THE SALT LAKE AND SEMLIKI VALLEY. 127 



the woods there are quantities of pigeons, magpies, 

 &c. On the plains there are several pretty com- 

 mon kinds ; one of the most abundant is a wagtail ; 

 another is a black and white bird, about the size 

 and shape of a starling. This has a curious habit 

 of taking little flights in the air for amusement 

 during which it gives four or five little chirps of 



joy- 



Chukarongo Lake is the first place calling for 

 special mention. Usually its banks are lined by 

 squadrons of pelicans, marabout storks or flamin- 

 goes, and quantities of geese, ducks, plovers, (fee. 

 It is an old volcanic crater, and curiously enough 

 a small stream is always falling into it, though 

 I cannot guess where the water disappears, for 

 there is no visible outlet whatever. It may pos- 

 sibly make its way underground to the deep craters 

 further along the road, but that does not explain 

 the question. The rough lines of stratification, 

 dipping slightly away from the lip of the old crater 

 edge, are clearly visible. 



After leaving this place comes a long and ex- 

 tremely trying inarch to the Salt lake itself. The 

 first interesting point is reached in about two 

 hours, when one passes first on the right an ex- 

 tremely deep, steep crater, with water at the 

 bottom, and very shortly afterwards a similar deep 

 lake on the left. In both these the level of the 

 water seemed to me lower than that of the Nyanza, 

 but I did not take observations (having quite 



