Lake Kiwu and its Islands 
95 
do not appear to exist in Ruanda. On the other hand, otters 
are plentiful, and it would be difficult to make a more or less 
extended boat expedition on Kiwu, Mohasi or Bolero without 
seeing some. Their fine skins, which, however, are of consider¬ 
ably less value than our home ones or those from North America, 
make the animals very much prized even among the natives. The 
Watussi, as well as the Wahutu, use the skin, cut in long strips, 
for adorning the large tobacco pouches which they wear on 
their breasts. Fashioned also in strips, it ornaments the loin¬ 
cloths of their festive attire. The frequent requests for otter 
skins made by Europeans who have neared Lake Kiwu stimu¬ 
lated the shore-dwellers to pursue otters more zealously, and thus 
these animals, originally fearless, have now become very timid. 
One rarely gets within shooting distance of them. When swim¬ 
ming, they, at the best, only stretch their heads above the surface 
of the water, and then only for a short moment. A quick, good 
shot is therefore needed to hit them. But even that is not every¬ 
thing. When mortally wounded, the otter sinks in a few seconds, 
and it more than once happened that we were just in reach, as 
we confidently believed, of our booty when it vanished before 
our eyes. 
Mugarura is one of the largest islands in Lake Kiwu. It lies 
in the eastern half and, perhaps therefore, has mainly a steppe 
character. Only the northern and western parts are covered with 
dense brushwood, which, however, is different in character from 
that at Kwidschwi and Wau. We pitched our camp at a pretty 
spot and stayed a full day, during which we traversed the island 
in all directions. Whilst the eastern part is devoid of beauty 
in landscape, the western offered us the most charming sylvan 
scenery. The gently ascending bank is here bordered with 
several quiet little coves, which in beauty might rival the 
Mecklenburg lake scenery at home. 
Count Gbtzen found a great troop of flying-foxes (pUrocyon 
stramineus) in the woods on the banks of one of these coves, and 
they declined to be driven out of their favourite trees either by 
shooting or yelling. Kandt refers to them in his book of travel. 
