appendix.
remarks on the geology, botany, and zoology of the highlands of southern abyssinia.
geology.
when the portion of north-eastern africa that is to form the province of inquiry received its present configuration, the fountains of the deep may be supposed to have opened at once upon a surface, of which the prior quality and condition has become so shut out from human observation, that analogies, drawn from other countries under similar circumstances, must supply this deficiency.
porphyry forms the general basis of all the different volcanic formations discernible. from the pinnacle of jebel goodah, on the gulf of arabia, it may be traced, though indistinctly, in the minor outrunners of the abyssinian alps, to the province of efát, where it passes under red sandstone. the principal shoan range, and the high westerly plateau towards the valley of the nile, present solely secondary formations, but the porphyry again emerges on the southerly borders in the ranges of garra gorphoo and bulga; whilst the left; bank of the háwash valley is distinctly of primitive crystalline formation.
the overlying rocks, which seem to have been poured from the centre of this tract, consist of masses of trachyte and columnar basalt, of pyramids of wacke, and beds of lava and tufwacke, with strata of conglomerates and sandstones. the former of these, the trachyte and basalt, belong to the lofty mountains of abyssinia; whereas wacke, lava, tuffo, and scoria, cover the surface, and form the hills of the desert below; and many districts present volcanoes which, not half a century ago, were in violent activity.
the hills of mentshar, efát, and giddem, are detached ranges, running nearly parallel to the shoan alps. disclosing in some few spots the nature of their interior, it appears that immediately over the porphyry lies a red sand-stone, embedding vast quantities of coal, and presenting a true stratification. it consists of minute but quite perfect hexagon dodeca?ders of quartz in a white cement, is very soft, and cleaves sometimes in regular squares. its depth was not observed to be very great, nor did the overlying formations, a marl and conglomerates, seem to form obstacles to the miner.
the shoan mountains, of alpine height, exhibit a structure of basalt, wacke, and trachyte; the latter, in all its varieties, surrounds a nucleus of basalt, basaltic wacke, and dolerite. the conglomerates and tuffos at their feet, and partly on their terraces and tops, are of trachytic nature, and sometimes pierced through by small dikes of basalt. veins of ochre and clay, holes filled with scoria, with intrusions of larger or smaller fragments of various rocks and minerals, and a kind of stratification, are the principal features of this trachytic formation.
when the action began, craters or clefts were formed in the then existing crust of trap-rocks, which in their turn were covered with masses of trachytic lava; a little later, the tuffos and conglomerates were deposited, which prove the importance of augite in their formation by numerous crystals of pyroxen embedded in them. subsequently new basaltic eruptions either raised these deposits to their present height, or pierced them through in their original sites, both cases occurring on the same locality.
the basalt composing the hills about ankóber presents no vestige of olivin, nor does it influence the magnetic needle; but a distinction between basalt and greenstone in their finer-grained varieties is difficult; and to determine in words the affinity which they bear to each other in the present instance, the rock might be styled basaltic greenstone. columns, pentagonal or heptagonal, crown the tops of hills, and seem rather a composition of hornblende than of augite and feldspar. scoriaceous varieties are found on the outsides of the later protruded masses.
the trachyte is generally a compact mass of grey feldstein, which contains crystals of glassy feldspar, irregularly embedded, and in different quantities. some varieties are porous, some full of small holes, others black from grains of obsidian; and a few, especially near the dikes, incline to phonolite.
to the westward the ridge terminates in a high plateau, the western galla provinces of the kingdom. this vast plain is crossed in various directions by hill ranges, the greater part of which do not rise to any considerable height. here true basalt is disclosed in all the grandeur of its columnar cleavage, but no other species of rock. deep and narrow ravines carry off the superabundant waters, and pits of tolerable ironstone afford a supply of metal for the manufacture of weapons.
the chief bearing of the mountain chains in shoa is north and south, with spurs to the west and east. the towering height to which they rise, in a nearly uninterrupted ascent, may be calculated to be from eight to nine thousand feet above the level of the sea, and their single pinnacles far exceed that limit. they are most abrupt, and difficult of access, excepting by the only two passes to the high western plateau. ravines and chasms of a depth which admits the sun but for few hours, tell of the catastrophe which resulted in their formation. inaccessible steep cliffs and dismal precipices everywhere line the tiresome footpath of the lonely muleteer.
the hills of efát present more rounded forms; their slopes are better cultivated, and their tops afford the most eligible positions for the abode of the abyssinian farmer. during the rainy season, all the many rivers which at other times carry only sufficient water for the purposes of the cultivator, not only fill their deeply-excavated beds, but overflowing and inundating all the lower parts of the hills, would sweep off any of the fragile abyssinian buildings within reach; but the soil, when saturated with humidity, becomes so heavy and compact as to be not easily washed away. the impetuosity of the mountain torrent undermines the fast-decomposing rock, and frequently brings down large boulders and loose stones, which, dashing against the sides of the ravine, are in no small degree instrumental to its destruction.
not less important are the changes going on in the high range, since the time of their formation. ice is of so uncommon occurrence, that we can scarcely attribute to it any considerable cooperation; but the action of water is materially assisted by occasional earthquakes. gradual decomposition and decay has produced on the base, and produces still, conglomerates of various thickness and extent. the high plateau enjoys a thick coat of fertile black soil. lakes, pools, morasses, and swamps, are frequent; the rivers of little fall have muddy and miry beds, which on that account become unfordable during the rains.
a few hot mineral wells are known and made use of in efát and giddem. precious metals and precious stones have not yet been discovered; but of useful mineral products, iron, sulphur, and coal, are the principal. iron ores are the riches of the high plateau, the oxy-hydrate being the best of them. enclosed in the basalt, it comes to view only in the ravines, whence it is scraped out. from the western borders of the adel country, and from the extinct volcanoes of mentshar, is derived the small supply of native sulphur required; the pits are described as exceedingly copious. coal-beds appear to extend along the whole of the eastern frontier of shoa; but the combustible nature of the fossil is scarcely known in the country. copper, tin, zinc, and salt, are all imported into shoa; the ada?el possessing the last commodity in abundance. the shoan clay proves a very indifferent material for the manufacture of earthenware. excellent quarries could be worked, but the primitive fashion of the dwellings is independent of the use of stone.
botany.
the provinces that compose the kingdom of shoa enjoy not only political but also natural and physical boundaries. from the luxuriant vegetation, or the parched-up desert of a tropical clime, we suddenly ascend to regions where the blessings of fertility are more equably diffused, and which serve as granaries to the inhabitants of the lowlands.
from the general nature of the rocks, it is obvious that the soil consists chiefly of decomposed feldspar, which requires abundance of water. dews, rains, and springs, however, so moisten the mountain side, that artificial irrigation need be resorted to but on few localities. along the foot of the hills, rude channels, dug out of the sandy or gravelly soil, conduct abundance of water to plantations at a distance from the river side; and, in these lower regions, periodical inundations supply the want of rain.—
it is an established fact, that the cryptogamic plants of cellular construction, are in different zones nearly the same. under similar circumstances the same lichen covers the face of the rock in europe as in the continents of the torrid zone, the same mould lines decaying matter, and the same fungus cleaves to bark and root. but, compared with the other orders of plants, the cellulars are most defective in numbers throughout abyssinia, the peculiarities of the climate being very unfavourable to their development.
every kind of parasitic plant is looked upon with a suspicious eye in abyssinia; and those of the vascular orders furnish to the conjuring practitioner his principal remedies. but the mushrooms (demastafi), the fungi and puff-balls (ya arrogie siet phis), are believed to pollute the finger that touches them, and to be downright poison. mould, of course, thrives exuberantly on every substance in so moist a climate as that of shoa. the blight is but too well known; the boletus igniarius grows abundantly in the forests; parmeliae and other lichens cover rocks, or depend fantastically from the withered branches of gigantic trees. mosses, however, are very scarce, and only of four kinds.
the vascular acotyledonic plants, the ferns, might likewise be expected in greater variety among the abyssinian weeds than is actually the case. the deep recesses of the few remaining forests harbour some kinds which very closely resemble european forms, and belong to the genera aspidium, polypodium, asplenium, adiantum, scolopendrium, ophioglossum, and pteris. no tree is among them, nor are the abyssinians aware of the useful properties of the tribe. adianthum capillus veneris is called in amháric “sera besoo” i.e. much work—finely wrought.
of the four orders into which the tribe of monocotyledonic plants is naturally subdivided, viz. the grasses, the lilies, the orchides, and the palms, the first undoubtedly deserves our principal attention, for it is by far the most numerous and important. the great elevation of the abyssinian plains is so favourable for the cultivation of all cerealia of the temperate zone, that they may rival the very best agricultural districts of northern europe, whilst the low country along the foot of the mountains produces some kinds of tropical grain, and would fully answer for the cultivation of rice, which at present is unknown in the country.
the abyssinian husbandman takes great trouble in improving the cultivated sorts of grain, by changing the seed-corn at every season, and sometimes by sowing promiscuously different sorts to produce new varieties. hence the astonishing number of distinguishable kinds cultivated in a small compass of ground under certain established appellations, and brought into use for very different purposes. within a circumference of five miles around ankóber are found, of juwarree, 28 varieties; of wheat, 24; of barley, 16; of rye, 2; of teff, 4; of oats, 2; of maize, 2. various kinds of bread and cakes are prepared from some of these; malt for beer is chosen from others; and the inferior kinds are given to slaves and cattle.
the existing meadow-grasses answer so well, that an introduction of new species, or a regular culture, is not attempted. in times of great famine the seeds of some of these grasses come into use as food. in the swamps and humid meadows, and in many rivulets, species of cyperus and scirpus are very frequent, some of which attain immense height, being used for thatching, or in the manufacture of baskets, mats, etc. papyrus also grows in the low countries of efát.
the following species of grasses and grain are cultivated: lorghum vulgare (mashila), the juwarree of india, and durrha of arabia, in many varieties, the principal of which are: a (sengada), with red spreading spike; b (wogari), with yellow, compact pendent spike. the young stalks contain a great deal of saccharine, and are chewed: they attain, in good situations, the enormous height of eighteen feet. the produce of efát and giddem in this grain is chiefly exported to the countries of the ada?el; but a small quantity comes to the shoan marts for inferior kinds of beer, unleavened bread, and the food of mules. in shoa itself mashila cannot be raised on account of the low temperature.
saccharum officinarum, the sugar-cane (shonkar), is also planted to a small extent in the low country. the art of making sugar being unknown, it is only chewed; and although regarded a great luxury, and sent in token of friendship by the great, no particular care is bestowed upon improving its growth.
elusine tocussa (dagusa), a minute grain in quarternaire crosswise disposed spikes, is produced on a low grass extensively cultivated in northern abyssinia; and the emperor of gondar is said to be forced by etiquette to eat cakes of it, to the exclusion of other farinaceous food.
poa abyssinica (teff). this millet-like seed is a favourite with all abyssinians, although the bread made of it is extremely unwholesome and insipid. four varieties are found, two of a brown, and two of a white kind. the latter has the preference; and the finest, called manya teff, is grown only upon the king’s fields, and can never be purchased by the subject. the straw of the teff is regarded the best stable-fodder.
zea maize (mar mashila), i.e. honey-sweet mashila, is principally eaten when fresh and milky. a little roasted it is a most acceptable offering to the visitor. sixteen kinds of barley (geps) are raised on the hill-tops, and on the high plateau of the galla country, where neither juwarree nor wheat will thrive. its greatest consumption is in brewing, but mules and horses are also fed on it, and the finer sorts are eaten (mariam sahr litch alkuso sandarash). barya settat, i.e. “the slaves’ portion,” as might be imagined, is not of first-rate quality.
secale cereale (damash sanaf kolo) finds a limited consumption, mixed with other flour in bread.
triticum aestivum, hibernum, etc. (sendi). shoa can boast of twenty-four varieties of wheat. many of these were originally cultivated by the galla, and subsequently introduced. the other provinces of abyssinia have also furnished various kinds; but the most esteemed are indigenous, viz. y’abuna ehel, ya beri mangada, ya gosh gumbar, i.e. “aboon’s grain;” “bullock’s molar tooth;” “buffaloes’ forehead.” wheat is frequently eaten unground, in a mixture of parched grain, called kolo, which is the only store carried by the amhára warrior into the field.
avena spec. (gherama) is a small kind of oats, sown on the poorest fields, in order that favourite mules and horses may crop it while yet green. in times of scarcity the poor are compelled to resort to it.
bambusa arundinacea (shemal). the bamboo is not indigenous in any part of the country, but groves are planted on the king’s grounds, in order to supply poles for the royal tents.
the following are the grasses found in every pasture:—lolium temulentum (enkerdad), much dreaded as poison; chloris spec. (agerma); andropogon distachyum (gasha); anthistiria spec. (sambalet); sporobolus spec. (ya teff sahr) the seeds eaten as those of the teff; poa brizoides (ya kiri sahr); kiri is a species of finch, which eats the small seeds; setaria spec. (ya oosha sendado).
the next order, that of the lilies, is not so numerous as might be expected of africa, but when a species does appear, it covers vast tracts with its lovely colours. none but the edible kinds of allium are cultivated in abyssinia, ornamental gardens being quite unknown throughout the country. some grow in swampy meadows, especially those with bulbs, more properly ranking as lilies: others, with perennial stem, are found on dry waste places, such as the asparagus and the aloe. the whole year round, the meads are graced by the lovely blossoms of two commelineae, viz. commelina africana, and tradescantia spec. both having small oval tubers, they are called off angoon and off gola, i.e. “bird’s egg” (off, a bird; angoon and gola, or more commonly angola, an egg). these tubers are eaten in times of famine. one ixia, a very beautiful kind, of the morasses around angollála, springs up immediately after the termination of the rains. haemanthus coccineus, amaryllis clavata, gloriosa spec, are rare plants of efát; bulbocodium spec, is a very transient form, observable a few days after the “rains of bounty.” onions and garlic (neitch shongort) are favourite vegetables; various kinds of aloe (ya jib shongort) adorn the wastes of efát, and furnish good fibres for making ropes. asparagus retrofractus (saréti), and asparagus ethiopicus (kastanitcha), are fructiferous and climbing shrubs: a green twig of the first, stuck in the hair of the sinciput, is a token of exultation after a successful encounter with an enemy or wild beast; the wood of the second is of peculiar hardness, and splitting well serves the amhára scribe as a pen. lastly, one smilax (ashkila) affords the stick in common use as a tooth-brush.
that equally beautiful and important order, the orchideae, might be supposed to find its natural ground in abyssinia, where both atmosphere and soil are so favourable; but ginger is still imported from guráguê: arrow-root and salep are unknown, and not a single kind of the respective genera is an inhabitant either of shoa or efát. the real orchideae of the forests, moreover, are few in number. epidendrum capense, cleaving to the bark of the wild olive-tree, is the only representative of that interesting group, the epidendreae. of the plantain tribe, three species have been introduced from the south, but apparently with little advantage; viz. mooz, musa paradisiaca, a coarse kind of plantain, which is reared on some few spots in efát for the royal table, and two species of urania, called ensete and koba. these are planted in shoa for the sake of their leaves; they seldom advance to flower and fruit, in consequence of the low temperature. the only visible difference between them is, that in the koba the middle rib of the leaf is on the underside red, as also the stem; whilst in the ensete both are light green. either of these trees, when suffered to grow, attains a height of twelve feet in the stem, exceeding by far that of the mooz; the leaves are equal in size to those of the latter, and are only used to bake bread upon. their proper home is guráguê, the famous seat of so many botanical riches. seed-capsules of the koba brought from that country contain four or five angular nuts, full of a mealy substance, like the finest arrow-root, which is boiled and given to children to make them grow; the base of the fruit is filled with a delicious pulp like that of the plantain. in guráguê the young shoots of the ensete form a principal part of the diet, but they are despised by the amhára, who are not at all addicted to vegetables. the fibres are used in the manufacture of ropes and mats, which form an important article of trade with shoa. ensete and koba are hardier than the mooz; and towering above the enclosures of the lofty villages, impart an aspect not properly belonging to the landscape, and strangely contrasting with many alpine associates.
the palms of the continents of the eastern world are, with very few exceptions, inhabitants of the sea-borders, and do not thrive at any considerable elevation or even distance inland. the coast of the ada?el is therefore the only locality where three species of this tribe, viz. phoenix dactylifera, hyphaene crucifera, and borassus flabelliformis, appear; but so scantily, that the date must be imported from arabia. baskets and mats are manufactured of the leaves of all, and some toddy is prepared of the borassus especially.
the preceding enumeration of acotyledonic and monocotyledonic plants is not sufficient to determine the systematic place due to the abyssinian vegetation in general. the dicotyledones, comprising two-thirds of all the plants, will necessarily help to show, that although included within the tropics, the flora of shoa, and of some of the galla provinces to the west, is, on the whole, subalpine. the avenues of approach to them from the eastward, evince in their scanty dress the influence of a tropical sun; and between these two extremes, a happy and most fertile province intervenes, where, by the side of the hardy grain, cotton and coffee may be raised—where a tea-plant and many species of indigo grow wild—and where, in fact, a temperate and a torrid clime exchange their products as it were upon neutral ground.
the chlamydoblasta number but very few species in abyssinia. one nymphaae only, on the lakes of shoa, and one aristolochia (bracteata) of the ada?el country, could be discovered. this latter, called gerbaad, is a secret remedy with the danákil against poisoned wounds, and in fact they are prone to attribute mysterious qualities to the most of their weeds. pepper is not found either in a wild or cultivated state, although nothing would oppose the introduction of that favourite condiment, which at present, under the appellation of gunda berberi (gunda, an ant; berberi, hot spice) is imported from arabia and india.
of apetalous gymnoblasts, some important species are to be recorded, since they form the chief pride of the forests. and justly beginning with the coniferae, the fir (cedar), which graces the alps of northern abyssinia, is replaced in shoa by a gigantic juniper, juniperus excelsa (det). this noble tree of the woods as well as of the churchyards attains in its life of one century a height of upwards of one hundred and sixty feet, with four to five in diameter at the base. growing nearly in the shape of a cypress, it throws off continually the lower branches, which shoot out almost at a right angle from the stem, so that two-thirds of the same are void of green; the top is always a pyramid, and generally scanty. the wood is very inferior, but splitting readily, it supplies, in the absence of proper carpenters’ tools, the chief timber used in the construction of huts and churches; and it forms, besides, the common fuel. neither is any use made of the resin or berries; but twigs lopped off the melancholy trees that overshadow the cemetery, are often strewn upon the corpse before the grave is filled up. a yew tree, taxus elongata, sigba, also of the shoan forests, keeps within more moderate dimensions; sixty feet in height, and five in circumference, is the utmost. the tough wood, like that of the wild olive-tree, furnishes the timber for works of art which are to last some time. to tarry beneath its shade, or to inhale the smoke of burning yew wood, is regarded as particularly noxious.
the low temperature reigning in the alps of abyssinia does not prohibit the growth of a species of fig, which contrasts strangely enough with the tall juniper. the shoala, a kind of banyan tree, with large, oval, acute, serrated, and subcordate leaves, and racemes of fruits attached only to the stem and principal branches, measures frequently seven feet in diameter, with a height of forty feet, at an age of two-score years. its roots are partly above ground; but of secondary, or branch-roots, there is no vestige. requiring no small space for expansion, it stands commonly on the outskirts of the forests, or quite alone, but its shade is extremely dense and unfavourable to other vegetation. the fruit, of the size of a pigeon’s egg, brown and insipid, might be eaten by people in distress. in the low country the sycamore fig-tree makes its appearance; it is called worka, i.e. “the golden,” by the amhára, and woda by the galla; and has, with those of the latter nation, who are still in the bonds of idolatry, a sacred signification. being planted over the tombs of notable persons, conjurers, or heroes, offerings are brought to it, and hung up on the branches at certain festivals, when the neighbouring tribes feast together upon that holy and neutral ground. the worka stands always near running water, towering far over the jungle, although the undivided stem is scarcely ten feet high. the leaf has a yellow tomentum below; and the fruit forms a favourite food of monkeys and of various birds, but is not touched by man.
the kuaraf, gunnera spec, another plant of the same family, of artocarpeae, is an important vegetable during the strict fast of lent. it grows in swamps and rivulets, and is an annual low plant from a perennial root, with large radical leaves and a leafless stalk, bearing the minute flowers on a bunchy raceme. the petioles, ribs of leaves, and stalks, are eaten fresh when stripped of the epidermis; and their taste is similar to that of the sorrel. the common stinging-nettle (sama) is, by boiling, also prepared into an indifferent food during the quadragesimal low diet. the troublesome weed grows everywhere to a height of five feet.
of the many polygoneae, a few must be noticed on account of their frequent occurrence and of their use. polygonum tomentosum (ba waha lay, i.e. “upon the water,”) and polygonum serratum, cover the margins of morasses and lakes. polygonum frutescens (umboatoo) is the most common hedge-shrub. rumex arifolius (makmako), frequent in swampy meadows, yields, in its fleshy root, a reddish dye for colouring butter. the root of another species of rumex, called tutt, is believed to be a nostrum for barbarous and criminal purposes; but, happily, it is quite innocent. instead of these species, which all belong to the flora of shoa, there appear in the adel country several boerhaaviae. introduced into shoa is a kind of willow (aheia), much employed in the manufacture of saddles.
the monopetalous gymnoblasts, being a class next to the highest and most important, contain a large number of plants, of which the following are pointed out: plantago capensis (ya gura wosfi), and plantago egyptiaca (burrh), both common weeds in shoa; plumbago capensis, with large white corolla, in efát, and scabiosa decurrens (adai), with snowy heads, in shoa, are highly ornamental; echinops horridus, growing to the height of ten feet about angollála; carthamus tinctorius (suf), extensively cultivated in efát for the oil of the seeds and for the dye yielded by the flowers; carduncellus spec. (dorakus),—a decoction of the dried flower-heads is administered in ague. several twining species of mikania adorn the forests of shoa; two fructiferous cacaliae, full of a balsamic sap, and one klenia, exhibit the brightest scarlet in the jungles of efát. pteronia spinosa, and helichrysum vestitum, are hardy shrubs found on the slopes. species of gnaphalium and bidens are annoying weeds in the cotton-fields. the numerous kinds of radiatae contain only one of importance, viz. the polymnia abyssinica (nug), which is the chief oil plant. suf and nug oil mixed is called kabanug, and only used for burning, since it possesses strong purging qualities. the family of the compositae furnishes altogether but a small number of useful plants in proportion to its extensiveness.
the campanulaceae are low annual insignificant weeds, one lobelia excepted, viz. the rhynchopetalum montanum, or jibera. this strange perennial plant, with the aspect of a palm-tree, grows chiefly in moist ravines among the high mountains, and is especially frequent about ankóber. the stem attains upwards of fifteen feet in height, and five inches in diameter. the top carries a crown of large leaves; and the spike is one foot and a half long. when the seeds are ripe, the plant dies suddenly. one erica (asta), five feet in height, assists likewise to dispel the aspect of a european flora, which is conveyed by the veronica beccabunga and anagallis of the meadow rivulets. scrophularia frutescens (djodjo), with a strong smell of camphor, is used as a febrifuge and charm; two kinds of orobanche are also among the conjurer’s infallible medicines. acanthus carduifolius is the choicest camel-fodder in the desert. rare specimens of hyperanthera moringa, the same as in arabia, stand near the pools of the low country: a gum, becoming instantly red in the air, flows freely out of any bruise, but is applied to no use. mint, thyme, and other plants of the family labiatae, so replete with aetheric oils, do not enjoy the reputation due to them. of the many kinds only three have names and use, viz. origanum spec. (kassi), and ziziphora spec. (lomi shett, i.e. “lime-smell”), which are used in the fomentation of boils; leonotis spec. (ras kimr), as anthelminthicum by a decoction of the dried leaves, mixed with a little oil. several convolvulaceae and boragineae pass disregarded. of the former. convolvulus pes caprae binds the sand of the sea-beach; of the latter, a few specimens of cordia abyssinica (wanzey) grow in efát.
capsicum frutescens (geich berberi, i.e. “red pepper”), the most important of hot spices in warm climes, and nicotiana tabacum (tombako), also an indispensable commodity to many of the moslem population, are objects of diligent cultivation in the lower country: yet the only tolerable tobacco must be imported from the ittoo galla. solanum marginatum (umboi), a shrub, the seeds of which are strewed on the surface of ponds to stupify the fish, which are nevertheless still eatable, and atropa arborea (amoraroo), the red juice of whose berry is used by the amhára women to stain their palms and nails, are common hedge-shrubs in shoa. of the narcotic qualities of the datura stramonium (atafaris), the abyssinian sorcerer is well aware. the thief-detector makes a youth smoke the dried leaves of it in order to cause stupefaction, and thus promote the semblance of powers of divination. neither the potato nor any other edible kind of solanum has yet been introduced into shoa.
the families of contortae, rubiaceae, ligustrinae, have many representatives in the low country. stapelia pulvinata and calotropis gigantea are the most prominent: the former has a fleshy, quadrangular, and four-winged stem of two feet height, and when in flower is scarcely approachable; the latter furnishes good charcoal for gunpowder. kannahia laniflora, with particularly sweet-smelling flowers, lines the borders of the rivulets in efát; carissa spec. (agame) has edible berries, and flourishes both in efát and shoa. melanea verticillata (adguar), is a jungle-tree of ten feet height, with purging berries. psychotria spec. (doda gula), is a shrub found in shoa; coffea arabica (boon) grows wild in many of the warmer provinces, but is diligently plucked out by the christian population, who consider the use of the berry to be as foreign to salvation as the doctrine of the false prophet. where his followers abide in greater numbers, or uncontrolled, as in giddem and in the countries of the ittoo and aroosi galla, the coffee-tree grows unmolested, no care, however, being taken of it; but its proper home seems to lie far to the west and south, in the kingdoms of cáffa and enárea, where a donkey’s load is sold for the twentieth part of a dollar. two kinds of jessamine grace with their fragrant flowers the hedges and groves. olea spec. (woira) is, with the juniper and yew, the principal forest-tree of shoa; sixty to eighty feet in height, and four in diameter, are its common dimensions. the wood of the wild olive-tree affords excellent fuel and timber; but no use is made of the fruit, which attains the size of a large pea.
among the polypetalous gymnoblasts, in which vegetation has attained the highest degree of perfection with respect to variety of shape and colour, as well as medical and nutritious qualities, we find several important families altogether wanting in the flora of abyssinia. the pomaceae and amygdaleae are absent, and the existing scarcity of fruit-trees, whether wild or cultivated, is indeed most apparent. others of more limited utility are very numerous, as the tricoccae, rhocadeae, amarantinae; but the leguminosae form by far the largest family of polypetalous phanerogames.
of umbelliferae there exists in the low country one ferula, a small tree of unknown properties. in shoa there are several caucalis (karambashu), growing on pasture grounds, and poisonous to cattle. coriandrum sativum (dumbelan), and anethum foeniculum, the well-known european spices, are cultivated. berberis tinctoria of the forests yields a good yellow dye for mourning apparel. clypea spec. (engotshid), is a creeper with pellate leaves, upon which small cakes are baked. ranunculus trilobus (goodie) is a troublesome weed on the meadows. nigella sativa (asmud) is occasionally cultivated as a spice. several species of polygala flourish unnoticed. some balsamineae grow in shady places; one of them, impatiens grandis (girshid), has a tuberous root, with the juice of which the women paint their palms and faces red. thlaspi bursa pastoris (ya bug elat, i.e. “sheep’s tail”), the cosmopolitan weed, follows agriculture also in abyssinia. sinapis nigra (sanafitch) grows wild, and is sometimes resorted to as an additional ingredient of the pepper sauce called wotz. brassica spec. (goomun), a cultivated coarse kind of cow-cabbage, perennial, and five feet high, is eaten as a vegetable after much boiling; the seeds are also used for oil. of the numerous capparideae, cadaba indica is particularly important in the adel desert, being for many scores of miles the only shrub which affords shelter from the noontide sun. two species of capparis make impenetrable hedges in efát. cucumis africanus (ya medur oomboi) is an annual plant, of sandy and desert places; the seeds are a favourite medicine in shoa, and also with the galla. cucumis colocynthis is frequent in the valleys adjoining the bahr assal, but is not collected either for home use or for exportation. cucurbita lagenaria (kel) grows wild, and is cultivated in efát for water-bottles. cucurbita pepo, a common coarse pumpkin in shoa, serves as a vegetable. bryonia scabrella (ya amor a m’sa) is a much dreaded poison. two species of flacourtia, koshim and menedem, have edible berries.
viola montana, a violet without smell, grows in the forests of shoa. tamaricinae occur in the desert, from the sea-shore as far as to the háwash; the presence of the principal kind, called sagan, is, to the dankáli herdsman, a sure indication of water near the surface. the genus hypericum has only showy plants. the chenepodeae,—chiefly weeds, contain one species (called amedmadoo) which is used for polishing metal. achyranthes spec. (talineh) is a styptic medicine. phytolacca abyssinica (endott) is a common shrub in shoa and efát; a cold infusion of the dried and pounded berry possesses wonderful cleansing qualities, and is used instead of soap. silene diantho?des (siakul) is a pretty flower found on the high mountains. calancho? verea (endehahoola) is a very common succulent plant, the leaves of which are dried and smoked like tobacco in phthisical affections, or the juice of them administered as refrigerants in inflammatory fevers. epilobium villosum (ya lahm tchau, i.e. “cows’ salt”) is regarded as an excellent and wholesome fodder for homed cattle, if given occasionally punica granatum (rooma), sometimes cultivated in efát, was introduced from arabia. several species of grewia bear edible fruits in the desert, where their acidity is very grateful.
to the various kinds of byttneriaceae and malvaceae, no particular interest is attached, except to the cotton (det) gossypium nigrum, which is cultivated in two varieties, the finer and smaller species growing in the shade of the taller and more hardy. both are regarded as indigenous to abyssinia. grain and cotton-cloth form the principal staple commodities of shoa. linum usitatissimum (tulbah) is cultivated merely for the seeds, of which oil is made: flax-dressing not being understood. vitis vinifera (woin saf), planted as a curiosity in the king’s gardens, bears plentifully, and would doubtless answer well upon volcanic soil. several species of cissus interlace the jungles of efát; one, especially, is a constant companion of the camel-thorn acacia in the desert.
euphorbia abyssinica (kolqual), a singular sconce-like milk bush of the abyssinian groves, gives charcoal for gunpowder; with the corrosive sap it is frequently attempted to stop ulcers of a phagedenic nature. the inspissated juice of two other species of euphorbia, birgut and anderfa, serves as a drastic purgative. the ostrich-hunting somauli poisons his arrows with the milk of euphorbia antiquorum, which does not make the meat injurious. ricinus africanus (gulo) affords in its seeds a famous medicine for cattle, and is frequent in efát. rhamnus spec. (gesho) is a tonic, and a decoction of the leaves of this cultivated shrub is used in the manufacture of hydromel and beer instead of hops. celastrus spec. (chaat) is a species of the tea planted and used in efát, but more extensively in cáffa and other countries of the interior. in efát the fresh leaves are both chewed and used as an astringent medicine, or taken in order to dispel sleep: a decoction in water or milk being also drunk as a beverage, which tastes bitter enough. hagenia abyssinica (cosso) affords, in a cold infusion of the dried flowers and capsules, the famous drasticum purgans and anthelminthicum of the abyssinians. the tree is one of the most picturesque in appearance. balsamodendron myrrha (kurbeta) grows on the borders of efát, in the jungle of the háwash, and in the adel desert. the resinous gum called hofali, is collected for exportation. balsamodendron opobalsamum (besham) is commonly found with the former, and grows even at cape aden. citrus medica (lomi) flourishes wild in the jungles of giddem, and is cultivated in efát: citrus aurantium (bahr lomi), lately introduced from arabia, and citrus decumana var. (trunco), with apple-like solid pulp, are both found in the royal orchards. rubus pinnatus (injori) yields the best of all wild-growing fruits in abyssinia—a true blackberry of the forests. rosa abyssinica (kaga), a tree-like dog-rose, bears an edible hip. the brayera abyssinica, which serves in tigré instead of cosso, is not known in the southern provinces.
trifolium saxatile cespitosum (nagad) is sown on the best meadows for green fodder. vicia faba (bakkela) is most extensively cultivated in shoa and in the galla countries to the west; the beans are eaten either fresh and green during the season, or, when dry, made up into soups. ervum lens (missur), cicer arietinum (shimbrah), pisum sativum (attur), phaseolus spec. (adunguari), are produced in efát and other warm provinces of the kingdom. many species of indigofera, wild and unheeded, grow in the desert and on the borders of cultivation. pterolobium lacerans (kantuffa) is an impenetrable hedge-shrub abounding in efát: the bark gives a red dye for leather. tamarindus indica attains a majestic size in the jungles of efát, but is quite neglected; as are also various kinds of senna (senamaki). dichrostachys cinerea. acacia eburnea. acacia planifrons, and other camel-thorn trees called gerar, are of the utmost importance to the wilderness and desert; in the latter, the umbrella-like tops collect man and beast beneath their scanty shade during the hottest hours of the day. some yield superior gum arabic; the twigs serve as food for the camel, and the pods for goats and sheep.
the foregoing list of abyssinian plants comprehends nearly all those which are of importance to the cultivator, farmer, or physician; but no doubt double the number could be added by any people more enterprising and inquisitive than the inhabitants of shoa. all kind of vegetation not directly useful and beneficial is regarded as a weed, and receives no special appellation; and few of the population know the names of any plant that is not a daily necessary of the kitchen. the physician’s lore is kept a profound mystery; and there is not much lost by its limited diffusion, since the whole is a motley collection of very questionable experience and most degrading superstition.
zoology.
of the lowest order of animals, the radiates, nearly the same may be said that was remarked above respecting the lowest order of plants; namely, that their species are in a less degree bound to certain limits of geographical distribution than those in which the respective types hasten in more marked characters to the highest possible perfection. none of the numerous tribe of radiatae are, in their proper home, directly exposed to the external air and its changes. they live in a medium, which generally preserves a mean temperature, with extremes not prohibiting the possibility of animal existence, and their ephemeral life is little liable to be cut short by any sudden change. thus we find that the waters and animal humours produce, in different climes, similar beings, in which either the deficiency in bulk is made up by countless multitudes of individuals, or the deficiency in number by high reproductive powers.
intestinal worms (wosfat) prove one of the chief plagues of the abyssinians. not only ascarides, but also tape and thread worms (taenia and filaria), are to be constantly contended with. the frequency of this disposition must have its source in the usual diet, consisting of unleavened dough-like bread and raw meat, which the accompanying pepper sauce is not sufficient to correct. once in every month the cosso and other powerful purgatives are resorted to, and bring momentary relief; but the guinea-worm, living in the fleshy parts of the limbs, must be endured until it shall have perforated the skin.
the influence exercised upon the nature of the articulated animals or insects by the quality of the other visible organised beings, both plants and animals, is much more apparent than in the above-named order of the radiatae. being bound by the strongest ties to the limits of those beings which are assigned to them as food and home, their species present distinctly marked characters of geographical distribution throughout the world.
in shoa and efát there appears with the increase of vegetation a larger number of insects, but the most noxious of them remain only during the height of the season. this is most perceptible in the migrations of locusts and caterpillars, which, by a few cold rains, are induced to descend into the open wildernesses and deserts. such a sudden relief from countless hosts of the locusts, called anbasa, is invariably ascribed, by the superstitious farmer, to the special interposition and agency of his guardian saint, at whose shrine, in the hour of need, offerings and vows are liberally made. various grasshoppers (sada), mantidae (feenta), and cockroaches, do considerable damage during the hot season. a large black ant (goonda), which bites ferociously, constructs no water-tight habitation, but intrudes at the beginning of the rains into the huts, from which it is expelled with the utmost difficulty. the egyptian honey-bee (neb), either kept in the farm-yards within baskets, or existing wild in the woods, finds abundance of odoriferous flowers. honey is an important article of consumption, both in its natural form and when converted into mead.
although so cold, the country is not free from the annoyances of flies (sembi), and musquitoes (tenang). white ants (mest) are not so numerous and destructive in the upper as in the lower country. small colonies of them live and build their chambers beneath loose stones, but they never come into the houses, and, in fact, the juniper timber of the fragile edifices is seldom attacked by any wood vermin. various most beautiful butterflies, phalaenes, and moths, while in the caterpillar state (tel), despoil trees and plants that are of no value to the abyssinian; but his plantations of cotton and cabbage rarely suffer. neither the silkworm nor the mulberry-tree are found in the country.
numerous varieties of beetles, of those families especially which remove animal matter and soil, with others of more cleanly habits, are comprised under the general appellation of densissa. among the former, the coprophaga, many egyptian species may be met with, as copris isidis, ateuchus sacer, and others; among the latter, chiefly cetoniae, are found species nearly allied to or identical with some of senegambia. one notable inca, the male of which is armed with a powerful head excrescence, lives principally on the sap of wounded trees; lycus appendiculatus frequents chiefly the flowers of umbelliferae; many curculionides inhabit the plants of the family compositae, but coccinellae are the most numerous. species of lytta abound, but no use is made of them, the shoans having no real medicine prepared from the animal kingdom. spiders (sherarit) and scorpions (kind) are studiously avoided, or destroyed, as particularly impure and noxious, though the former never attack aught save their prey, and the sting of the latter is little dangerous. total disregard of cleanliness is punished with a frightful increase of bodily vermin, as fleas (kunitsha), lice (kemal), bugs (tochan), and acarus scabici (ekak).
the large number of water-birds upon the lakes and morasses of shoa effectually restrain an increase of snails and shells; some species of bulimus (kendautchi), minute helices, pupa, and limax, are so few, that the damage done by them is not perceptible. neither serve the larger kinds as food.
the known fresh-water fish are insignificant in quality and quantity, and only serve to feed the numerous crocodiles which infest the main stream of the háwash. its various tributaries, when they first escape from the mountains, carry small species of salmo and perca (asa), which are in great request during lent; but the manner of taking them is primitive and imperfect.
all the amphibia are objects of apprehension and superstition. serpents (ebab) are not numerous, and are chiefly of small kinds, nor venomous, but the awe in which they are held is quite ridiculous. tribes in the far west, described as being the meanest of men, and scarcely above the beasts, are charged by the abyssinians with the heinous custom of eating snakes, and ornamenting their persons with necklaces of the backbone of that accursed animal. two kinds of tortoises (yeli) are found in the low country, testudo graeca and indica; the latter attains an enormous size in the deep impenetrable jungles of mentshar. the dread entertained of the saurii comprises all kinds, the harmless and the formidable. the egyptian gecko (enkakela), the chameleon (eist), the seineus officinalis, and other numerous lizards, which make themselves most useful by the removal of so many annoying insects, are unrelentingly doomed to destruction, whilst the crocodiles (azo) roam unmolested on the abandoned shores of the larger rivers and lakes.
the feathered tribe exist in great variety of species, which may in some degree be due to the preponderance of migratory birds. the scansores, however, are principally stationary, their food seldom failing throughout the year. the noblest of them is a parrot-like coliphimus (sorit) of the shoan forests. lovely shades of green, and many tints of the brightest red, a stately crest, and a long rounded tail, make it a favourite with the abyssinians. a tail-feather fastened in the hair of a daring warrior, is a token of late achievements in the battle-field. two other kinds, called wans sorit, i.e. sorit of the river-side, and aheia, i.e. donkey, from its asinine tunes, are much inferior in beauty, though not in size. one, coliphimus concolor, is of a dull greyish green; the other, c. fasciatus, black and white, with white zones, across the tail; the beak of the female is green; both live in efát upon different grains and wild figs. two small kinds of parrot inhabit the fig and tamarind trees of the lower country: their name, donkoro, is also used figuratively of persons talking nonsense. one corresponds almost with psittacus taranta. in the other, which is a little larger, the sexes are distinguished by the gay plumage of the male, which is green above and red below, whilst the female is greyish brown and yellow. centropus jardini, a beautiful kind of cuckoo, lives solitary on the fig-trees in efát: several species of woodpeckers, which do not seem to differ from the south african kinds, are found on acacias and tamarinds.
among the ambulatores many migrate during winter-time from the mountains to the eastern plain; others arrive during summer from the north, most likely from sennaar and egypt. they rarely do any considerable damage on the plantations of teff and juwarree, whilst their services in destroying numberless vermin are most conspicuous. bird-catching for food or for amusement is not a sport with the amhára, but, on the other hand, there is no privilege in favour of the songsters—a study and imitation of the tunes of which might greatly improve the execrable attempts of music, vocal and instrumental, vented by the unskilful abyssinian performer.
two gaudy kinds of alcedo play on the rivulets—merops bulockii and nubicus. these truly african species of the flycatcher are in the lower, upupa epops, the common hoopoe, in the upper country. certhia tacazze and chalybea, with two other equally beautiful kinds of the humming-bird, proceed with the seasons to their flower-gardens, when the return of rain here, and of warmth there, elicits the most fragrant blossoms, and covers the shrubs of the mountain-side, or the jungle-trees, with soft honey-insects. one of these humming-birds suspends its baglike nest, ingeniously woven of raw cotton, by a string of the same material, to reeds, or cotton-plants. buphaga africana picks the larvae of gad-flies out of the galled backs of camels, oxen, and mules, in spite of the struggles of the tortured animal. jeterus larvatus, and other species of stares, weave their nests of grass, and line them inside with the woolly flowers of an achyranthes. these nests are suspended in great numbers to the lower branches of solitary trees, and may have given origin to the story of the wonderful groves, where all the fruits are birds enclosed in a shell. lamprotomis auratus, and some other kinds of thrushes, consume, during their short stay in shoa of two months, immense numbers of insects. among the sylviadae are some eminent songsters, especially sylvia pammelaina, and also species of motacilla, and saxicola, whilst one muscipeta, the male of which has two tail-feathers three times as long as the whole body, is quite silent. the head and neck of this remarkable bird are steel-blue, the other parts of the plumage rusty-brown, except the two elongated middle feathers of the tail, which are snowy white, with black quills, and a brown plot at the extremity: they are used as an ornament for royalty. lanius humeralis (gurameile) is one of those fatal birds, the sudden appearance of which before an army at its outset, forebodes ill-success, and all manner of misfortune to single persons, if the tail be directed towards them. to the other kinds of shrikes no such unhappy celebrity is attached, although they seem not less litigious, and anxious to draw off by their noise the attention of a wayfarer from the vicinity of their nests. alauda alpestris comes from the west, and returns again after two months, april and may. the most numerous kinds of finches, ploccus, pyrgita, linaria, etc., are all comprised under the appellation off, i.e. small bird: they seem generally to have fixed quarters. colius capensis (rasa) is solely in efát, in company with the wans sorit.
ravens and crows are of three kinds, but one of them (kura) is particularly remarkable on account of its beak, which is much higher than the crown, carrying a considerable protuberance on the top, the nostrils being situated in an excavation, which runs forward in a broad furrow; the bill is very massive, twice as high as it is broad, and terminating in a small hook; the colour of the plumage is deep brownish black, except a broad bar of white feathers across the sinciput, and sometimes a narrow white line down the back of the neck. its voice and mode of living and walking is just like that of our crows, but it does not suffer the approach of other species.
swallows are never failing, but the species vary in their visits. hirundo capensis and rustica appear to avoid each other, not being seen together in the same localities. cypselus apus and caprimulgus species are rarely met with. coracias afra and abyssinica live only in the lower country, also the various kinds of hornbill. erkoom, buceros abyssinicus, by far the largest, is mischievous to the juwarree fields; but the damage done is compensated by his great liking for field-mice also. the erkoom runs swiftly, and rises seldom into the air: the white wing-feathers are much esteemed as an ornament of the hair by the triumphant warrior. buceros nasutus, and another species, which differs slightly in colour and size, eat small lizards and chameleons. buceros erythrorhynchus (sholak), the most frequent of them, rids the plantations of many noxious insects.
the tribe of raptores (amora) is uncommonly numerous, and on the whole very useful in abyssinia. those that feed on living animals seldom stoop even at a stray fowl, whilst all their other prey is quite indifferent to the farmer, and the carrion-birds remove quickly whatever the indolent grazier has dragged outside his door. finding plenty of food, they have no need to wander widely or periodically; yet the large species have their nests at considerable distances from their hunting districts, and commonly on inaccessible precipices.
strix bubo, the only but very common owl of the up-country, and one otus of the low plain, are treated as birds of ill-omen. from the entrails of the former the necromancer prepares a potent charm. the eagle, aquila naevia (nas’r), comes seldom near the villages, nor is he forward in his depredations. falco biarmicus fights his superiors in size, and deprives them forcibly of their prey; it has got hence the appellation, ya amora alaka, i.e. chief of the birds of prey. morphnus occipitalis (adagoota), a beautiful crested falcon, lives in the lower country of giddem, and is particularly inert. several species of astur and accipiter (bazi) feed on small songsters and mice. ternis, spec. (goodie), removes innumerable quantities of locusts; and milvus parasiticus (tshelvit) cleans streets and premises in company with the crows. gypa?tos barbatus (cheffie), extremely frequent in shoa, draws near to butchers, and waits patiently for his share—the paunch and other rejected parts of the victim. vultur arrianus and fulvus (vellos) smell their food many miles off, and gather round it in great numbers. the periodically returning wars, and the extensive stock of cattle kept throughout the habitable parts, feed, with never-failing supplies of carrion, horrible gangs of hyenas, jackals, dogs, and vultures. cathartes perenopterus and neophron niger are less frequent, and always solitary.
the tribe of rasores contains the few birds that are considered fit for christian food; yet the common fowl (doroo), the only domesticated kind, kept almost in every compound, is very much neglected, and not being of a superior breed, remains small and lean. all other meat is eaten raw by the abyssinians, but fowls, either tame or wild, must be cooked. the wild ones, pintado, partridge, quail, and grouse, are not prohibited, but still suspected as unwholesome food; and if even long after an indulgence of such meat the gourmand falls sick, he invariably looks back upon that trespass as the cause of his indisposition. numida cristata (chickra), in bevies of many hundreds, range throughout the lower country. a very large kind of partridge (kok) is found, not in coveys, but in pairs, running swiftly through furrows of the corn-fields. dogs are taught to catch them without injury; and before being eaten, the bird is kept for some days, to obviate the bad effects of any unclean food which it may possibly have taken. this partridge attains the size of the pintado. another kind, living on the high plateau, and also hunted down with dogs, resembles more that of middle europe. pterocles arenarius, and other species of grouse, occur in the deserts.
pigeons are frequent both in shoa and in the eastern provinces. wani, ergeb, and kumroo, are appellations of different kinds, all too wild to tempt the abyssinian to any exertion to catch or domesticate them. wani is the largest, above brown, below slaty-grey; the head grey, with a black zone across the sinciput. another is all grey, except a white zone on the upper neck, and a collar of darker arrow-headed feathers; a third also grey, but with a white head, and brown edges on the wing-feathers. ergeb has a peculiarly inflated beak; head and neck grey, shoulders and back olive-green, breast and belly citron-yellow, wing and tail-feathers whitish edged and tipped. kumroo is the turtle-dove, one kind of which has elongated tail-feathers.
otis arabs, the largest bustard, which is as swift as the ostrich, destroys a great number of locusts and scorpions, and is therefore never eaten. another smaller bustard (wato) is variously coloured; it lives on the borders of the desert. charadrius spinosus is a rare visitor of the lakes near the háwash. tachydromus isabellinus is an inhabitant of the plains of efát; and himantopus atropterus of the morasses near angollála.
abundance of water makes the provinces of shoa a favourite place of resort to many species of grallatores. among the herons are remarkable ardea ephippiorhyncha, and another called alaka fattah, having particularly long wing-feathers of a darker colour than the remainder of the body, which is above grey, below white. the former lives in the valley of the abai, the latter about angollála, but migrates also to the west. smaller kinds, as garzetta, nycticorax, arrive from the north in february, but commonly pass on still more southward, whence they return in may. ibis religiosa stays for some months on the lakes of the upper country; numenius, spec. (gaga), about ankóber. the common snipe, some kinds of peewits, the spoonbill, and the flamingo, sometimes extend their migrations as far as shoa.
geese and ducks swarm unmolested over the lakes of the western provinces; a few descend also to the plain. chenalopex egyptiacus builds its nest upon high trees on the river side in efát. another rare species carries on the frontal basis a thinly-feathered flexible bunch. all the birds of this class are strangely inapprehensive of danger when moulting or hatching. during their stay in shoa they are occupied with both of these processes, but the rigorous proscriptions regarding food usually afford them protection.
of mammalia, the rodentia seem to have no great extension through the cultivated provinces of shoa. one small house rat (eid), and a field mouse, otomys albicaudatus, are very obnoxious indeed to the grain, but snares and traps keep them easily down on well-managed farms. lepus capensis (dindjel) frequents more the plains both of the low and of the up country, and does little damage. to eat of its flesh would be considered downright criminality, not less than myophagy itself. hystrix cristata (shart) lives only in abandoned termite-cones in the desert. a very rare large squirrel is found upon tamarind trees.
cattle-breeding is, on the whole, in a more advanced state among the galla than among the amhára, who prefer agricultural pursuits. the common sheep (bug) of shoa is small, with coarse black wool; the ada?el have the hejaz lamb, short haired, with fat tail; the galla, a most superior tall fleecy kind, also with fat tail, and without horns. with the latter the amhára cross their breed. the galla of northern abyssinia rear a peculiar kind with immensely long hair, commonly white; its fleece, dyed black, and then called lophisa, is a dress much prized by chiefs and men of renown throughout the country. the cured skin (dabbalo) of the common sheep is an indispensable part of the male dress. from the wool a kind of camlet cloth is woven. goats (fial) thrive better in the mountains; they are tall, horned, with short matted hair of many colours; in fact, quite identical with the european kind. the adel have no breed of their own, but drive down annually from the shoan marts vast herds into their savannas.
the abyssinian horse (feras) is small, and held in little repute. the donkey (aheia), of a sturdy and strong race, is indispensable to communication and commerce, and as a beast of burthen suffers less than the camel from long privation. the mule (bagalo), higher priced than the mare itself, is eminently useful in the hills, being more sure-footed and better-winded than the horse; it is, however, much better cared for. the she mules are larger and stouter, but the males are the most enduring. the breed from the horse-mare and donkey-stallion is patronised by the abyssinians, but despised by their more warlike neighbours, the galla, with whom the horse is a favourite. a wild donkey (ya meida aheia, neither zebra nor quagga), a little larger than the common ass, herds in the prairies of the ada?el country, and is timid, cautious, and swift of foot.
bullocks (beri or ferita) are similar to the zebu, but the hump is smaller. some galla tribes possess a peculiar breed (sanga), the horns of which attain an enormous size, and serve for bottles; from the smaller horns drinking-cups are manufactured. the calves are not used for food. no work except dragging the plough and thrashing is required of the ox.
the wild buffalo (gosh), bubalus pegasus, fierce and as yet untamed, inhabits the forests and jungles of bulga and mentshar all along the river háwash; its chase is considered one of the most dangerous pursuits of the hunter, several human lives being frequently expended on the conquest of one beast. strepsiceros capensis (agazin), and oryx capensis (sala), are hunted on the borders of the desert. in the latter species, accident sometimes causes the loss of one horn,—a fact which probably gave rise to the story of the unicorn; moreover, the parallel horns are placed so near each other, that when the animal is seen en profile from a distance, it might well appear single-horned. gazella mhorr wanders in large herds through the desert; antilope saltiana (medaqua) abounds from the sea-coast to the foot of the mountains.
hyrax abyssinicus (ashkoko), a harmless inhabitant of nooks and corners of the rocks, is common to shoa as well as to the hills of the adel. bruce’s rhinoceros (worsisa), combining the more striking characters of the asiatic and african species, that is, the two horns of the latter and the plaits and folds of the former, deserves a closer investigation; it lives in the deep jungles of mentshar, on the banks of the háwash. phascochoerus africanus (erya), the african hog, infests the woods of the warmer districts, and is a horrible-looking brute. hippopotamus amphibius (gomari) hides its colossal frame during the day in the floods of the háwash, the jumma, and other large rivers and lakes. the wato, a certain caste among the galla, subsist upon its flesh; and the thick skin is cut into shields or whips. elephas africanus (zihoon) is dispersed in many small families, and destroys the plantations of sugar-cane and juwarree along the foot of the mountains. not the slightest attempt is made to put a stop to his ravages, the paltry weapons in use being of no avail, whilst severe loss of life follows the footsteps of the enraged animal. a small trade in ivory is notwithstanding carried on with the coast in the tusks found accidentally.
lutra inunguis (devil’s sheep), rarely surprised on the banks of the river bereza, furnishes in its body divers secret medicines to the initiated. viverra civetta (angeso) is wild, but frequently kept in cages in the galla countries to the south-west of shoa. the civet (dering), taken out of the bag by means of a small spoon, and collected in cow-horns, is one of the precious articles which the slave caravans proceeding from the interior through shoa to the coast, barter for their daily food. one ichneumon (mootsheltshella) robs the poultry-yard. the lion (anbassa), and the leopard (nabr), are well-known throughout abyssinia. the former seldom pays a visit to the hills, hunting nightly along the banks of rivers, and lurking during the day in his jungle retreats; the latter is more common, and shuns less the presence of man. both are run down on foot by bodies of men armed solely with lances, which they shower over the slowly retreating beast under a deafening yell. the spoils are an indispensable part of a chief’s dress, and objects of importation from the west; the most prized, however, is the skin of the black leopard (gasela), living in and beyond guráguê.
the domestic cat is a rarity in shoa; only great men place them as guardians in their storehouses. the dog (oosha), generally a half-wild companion of the farmer, and inmate of his premises, becomes attached and useful when allowed to share the master’s protection. it is taught to keep the herds in order, to catch birds, to defend property, to give warning on the approach of wild beasts. not the tenth part of the quickly-multiplying race possess owners; but their utility as scavengers proves their safeguard. canis anthus (dahela), a wolf-like dog and an offensive thief, frequent in efát, is caught in pitfalls; its liver has some mysterious virtue. the jackal (kabbaro), and hyaena crocuta (gib), make nightly inroads into villages and towns; they fight the dogs, and for want of other prey drag off some of these. on the borders of the low country, the night camps must be fenced round with thorns, as a protection against their inroads.
cercocebus griseo-viridis (tota), lives upon wild figs. cynocephalus hamadryas (zingiro), the male, with the mane of a lion and a powerful frame, is very mischievous and even dangerous; it congregates in caves and fissures of the rocks. colobus (guresa), the prettiest of all monkeys, and one duly patronised by the abyssinians on account of its retired habits, is always on the top of the highest trees, commonly on the woira, which bears its food.
filfil, an animal that throws up mole-hills, baffles all attempts to catch it. pteropus egyptiacus and nycteris thebaica (lelit off, i.e. night-bird), are harmless, but suspected inhabitants of ruined buildings. an obscure idea of a former supremacy of man over the beasts of the field causes the abyssinian christian to view, in a literal sense, those legends which his pious ancestors have recorded of the singular dealings of holy men with the arch-fiend; and he still figuratively personates every evil passion of the human heart by some savage, treacherous, or subtle animal of the inferior creation.
the highlands of abyssinia can, however, offer but a small number of wild animals, and even of these very few are exclusively her own. the cultivation of the greater portion of the land, the absence of extensive forests, jungles, morasses, caverns, and other places of retreat, added to the great diversity of the clime from that of the adjacent countries, which at once excludes the migratory tribes, are the causes of the fortunate contrast presented to the lowlands of the ada?el, where the dominion of man has yet been very imperfectly established.
on the coffee tree, tea plant, and cotton, of southern abyssinia.
tradition assigns to the countries of enárea and cáffa the indigenous residence of the coffee tree. in shoa proper the cultivation and consumption are strictly interdicted, as savouring too strongly of the abhorred mohammadan; but in proper situations it grows strong and healthy, and in all the bordering districts subject to sáhela selássie, where the restriction is not enforced, the plantations are numerous and thriving.
planted before the rains, the seed soon appears above the ground, and when six months old, the offspring is transferred to take the place of some worn-out tree. water and the manure of the sheep are plentifully supplied, and the crop, which, from a full bearing adult, is generally from thirty to forty pounds, is gathered in march and april. averaging from eight to ten feet in height, with dark shining foliage, and branches loaded with fruit, it grows luxuriantly in the valleys in any sheltered situation, delighting especially in the soil produced by a decomposition of trap rock, which has been washed down from the adjacent heights; and although taking six years to arrive at maturity, it yields a slight return on the second season of its transplantation.
the berries are in the first instance of a dark green hue, which before pulling is suffered to turn red, a white milky-looking pulp called gullaboo meanwhile filling up the space between the cuticle and the seed. having been shaken and gathered from the branches, the crop is spread in the sun until the pulp becomes sufficiently dry to admit of its removal, which, by continual free ventilation out of doors, is usually the case in one month. the seeds intended for the plantation are not divested of the husk, but sown by the handful in a small plot, which is carefully manured and watered; and the (gullaboo), sold separately from the bean, is employed as a beverage with the decoction of the chaat.
for the better security of his own monopoly at the ports of zeyla and berbera, the ameer of hurrur opposes the importation of coffee into his own dominions, both from shoa and from the country of the galla. the plant is extensively and successfully cultivated; but the price given at hurrur is high in comparison with that paid in abyssinia; and the average demanded on the coast by the merchants of the former principality, varying from five pence to seven pence per pound, would seem to be in unison with that customary at massowah in the red sea.
the difficulties attending the tedious road to the coast; the lazy indifferent character of the danákil camel owners, who, regardless of the value of time, spend months upon the journey; and the fitful caprice evinced by the various chieftains though whose territories the caravan must pass—all form great obstacles to the conveyance of the cheaper produce from abyssinia, although these might doubtless be overcome within a reasonable period by the well-directed efforts of british perseverance. in cáffa and enárea, coffee grows wild like a weed over the rich surface of the country. the beverage is in universal use among the inhabitants; the price paid is almost nominal; and the convenience of water carriage is alone wanting towards the transportation of the product in unlimited quantities to every portion of the globe.
chaat is a shrub very extensively cultivated, both in shoa and in the countries adjacent. it is in general use among the inhabitants as a substitute for tea, which, in all its properties and qualities, it closely resembles. the plant is said to have been brought originally from the western mountains, of which the elevation being from five to eight thousand feet, agrees with that of the chinese tea districts, whilst the average temperature does not exceed 60 degrees fahrenheit. in a light gravelly soil it attains the height of twelve feet; and the leaves being plucked during the dry season, and well dried in the sun, fetch from one penny to two-pence the pound. they are either chewed, or boiled in milk, or infused in water; and by the addition of honey, a pleasant beverage is produced, which, being bitter and stimulative, dispels sleep if used to excess.
the virtues of the chaat are equally to be appreciated with those of the yerba mate, recently introduced into england from brazil and paraguay. it is already known under the appellation of “celastrus edulis,” and belongs to pentandria monogynia linn, and to the natural family of celastrineae, or to that sub-family of the rhamneae, which have in the flower the stamens alternating with the petals. the family of rhamneae, namely, the genus rhamnus itself, supplies to the poorer classes in china a substitute for tea, and is known under the name of rhamnus theezaus linn.
(the chaatt may thus be characterised:— frutex inermis; foliis oppositis, petiolatis, oblongis, serrato-dentatis, glabris. calyx minimus, persistens. petala 5. stamina 5-petalia alternantia. fructus superus, oblonge baccatus, 5-locularis, polyspermus, vel abortive monospermus. inflorescentia axillaris, cymosa: cymi dichotome stipulati. the plant supplying the paraguay tea is a species of ilex, and belongs to the same family of celastrineee, sub-order aquifoliaceae.)
cotton of two kinds grows in the sequestered nooks of the eastern face of the mountains of shoa, and in the valleys at the extreme foot of the range; but from the superior luxuriance of the plant, and the amount of crop produced in the lower situations, the natural climate would appear to exist in those sheltered spots, which in atmosphere much resemble the more favoured parts of western india. the efát shrub varies, according to the locality and supply of water, from three feet in height to upwards of seven, and usually assuming the form of a pyramid, extends its lower branches to a width equal to the stature—the size of the leaves, and the soft and yielding nature of the stem, imparting a strong external resemblance to the bourbon cotton. eight and nine inches in circumference are not unfrequently attained; and the advantages of a very productive crop twice in each year, the existence of the plant during five seasons, and the heavy return of the particularly fine wool during the very first, award to the species a most deserving pre-eminence.
(gossypium efatense. seeds completely covered with a close down. cotton white; capsules 3-celled, 3-valved; flowers small, with a red fundus; leaves 3 to 5-lobed; lobes acuminated.)
the indigenous plant of efát is not, however, so much esteemed as that from gondar, which, instead of rising tall and straight from the ground, assumes a spreading dwarfy appearance. the wool is considered superior, and the cloth produced is softer and more elastic, but its existence is limited to three years. both are planted indiscriminately in the same field, although, when gathered, the crops are preserved unmixed; and after the fifth year the efát shrub is cut over close to the ground, which is then ploughed up, and sown with wheat or other grain, when, on the removal of the harvest the young cotton shoots are well above the ground, and will yield during two further seasons.
(gossypium gondarense. seeds sprinkled with short hairs. cotton white; capsules 3-celled, 3-valved; flowers large, yellow; leaves 3 to 5-lobed; lobes commonly obtuse.)
the seed, having been placed for some time in wood-ashes, is well rubbed with red earth before planting; and wherever the locality is favourable to irrigation, water is not spared. the pod, when ripe, is cut with a knife, the husk removed, and the wool deposited in a bag, with the utmost care to exclude extraneous matter. one full bearing bush produces twice during the twelve months between four and five pounds of raw stuff.
