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NOTES ON N'GAMILAND. 
By a. G. Stigand. 
(Read May 21, 1913.) 
The accompanying Prismatic Compass Sketch Map of a traverse which 
I made in N'gamiland dmdng January-March, 1911, from Tsau to the 
Chobe River, to which has been added a previous traverse from Toten to 
the Mababe by water, may prove of interest. 
Administratively, N'gamiland is the North-Western District of the 
Bechuanaland Protectorate. The Batawana Reserve constitutes about 
three-quarters of this area, the northernmost portion thereof, and includes 
Lake N'gami. It is by far the most interesting part on account of the river- 
system of the Okovango, which river annually during the winter months — 
June to September — floods a vast area of country, the flood water resulting 
from the heavy summer rainfall in the countries to the north, Portuguese 
West Africa in particular, which the Okovango brings down, but which, 
owing to the flatness of the country, especially the almost dead level from 
about 18° 50' S. Lat. southwards, travels very slowly. It is also interesting 
because of Lake N'gami itself, which to-day has almost entirely dried 
up, with the exception of a little water that flows into its eastern end 
during the flood season, and is a vast reed bed which itself has been 
gradually contracting its borders during the last decade owing to this 
desiccation. 
I here take the liberty of quoting from a description by Major E. J. 
Lugard, D.S.O., which appeared in the Kew Bulletin (No. 3 of 1909) : — 
" Broadly speaking, Lake N'gami may be considered the northern limit 
of the Kalahari Desert, and the southern and lowest point to the S.W. of 
an inland river-system which finds no exit to the sea. The drainage, 
therefore, is towards this depression to the S.W., and towards the 
Makarikari Salt-pan which is at a still lower level some two hundred 
miles to the S.E. Lake N'gami is now in the intermediate stage between 
a lake and a salt-pan, of which latter there are many in the Kalahari 
Desert to the East. 
" Space does not admit of more than a slight reference to the remark- 
able river-system of the country lying immediately north of Lake N'gami, 
