32 A NATURALIST IN MID-AFRICA. 



not so liable to break, so that the plant has been 

 induced to take on a habit fitted to resist strong 

 wind by the direct action of the wind itself. The 

 whole structure of the bamboo is also adapted to 

 resist wind. The thin, wiry, flexible twigs on 

 which every leaf is hung, bend freely in any 

 direction. This mode of growth has become 

 a settled character of several species in the Mau 

 forest. 



One very striking tree has the most beautiful 

 silvery leaves, and was called by my Suahilis 

 " Mau," but I rather fear that this was an effort 

 of imagination on their part. I know of no other 

 explanation of the name however. 



After passing Mau I first came across locusts, 

 and from this point to the Shire highlands, they 

 were abundant everywhere. This was on the 

 30th of December, 1893. It had been suggested 

 that they came to the Shire highlands and also 

 north in consequence of fighting which took place 

 in 1894 in the Congo region, but of course this 

 cannot be the reason of their presence on Mau 

 in 1893. Probably they were unusually favoured 

 by the climate when hatching (see p. 300). 



It was on this date, 30th of December, that I 

 first came upon the watershed of the Nile, and 

 I was at once struck by the curious appearance 

 of the valleys, which are broad and flat and 

 occupied frequently by marshes and weeds. 

 Valleys of this nature are the typical ones through 



