( cxlvi ) 



The mainland has ranges of bills rising one behind another 

 to a heighl of aboul 3000 feet, for the mosf part well wooded, 

 but sometimes bare. Toa was soon pa sed a few ton e 



prettily situated on a low hill with its base lapped by the 

 lake. Between this hill (which no1 long ago must have been 

 an island) and the mountains is a stretch of flat sand over- 

 grown with bushes: pari is still under water, and forms a 

 lake or lagoon which was used by Belgian hydroplanes in 

 July, 1916, as a base from which they bombed the Germans 

 out of Kigoma with great success. As we drew near the 

 source of the Lukuga the coast became natter, and there 

 were long sandbanks. The river arises al such an angle with 

 the lake that its source is almost invisible : it at once breaks 

 back at a right angle and hows south for a bit before winding 

 about in a westerly direction around the ends of the ranges 

 of hills. It has no falls or cascades, but runs swiftly, being 

 about as broad as the lower river at Oxford. The hanks 

 are well marked, and not concealed by beds of papyrus. 

 1 walked a mile or two along it. and was interested to see a 

 train leave Albertville for the interior. I also collected a 

 few insects, which I send you. [Among these were Sphex 

 (Parasphex) albisectus, Lep. ; Bonier forcipata, Hand!.; 

 Chromatophania fenestrata, Villon. : several specimens ol 

 Packytoma gigantea, lllig. ; and Cicindela intermedia, as on 

 the E. of the lake.] 



" We reached Albertville at about 9, and one'.-, first impres- 

 sion was. ' Why, this is Tropical Africa.' It looked like the 

 old pictures and engravings one knowsso well and quite quite 

 different from the infernally dull bush country which seems 

 to compose most of late German Eas1 Africa, and also different 

 from, and more 'tropical' than, the Uganda shore of L. 

 Victoria partly, I think-, because of the little steep tree-clad 

 hills, and sudden deep little valley with ferns at the bottom; 

 and more palm trees than one is accustomed to see. We put 

 off again at II and went hack' to Toa to pick up the P.M..O. 

 it was a most lo\ely blue evening, full of colour, though no 

 mole so than Victoria Nyanza. 1 noted near the coasl that 

 the water in plac< iii sn, in streaks, like the 



patche of colour o] in the Red Sea. excepl that the 



