132 A NATURALIST IN MID-AFRICA. 



because boats could bring all kinds of supplies 

 from any part of the Albert Edward. 



The other disadvantage is more serious. Life 

 is almost insupportable on account of the mosqui- 

 toes. These creatures sting at all hours of the 

 day, and are quite active in shady places during 

 the very hottest part of it. It is only by keeping 

 to paths which are vigorously patrolled by brilliant 

 blue and red dragonflies that one can avoid them. 

 Sleep is almost impossible, and even the pachy- 

 dermatous Suahili used to come and complain to 

 me that he could get no rest at all. The only 

 manner in which I could obtain any relief was by 

 arranging a fire and counter attraction of sleeping- 

 porters in front of the sole entrance to my hut ; 

 and even then, some always got inside my net. 



I think it is chiefly on account of this that the 

 few villages on the lake are inhabited by such a 

 miserable, puny and unhealthy set ; because at 

 night their houses are kept constantly full of 

 choking smoke from fires of green wood, which 

 is almost worse than the evil itself. I am not 

 sure that this is the true explanation, for I have 

 noticed on Tanganyika and on the Shire river, a 

 similar wretched condition in those families which 

 spend their lives in canoes and live chiefly on 

 fish : a practice that certainly always produces a 

 very weak development of the lower limbs, while 

 of course a constantly moist and humid atmo- 

 sphere is always unhealthy in a tropical climate. 



