16 THE ALLEGED DESICCATION OF EAST AFEICA 
condensation of great masses of steam, and this would probably 
dissolve the greater portion of the extra free carbonic acid 
gas. Thus taking every factor into consideration, the most 
hopeful course would appear to be to search for some cause 
to account for a gradual change in the routes of atmospheric 
circulation. The usual cause for such variation is a different 
distribution of land and water ; in this case, however, there 
appears to have been no change that can count. 
I am not enough of a meteorologist to say whether there 
are any other theories as to why the monsoons or trade w T inds 
should have carried less moisture over the continent during 
historic or recent geological times, but the evidence remains 
as I have stated it, and my only hope is that someone may be 
able to pursue the question a stage further and produce some 
logical explanation of the problem I have endeavoured to 
expound. 
EXPEEIMENTS IN HAWKING 
By W. F. B. Bryant, C.E. 
Some eighteen months ago, on the Magadi Railway, finding 
myself amongst many different species of hawks and being 
very much interested in these birds, I resolved to try to train 
them, to see what use, if any, could be made of them. 
Having spent some time in watching their habits, I found 
that all of them invariably fed on rats and mice, and took 
little or no notice of small birds. This was not encouraging, 
as they spent their time sitting idly on trees and falling on their 
food in a clumsy sort of way that would in time spoil them 
for any clever quarry. 
However, since they were so keen on rats, I used these 
for bait. The hawks came down and took them without 
any hesitation, but, do what I would, I could not catch them 
in the horse-hair nooses I set round the bait. They seemed 
to see them and alight on the ground about two feet away, 
and creep in without danger and carry off the prize. 
