454 EETUEN OF MR. THORNTON. Chap. XXII. 



made pleasant additions to our salted provisions, in geese, 

 ducks, and hippopotamus flesh. One of the comb or knob- 

 nosed geese, on being strangled in order to have its skin 

 preserved without injury, continued to breathe audibly by the 

 broken humerus, or wing-bone, and other means had to be 

 adopted to put it out of pain. This was as if a man on 

 the gallows were to continue to breathe by a broken arm- 

 bone, and afforded us an illustration of the fact, that in birds, 

 the vital air penetrates every part of the interior of their 

 bodies. The breath passes through and round about the 

 lungs — bathes the surfaces of the viscera, and enters the 

 cavities of the bones ; it even penetrates into some spaces 

 between the muscles of the neck — and thus not only is the 

 most perfect oxygenation of the blood secured, but, the 

 temperature of the blood being very high, the air in every 

 part is rarefied, and the great lightness and vigour provided 

 for, that the habits of birds require. Several birds were 

 found by Dr. Kirk, to have marrow in the tibiae, though these 

 bones are generally described as hollow. 



During the period of our detention on the shallow part of 

 the river in March, Mr. Thornton came up to us from Shu- 

 panga: he had, as before narrated, left the expedition in 

 1859, and joined Baron van der Decken, in the journey to 

 Kilimanjaro, when, by an ascent of the mountain to the height 

 of 8000 feet, it was first proved to be covered with perpetual 

 snow, and the previous information respecting it, given by 

 the Church of England Missionaries, Krapf and Eebman, con- 

 firmed. It is now well known that the Baron subsequently 

 ascended the Kilimanjaro to 14,000 feet, and ascertained 

 its highest peak to be at least 20,000 feet above the sea. 

 Mr. Thornton made the map of the first journey, at Shu- 

 panga, from materials collected when with the Baron ; 

 and when that work was accomplished, followed us. He was 



