68 



jVA TURE 



[May 1 6, 1901 



to Europe on several occasions, but the price obtained has 

 always been so low as not to repay the cost of transport. 



Several trials have been made with other kinds of rubber. 

 Hcvea Brasiliensis (Para rubber) has been planted repeatedly, 

 but without success, the climate being too dry. Ficiis elastica, 

 L. Madagascariensis, and an Euphorhia sp. (from Madagascar) 

 have done fairly well. Castilloa elastica, Hamoniia spi'nosa, 

 and Willotighbeia were each tried once, but the seed did not 

 germinate. Manihot Glaziovii (Ceara rubber) was first planted 

 at Tanga in 1891. There are at present about 20,000 trees, but 

 it is feared that it will not pay as the atmosphere is too moist. 

 It is thought probable that Ceara rubber will do better in 

 Donde-Barikiwa (Kilwa district), where a small experimental 

 plantation has lately been opened. 



Forestry.— T\\e numerous rivulets and creeks, which forin the 

 mouths of the Rufiji River, and which cover an area of 100,000 

 acres, are lined by extensive mangrove swamps producing the 

 timber known as boriti, or Zanzibar rafters. It is the opinion 

 of various botanists that when traders — both European and 

 native — are allowed to cut boritis at will, the mangroves in 

 course of time die out, as large numbers of big trees are usually 

 cleared from one spot, thus exposing the young plants to the 

 direct rays of the sun, which is said to kill them. In conse- 

 quence, the only trees now to be found in various parts of the Rufiji 

 Delta are Phoenix reclinata Osmunda sp., and Barriiigtonia 



In order to preserve and, if possible, to increase the present 

 supply of boritis, a forest officer and three wood-rangers have 

 been stationed in the Rufiji sub-district. The trees are felled 

 under their supervision, and the timber is sold by the German 

 Government. 



The custom of systematically stripping a part of the bark 

 from the mangroves, as sometimes practised in the East and 

 West Indies, is not permitted, as it is held that such a course 

 must be injurious to the trees. After the timber has been felled, 

 the bark is stripped and sold. 



The regulations issued for the preservation of the woods in 

 the Usambara Hills have done much to prevent the needless 

 felling of valuable timber. Oaks, firs and other European 

 trees are now being planted under the auspices of the Woods 

 and Forests Commission. Similar regulations will shortly be 

 issued tor other parts of the colony. 



Roads. — Broad roads have been made all over the colony, 

 and it is now possible to drive from Dar-es-Salaam to Lakes 

 Victoria Nyanza and Tanganyika, from Tanga to Kilima Njaro, 

 and from Kilwa and Lindi to Lake Nyasa. 



Surveys. — A trigonometrical survey of East and West 

 Usambara has been made, and a map of the former (Ilandei) is 

 about to be printed. Much topographical work has also been 

 done in various parts of the colony, notably in Uhehe (Haupt- 

 mann von Prittwitz), in Usagara (Dr. Stuhlmann), and between 

 the Tanganyika and Nyasa Lakes (Dr. Kohlschuter). 



A Commission for the delimitation of the boundary between 

 the Independent State of the Congo and German East Africa 

 left the coast for Lake Kivu in September last. On the com- 

 pletion of the survey of the western frontier, it is hoped that an 

 Anglo-German Commission will be organised to delimit the 

 boundary between the Uganda Protectorate and this colony. 

 The frontier between the British East Africa Protectorate and 

 German East Africa has now been finally settled. An interesting 

 book on the geology of portions of German East Africa, by Dr. 

 Bornhard, was published during the course of the year. 



\'aluable work is at present being done by Drs. Busse and 

 Kandt. The former is making a study of all the plants in- 

 digenous to the country, whilst the latter is exploring the little- 

 known regions between the 'I'anganyika and \'ictoria Nyanza 

 Lakes. To him belongs the honour of having discovered the 

 sources of the Kagera-Nile. 



Dr. Maurer, alter spending three years in C^erman East 

 Africa, has written a lengthy report on the result of his observ- 

 ations, which is being published by the Hamburg Marine 

 Observatory. A successor to Dr. Maurer was appointed in 

 October last. Meteorological observations are regularly taken 

 at a number of places. 



. Museums. — A museum of products, plants and minerals was 

 established at Dar-es-Salaam in 1899, and has since been in- 

 creased in size. A collection of the lepidoptera and coleoptera 

 of German East Africa is also being made. The ethnographical 

 museum in Berlin has been greatly enriched by collections 

 received from the colony. 



NO. 1646, VOL. 64] 



British East Africa and Uganda Protectorates. 



Tsetse Fly Disease (Ngana). — Mr. Stordy reports that the 

 extent of the tsetse fly belt may be said to be from Mtoto Andei 

 to Simba, a distance of, roughly, 90 miles. The fly is migratory 

 in tendency, so that no well-defined line on the map can be 

 drawn which could safely exclude the possibility of its presence. 

 The fly, however, has never been located further inland than 

 Muani (a halting station in the Kiu Hills on the old caravan 

 route). When studying the causes which rendered the island of 

 Mombasa uninhabitable for horses, Mr. Stordy ascertained that 

 an organism, the morphology of which was identical with that 

 found in animals suffering from tsetse fly disease, was found in 

 donkeys which had been working for some time on the island. 

 The disease has been practically eradicated by the advent 

 of the Uganda Railway, with its excellent service of horse-boxes 

 and fly-proof gauze windows. 



Domestication of the Zebra. — Mr. Stordy urges the advisability 

 of utilising for purposes of transport an animal which is naturally 

 immuned against the ravages of the tsetse fly disease and horse 

 sickness, such, for instance, as the zebra, of which there is an 

 enormous number. He adds : — 



" I am convinced that, should the Government enter upon a 

 scheme for its domestication, it would prove one of great value, 

 and that at no very distant date a supply of animals would be 

 available, not only for African service, but also for army transport 

 work at home or in India. The great difficulty so far has been the 

 domestication of the adult animal. I have, however, to suggest 

 the following plan for obtaining a possible way out of the diffi- 

 culty ; I would propose that a kraal be formed within a district 

 where firearms are non-existent, as in the case of a preserve. 

 The kraal would have two extending arms leading from the open 

 country into it, and would be constructed large enough to hold a 

 herd of, say, 50 adult animals. Several mounted Cape boys would 

 be employed, whose duty, in the first instance, would be to 

 accustom the zebras in the neighbourhood of the kraal to the 

 sight of horses or mules. If my anticipations prove correct, 

 the zebras will in the course of a few days follow the horses or 

 mules, and advantage could be taken of this to lead them into 

 the kraal. If it were, howeper, found that they would not be 

 led it would be necessary to have them driven in by the Cape 

 boys, assisted by swift-footed natives. 



"The animals being in this way confined within the kraal 

 they would naturally propagate their species. It is with the off- 

 spring that I would propose that the experiment in the way of 

 domesticity would begin. As is well known, it has been found 

 nearly impossible to rear a zebra foal apart from its mother. I 

 would not propose to separate them, they would live along with 

 and be nurtured by their mothers. A few months after birth the 

 young animals could be caught and by various ways become 

 accustomed to the sight and presence of man. I am very hopeful 

 that in this way a number of young animals of both sexes would 

 become domesticated and prove useful for transport service, and 

 also in propagating their species. The second generation, if my 

 experiment prove in any way successful, would be even more 

 domesticated than their parents, and I am sure that in course of 

 time a large supply of the domesticated zebra would be forth- 

 coming for the future use of transport work at home and abroad. 

 The initial cost might be a little more than the first results 

 might justify, but there is no reason to doubt that in the long 

 run the ultimate results would far more than compensate for the 

 initial expenditure." 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 INTELLIGENCE. 



Ca.mbridge, — The John Lucas Walker Studentship in 

 Pathology has been awarded to Mr. H. C. Haslam. Dr. E. S. 

 Sladen, who has recently been serving in the Ashanti war, has 

 been reinstated as a second student. 



The board for moral science propose the assignment of 

 certain rooms connected with the temporary pathological 

 laboratory for practical work in experimental psychology, under 

 the direction of Dr. Rivers. 



A syndicate is to be appointed to consider the question of 

 affording official recognition and support to the work now 

 carried on by the Cambridge Appointments Association. 



Mr. W. Bateson, F.R.S., of St. John's College, is to be re- 

 appointed deputy for the professor of zoology and comparative 

 anatomy during the ensuing academical year. 



