182 A NATURALIST IN MID-AFRICA. 



by the oil-palm, coffee, and prospects of coloni- 

 sation as universal, means a slight inaccuracy. 

 Thus the coffee zone probably descends to 2,000 

 feet in the Shire, and ascends to 6,000 feet in the 

 Masai highlands. But this is more than counter- 

 balanced by the clearer idea of the subject. 



It is a very difficult matter to draw a good 

 natural dividing-line between the coffee and colony 

 divisions, but it is necessary on account of the 

 difference in health, rainfall, and consequently of 

 the vegetable products of the country. In fact, 

 to estimate rightly the value of British Central 

 Africa, it is above all things important to bear in 

 mind this difference which, so far as I know, is 

 not usually clearly shown. 



The leading features of these divisions I shall 

 now try to point out in detail, but before doing 

 so, it may be as well to draw up a tabular 

 statement of the leading characteristics of these 

 climates. 



The observations on which the accounts of the 

 first four stations are based, may be found in the 

 excellent " Report on Meteorological Observations 

 in British East Africa," by Mr. E. CI. Eavenstein. 

 Those at Bandaue were taken by Rev. Dr. Lawes, 

 and published in the Nyassa News. Those at 

 Zomba were taken by Mr. Hyde Wyatt, and pub- 

 lished in the British Central African Gazette. 



The columns of fever and climate are on my 

 own authority. 



