species I am unable to decide.

Family, SUIDE.

Sus Scrofa, L. (wild boar). Sometimes found, as at Boghar, on the northern limits of the Sahara.

NOTE. It seems evident that the larger wild animals of Northern Africa have been rapidly decreasing in numbers, and are in process of speedy extinction. Dr. Shaw, 150 years since, enumerates in his Travels (vol. i. pp. 310 seqq.) five species of large ruminants, which from his descriptions must be the bubale, the aoudad or wild sheep, the addax, and the gazelle, as well as the stag (omitted above, as not extending into the Sahara proper). It is certain that Dr. Shaw himself never penetrated beyond the coast, and yet he had seen all these creatures brought in by the natives. At present, with the exception of the common gazelle, none of them are ever seen in any of the markets: they are unknown even by name to the Arabs of the Tell, and few European colonists have ever heard of their existence. Yet the accurate and careful Shaw speaks of them all as common and familiar, much as an inhabitant of the Cape might write of the springbok. As the population has not increased, but rather retrograded, we can only surmise that the substitution of the flint and steel gun for the matchlock of the Bedouin, a change which has taken place within the present century, has been fatal in its results to all the larger game.

APPENDIX V.

BIRDS OF THE SAHARA.

EACH portion of the Sahara—the rocky ridges, the sanddrifts, the plains, the chotts or salt-plains-has its peculiar ornithological characteristics. But by far the most interesting localities are, as might have been anticipated, the dayats and the oases. Here are the winter quarters of many of our familiar summer visitants. The chiff-chaff, willow-wren, and whitethroat, hop on every twig in the gardens shadowed by the never-failing palm; the swallow and the window martin thread the lanes, and sport over the mouths of the wells, in pursuit of the swarming mosquitoes; the hoopoe solemnly stalks on every dunghill, a cherished and respected guest; the white shrike perches motionless on the extremity of the palm-leaf; while a pair or more of the Egyptian turtle-dove nestle in the centre of almost every tree; and a random shot is pretty sure to start from under the dates a dozing "booma," or little owl. These peaceful retreats seem to be rarely visited by any Raptor more formidable than the kestrel.

Not so in the dayats. Here the golden eagle, the royal and Arabian kites, hold court and courtship, and carry on a perpetual though bloodless warfare with the raven. The shrubs are occupied by the shrike, by small flocks of the long-tailed Numidian malurus, and the lovely little Moussier's warbler, whom I might almost term the ornithological feature of the dayat; whilst, heard but not seen, the Dartford warbler chirps forth his incessant pittěchou, pittěchou.

If you wish to make acquaintance with the tribe of the rockchats and wheatears, you must follow the marmots to

the rocky defiles of extinct streams, the "Weds" of the Bedouin. The hard, gravelly plains are the homes of the sandgrouse, and the various thick-billed and stout-billed larks; while the loose sands vainly conceal the burrowing beetles from the long bills of the ground-larks. On the surface of the chotts the little plovers and other grallatores incessantly run along, as if awaiting the returning tide of the primeval ocean which once swept over them.

LIST OF BIRDS NOTED IN THE SAHARA.

1. Griffon Vulture (Gyps Fulvus). Arab. "Nissr." As, happily for the traveller, camels do not die every day under the weight of their water-skins, the griffon does not habitually resort to the desert; still he occasionally gives it a passing call, though, if his meal be deposited near an oasis, he is usually forestalled by the hyena, who lurks in the weds.*

* On one occasion a camel in our caravan, having become footsore, had to be slaughtered on the spot, and his burden distributed among the others. Our attendants selected the tenderest morsels for kouskousou, and it was not till next morning that a vulture scented, or rather descried, his prey. That the vulture uses the organs of sight rather than those of smell seems evident from the immense height at which he soars and gyrates in the air. In this instance one solitary bird descended, and half an hour afterwards was joined by a second. A short time elapsed, and a Nubian vulture appeared self-invited at the feast; and before the bones were left to the hyena, no less than nine griffons and two Nubians had broken their fast, though not satisfied their appetites.

I have observed the same regular succession of diners out on other occasions. May we not conjecture that the process is as follows? The griffon who first descries his quarry descends from his elevation at once. Another, sweeping the horizon at a still greater distance, observes his neighbour's movements, and follows his course. A third, still further removed, follows the flight of the second; he is traced by another, and so a perpetual succession is kept up as long as a morsel of flesh remains over which to consort. I can conceive no other mode of accounting for the numbers of vultures which, in the course of a few hours, will gather over a carcase, when previously the horizon might have been scanned in vain for more than one, or at the

2. Nubian Vulture (Otogyps Nubicus). Rather scarce. 3. Egyptian Vulture (Neophron Percnopterus). "Rakhma."

Arab.

most two, in sight. Does not this theory explain the immense number of vultures which were congregated in the Crimea during the siege of Sebastopol, where before this bird had been comparatively scarce? May not this habit of watching the movements of their neighbours have collected the whole race from the Caucasus and Asia Minor to enjoy so unwonted an abundance? The Arabs believe that the vultures from all North Africa were gathered to feed on the Moscow infidel in the Crimea, and declare that during the war very few "Nissr" were to be seen in their accustomed haunts.

The griffon, however disgusting his food, is by no means an unamiable or disgusting bird. He is certainly cleanly in his habits, docile, and of remarkable intelligence. With his fellows he is good-tempered, and, voracious as he is, never grudges to share the feast with as many as choose to join him. There is none of the snarling and quarrelling of the canine tribe, nor any attempt to rob a weaker cousin of his portion, nor to devour a savoury morsel in secret; but each of the company amicably keeps his place, without attempting to eject his neighbour: yet it must be allowed that the pace at which he gobbles is a "caution" to an American table-d'hôte.

For some months we possessed two griffons taken from the nest, which at length arrived safely in England. They never attempted to desert us, differing in this respect from our lämmergeyers, but remained contentedly about the tents, or perched on the backs of the baggage-camels en route. They took a peculiar interest in taxidermy, scrutinizing, head on one side, the whole operation of bird-skinning, and perfectly aware of the moment when a morsel would be ready, exhibiting a more than ordinary excitement when they saw the skin drawn back over the head, and knew that the whole carcase would soon be cut off for them. One of these birds was of a desponding, querulous disposition; the other of a very different natural temperament, always contented and cheerful, a universal favourite in the camp, while his fellow received, I fear, many a sly kick for his complaints. They were able to fast for days, but, whenever such an opportunity as a camel's carcase presented itself, would be revenged on their Lent. I have seen our pet, "Musha Pacha," attack the entrails of a camel, and, as his crop became distended, sink upon his breast unable to stand, till at length, even this position requiring too much exertion, he lay on his side still eating, until overpowered and helpless he fell asleep. The strength of the vulture's stomach is equal to its capacity, for on one occasion one of our griffons devoured a half-pound jar of arsenical soap, with no further inconvenience than a violent fit of sickness, which continued for a few hours.