miles, to this place, occasionally capped by trap, and in one or two places granitoid gneiss emerges through it. Fossils abound, but these are very ill-preserved in general, and I have not had much time to hunt for them. Ostrea, Terebratula and several Lamellibranchiate bivalves are the most frequent forms. Ferret and Gullmier I believe, mark this tract as Oolitic, and doubtless they had better grounds for their opinion that I have yet seen. I can only say that the Ostreas look like secondary forms, and, as a guess, I should have suspected the rocks to be Jurassic or Cretaceous, which is confirmatory of the view taken by the French engineers. Doubtless, however, they obtained specimens which were compared by competent paleontologists.

Perhaps one of the most interesting things is that here, as in India, cotton soil abounds; but only on trap or in its immediate neighbourhood. It is exactly like Indian regur; just as abominably sticky after rain, and just as full of holes as the black soil of Guzerat and Malwa.

The road throughout, I should have mentioned, is close to the watershed, this route having been specially chosen for the purpose of avoiding the deeper ravines leading to the great hill tributaries, the Mareb and the Takazze.

Zoology.-I can only give you very few notes on Natural History. To my great surprise, the country is remarkable for the paucity of large mammals. They are far fewer than in India. From all accounts I had ever heard, I should have imagined the grassy plains we have traversed would have abounded in the different Antelopines. Nothing of the sort; not a wild animal is to be seen anywhere larger than a hare, until near this. Here two small kinds at present, as I have

of antelope are found, which I cannot identify no books with me. One is of a reddish colour, about the size of the Indian Gazelle, with short straight horns: the other is mouse-coloured with a peculiar long muzzle. I am told it is the kleinbuck of the Cape. There has evidently been a change in the fauna since we have crossed into the Nile drainage, but it is not great. The Hyrax, some distance this side of Attegerat is the same as at Senafé. The hare

The only Hyæna,

appears to be the same, and I think the jackal too. I am pretty certain, is H. crocuta, and he is to be heard just outside one's tent every night. I shall not forget the row they make soon. Lions, elephants, hippopotami, rhinosceroses, giraffes, zebras and all

the big antelopes are conspicuous by their absence. Amongst birds, the most interesting I have noticed is Corvultur, the great carrion crow, with a curved sub-vulturine bill, which Jerdon, I think, is quite wrong in tracing to any affinity with the big ground hornbill. The latter, I scarcely think, can be a carrion eater. He is mainly insectivorous, and his habits are more those of some of the Ibises, picking over ploughed fields and meadows, or sometimes, like a bustard, hunting in high grass, for locusts, I suspect. They are in pairs and threes, rarely in larger numbers. Lämmergeyers are less common here than at Senafé, but still I frequently see them. I think I spoke of the species as occidentalis; I rather suspect now it is Gypaëtus nudipes, as the tarsus is quite bare. This, I believe, is the reverse of what is stated by Bonaparte. One of my interesting specimens is a true Concal (crow pheasant) white below, which Lieutenant St. John gave me. It is especially remarkable for having a long hind claw. Its habits, flight, &c., are exactly those of the Indian species. There are two kingfishers here, a Ceryle with the usual pied plumage, and a blue kingfisher. I have only seen the former, and he appears to me different from the common Indian species, but I did not obtain a specimen. I shot a Swift at Senafé very near Cypselus melba, but differing. It may be the same species which has just been described by Tristram as occurring in Southern Africa. I have no more Nectariniæ, nor any other tenuirostral birds that I can remember. One small parrot with a short tail occurs in pairs. I have not seen a woodpecker nor a true cuckoo on the tableland. Amongst the Sylvians, the Saxicoline are most conspicuous. I have now several species of true Saxicola, two of Pratincola and two of a genus closely allied to Thamnobia, and I believe I have not collected all I have There is a very beautiful starling with bright iridiscent plumage, which abounds in some places near this. A superb blue Roller very like the Indian form, but with two long central tail feathers, occurs occasionally, but it is rare. I have two very poor specimens but hope to get more.

seen.

The large two-spurred partridge of Senafé has disappeared. It is replaced by a species with red legs and red naked skin round the eyes, said to be two spurred, but the specimens I have seen are either females or young males and spurless. I have a pair of very handsome sandgrouse

(Pterocles) and a small bustard or florikin. One of the most curious birds I have obtained lately is a very small grey dove not larger than a lark, with a very long tail. As I have no books I cannot identify it. A waterhen is, I think, the only wader, and I have seen a duck which is, I hear, a mallard-like bird, probably alied to the Indian Anas pacilorhynchus (or some such name) but I have not shot a specimen. I have not seen a Tern in the country.

I have not so much as seen a snake or a tortoise on the highland; frogs and toads are scarce, and lizards far from numerous. I have two species only, one of them a Scinque; I have no fishes as yet there are some, however, of fair size in the streams. It is a wretched country for land shells. On the limestone, one Helix certainly abounds, and there are one or two Pupas: that is all I can find. Insects are rare at this season of the year, and I have neither time nor appliances for collecting them.

Captain Beavan, as I think I mentioned, has been unable to come out, and the Zoological Society have sent out Mr. Jesse. He has an assistant with him, and both were, by the last accounts, busily collecting at Zoulla. Markham, the geographer, is in front with the advance. Dr. Cook has been very ill, but is somewhat better; he is working at Meteorology at Senafé.

In the probable event of the expedition terminating soon, I have made the following disposition with regard to my collectors. One man is at Undul in the pass with Captain Sturt of the Transport Train Another who can shoot, I have left with my Madras boy, who can skin a little, to assist him at Attegerat. The third I carry on with me. He is a lame man (Gooloo by name) and consequently rather an impediment, but he skins well and quickly. Now and then I get specimens from various officers, and altogether, although, if the expedition is over in June, as appears probable at present, the time will have been far from sufficient to enable me to collect the fauna thoroughly, I hope to have a very fair collection.

Camp Esindyé, Wadala plateau, near Magdala, April 1st, 1868. I have been unable to write for a long time. Finding I could not get my kit on fast enough, I left everything behind at Ashangi and went on with my horses. I just reached in time to go into

Magdala behind the storming party. I lost by one day the skirmish on Good Friday. However I saw everything else.

I will write more another time when I have time and paper. Here at 10,000 feet are several peculiar birds. I am collecting as well as I can by myself, but it is slow work. I have returned before the army.

It was a hard march up: constant rain from Dildee, and almost from Ashangi; long marches, frightful roads, cold, and sundry other small drawbacks; water was plentiful at Zoulla when compared to Magdala and the chief's Camp at Eraga. However all keep well. I am in good health, but I have been wretchedly unlucky. My best horse, a most useful little Arab, has been stolen, and the only man I have with me who can cook, has broken his arm. However, I am not done for yet, and I am trying to induce the chief to send me to Lake Dembea or to Shoa. But I fear he will not.

All south of Antalo is trap; basalt and trachyte in horizontal beds at least 5,000 feet thick. Ashanghi is a curious little lake of sweet water without an outlet above ground. Maps all poor.

Zoulla, June 8th.

I wrote you a few lines about a month ago from Esindye I think; thence I hurried into Ashangi, getting a few things only from the high Wadda plateau, for my letter ordering my men up was delayed, and they never came up. At Ashangi I waited for the chief, as I had written to apply to be sent with an escort to Lake Dembea and the Chelga coal field, and, if practicable, beyond into Kwarra and the Nile country. However the chief first wrote to me to give my plans in detail, which I did, and then refused even to discuss the matter. At Ashangi I found Cook, whom I had left ill at Senafé. We came back together. The best thing I got at Ashangi, was an extraordinary rat with the habits of a mole or of a bamboo rat, but living on roots of grasses just as the bamboo rat (Rhizomys) does on roots of bamboos. I got a few water-birds too, I came ahead of the chief's camp to .Antalo; halted there a day; then slipped off without a convoy and came on to Agala and Dongolo where I found, at last, a few decent fossils in the limestone. They are Oolitic I think. I have a Pholadomya and a Trigonia, like the little species so common in the Cutch Oolites. I also obtained several birds I wanted. Thence I marched with the

chief's camp to Senafé and down to Koomeylee, staying three or four days at each. At Koomeylee the heat was great; 112 and 113° in the shade, but it went down to 95° at night. Here it is cooler; never much more than 105° I think.

The fauna at Koomeylee had totally Many new birds having arrived, and all or vanished. I got a few good things.

changed since February. nearly all the old ones

W. T. BLAnford.

The President mentioned that in more recent letters Mr. W. Blanford stated that altogether he had been able, notwithstanding the shortness of the time, to bring together about 900 specimens of natural history.*

On the Anatomy of Sagartia Schilleriana, and Membranipora Bengalensis by Dr. F. Stoliczka. (Abstract.)

Dr. Stoliczka communicated to the meeting the results of his examination of the anatomy of Sagartia Schilleriana and Membranipora Bengalensis, two species found living in brackish water at Port Canning.

water.

After having briefly pointed out the circumstances which led to the discovery of the Sagartia [this being a species of the Actiniacea] Dr. Stoliczka stated that there are hardly any instances recorded of species of this kind of corals having been permanently found living in brackish The Actinic [using this name in a general sense] are as a rule only met with attached to rocks along the sea shore, generally at a moderate depth, or hidden in crevices and holes between the tidemarks. The present species which belongs to the genus Sagartia, was found living, attached to old trunks of trees, in water which, according to an analysis of Mr. D. Waldie, only contains about one-third of the saline constituents of pure sea water, in 1000 parts of which they vary from 32-37 parts. In general, however, all the principal constituents, the chlorides, iodides, &c., are present, the difference only affecting the quantity, not the quality.

The principal and distinctive characters of the species, Sagartia Schilleriana, are the extreme softness and transparency of the body,

*Letters by recent mails announce that Mr. Blanford was starting for Bogos, to the North-West, from Massowah, from which expedition he looked for many additions and novelties.-Ed.