224 
nets after using them. It may be interesting to note that in the im- 
penetrable thickets formed by the plant, that beautiful and rare specimen 
of the spotted bush buck of the Cholie and Botletle Rivers finds secure 
refuge from the attacks of man and wild beasts. 
(Signed) ^. James Nicorrs. 
Mafeking, 16th April 1889. 
N.B.—Mr. Nicolls, on his return from Lake Ngami, at the close of 
the present year, will be most happy to furnish the authorities at Kew 
with specimens of the roots and stalk of the plant in question. At the 
same time he bas to express his regret that, owing to the carelessness of 
the man in charge of his waggons, on his journey from Lake Ngami last 
year, the entire number of specimens of plants, &c., with very few 
exceptions, have been unfortunately lost. 
From the description of the plant given by Mr. Nicolls, it was 
impossible to form auy idea as to what its botanical affinity might be. 
rub, some- 
times growing to a height of 8 to 10 feet, belonging to the natural order 
Polygalee, and distributed through Upper and Lower Guinea, Nile 
T : 
March 1857 :—* The Buáze evidently possesses a very stron d fi 
= fibre, assimilating to flax in its character, but / ilie 
in quantity by our process it would show both a stron er and finer 
* fibre than flax ; but being unable to apply the oling or pressing 
-“ processes with efficiene so very small a quantity, the gums are 
** not yet so perfectly extracted as they would be nor the fibre opened 
“ out to so fine a quality as it would then exhibit." 
The opinion obtained by Messrs Pye, Brothers from Messrs. M. 
of Leeds was as follows :—“ The Buáze fibre appears to bein aes, 
“ andas prepared by you will be equal to flax worth 502. or 602. per 
z ton, but we could hardly speak positively to the value unless we had 
2 m e or two ewt. to try on our machinery. However, we think 
e result is promising and we hope further inqui ill be 
** to the probable supply of the material." Re nemis 
Dr. Livingstone adds that the plant is stated to 
' h Elsewhere the split tendons 
i of animals are employed for this purpose. This seems io be of equ 
i strength, for a firm thread of it feels like catgut in the hand, and 
. “ would rather cut the fingers than break,” 
