The bed of the Atbara,
and that of the Settite, are composed of rounded pebbles of all
sizes, and masses of iron ore. Large oysters (Etheria),
resembling the pearl oysters of Ceylon, are very numerous, and,
from their internal appearance, with large protuberances of pearl
matter, I should imagine they would most probably yield pearls.
"The wild animals have now deserted this immediate neighbourhood;
the only creatures that are to be seen in numbers are the apes
and monkeys: these throng the sides of the river, eating the
tamarinds from the few large trees, and collecting gum from the
mimosas. These hungry animals gather the tamarinds before they
ripen, and I fear they will not leave a handful for us; nothing
is more agreeable in this hot climate than the acidity of
tamarind water. I remarked a few days ago, when walking along the
dry sandy bed of the Till about five miles from the river, that
the monkeys had been digging wells in the sand for water.
"Many changes are now taking place in the arrival and departure
of various birds according to their migrations; immense numbers
of buzzards and hawks have arrived, and keep my fowls in
perpetual alarm.
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