THE VICTORIA REGION. 47 



good servants, are quite sufficient in themselves 

 to produce ill-health. The rainfall is not very 

 high. 



Jan. Feb. Mar. April May June July Aug. 

 Inches. 2.37 4.38 4.47 7.66 5.30 3.00 3.17 2.89 

 Rainy days. 6 8 9 10 11 9 6 8 





Sept. 



Oct. 



Nov. 



Dec. 



Total. 



Inches. 



3.90 



5.24 



3.89 



1.34 



47.61 



Rainy days. 



12 



12 



14 



8 



113 



These are the mean of eight years' observations 

 at the Missionary Station of Natete, Mengo, by 

 Mackay. 



The most important plant is of course the 

 banana. The French Jesuit fathers, who have 

 attempted in many ways to make themselves real 

 friends of the natives, manufacture the following 

 from the fruit : — beer, brandy, champagne, vinegar, 

 bread, jam, and puddings. This is a fairly varied 

 dietary from one plant ! The leaves are used to 

 build the houses, and particularly for roofs. All 

 kinds of plates, spoons, bottles, &c, are replaced 

 by fragments of banana leaves. I have also seen 

 a very voluminous though short skirt, like that of 

 a pantomime artiste, constructed of these leaves. 

 A single leaf is used as an umbrella. I have seen 

 a native, during rain, take off his waistcloth (all 

 the clothes he possessed), fold it carefully up, and 

 carry it under his arm while he went happy and 

 dry, to a certain extent, under the shade of a large 

 banana leaf. The missionaries also told me that 



