Lake Kiwu and its Islands loi 



animal life. I harboured some slight doubts as to the correct- 

 ness of Kandt's assertion that living shell-fish were entirely non- 

 existent in this great water-basin, but I must entirely confirm 

 his statement. I can even go further, and say that other animal 

 forms commonly found in our waters, like spongillae and moss 

 animalcules, were not to be seen. To speak candidly, however, 

 I must maintain my doubts as to the accuracy of Kandt's state- 

 ments regarding the presence of medusae in Lake Kiwu. Until 

 quite recently medusze were only known as inhabiting sea-water, 

 it therefore caused much sensation amongst zoologists when it 

 became known that the famous African explorer. Dr. Richard 

 Boehm, who succumbed, alas, later, to fever, had discovered 

 medusae in Tanganjika. It was assumed from this and from 

 certain other peculiarities of the fauna of the lake that there had 

 formerly been a connection between it and the sea. If the same 

 important conclusion could not be deduced from the existence 

 of jelly-fish in Lake Kiwu, it was at least of much interest. In 

 the meantime I must repudiate it so far as Kiwu is concerned, 

 for we never observed these creatures either on our daily journeys 

 nor during our month's stay at Kissenji, where we often met 

 strong sea-breezes. And as Kandt declares that he only saw 

 these aceleph(Z (about the size of beans) once, in two species — 

 which does not coincide with the ordinary appearance, in shoals, 

 of these organisms — I cannot but think that in this particular 

 case the excellent observer was at fault. 



The smallest living denizens of the sea, the plankton 

 organisms, were exceedingly numerous but extremely uniform. 

 They are, in fact, almost entirely copepoda, microscopical 

 Crustacea. The number of fish in Kiwu is far behind that of 

 other African lakes, and, as regards species, there are hardly 

 more than ten in the lake — this is a striking fact. These ten 

 species are divided into four families only, in which the cichlida; 

 are best represented. The edible fish attain the size of a medium 

 carp. They are valued by the natives, and are caught principally 

 in baskets. 



Our journey from Wau to Kwidschwi led us close along the 



