52 
They go along at a good rate and can make a jump of 14 feet or 
more. They retreat, when disturbed, to holes. It was not very 
easy to capture them as they kept to the wet mud left beyond 
the Mangroves at low water. 
I examined the islands up the creeks to the north of Sierra 
Leone during an excursion of three days. As all this time was 
spent among Mangroves and mudbanks and the heat very great, 
never under 85°, E found considerable difficulty in preserving 
specimens, and I looked on it as of more importance for me to 
examine and dissect than to preserve, most of the plants of the 
district being already in England. I send you two cases. Such 
vegetable products as I obtained I have tried to connect with 
the plants yielding them, but I found that extreme caution was 
requisite before receivirig native testimony. May Ist. I shall send — 
you full details from Tete by the “ Pearl’ on her return. We are 
off sooner than I expected. I have been engaged in the Cape 
with Dr. Pappe. 
I have sent you the two boxes of specimens by the “ Castor.” 
I hope they reach safely. 
In great haste. Remember me kindly to your Brother. 
Yours very sincerely, 
(signed) JoHN Kirk. 
While in East Africa-with Livingstone, Kirk sent long and very 
interesting letters to Kew dealing not only with the Botany of 
Tropical Africa, but with the Geology, Mineral Resources and. 
Geography of the country. They cannot unfortunately be 
reproduced in extenso here, but the following extracts relating 
more especially to his Botanical activities show his keen interest 
as a Naturalist and his activity as an observer. On the Zambesi 
he enjoyed very good health, and it is remarkable, despite the 
time that had to be given to medical work on behalf of members 
of the Expedition, the amount of time he was able to devote to 
scientific studies. 
In those early days transport was difficult and very uncertain, 
We learn from one of his letters that he once had five cases of 
specimens packed for a year before they could be despatched. 
The vessel they used to explore the Zambesi, the “‘ Pioneer,” was 
most unsatisfactory. Writing to J. D. Hooker in December, 1860, 
from the Zambesi between Tette and Senna, he says :—‘‘ The 
plants I have sent will give a very good idea of the Flora of the 
Zambesi and the Manganja highlands, but the latter being 
explored on foot, the collections were limited, as people are not 
easily got to carry things and on journeys of geographical discovery 
the preservation of specimens is a hard task, The miserable 
state of the vessel, overrun with all sorts of vermin, has kept me 
from consulting my plants once they have been dried. She is in 
a bad state, with more holes than sound iron in the bottom. We 
keep the fires in by constant pumping with the aid of a few 
buckets, but once a day we commonly have to stop to fill up some 
big hole. 
