XATIVE STAR XAMKS. 3O9 



the Zulus and Xosas are not in such a hurry for the evening 

 meal, for among" them Venus is isiCelankoba and uCelizapolo, 

 telling that it is supper time. So in Secoana kepalilalele. As 

 a morning star Venus is iliKwezi in Zulu, which is said to be 

 used in a shortened form for evening star in Xosa, the form 

 Ikwezilokusa (star of dawn) being her name as Phospher. If 

 this is so, it shews knowledge of the identity among the Kafirs. 

 I very much regret that I cannot give more complete lists 

 of star names in more numerous dialects, as I am convinced 

 that a wider study would throw great light on the wanderings 

 of the various tribes in various latitudes, and so enforce the 

 very slight traces they have left. I have made efforts to get 

 information from Central Africa, but so far in vain (except 

 that Venus is ngandu in Swahili, and Pleiades kiliniia. the 

 philological equivalent of Suto Selemcla). The number of 

 people interested in astronomy in this clear atmosphere of 

 Africa is still, unfortunately, very small. 



EAST AFRICAN SODA LAKES. — The discovery of 

 large deposits of soda at Lake Magacli, in the East African Pro- 

 tectorate, have recently been reported. Lake Magadi will be the 

 terminus of the proposed Uganda Railway. The deposits are 

 regarded as being of fair commercial value, and as experiments in 

 relation to the recovery of the soda therefrom have given satis- 

 factory results, it is expected that the actual working of the beds 

 will soon be commenced ; if fact, a concession, with that object in 

 view, has already been granted by the East African Syndicate. 

 Mr. Shelford, the engineer who brought to light the character oi 

 the deposits, describes the lake as follows : — 



" From the surrounding mountains the lake, which is ten miles long by 

 two or three miles in breadth, looks like an ordinary sheet of water of some- 

 what reddish hue. On reaching the shore, however, we found that the 

 water was only a few inches deep, and covered a hard surface looking exactly 

 like pink marble. There is an immense deposit of soda wliich was bored and 

 found to extend to a considerable depth, thus indicating an area of at least 

 twenty square miles of solid soda." 



The soda lake in German East Africa is only about thirty miles 

 from the English lake, and is four times as large, but the question 

 of working" will be to a great degree affected by the proposed 

 construction of a railway from Ku to Magadi, a distance of 93 miles. 



