Flora of the Leribe Plateau and Environs. 17 



which the flora assumes a different character. The Natal portion of 

 the Eastern Mountain Region would correspond to Thode's " Mountain 

 Region."^ The northern portion of our Region converges on the 

 Drakeusbergen and does not exceed 50 miles in breadth. I have not 

 extended my enquiries in detail beyond the 28th parallel, though 

 Bolus extended this region northward as a narrow strip, as far as 

 Barberton. 



The Eastern Mountain Region as defined above then includes the 

 whole of Basutoland, a strip of the Orange Free State from Nelson's 

 Kop on the north to the Orange River on the south, which forms a 

 rough horse-shoe, a small portion of the Cape Province on the south, 

 and a portion of East Griqualancl and Natal bordering the Drakens- 

 bergen. This area forms a well-defined elevated table-land above 

 5000 ft. in altitude on its outermost limits, with a general elevation 

 of 8000 ft. in the greater part of Basutolaud, and rising to peaks 

 10,000 ft. and over on the Drakensbergen (see fig. 3). 



Basutolaud, which forms the major portion of the Eastern Mountain 

 Region, is a great tract of high country, 10,300 square miles in area, 

 of which the Drakensbergen is the south-eastern edge. The top of 

 the Drakensbergen slopes gently westwards, and the sloping ground 

 is covered with grass, heather, bog, and rocks ; all the cliffs are on 

 the Natal side. A long range of mountains, the Maluti Mountains, 

 traverses Basutoland in a south-westerly direction, but throughout 

 the country is mountainous and in some parts difficult of access. 



GEOLOGY. 



For a more detailed account of the geology the reader is referred to 

 papers by Dr. A. L. du Toitf and Mr. F. F. Churchill, from which 

 the following has been extracted. 



The whole of Basutoland is built up of Storniberg beds divided up 

 as follows in descending orders (see fig. 3). 



4. Volcanic beds. 

 3. Cave Sandstone. 

 2. Red beds. 

 1. Molteno beds. 

 1. MOLTENO BEDS. This formation crops out over flattish ground 



* Thode, loc. cit. 



t A. L. du Toit, -'The Forming of the Drak eiisbergen," 'Trans. S. Afr. 

 Philos. Soc.,' vol. xvi, 1, pp. 53-57. 



J F. F. Churchill, " Notes on the Geology of the Drakensbevgen," Loc. cit., 

 vol. x, 3. 



This sketch has kindly been drawn for me by Mr. S. H. Haxightou, B.A. 

 F.G.S. 



