378 Capt. G. E. Shelley o?i 



of MoTint Zomba, from 5500 to G500 ft. above the sea-level, 

 with an average temperature, at my upper camp, of 72° F. 

 during the day and 60° F. at night. During the cold months. 

 May, June, and July, it must fall much below this, as I learned 

 that severe frosts and even ice were occasionally experienced 

 there. The scenery on the plateau is very fine, and the 

 valleys are heavily wooded, much more so than is the case 

 on the Zomba Plateau. These virgin forests, of from 2000 

 to 3000 acres in extent, will form a most valuable timber 

 reserve, now that good-sized building trees are becoming 

 scarce around Zomba. The transport too will be comparatively 

 easy, as the railway of the future will skirt the base of this 

 mountain on its way to the Upper Shire. 



'• The surface of the plateau is, roughly speaking, basin- 

 shaped, and is divided into two almost equal sections by a 

 deep, heavily-wooded valley. The rolling downs on both 

 sides are well covered with fine, short, sweet grass, and there 

 is an absence of the fern and scrub so characteristic of 

 parts of the Zomba Plateau. Wild plants were blooming in 

 profusion, and now and again we came across dells of 

 buttercups, helichrysums, and orchids. Mount Mlosa is 

 extremely well watered, and is a perfect grazing country, 

 where great numbers of stock could be raised. 



" As to the fauna and flora, I was agreeably surprised to 

 find them of much more interest than I had expected. 

 From the mountain's proximity to Mount Zomba, I naturally 

 supposed they would prove to be almost duplicates of that 

 mountain. I discovered, however, numbers of plants which 

 1 had not met with before, and over a dozen birds new to 

 me, including a hue Wood-Pigeon and two Quails, besides 

 several small mammals. Large game-animals were almost 

 wanting, the Bush-buck {Traffelaphus),iormer]j so numerous 

 on the mountains, having been almost exterminated by the 

 formidable wild dogs [Lycaon jActus), which hunt their prey 

 in flocks and are very fierce and destructive." 



As will be seen by reference to Capt. Shelley's list, 

 examples of 47 species of birds were obtained during tiiis 

 expedition. — V. L. S.] 



