Vol. 70.] MIOCENE OF THE VICTORIA IVYAXZA, ETC. 129 



regarding the species as very similar to D. cuvieri Kaup, of the 

 Lower and Middle Miocene of France, especially characteristic 

 of the Burdigalian horizon. 



Unfortunately, nothing was known of the circumstances of the 

 discovery, for Mr. Pigott was shortly afterwards killed by crocodiles, 

 when his raft was upset by a hippopotamus that he had wounded. 

 Accordingly, I offered to utilize my leave by goin^ out to Africa, 

 in order to make a thorough investigation of the localitv and to 

 collect specimens for the British Museum. 1 



The time at my disposal for the actual work was short, owing to 

 the lengthy voyage : only two months remained for me to carry 

 out the examination of the entire district, and to search for further 

 outcrops of the beds, to describe, measure, and correlate the strata 

 in the different exposures, to collect and extract fossils and to 

 determine horizons, to make plans to scale of the chief outcrops 

 and a map of the neighbourhood, as well as to take a series of 

 illustrative photographs of the beds. 



Contrary to expectation, there was no definite bone-bed : isolated 

 bones only occurred at wide intervals, and nearly always in a frag- 

 mentary or shattered condition ; hence it was practically useless 

 to employ native labour. 2 



I am greatly indebted to Dr. C. W. Andrews and to Mr. B. B. 

 Newton for their reports accompanying this paper 011 the Verte- 

 bra ta and on the Mollusca respectively. 



II. Description of the Miocexe Series of the 

 Victoria Xyaxza. 



Broadly speaking, the entire series of these lacustrine sediments 

 may be classified into the following three groups, according to their 

 dominant character; but there is no unconformity or discontinuity 



1 At the instance of Dr. A. Smith Woodward, F.E.S., the expenses of the 

 journey were defrayed by subscription, chiefly by the generosity of Mr. Charles 

 Storey, F.G.S.. and also by the late Rev. R. Ashington Bullen, Sir Henry 

 Howorth, F.R.S.. Dr. G. B. Longstaff . Dr. A. Smith Woodward, Mr. W. Heward 

 Bell, Mr. H. R. Knipe. the late Mr. W. H. Sutcliffe, and Mr. W. E. Balston ; 

 and I also received special facilities for railway-transport in British East Africa 

 by kind permission of the Secretary of State for the Colonies. 



2 The district is malarious, and lies in the heart of an area devastated by 

 sleeping-sickness. All reconnoitring has to be undertaken on foot, for no 

 horse can live in this country of the tsetse-fly ; the season happened to be 

 phenomenally hot, even for this Equatorial district, the shade-temperature 

 averaging 95°Fahr. and sometimes reaching 110°Fahr. Sir Percy Girouard. 

 then Governor of British East Africa, kindly placed the little Government 

 schooner at my disposal, thus enabling me to save time in reaching Karungu 

 from the railhead at Kisumu. I have also great pleasure in acknowledging- 

 with gratitude the ready assistance and hospitality of Mr. C. W. Hobley, 

 C.M.G., H.M. Provincial Commissioner at Nairobi, Mr. John Ainsworth, 

 C.M.G., H.M. Provincial Commissioner at Kisumu, Mr. D. C. Crampton, H.M. 

 District Commissioner at Kisii, and Dr. B. W. Cherrett at Kisii ; and in 

 tendering my thanks to Mr. Waller, H.M. Director of Government Transport, 

 who rendered me much assistance on my arrival at Mombasa. 



