Formation and General Features of Huwenzori. 



The snow-limit may be calculated as between 14,700 and 

 14,800 feet ; in other words, at about the same level which 

 is reached by the lower extremity of most glaciers. Towards 

 14,000 feet the rain always turns into snow. 



There is not, perhaps, an absolute predominance of any one 

 wind througliout the chain. It is, at least, quite certain that 

 fog, snow, and hail are extremely frequent and common to all 

 the winds, so that all forecasts are vain. Fine and bad weather 

 mav alternate several times in a few hours, and in so capricious 

 a manner as not to appear subject to any law. Only in the 

 early morning hours there seems to be a somewhat greater 

 proba! )ility of a clear sky. 



The bad weather is frequently violent, and accompanied by 

 strong wind, lightning and thunder, even in the highest 

 regions. Near Alexandra Peak and on Edward and Sella 

 Peaks the rocks bear witness to the violence of these storms 

 by the innumerable fulgurites with which they are riddled. 

 No conclusions as to the best season for visiting: Huwenzori 

 can be drawn from the experiences of the Italian expedition. 

 During June bad weather certainly predominated. The longest 

 dry spell was in the second week of July. After this period 

 the expedition began to withdraw from the higher valleys and 

 peaks, to which the rains and fogs seem to be strictly limited. 

 Indeed, on their return to Fort Portal they learned from the 

 resident missionaries that during those two months no rain 

 had fallen there. 



The valleys of liuwenzori are often divided into natural 

 terraces produced by the formation of layers of strata above 

 tlie ridges of hard rock, whicli at an earlier period dammed up 

 these valleys in places, thus creating lake basins which have 

 subsequently silted up witli alluvial deposit, of which the 



2:^7 Q 2 



