WAYFARING NOTES IN RHODESIA. 143 



the scape. Later in the month they were all detached, for a joint 

 much like that between falling leaf and stem forms between the 

 umbel and scape, and there is also some decay of the scape at the 

 point of attachment. Once detached this globular mass careers 

 over the veldt, carried at great speed before the wind, and some 

 must travel many miles ere they become caught in some clump of 

 grass or entangled in some bush, there to come to rest and break up. 

 As the wind is mostly from an easterly direction at the time this 

 migration takes place, it is interesting to speculate upon the 

 probable effect of time upon the distribution of this plant, for 

 one would expect it to be swept from sea to sea. The road from 

 Bulawayo runs roughly north and south, and therefore across the 

 track taken by these travellers. Here and there drainage trenches 

 have been dug along the sides of the road, and in these trenches 

 the globular masses were trapped by thousands. 



Many of the more delicate herbaceous plants seek the shade of 

 some bush and scramble up among its branches, or nestle at its 

 roots. Some close during the fierce heat and glare of noonday. 

 One finds the same species varying greatly in size, according as 

 conditions are favourable or not. Noticeable as this was, perhaps 

 this is just as much the case at home among our English wild 

 flowers. Many of the creeping herbaceous plants growing upon 

 open sandy or thin soil form very pretty star-like and allied patterns 

 as they radiate out upon the ground. 



The few epiphytic orchids I have seen have been in the forest 

 belts of the large river-valleys. There are a good number of ground 

 orchids, some of considerable beauty. A white one, which grows in 

 the swamps, is very delicately scented; but they are mostly scentless. 

 Great tracts of country are covered with Proteas of several species, 

 as bush and undersized tree. Arums are common, cream-yellow, 

 not white, as in Cape Colony ; the leaves are spotted. Giant 

 candelabra-like Euphorbias are common. The grapple-plant was 

 abundant near the bhashi river. No Mesembryanthemums and no 

 heaths were noticed. 



The Kafirs of Rhodesia — both Matabeleland and Mashonaland 

 provinces — do not cultivate flowers, so far as I could discover ; 

 neither do they use the many beautiful wild ones which lie ready to 

 hand for the decoration of their persons or their dwellmgs. And in 

 this connection the absence of domestic pets may be noted — if one 

 excepts the dog ; and to say a Kafir's dog has " a dog's life of it " 

 conveys a fairly accurate impression. 



Travelling up by rail as one approached Khama's country, one 

 saw from the carriage windows quantities of Bauhinia. Perhaps 

 cut down by the construction men, as the rail was newly completed, 

 it formed small stumpy bushes, and did not appear to be a climber ; 

 the white, delicately-veined petals were very beautiful. In this 

 country and to the northwards a long way, especially affecting 

 barren places, one saw a Vellozia with tufts of leaves and lilac- 

 coloured flowers springing out from its odd-looking stem. 



There was a delay of a few hours at Palapwe, Khama's capital, 

 and here round about the railway- station — which is a few miles 



