Untrodden Paths 
41 
Everyone had kept in good health with the exception of Dr. 
von Raven, who had suffered from a relapse of fever. Greatly to 
my relief, however, I heard that he had so far recovered that, 
a few days before, he had been able to make a little trip to 
northern Kissaka. 
Schubotz was not altogether so satisfied with the results of 
research in Lake Mohasi as he had perhaps expected to be. Apart 
from an abundance of the microscopic organisms known as 
plankton, the lake had furnished but little noteworthy material. 
I will give a short extract or two from Schubotz’s own account 
of his investigations as well as from a report by Dr. Mildbraed, 
who writes rather more contentedly: 
" The west end of Lake Mohasi terminates in a papyrus 
swamp, and therefore promised rich spoils for zoological 
treasure-hunters. We were all the more keenly disillusioned to 
find the fauna far more meagre in character in this great water 
basin—the first we had explored in Africa—than we had been 
led to suppose in Germany. In spite of the luxurious vegetation 
at this part of the lake, the most diligent search was needed 
before we found a few sponges and polypi attached to some 
characeous plants. Our dredging experiments, too, which were 
beset with difficulties in consequence of the inadequate craft, led 
to sparse results—a scanty show of mussels and snails—in com¬ 
parison with the pains taken. In pursuing these investigations 
we* glided out on to the lake in our little folding boat, threw the 
dredge into the water, and, summoning all our efforts together, 
drew it to land. 
“ On the other hand, the search for plankton, instituted at 
different spots of the lake, and conducted at different depths, 
yielded rich material, composed in the main of diminutive 
Crustacea (copepoda and cladocera). The rotatoria were less 
numerous. 
“ Crocodiles are not found in Lake Mohasi, nor in any other 
lake in Ruanda. Had we believed the natives, we should have 
thought the same about hippopotami, but we were undeceived in 
* I frequently accompanied Schubotz on these excursions. 
G 
