680 EEPORT— 1902. 



within the field of action of the tsetse fly, which might make cultivation difficult, 

 if not impossible. 



Reference is made to the great Taru wilderness, which has absorbed so many 

 human lives, and the possibility of irrigating it is considered. 



In the tract of laud, lying about 5,000 feet above the sea, through which the 

 Uganda railway passes, there are no rivers of any magnitude ; and the discharge, in 

 the streams which do exist, is very uncertain. It is shown that the area which 

 might be irrigated by the perennial discharge of those river.s which have a constant 

 discharge would be quite insignificant, and that the only way to irrigate effec- 

 tively would be by the construction of reservoirs in the hills. These reservoirs 

 would not probablj be on a large scale, but would be formed by earthen banks 

 across the valleys in which the streams run. These embankments would be, pro- 

 bably, at intervals in the course of a stream, and farms of moderate size would be 

 more or less dependent on each reservoir. 



The paper refers to the question of artesian wells, and it is pointed out that 

 these would be disappointing as sources of supply for irrigation, although they 

 might give a valuable supply of water for cattle on the great grassy plains which 

 abound in the temperate regions. 



The paper concludes with certain recommendations concerning investigations 

 which appear necessary before colonisation, either by Europeans in the temperate 

 tracts, or by natives of India in the less temperate areas, can be established with 

 good hope of success. Irrigation would, no doubt, be most valuable ; but as 

 yet it has not been proved that crops cannot be successfully cultivated by the 

 rainfall alone, if the cultivation is conducted with a due consideration of the local 

 seasons. 



3. Survey of the Fresh-water Lakes of the British Isles. 

 By T. N. Johnston, M.B., CM. 



The paper gave a summary of what had been done towards carrying out the 

 scheme announced at the Glasgow meeting of the Association for the survey of 

 the fresh-water lakes of the United Kingdom under the superintendence of 

 Sir John Murray. The lochs of the Rannoch district have all been surveyed, 

 and the work is being gradually advanced northwards through Argyllshire, Inver- 

 ness-shire, Eoss-shire, and Sutherland, in which last county the staff employed on 

 the work were at the time of the reading of the paper engaged in surveying the 

 lochs of the Assynt district. Up to the beginning of September 1902 nearly 100 

 lochs had been surveyed. Besides taking soundings the members of the survey 

 carried on biological and physical investigations in all the lochs. One of the 

 most interesting observations hitherto made was that of the occurrence of seiches 

 on several of the Scottish laltes. The phenomenon was observed by the author 

 of this paper first on Loch Treig, the first known observation of such an occur- 

 rence in Scotland. Subsequently it was observed on several other lakes. 



4. The Jordan Valley. By Professor William Libbey, Sc.D. 



The paper discusses some of the geological features of the valley, and the con- 

 nection between the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Akabah. 



There seems to be less evidence of a fault with a subsidence upon its eastern 

 side than was supposed. There was, however, undoubtedly a rift valley or frac- 

 ture, which was widened at a later period. This valley extended from the foot 

 of Mount Hermon southward. 



The evidence of ice action on the southern slopes of Mount Hermon is very 

 marked. This is not found upon the surface, where abrasion has probably removed 

 all traces of it, but in places where the rocks have been covered up by moraines, 

 which latter have but recently been removed. 



From the northern end of this valley, throughout its whole extent, its struc- 



