302 METEOROLOGY AND GEOLOGY 



which is the south-western prolongation of I'ganda proper, the rainfall 

 may be quite an average 70 inches. Winds in these forest regions are 

 light and variable generally, though heavy squalls break on the Victoria 

 Nyanza, and the south wind on Lake Albert Nyanza is of great force and 

 raises terrific seas. On land, however, the only wind which is objected to 

 is the west wind, which is cold and clammy, and generally associated 

 with malarial fever. Lake Victoria and most of the other lakes in the 

 Protectorate are usually at their lowest in the month of November. 



It is thought by jNIr. E. Gr. Ravenstein that the extreme range in 

 the level of the Victoria Nyanza between the lowest and the highest 

 known conditions of the lake is as much as ten feet ; but this calculation 

 is based on the supposition that the P>ench missionaries in L'ganda are 

 <?orrect in stating that the level of the lake in 1881 stood eight feet above 

 the level of 1898. But ever since regular observations have been taken 

 by Government officials on the lake shores, the extreme range in the 

 level between the highest and lowest recorded is 43-5 inches. On June 1st, 

 1901, the level of the A'ictoria Nyanza was two feet above the mean level 

 of 1896. As already stated, the lowest level of this and other lakes 

 probably occurs in the month of November, and the highest level on all 

 these waters is attained in July, a condition which corresponds to some 

 extent with the flooding of the Nile in Egypt. The rise of these lakes 

 and the consequent rise of the Nile begins in January, becomes marked 

 in June, and reaches its height in July, thence dropping rapidly to the 

 «nd of November. 



(4) The Xile Region. — This includes all the countries west of the 

 Eudolf watershed, nearly all the Asua Eiver, and the lands to the north 

 of the Victoria Nile, east of the main Nile and south of the fifth degree 

 of north latitude. In this region the temperatures reached are nearly 

 as high as on the shores of Lake Kudolf. The rainfall is very variable 

 in the Nile Province. Portions of the eastern part of these countries 

 have an uncertain rainfall that from year to year may not give an 

 average of more than 20 inches, perhaps not even that. Near the 

 banks of the Nile, in the Nile Valley, the rainfall is heavy, though 

 it is badly distributed, giving perhaps an annual average of 40 inches. 

 The average temjjerature for the year is about 85". The recorded 

 maximum is 112" and the minimum 70"". The country along the 

 banks of the Nile is extremely hot, and has a higher average tem- 

 perature, no doubt, than the more hilly countries to the east. In the 

 Latuka country there are many agreeable sites possessing a climate which 

 might be referred to the Plateau Region (No. 2), where here and there 

 a point can be attained where the climate and temperature belong to the 

 fifth, or Alpine Region. The hottest months of the year are from April 



