1 8 EASTERN ETHIOPIA n 



Zoology, Botany, Geology, and the native arts of the 

 British East Africa and Uganda Protectorates. 



Nairobi is a centre for settlers. It is situated in the 

 midst of a fertile country from which supplies of fresh 

 fruit and vegetables are readily obtained. There is a 

 local market for meat, fruit, and vegetables. 



The surrounding country contains wild animals in 

 profusion, and an official who lives on the outskirts of 

 the town informed me that his wife found snakes in the 

 garden, that he had shot a kongoni (hartebeest) in 

 the same garden, and sometimes amused himself bv 

 shooting a zebra from the verandah. 



That portion of the town lying along the river was 

 formerly a papyrus swamp, and this beautiful rush still 

 grows along its margins, but the land adjacent to the 

 river is now a fertile garden where mealies, cabbages, 

 French beans, bananas, and pomegranates flourish. 

 Castor-oil plants, coffee trees, and Cape gooseberries 

 grow wild. Land has risen in value and Nairobi is 

 destined to become a big and prosperous town. The 

 streets are lighted with electricity and electric trams 

 will replace the jinrickshas which are now the common 

 vehicle for the conveyance of passengers to and from 

 the station. 



We spent delightful days in Nairobi, making the 

 acquaintance of many of the officials, all willing to 

 relate their experiences and help us to obtain some 

 knowledge on matters connected with the country, the 

 natives, the animals, the birds, and the pests. In the 

 woods there is a Ficus which, when fully grown, may 

 measure six or even eight feet around the base of the 

 trunk and attain a height of fifty or sixty feet ; it throws 

 out large branches with heavy foliage. When the head 

 of the tree is carefully examined, the trunk of a dead 

 tree will be seen projecting among the branches. 



The natural history of the tree is this : The outside 

 tree is parasitic in the beginning and, like an outrunner 

 of ivy, climbs up a well-grown tree ; as the parasite 



