APPENDIX A 279 



The plants obtained by the British Museum Expe- 

 dition were mainly collected from two camps : one 

 at about 3,500 feet altitude on the south-east slopes of 

 the range, between the mountains proper and Lake 

 Ruisamba; the other at an altitude of 6,500 feet in the 

 Mubuku Valley, the most important valley on the east 

 side of the range. Expeditions were made to inter- 

 mediate and higher altitudes, the highest camp being 

 at about 12,500 feet, whence plants were collected to 

 the snow-level, which may roughly be said to be at 

 14,500 feet on the east side of the mountains. The 

 time of year was from January to July. January was 

 a month of fine weather; February, March, and April 

 were very wet in the mountains. From the middle of 

 April, when a move was made to the lower camp near 

 Lake Ruisamba, the weather was almost continuously 

 fine. Most of the flowering plants had ceased to 

 blossom by the end of May, and butterflies, which 

 were exceedingly abundant during the latter part of 

 April and May, were almost absent from the lower 

 slopes in June. 



The following is a brief summary of the general 

 aspect of the country and the more striking forms of 

 the vegetation seen at various altitudes : 



3,000 to 4,000 feet : Beyond the wide belt of papyrus 

 and swamp, which surrounds Lake Ruisamba, is a 

 park-like country of shortish grass, with scattered 

 trees, mostly acacias, and intersected by deep ravines, 

 in which is found a thick jungle of two species of 

 fleshy euphorbia, a large-leaved fig [Spathodea cam- 

 panulata), with magnificent clusters of scarlet flowers, 

 a tangle of vines and asclepiads, and a conspicuous 

 white, sweet-scented jasmine [Jasmhmm Schimperi). 

 Two species of epiphytic orchids were found in these 

 jungles. 



The plants collected include a number of wide* 



