364 A NATURALIST IN MID-AFRICA. 



pleasantness, should be reserved for occasions on 

 which a great physical effort has to be undergone. 

 It is, in fact, a powerful stimulant with the inevit- 

 able reaction. 



I took my supplies from Messrs. Lazenby and 

 Sons, both on this last journey and on a former 

 one. The quality of the provisions was most excel- 

 lent, and in the packing and general arrangement 

 they spared no trouble, with entirely satisfactory 

 results. 



Most of these goods are sold in tins, aiid, in 

 cases where they are not, I think it is advisable 

 to put them in tins before starting. The kind I 

 have found most satisfactory is cylindrical with 

 a circular lid at the top, which is pressed up by 

 a key (self-opening Noakes' tin), like that of 

 Lambert and Butler's tobacco tins. 



This form is perfectly water-tight, and one 

 can even carry spirits of wine in those that are 

 emptied without any perceptible evaporation. 



The remarks apply especially to Kola chocolate 

 and tobacco, which are usually sold in boxes, 

 quite unsuitable for rough work. In fact, if a box 

 is packed in this manner it may be immersed in a 

 river or exposed to a tropical shower without any 

 bad consequences. The contents are also pro- 

 tected from insects of all kinds. 



In packing clothes, instruments, and one's 

 belongings generally, my experience is that 

 ordinary tin trunks, such as one gets in London at 



