THE SALT LAKE AND SEMLIKI VALLEY. 137 



myself near the head where there are two 

 magnificent waterfalls and a considerable culti- 

 vated area. I returned on the other side by a 

 much better path, most of which was covered by 

 forest, in which were tree heather and other 

 Alpine plants at a very low altitude. 



There is a curious difference in the level of the 

 forest on the western side. So far as I could 

 judge, for even here, in one of the most unget- 

 at-able places in the world, the hand of man has 

 very much altered the aspect of nature, the forest 

 begins at about 6,000 feet, but it does not seem 

 to occupy more than from this level to 7,600 feet. 

 At 8,000 feet the bamboos stop and one enters 

 on the heather region. The reason of this can 

 probably be best explained as an effect of the 

 extremely sudden rise of the mountain and the 

 manner in which the ridges jut out from the 

 main mass, so that there is a sheer precipitous 

 ascent to about 9,000 feet, from which long, 

 narrow, gently sloping ridges lead up to the main 

 chain. 



At my camp at 9,800 feet I was a long way 

 above the bamboos, which on the eastern side 

 extended to between 10,000 and 11,000 feet. 

 Apparently something of the same nature occurs 

 both on Kenia and Kilimandjaro, where the snow 

 and the levels of the bamboo and forest zones 

 are said to be much lower on the west than on 

 the east. 



