The Taita Plains and Lake Jipe. 347 
Juma's brother, filled^ their vitoma (calabashes), and 
returned for this purpose, and all arrived safely at 
dusk. 
The fauna of this district is abundant. Water-fowl, 
many birds of the heron family, cormorants, guinea- 
fowl, etc., were seen. Among birds of a smaller kind 
the turtle dove, a kind of pheasant, and a white bird, 
like a sea-gull, were somewhat numerous. The lake 
was alive with hippopotami, their puffings and snort- 
ings as they rose to breathe at the surface being 
almost incessant. Ostriches stalked over the plains 
in great numbers, always, however, setting off at a 
brisk trot before they could be approached within 
shot range. Gazelles gracefully bounded through 
the stubble in the distance, and antelopes and zebras 
stood in large herds on all sides. 
The lake Jipe stretched before us nearly due north 
and south, a fine sheet of water ; and behind it rose 
the bulky and monotonous Uguena range of moun- 
tains, consisting of Ugono, Usange, Kisungo, and 
Same. Jipe is an oblong sheet of water, of perhaps 
some twelve miles long, and say one-third of this 
in breadth. It does not look so wide as this, but 
distances, as they appear over water, are deceptive. 
It must be much wider than it looks ; for the moun- 
tains on the other side were indistinct, and wore 
that dark-blue, hazy appearance only lent to moun- 
tains by distance. There being no wind, its surface 
was as smooth as glass. Its waters are derived 
chiefly from Kilima Njaro, and are poured into the 
Pangani or Ruvu, as this river, in its upper course, is 
called. The lake is extremely rich in fish. 
The Uguena mountains form a massive block 
