May I, 1894.J 
THE TROt'ICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
157 
the Colohi, and the curious Gaereza monkey of 
Abyssinia. Its colour is coal black, except on the 
(honlders, where the mane of \ong hair of a reddish 
black colour ; still at a first glance it strikes cue 
as being an absolutely black monkey. 
A cnrioui and interesting discovery was made on 
the Upper Shire some while ago by Mr. F. J. 
Whicker. He found that in a small patch of country 
(a piece of " bush" near Liwonde's) there was a 
colony of love birds [Agapornis). These tiny little 
parrots would seem to be a different species to that 
found in West Africa. They are chiefly characterised 
when mature by a greater extent of bx'ight flame colour 
over the whole face and upper part of the breast, 
while the end of the mandible is a deep crimson. 
The most curious point about these birds is the fact 
that, in spite of all our researches, they have been 
met with in no other part of British Central Africa. 
Their distribution seems to be confined to a small 
patch of woodland on the west bank of the Upper 
shire. 
A few weeks ago the handsome new aviaries at 
Zomba were completed. This building consists of 
eight large compartments, two of which are made 
specially strong to hold beasts of prey. Two separate 
streams of water from the Mlungusi river course 
through the aviaries, and in places widen out into 
shallow pools for the water birds. Among the more 
interesting creatures at present in the collection may 
be mentioned, in addition to the black monkey and 
the love birds, a remarkably handsome crested eagle, 
presented by Mr. T. M. Hastings, and obtained from 
Tshiradznlu. This bird is rather strikingly coloured 
with glossy, brovmish black and white, the long legs 
from the thigh to the foot being snowy white, and 
heavily plumed. There are also some gaudy plan- 
tain-eaters (Gatlirex) who are quite as amusing as, 
and much more lively, than parrots, Two young 
birds of this species were recently purchased from a 
native. They had been brought straight from the 
nest. [According to the natives, the Gallirex or 
plantain-eater only hatches two young at a time ] 
Mr. F- J. Whicker, on the 20th January, shot a 
large male leopard on Liwonde Island, close to the 
" boma " of the fort. He had swum the small strait 
of eluggiah river wliich separate? the island from the 
west bsuk of the Shire, and was discovered in a 
field of maize. lie was surrounded by native beaters, 
two of whom he severely eoratched before Mr. 
Whicker gave him his coup de grace. 
And here comes a paragraph which reminds 
us of how elephants in olden days used to 
delay the tappal in Ceylon : — 
There baa been another incursion of lions on to the 
slope; of Zomba mouctaio. Their presence has been 
reported from several villages not far from the 
Residency, and io the middle of J.inuary they 
aotually interrupted the passage of Her Majesty's 
mails on their way up from Mpimbi to Z imba, so 
soariog the two mail carriers that they climbed up 
with the m»il bags into trees and remained there 
for some hours until the lions decided to walk in 
another direction. 
Farther, here is very practical information 
for future planters : — 
Mr. Whjte desires to draw attention to the facility 
with which bush buck, when caught yoonj!:, can be 
tamed. There are at present a couple, male and 
female, at Zomba which are a good deal tamer than 
the domestic goats. They roam about freely over 
the grounds daring the day time, and are shut up 
at night for fear of leopard'. There are also one 
01 two charming little nntelopes of the C<:phalophus 
genus. The meat of the bash bnck U the best meat 
to be obtained in Tropical Africa. II is superior iu 
laHe, juiciness and teudfrness to anv beef but the 
best English, and is preferab'e to mutton and goat. 
It is gratifying to note how many have been onr 
discoveries in both the fauns and flora of British 
Central Afrioa, Mr. Kichard Orawshay recently sent 
to the British Museum, through the Commissioner, a 
colleotion of fresh water moUusca from Lake Jlweru. 
It bas siucQ bevu kouoaoced y>y Ur. Bdgar Smith, of 
the Zoological Society, that almost the whole of thee 
shells are ntw to ecienoe. 
It is interesting to observe the effect which trans- 
plantation into the Shire Highlands has on planta 
introduced from other parts of the world. Some trees 
and flowers wh'ch would seem most suited to this 
soil and climate do not answer at all. Others, again, 
find in the Shire Highlands a new home where they 
thrive to a marked extent. The potato family 
(SoltLnaceae) is an instance of planta which thoroughly 
appreciates the climate of the Highlands of Central 
Africa. Tomatoes and tree tomatoes, all forma of 
tobacco, the Cape gooseberry and the potato flonrish 
amazingly. The potatoes introduced into the Zomba 
gardens from England seeded, and the seed thereof 
has produced a remarkably fine tuber, which Mr, 
Whyte intends to style the " Zomba Wonder," and 
which he hopes may become a permanent variety. 
The Petunia (whioh is a member of the Solanaoeous 
family) seeds rarely and with difficulty in Eogland. 
At Zomba it produces seed in abundance, and may 
be considered to have definitely established itself in 
coneequenge. 
Mr. T. U.Lloyd has been endeavouring to introduce 
the cultivation of the Deli tobacco of Sumatra. 
Unfortunately much of t!^e seed which reached him 
from the Malay Archipelago had been spoilt on the 
voyage, and none of it came up in the Residency 
giirdeus, but Mr. Buchanac, on the neighbouring 
Mlungusi estate, has been more lucky and has succeeded 
in rearing a few plants. 
Roses take to this climate very kindly, and bloom 
nearly a'l through the year. The strawberry again 
is a great success. Strawberries planted atZ>mbaia 
1892 oommeaced to fruit in June 1893, and continued 
supplying fruit until the middle of December. Apples, 
however, are almost a failure; the vine sppeirs to 
be a disappointment, and peaches, apricots, and 
all stone fruit also. The young orange trees 
at Zomba have borne for the first time this 
present rainy season, and appear to be thriving. A 
fig free alfo which had languished during several 
years has suddenly taken heart of grace and prodaced 
an extraordinary crop of figs. Nearly all European 
segetables, except celery, give excellent results. The 
climate is a little too damp for melons, although 
cucumbers are very sucoessful. In many respects the 
grounds of the Sesidenoy at Zomba afford a curious 
spectacle a9 a meeting place of tropical, sub-tropical, 
and temperate products. Here at one time were to 
be seen fields of oats growini; alongside banana plan- 
tations, wheat next to brakes of pine apples, and 
gorse trailing at the foot of India-rubber trees coming 
from the most tropical parts of Asia. 
A useful lawn grass known as the Dub grass in 
Ceylon was accidently iatroduced some years ago, by 
Messrs, Buchanan Brothers. It began to take a firm 
hold of the cleared land round houses at Mlungusi. 
Mr. Whyte introduced into the Residency grounds, 
where it has become quite a feature, It rapidly 
covers Isrge tracts of land, and 'excludes the ne»er- 
to-be-suffioiently-esecrated coarse rank gra«3 of the 
country. This season these lawns have produced a 
large crop of seed, and Mr. Whyte will be happy to 
dispense the seed in small packets, as far as he ia 
able, to those who wish to introduce this grass on to 
their estates. 
Next, we have under the head of " Local 
News ' on the last page, paragraphs about 
the good work being done by Capt. Edwards 
and Lieut. Manning and his Sikhs, as well 
as by Collectors and Magistrates, in putting 
a stop to the Slave Trade and its untold 
miseries. In this they are cordially supported 
by Baron von Eltz, acting Imperial German 
Commissioner for Nyassaland. The Baron 
had indeed seized one caravan and released 
211 captives taken by the Arab raiders. No 
words can describe the benefit to the country 
and people of peaceful settled Government 
aad it is toucbiug tg t«aa bow cluofs 
