"no. 6 SMITHSONIAN EXPLORATIONS, I92O 3 1 



Lake Tanganyika; the chimpanzee of Uganda), 567 birds, 206 rep- 

 tiles, and 193 fishes. The photographs here reproduced were all taken 

 by Mr. Raven, who has also prepared the legends which accompany 

 them. 



BOTANICAL COLLECTING IN AFRICA 

 Dr. H. L. Shantz, Botanist, Office of Seed and Plant Introduction, 

 Bureau of Plant Industry, United States Department of Agriculture, 

 was also a member of the Smithsonian African Expedition, and his 

 chief objects were to secure live plants of agricultural value for intro- 

 duction into the United States, to study the agricultural methods of 

 both natives and Europeans, and to collect plants for the National 

 Herbarium of the United States National Museum. This work began 

 at Cape Town, August 13, 1919, and terminated at Port Said, Sep- 

 tember 2, 1920. 



The vegetation of the Cape region has long been known to Euro- 

 pean botanists, and has received more attention than that of any other 

 portion of Africa. It is difficult to imagine a region which has so 

 many striking features. The wealth of Proteas and Ericas alone 

 would make this region unique. Lilies of various and beautiful types, 

 Iridaceae, Amaryllidaceae, and Orchidaceae. each represented by 

 many genera and species, the Arum lily or calla, which occurs every- 

 where in wet soil, and Pelargoniums, which here cover the mountain 

 sides, make of this Cape region a natural botanical garden, so rich and 

 varied that any botanist will here find plants of absorbing interest. 

 At Kirstanbosch there has been established the National Botanic 

 Gardens now under the direction of Dr. R. H. Compton. If the well- 

 laid plans are fully carried out, it will be possible to find here all of 

 the more interesting indigenous plants of South Africa, and to this 

 garden will come botanists, horticulturists, and agriculturists inter- 

 ested in South African plants. American botanists would be proud 

 if we had anywhere in our country a garden to compare with it. 



East of Port Elizabeth in the Addo Bush, which is a low thorn 

 thicket of trees and vines about 15 to 20 feet high, are food plants of 

 especial interest. Among the succulents, none are more interesting 

 than the speckbroom (Portulacaria affra), a source of forage for the 

 wild elephant herd of the bush as well as for other large herbivora, 

 ostriches, cattle, sheep, or other domesticated animals. This plant 

 has been introduced into the United States and is doing especially 

 well in southern California in the lower chaparral zone and should 

 greatly improve the forage value of the natural range. Here arc 

 many interesting plants such as the picturesque Acacia Jiorrida, with 



