Note 34 — Chapter V · A RECONNAISSANCE OF THE ABYSSINIAN BORDER, 1892

The Somális themselves denied that the sickness was caused by bad water, declaring that the real cause was the bites of mosquitoes. These pests (called Kan-ad) are not generally present in Eastern Somáliland, but are common at certain spots on the coast between Berbera and Zeila, and on the Zeila-Harar routes, and in the Gadabursi country. They are also found near the Webbe, and when there the tribes from Berbera, who are not accustomed to mosquitoes, have a great dread of their bites, believing malarial fever to be caused by them.