Supplement to the fourth, fifth and sixth editions of the Encyclopaedia Britannica > Volume 1

ABYSSINIA.
Natural
History.
Botany.
Animals.
tains in Sacala, near Geesh, flows through the lake
of Dembea, sweeps in a semicircular direction
round the provinces of Damot and Gojam, when it
quits the lake, and unites with the Bahr-el-Abiad,^ or
White river, at Wed Hogela, in latitude 16. _ This
river, the real Nile, is supposed to rise in the
Jibbel-el-Kumri, or mountains of the Moon. The
other rivers are, the Maleg, which joins the Abis¬
sinian Nile, after a parallel course, on the west; the
Mareb, which forms the boundary between Tigre
and the kingdom ot the Baharnagosh : the Hanazo
and Hawush, which flow in an opposite direction,
towards the entrance of the lied Sea, and the Jem¬
ma. The principal lakes are Dembea, or Izana,
about sixty miles long, and thirty broad, where most
extensive, and in the wet seasons; the lake of La-
wasa, in the southern extremity of Abyssinia, a chief
source of the Hawush; the lake of Haik, near the
rocks of Geshen and Ambazel, and the Ashangel.
The mountains of Abyssinia are described in the
original work.
Our knowledge of its natural history is considera¬
bly increased by Dr Murray’s edition of Bruce, and
Mr Salt’s twO journies; but we must confine ourselves
to a brief notice of the most important particulars.
The lehem, or Toberne montana, a tree common near
the lake of Dembea, is remarkable for its beauty and
fragrance ; it grows to a considerable size, the ex¬
tremities of its branches trailing along the ground,
loaden with flowers, from top to bottom,. in great
profusion, each cluster containing between eighty-five
and ninety, open or shut: the fruit is eaten, but has
rather a harsh taste. The anguah, found near the
Tacazze, produces a gum resembling frankincense.
The leaves of the gheesh, which is very common, are
put by the Abyssinians into their maize: they are
likewise reduced to powder, and mixed with the other
materials of which they make sowa. The mergom-
beyy a species of Solarium, is used as a cathartic ; and
from the niche, or niege, they extract their vegetable
oil: it is a species of Sesanum. These are the prin¬
cipal plants, descriptions and plates of which are
given from Mr Bruce’s manuscripts and drawings by
Dr Murray. Mr Salt’s researches have added eight
new genera, and one hundred and twrenty-four new
species, to botany. Near Shela, a species of narrow¬
leaved Ficus grows, called by the natives chehumt;
the inner rind of the bark of which, having been
bruised on a stone, twisted round a stick, and dried,
is used as matches for their fire-arms. Near Adowa,
Mr Salt found a new and beautiful species of Ama-
ryllis, bearing ten or twelve spikes of bloom on each
stem, from one receptacle, as large as those of the
belladonna. The corolla is white ; each petal is mark¬
ed down the middle with a single streak of blight
purple ; it is sweet-scented, like the lily of the valley ;
the bulbs are frequently two feet under ground. Mr
Salt brought this plant to England.
The domesticated animals are oxen: the Galla
oxen, or sanga, were not seen by Mr Bruce ; and his
account of them is not strictly correct, their large
horns not being the efiect of disease. The largest
Mr Salt ever saw was four feet in length, and the
circumference at the base twenty-one inches. The
horns of one of them are in the museum of the Col¬
lege of Surgeons in London. The animal itself is of ^ —*'■
the usual size, and of various colours; it is by no
means common in Abyssinia, being brought only by
the cajilas, or salt caravans, as a valuable present,
from the south. Sheep,—these are small and black ;
goats ; horses, strong and beautiful; mules, asses, a
few camels, two species of dogs, one of which owns
no master, but lives in packs in the villages, like the
paria dog in India ; the other is kept for game, espe¬
cially for Guinea fowls, which it catches very expert¬
ly : tame cats are found in every house. . _
The wild animals are the elephant, which is hunt- Wild Ant¬
ed by the Shan galla for their teeth; the cawe leopard, maK
rare, only found in the interior districts ; very shy; its
skin is an article of barter: the two-horned rhinoceros,
also rare, only found in the forests of W ojjerat, and
the low land near the Funge ; its horns have no con¬
nection with the bone of the head, consequently the
opinion of Sparman, that they can raise and depress
them at pleasure, may be correct. I his rhinoceros
has no folds in the skin, as the one-horned has; its
skin is used for shields; its horns for handles to swords
and daggers ; and, according to the Abyssinian Dean,
whom Dr Clarke interrogated at Cairo, as a lining to
drinking-vessels, being regarded as an antidote to
poison. The foremost horn is two feet long, and
very large in other respects. The buffalo is very
common in the forests of Ras-el-fil; shields are made
from its skin with great art. The zebra, in the south
chiefly; its mane decorates the collars of the war-
horses belonging to chiefs of great rank, on days of
state. The wild ass is found in some parts ; lions oc¬
casionally, especially in the sandy districts near the
Tacazze. Whoever kills one wears the paw on his
shield ; the skin, richly ornamented, forms a dress
like that worn by the Caffre chiefs. There are seve-
ral species of leopard, one black, extremely i are, the
skin of which is worn only by governors of provinces.
The lion-cat, tiger-cat, or grey lynx, and wild-cat,
are not uncommon. From the libet, civet is procur¬
ed, and is an article of commerce. The hyena: Mr
Salt remarks that it has a singular cry ; three distinct
deep-toned cries ; then silence for a few minutes,
succeeded by the same kind of cry. The hyena and
dog seldom fight; they even feed on the same car¬
case : a small kind of wolf; common fox ; sea fox;
and jackall. There is a great variety of antelopes,
one of which is probably allied to the chamois, being
confined to the cold and mountainous district of Sa-
Several species of monkey ; the wild boar;
men.
porcupine ; cavy, nearly allied to that of the Cape ; a
small grey hare, deemed by the natives unclean ;
squirrel; rats, very numerous in the fields ; an unde¬
scribed species of lemur, the size of a cat, with a long
tail, faintly striped with black and white, w ith white
bushy hair at the end : the hair on the body is long,
and of a clear white, except on the back, where there
is a large oval spot, covered with short, deep black
hair. Of this every man in Tigre endeavours, if pos¬
sible, to have a piece on his shield. The hippopota¬
mi are chiefly found in the deep pits, like lochs,
between the fords of the Tacazze ; they roll and snort
like a porpus ; they cannot remain longer than five or
six minutes under water: their colour is a dusky
brown, like the elephant; their usual length sixteen