288 UNDER THE AFRICAN SUN 



There is a very large water-lizard, known by Swahilies as 

 the "kenge," which may grow to an enormous length, and is 

 appreciated by them as food. I was startled once by nearly 

 treading on one of these big lizards at Fajao near the bank 

 of the Nile. At first I took it for a small crocodile, but as it 

 swiftly clambered up a steep sandy bank I saw my mistake. 

 On the overland journey from Lake Nyassa through the Mag- 

 wangwara country in German East Africa, one of our Swahilies 

 shot a water-lizard six feet in length. It was the largest I have 

 seen, the one at Fajao could not have been much over three 

 feet. The skin of the " kenge " is used to ornament various 

 fancy articles. In Usoga it is used instead of the conventional 

 drum-skin of leather for small drums ; it also serves to form the 

 sound-board in typical Usoga harps. 



One night the cold, wriggling body of a lizard rushing down 

 my leg made me jump out of bed pretty sharp, under the 

 impression that it was a snake. 



The larger lizards will catch and devour the smaller species. 

 I have watched a lizard going through a curious sort of mus- 

 cular exercise, consisting in raising the head and the fore-part 

 of the body up and dowm. Occasionally this was the prelude 

 to attacking and pursuing another lizard. In these tights one 

 of the lizards may lose its tail, w^hich seems to drop off easily 

 and then lies for a considerable time wriggling about. In a 

 short time a new tail has grown and replaced the one that was 

 lost. 



Eggs of lizards have more than once been brought to me by 

 natives as eggs of birds, because they happened to be unusually 

 large ; but lizard eggs are more elliptical in form, and even a 

 gentle touch will often indent their white, leathery surface. 



Tortoises. — One comes across tortoises pretty often in these 

 Protectorates, but, as a rule, they are small and worthless. 

 Some species are found in the grass, others frequent rivers and 

 lakes. From Ndi to Muani they are constantly met with. The 

 largest specimen I saw, was in one of the pools of the Athi 

 river ; as it rose to the surface of the water, we thought at first 

 that it was the head of a hippo appearing. The smallest speci- 

 mens I found in pools and puddles in Kavirondo. I have seen 

 Wanyamwezi eat a tortoise, but none of the other natives. A 

 good many tortoises must perish in the annual grass-fires, for 

 one comes not unfrequently upon their calcined remains. 



