It is about 50 m. long by 25 m. wide, and its depth in some places is said to be 6OO ft, There are many other lakes, among which Ashangi, 4 m. long and 3 m. broad, in the country of the Azebo-Gallas, is the most noteworthy as being a fresh-water lake without any visible outlet. Thermal springs occur in many districts. - The characteristic feature of the climate of the Abyssinian highlands - including Tigre, Am-hara, and Shoa - is the occurrence of a tropical monsoon or rainy season from the middle of June to the end of September. Otherwise, the climate is strictly temperate. There is a cold season extending from October to February, with an estimated mean temperature of 58.3°, during which the days are pleasant and the nigbts cold with heavy falls of dew. The hot weather begins about March 1, and lasts until the monsoon sets in, April being the warmest month. The mean temperature of this season at Magdala is 65'5°, and of the wet season about 5° lower. The rainfall of the monsoon extends over all of Abyssinia proper, but is greater in the south and west than in the north and east. The prevailing winds during the rainy season are easterly and southeasterly.

Thunder storms are of frequent occurrence. - The chief agricultural productions are barley and oats on the elevated plains, and wheat, maize, millet, rice, cotton, coffee, and a small native grain called teff, in the lower districts. Sugar cane, flax, and beans are raised in small quantities, and lemons, oranges, and figs are occasionally produced. The grape thrives in some parts of Tigre, but no good wine is made. - Volcanic rocks constitute the principal formation in the geological structure of Abyssinia, and cover almost the entire table land. The trappean series appears to be divisible into at least two distinct groups. The lower of these is largely composed of red basalts, on which the disintegrating effects of atmospheric action are plainly marked. Blanford names this the Ashangi group, and that above it the Magdala group; which last comprises trachytic rocks containing many feldspar crystals, and is distinguished by the scarped and precipitous forms which it assumes under the influence of the weather. These forms are characteristic of Abyssinian scenery, and the ambas or hill forts, the great strongholds of the country, are rendered almost inaccessible to an enemy by their situation on the horizontal beds of this rock which surmount the summits usually selected for military stations.

In the N. E. provinces, however, metamorphic rocks occupy the whole surface, except in several districts of limited extent where they are overlaid by sandstones, limestones, or igneous formations. They extend 150 m. along the meridian of 39° 30', between lat. 15° 55' and 13° 50' N. At Tehelga coal deposits are found, which geologists are disposed to group with these sandstones of Adigerat, Further S., in the Antalo district, a considerable number of fossils have been obtained from the limestones which predominate there, whereby it has been ascertained that the formation belongs to the oolitic period. The present geological aspect of Abyssinia, with its weather-worn battlements of rock and its deeply scored river beds, must be attributed to fresh-water denudation. There is no evidence of marine action anywhere in the interior, although it is believed that at an early epoch the waters of the Red sea and the Indian ocean may have washed the foot hills of the eastern slope. The volcanic formations along the coast belong to an age much more recent than that which gave rise to those of the table land which have already been described. There are no volcanoes in the country.

The only metallic products are gold, which occurs rarely and is of an inferior quality, and iron, of which the yield is consumed at home. Extensive deposits of salt occur on several plains in Tigre. - The distribution of Abyssinian animals seems to be regulated by the altitude of the various portions of the table land above the sea, each zone of elevation being characterized to some extent by its own particular fauna. It is a noteworthy fact that many of the mammals common to other countries are hero distinguished by a much bolder demeanor toward man than that which they exhibit elsewhere. Elephants are numerous near the coast, and go up to the highlands, even 8,000 ft. above the sea, in the summer months; though the rhinoceros, only one variety of which (R. keitloa) is met with, does not range higher than 5,000 ft. Many of the elephants are tuskless, but they are all active and savage. The rhinoceros is the black, two-horned species, and feeds on foliage, seldom eating grass. Of the cat tribe, there are at least three species in addition to the Abyssinian lion. The spotted hyasna (H. crocuta) and two species of jackal are exceedingly common. Of the quadrumana, the great dog-faced baboon (cynocephalus hamadryas) is found almost everywhere.

That peculiar little pachyderm, the hyrax, inhabits its favorite haunts among the rocks at almost every elevation in Abyssinia from 2,000 ft. above the sea upward. The ornithology of Abyssinia is rich in species, no fewer than 203 having been described by Blanford. Among the birds of prey are found the eagle, the vulture, and the handsome Abyssinian lammergeyer, as well as numerous falcons and kestrels. Honey birds, starlings of beautiful plumage, crows, pigeons, several varieties of the cuckoo, swallows, larks, partridges, geese, ducks, and guinea fowls abound. With the exception of lizards, there do not seem to be many reptiles in the highlands. A tree snake, a viper, and several other species of serpent occur; two species of tortoise, and frogs and toads in large numbers, are also met with. The crocodile and python inhabit the tropical districts. - The agricultural products of the country have already been enumerated. The vegetation of the coast lowlands consists principally of acacias, which are replaced by sycamores, dahros (ficus religiosa), and mimosae, in ascending toward the interior. In the passes, the beautiful candelabra tree {euphorbia Abyssinica) is found.