KUNGL. SV. VET. AKADBMIENS HANDLINGAR. BAND 48. N:0 5. 15 



Compared with the quantity of sulphates directly determined (411, o) this sum 

 shows a difference of 3,9 or 0,9 7o. 



The summing up of the results of the analysis in the usual manner gives the 

 following result for 100,000 parts of water: 



KCl 6,8 



NaCl 197,6 



CaSOi 38,4 



CaCla 31,5 



MgCla 17,4 



MgC03 43,3 - 



Organic substance. Silicic acid, boric acid etc. 10,2 



Total 344,7 



According to the experience of Prof. Lonnberg and his companions the use of 

 this water for drinking purposes produced diarrhea which, however, subsided after a 

 few days. In spite of the quantity of salt it contained, this water quenched the 

 thirst perfectly, and when once accustomed to it the members of the expedition 

 liked it very well so that when they again, after some time, had the opportunity of 

 drinking the quite fresh water of the river Guaso Nyiri the latter seemed flat and 

 tasteless. 



The scarcity of water in the thornbush country and its general aridity makes 

 it to some extent the equivalent to a desert. When one sees the grey leafless thorn- 

 bush during the dry season and the apparently barren ground scorched by the mer- 

 ciless rays of the glaring equatorial sun it looks rather unpromising to a biologist. 

 It hardly appears as if such a country could offer the necessities of life to any 

 animals. As soon as one turns away from the river there is hardly anything green 

 to be seen, if not perhaps a fringe of doumpalms at a distance which appears to 

 denote a watercourse. But if one hastens there in the hope of finding water one is 

 sadly deceived, the river bed contains nothing but hot and dry sand. In spite of 

 all these apparently unfavourable conditions, which cannot fail to make an, at first, 

 almost saddening impression on the visitor, the thornbush country is not at all so 

 bad as it looks. The naturalist will on the contrary very soon find that it is quite 

 an interesting country. The bird life is rather rich and the number of species is, as 

 can be seen in the report on the birds collected by this expedition, greater than 

 could be expected. The numerous spoors seen in the game paths prove that many 

 big mammals live here as well. Most apparent are the big three-toed tracks of the 

 Rhinoceros, the marks of the broad horse-like hoofs of Grevy's zebra etc. But soon 

 more than spoors are seen. The long necks of the Somali Giraffes tower high above 

 the thornbush and are thus observed even if rather far away. The coarse bark of 



