184 A NATURALIST IN MID-AFRICA. 



From the preceding it is at once obvious that 

 there is a very curious difference between Nyassa- 

 land and Eastern Africa. The rains in East Africa 

 last from November to June, Avith a long dry in- 

 terval of one or two months. On the other hand, 

 the rains in British Central Africa appear to con- 

 tinue without any dry interval at all, and end in 

 April. 



I was very much impressed with the fact that 

 in Zanzibar the commencement of the rains coin- 

 cides with the change of the monsoon, both in 

 March and in November. From July to the end 

 of September seems to be the dry season in all 

 these districts ; which, it will be observed, is the 

 season of the south-west monsoon. Of course, 

 on the east coast it is obvious that this wind 

 cannot bring any rain, as it must blow across the 

 land. 



In Nyassaland, according to Captain Robertson, 

 the south-west monsoon begins in April, and of 

 course, blowing over the highlands of the Trans- 

 vaal, cannot bring with it any rain. Hence the 

 rains stop in that month. I am convinced that 

 if it were possible to obtain thoroughly satisfactory 

 observations of the direction of the wind, the 

 beginning and end of the rainy season would be 

 found to follow upon the wind changes exactly. 



The following rough table is interesting in this 

 respect. 



