Again I quote from my diary:

Dec. 29. Followed up a valley and then on to the lava cliffs and level plateau covered with low, scrubby thorn trees-the Gorgouro Somali country, a very poor herdspeople, much lower in development than other tribes of Somalis. Their mat houses are never more than four feet in height and are very mean in appointments. It is not a numerous tribe. The lava trails are extremely hard on the feet of the camels and mules, and we rarely accomplished more than a mile and a half an hour... Saw three wild boars, many gerenuk and gazelle. Killed one wild boar weighing about three hundred pounds, taking head and hams-an exciting experience. The Mohammedans of course would not touch it, nor are the Christians allowed to eat pork except under certain conditions. Two of my men who were croix-de-guerre soldiers during the great war and who had learned to eat pork in France, took advantage of the fact that the taboo on food is lifted in case of illness, and conveniently became sick.

Dec. 30. Came to a wonderful tall-grassed district called Metto, where the grass completely covered the mules as we rode through. Here were great herds of milk camels feeding around the edges and out on the plain. Camel's milk is the exclusive food and drink of many nomadic Somalis, and I found it more palatable than cow's milk. Not far away there are immense termite turrets, some fifteen feet high and ten feet in diameter. Thick timber lies to the west of this depression where there are many Issa and Somali zaribas and huts on the border of the forest.

Jan. 1. Left camp for Donkaliland, accompanied by a heavy guard. Our Gorgouro guide would not go with me for fear of the Donkalis. Traveled eleven hours to the distant hills in Donkaliland on the edge of a local lava flow that has come from the northward. Deserted Donkali houses made of lava are scattered around the edge of this flow. This is disputed territory fought over by Issas and Donkalis. A magnificent mountain, evidently an extinct crater resembling Mount Tacoma, rises majestically out of the plain west of us. This peak, fifty miles distant, is many thousands of feet in height. None of my people knew its name. Saw ten ostrich, magnificent birds, a half mile distant, but could not stalk them. Measured the tracks of one, which showed an eight-foot stride. Saw one lone oryx of a large species

seen also near Djidjiga, and about thirty half its size, several hyænas and jackals. On our return to camp we were mistaken for Donkalis and a number of Issa warriors came out to fight us. When they discovered that I was a white man they wanted baksheesh. Passed villages at Metto, and the Issa women were very indignant when I photographed them.

Finishing this short journey, I returned to headquarters, because my camels were worn out in the lava fields, and with a new caravan again went into the lava field west of the railroad at Addagalla. The Somali camel men were very inferior to the Arabs. The second day after leaving the railroad we were joined by a prominent chief known to Hassan, and superior to all the Issas I had seen-tall and stately, with an intelligent face, keen eyes and a bushy head. An impressive individual. On his right arm, above the elbow, he wore a large elephant tusk bracelet, signifying that he had killed more than ten Donkalis. One of our young camel drivers wore a brass bracelet, which signified that he had killed two Donkalis. Passed through some shallow depressions in the lava field, where there were fragmentary bones and teeth of Elephas of Pleistocene age, but nothing worth collecting.

Jan. 8. Went down a deep, steep cañon tributary to the Hawash, to a deep water hole described to us by the Issa chief. We reached there at four A.M. Saw hippopotamus tracks on nearing the water hole and followed them to the pool. Presently I heard splashes and grunts from the rushes and spied a hippo just as he became submerged, but could not get a shot. Although we stayed there five hours, he never came up. The natives say that the animals sometimes remain submerged all day.

This was a beautiful pond of water two hundred feet long by thirty wide, fringed with cat-tail rushes and tall plumed grass. I spent the rest of the morning fishing and longing for dynamite. Caught seven large catfish. Fishhook and line were a sight of great interest to the large number of natives who collected along the bank and watched. They had never before seen fish caught in this

manner.

Jan. 9. Trekked nine hours-the longest day of the season; a terrible heat with mirage distorting everything; lakes and rivers of water in all directions, but not a drop to drink. This is the time of the "Ramadan," the Mohammedan month of fasting, when none may

eat nor drink while the sun is above the horizon. Every Mohammedan carried his wooden water bottle and a leather prayer rug. He washes his hands and feet at the hour of prayer, but not a drop of water passes his parched lips. This was a long day and all the men were famished. Hassan had to beat them away from the water cans and ration the water, for they are thoughtless of tomorrow. Ten natives drank a camel can of water (eight gallons) at one sitting.

Jan. 10. Climbed up to the top of a lava flow and traveled until we came to the edge of a cliff bordering an old lake, Debu, many miles in extent, but now dry except in the rainy season a wonderful sight. The walls surrounding this lake are three hundred feet high and in places are eroded into columnar form. In cross section the mass appears to be made up of lava flows of successive dates and of different constituency. A few natives were camped along the rim and as soon as they saw us in the distance all the men and young women ran away with their herds of goats, fearing that we were Abyssinian tax collectors. At one end of the depression are the hot springs of Takale. Here the natives come from many miles' distance for water.

Jan. 14. Rode toward Mount Marmarbrilliantly colored peaks or volcanic plugs, but there is no flow of lava near by. These beautiful peaks are most weird and picturesque, in brilliance of color rivalling Turner's sunrise scenes of Venice.

As the caravan was strung out today, the men in advance scared three wild boars in a ravine, one as tall as a burro-a magnificent beast and larger than any I have ever seen or read of. As soon as my gunbearer reached me I spurred after them at top speed into the wood, but never got a shot.

These incidents of travel are introduced to show the nature and conditions on the plains of Danakil at the foot of the great Harrar plateau where 4,000 feet of displacement were measured and where within a distance of five miles the faulted blocks of plateau limestone completely disappear, engulfed in lava.

The eastern part of Abyssinia is drained by the great Hawash, a river that in size equals the Delaware. It

rises in the highlands and flows northeastward, following the general trend of the great Rift, a part of that profound geologic movement that separated Africa from Arabia. In the lava-covered plains of Danakil the Hawash rushes through a steep-walled cañon and in its lower reaches spreads out into a series of lagoons; a small part of it reaches Lake Aussa, but none of its water empties into the sea.

Some of the men who had visited the marshland around these lagoons described it as a region of big game, with hippopotamus, rhinoceros, zebra, and the larger antelope in considerable numbers, a field that would furnish much valuable information upon the modification of species in a restricted habitat.

Since historic times the distribution of big game in Abyssinia has been greatly changed. Elephants and rhinoceroses, formerly numerous as far eastward as Diré Daoua, are now found mostly in the west, especially in the Sobat valley. The hippopotamus is also found, chiefly in the western rivers, and likewise the giraffe, while the ass and zebra usually appear in the highlands bordering the Sudan. Wild boars are still fairly numerous in the lowlands at the foot of the Harrar plateau, while nearly all members of the antelope family of northern habitat are found in the eastern lowlands of Abyssinia. Leopards, spotted and black, are numerous in the mountainous highlands; hyænas and jackals are common through nearly the entire country. Lions are now most numerous in the eastern lowlands and the Haud of Somaliland, although they formerly had a much more extended range. The lion is the national emblem of Abyssinia, and Menelek II, great king of this country, fittingly signed himself "The Lion of Judah has conquered."

The Vertebrate Animals of Tasmania. By Lord and Scott. Oldham, Beddome and Meredith, Hobart, Tasmania, 1924. 8vo., pp. 1-340.

HIS is a volume of convenient

TH

The

size which will prove to be a great help to anyone interested in the vertebrates of Tasmania. Nearly one hundred pages are devoted to the mammals, which include monotremes, marsupials, and placentals. majority of the genera of mammals listed from the Island State of the Australian Commonwealth are cetaceans and pinnipeds, though the greater number of the terrestrial mammals At the belong to the Marsupialia. beginning of the treatment of each subclass there is a brief outline of the classification with definitions, or a list of the principal characters of each subdivision. Under each species. is given a brief statement of the characters of that species, some notes on its range, habits, measurements, osteology, and frequently some very interesting historical notes relative to the discovery or early

records of

the animal. An

attempt

has been made to picture the greater number of the land mammals, but unfortunately the illustrations are very poor. As a synopsis of the vertebrates of Tasmania the work is a most welcome one, containing much valuable information for all students of the

region.

"The Mammals of South Australia," by Frederick Wood Jones. Part 1The Monotremes and Carnivorous Marsupials, 1923, pp. 1-131. Part 2-The Bandicoots and the Herbivorous Marsupials, 1924, pp. 133-270. Adelaide. "A part of a series of Handbooks of the Flora and Fauna of South Australia, issued by the British Science Guild (South Australian Branch) and published by favor of the Honorable the Premier." IN the introduction Professor Wood Jones states:

Since the purpose of

the present volume is to furnish an elementary guide to the Mammals inhabiting South Australia, all unnecessary technical details will be excluded. But with the best wish in the world it is not possible to proceed any distance in the study of even the most ordinary Mammal without coming across certain

things to which names must be assigned, and for which familiar names

If we wish to give the to any Mammal it is examine it syste

are lacking.

proper name

necessary to matically and to measure it. Only then can it

be classified, and its

identity finally settled. Certain features require special examination, since all parts of an animal are not of equal importance in the determination of its status. Here we will be almost entirely concerned with external characters, but it must be remembered that these external characters are not in themselves sufficient to diagnose, beyond all doubt, the proper position of an

animal in the scale of nature. Other, deeper, and more complex details must be considered. Nevertheless, external characters alone will lead a long way, and it is, therefore, worth while to pay some systematic attention to them.

The remainder of the introduction is devoted to a very clear exposition of the characters of use to the student in

determining the taxonomic position of the various mammals, how to measure them, etc.

Under the heading, "The Classification of the Mammals," the author defines the three subclasses, Ornithodelphia, Didelphia, and Monodelphia, and illustrates each by means of a very clear diagram of the female reproductive system.

Another section is devoted to "Special Problems Connected with the Mammalian Fauna of Australia." In this the author discusses and briefly reviews some of the theories of the

All vertebrate zoölogists realize the importance of Professor Wood Jones's statement and many of them have endeavored to bring about measures for the protection of the Australian mammalian fauna, the principal enemies of which are, at the present time, the people engaged in killing and exporting the skins of these mammals, that is, the skin and fur trades; and the animals introduced into Australia by man, which have become feral and overrun much of the country.

The two parts of this work, which have been received together, contain 270 pages and 190 text figures. All the figures are reproductions of pen drawings from the actual specimens by the author. The figures are admirable illustrations, serving to compare the various animals and, what is most important, to show their morphological

characteristics.

"The Zoögeography of Marsupials." By Heber A. Longman, F. L. S., Director, Queensland Museum. Mem. Queensland Mus. 1924, VIII, part 1, pp. 1-15.

IN this article Mr. Longman very

the marsupial fauna of the Australian region, its origin and distribution, past and present. He first considers

Every member of the fauna is worthy of study for its own sake, and around the whole assemblage of species is woven a meshwork of the grandest and most important biological problems. In the Ornithodelphia and the Didelphia, Australia has a heritage for which it must accept responsibility; it must be prepared to conserve the living, to collect and preserve the dead, and to make provision for the proper study of the fauna in all its aspects.

the views of such eminent writers on the subject as Mr. H. O. Forbes, Sir Baldwin Spencer, the late Professor Haswell, and Mr. Charles Hedley. Then in turn are considered the families of recent polyprotodont marsupials-Dasyuridæ, Peramelidæ, and Notoryctidæ, with notes on the distribution of, and evidence to be deduced from, each group. Under the heading "Diprotodontia" is given a brief summary of the distribution of this group, with the names of recently

described genera, most of which occur on the islands of the Indo-Australian Archipelago, to the north of Australia. Special paragraphs undertake a resumé of the following: Tasmanian Fauna, Syndactylism, Fossil Marsupials, Myrmecoboides, South American Fossils, and Wynyardia. Under the heading "Brief Notes on the NonMarsupial Fauna" the Monotremes, Rodentia, Reptilia, Amphibia, Fishes, and Flora are discussed with regard to the part they take in relation to the distribution of the marsupials.

The following paragraphs from the latter part of Mr. Longman's paper will give an idea of this involved problem.

The assumption of a continent in the Antarctic in early Tertiary times, in order to account for related elements in the faunas and floras of South America, Australia, New Zealand, various Pacific Islands, Madagascar, and South Africa has proved a veritable Pandora's box to biologists. In order to explain many of the difficulties raised, it is suggested that this circumpolar area had radiating land bridges, inconstant in direction and dimension, apparently reaching out on the one hand to deposit certain types in Pacific archipelagoes; elsewhere stretching to Madagascar to transfer iguanas; extending to New Zealand to allow other forms to gain new land; and independently reaching Tasmania to enable the ancestors of our marsupials to complete a trans-polar journey and find a congenial refuge.

The presence of more extensive land areas in the Antarctic in Mesozoic times is appar

had been largely submerged in Tertiary times. Possibly fossils from the Austro-MalayanAsiatic regions will one day be forthcoming to strengthen the view that our marsupials had a northern origin probably before “Wallace's Line" had significance as a partial barrier. But even on existing evidence, it seems to the writer that the alternative route of Antarctic land bridges involves us in far greater difficulties and anomalies.

Mr. Longman's views for the most part are in agreement with those of the greater number of students of the zoogeography of marsupials. His paper, containing an extensive bibliography, is a valuable contribution to this very interesting subject.

BESIDES the papers already reviewed there are many others of interest. Professor Launcelot Harrison of the University of Sydney has published, 1924, Australian Zool., III, part 7, pp. 247-63, a paper on "The Migration Route of the Australian Marsupial Fauna," in which he comes to conclusions about the opposite of those reached by Mr. Longman on the same subject.

Professor T. Thomson Flynn of the University of Tasmania has contributed a number of papers on the embryology of the marsupials. Messrs. Scott and Lord of Tasmania have written several papers on the fauna, fossil and recent, of the Island State; their papers are

that these areas were faunal land bridges for vertebrates. On the other hand, the presence of "ancient continental" islands to the northwest, as shown by Russel Wallace in Island Life and the Geographical Distribution of Animals, is undoubted. That the evidence of these "ancient continental" islands is incomplete is doubtless due to partial or entire submergence. In this connection it is interesting to note that Weber and Beaufort (1912) in their analysis of the fresh-water fishes of Timor found that this fish fauna was "almost totally composed of immigrants from the sea," the inference being that the island

and Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania. From the Australian Institute of Anatomical Research, Melbourne, come some papers on the comparative anatomy of the monotremes and marsupials by Dr. William Colin MacKenzie.

Mr. Harry Burrell, who is very widely known as one of Australia's foremost students of the life history of the monotremes, has contributed articles to the Australian Zoologist and other