116 THE KINGDOM OF UGANDA 



land of blazing hues, a country where Itird, Initterfly, and flower — even 

 earth-worms v-unite to display under brilliant sunshine all the primary 

 colours and many of their most exquisite blendings. 



A charaeteristiG tree of the Uganda Protectorate, and especially of 



Uganda itself, is the ekirikiti, so often referred to in the preceding 



chapters. This is a species of Erythrina which is deciduous, and ordinarily 



flowers when the leaves are absent from the tree. The grey-green branches 



are covered with flower-clusters which might have been cut out of crimson - 



scarlet velvet. Each flower in these clusters is like a large bean-flower, 



but the hood which covers the calyx is prolonged at its peak into a 



number of branching filaments almost of the same crimson-scarlet as the 



smooth petals. The general appearance of this flower having been 



sufficiently illustrated in this book (the cover is lined with it), there is 



no need to waste further space on its description. It is sufficient to state 



that these trees of bare grey branches hung with innumerable scarlet 



lamps are familiar objects all over Uganda, in the villages and in their 



precincts, and in the uncultivated bush. As the flowers turn into long 



curving seed-pods, the leaves spread out. The foliage is large, divided 



into three lobes, and of a bright yellow-green, so that both in leaf and 



flower the ekirikiti is the gayest object in the Uganda forests or as an 



ornamental tree or hedge in its gardens.* 



In the interior of the Kingdom of Uganda,t besides the marshes and 

 swamps alluded to, there are two pieces of water of considerable size. 

 One is Lake Wamala in Southern Singo ; the other is Lake Kachira in 

 the country of Koki. This last-named lake, which was discovered by 

 Captain Hobart, is of great beauty of scenery. In very dry seasons it 

 may dwindle into three separate lakes connected by swampy rivers. Both 

 Lake Kachira and Lake Wamala contain very large hippopotamuses, 

 besides numbers of Speke's tragelaph. 



Buddu is perhaps the most picturesque district of Uganda, owing to its 

 varied scenery of hill and tropical forest. It is, however, unfortunately the 

 most unhealthy portion of the kingdom for Europeans. Another district 

 very beautiful in scenery is the little Muhammadan country of Butambala. 

 There is also a good deal of fine hill scenery in Southern Kiagwe. 



* Although the Baganda never seem to appreciate the feast of colour offered 

 by the ekirikiti, they use this tree a good deal for making hedges round their 

 compounds, partly for its (juick growth, and partly because the branches are armed 

 with formidable hooked thorns. 



t This country should really be called " Buganda," which is its designation amongst 

 the natives ; but the land having first of all been discovered by explorers who only 

 talked Swahili, and who were entirely dependent upon their Swahili interpreter^ for 

 information, the mutilated form " Uganda " has now been irrevocably fixed as its 

 European name. 



