CHAPTER XXI. 



REPTILES. 



Frogs. — There can be little doubt that an interesting collection 

 of frogs could be obtained in Uganda and on the march up- 

 country. The difficulty of making such a collection lies in the 

 necessity of having to provide oneself with a good supply of 

 the indispensable methylated spirits and pure alcohol, and 

 suitable stoppered glass jars. Once only, it was on my third 

 journey, did I take some methylated spirits with me. I was 

 promptly relieved of it, on the third day's march from Mom- 

 basa, by the professional thief who, having enlisted as a 

 caravan porter, absconded with his load. On my first journey 

 — we were camped at the famous water-holes in the Taru 

 desert — I caught a greyish white frog in one of the small 

 water-holes, and I was tempted to bottle it, sacrificing some 

 of my brandy to preserve it in. This specimen has since 

 found its way to the Natural History Collection at South 

 Kensington. On my fifth journey I was tempted once more 

 to secure the specimen I saw. This time it was a bright-red 

 frog, noticed by me in the slushy caravan road near Mason- 

 goleni, when incessant and depressing daily rains kept my 

 eyes directed to the ground. The following day I found 

 with regret, that the brilliant red colour had disappeared 

 under the action of the spirits, and had been replaced by 

 a dingy grey, whereupon in disgust I threw the specimen 

 away. I am sorry for it now, as I have not found anything 

 like it in the South Kensington Museum. I may have thrown 

 away a very interesting novelty. 



My third and last attempt was to bring to the coast a very 

 tiny little grass-frog from Kavirondo. This little creature was 

 sitting snugly on some tall blades of grass. In colour it was 



almost white, in size about half an inch. Owing to the white, 



2S5 



