_ 86 — 



pass into the German possessions at Moshi and ascend the 

 Kilima-Njaro up to the snow-line, after that to return by the 

 German rly to port Tanga on the sea-shore. This port was to 

 be the point of our departure for Europe. 



Owing- to the breakout of the great war, only the first 

 half of our plans could be fulfilled. 



As we have already mentioned, we had so start our „safari", 

 i. e., a caravan march with 40 — 50 carriers, from the station 

 \'oi. Part of the personnel of the caravan was engaged at 

 Nairobi, but the greater part of carriers we got in Voi with 

 the assistance of the local District Commissioner. The two 

 days that were occupied in finding carriers we spent making 

 excursions in the neighbourhood of Voi which is scorched 

 by the sun. Here we paid attention to the remarkable colora- 

 tion of the local Insecta. The majority of them are either of 

 a rufous, or dark-gray colour. This circumstance may serve 

 as an example of protective coloration, for in the nature of 

 Voi (at any rate, during July) the predominant colours 

 are those two mentioned: red is the colour of the clayey 

 or laterite ground, and gray is the colour of faded grass. 

 Adaptation is also often transferred to the shape of the 

 body: the red insects imitating the colour of the earth 

 are very often covered with tubercles, and their surface is 

 uneven, thus resembling sand-grains (e. g., Tenebrionidae, 

 Curculionidae), as concerns the gray Insecta, imitating the 

 grass, they usually have their bodies elongated, bacilliform, with 

 thin thread-like feet. Many black beetles of Tenebrionidae not 

 being provided with a protective coloration, throw some red 

 clay-dust on their backs and, thus, become unnoticeable. 



On the 25-th July we started on our journey. From Voi 

 right to Taveta there is a beautiful wide road, so that travel- 

 ling on foot is very comfortable here. The road first leads in 

 the direction of the Bura mountains, where we made our first 

 halt for the night not far from the building of the Catholic 

 mission. Owing to sufficient irrigation, the vegetation here is 



