Through the Semliki Valley 215 
S. adnivalis, the stalked lobelia of the lofty regions, Lobelia 
Wollastonii, and the splendid bushes of Helichrysum Stuhlmanii, 
with silver white or slightly yellow everlasting heads, whilst the 
ground was covered with a carpet of alchemillay dwarf shrubs 
and mosses. Beautiful Nectarina ]ohnstoniiy a colibri genus, 
the males of which are magnificently coloured, were flying round 
the lobelia stems in pairs. Their body colour is almost black, 
whilst their pinions and head are an iridescent emerald green. 
Their most conspicuous adornments, however, are two lengthened 
middle tail feathers, which flutter streamer-like in flight. It is 
charming to observe the doings of these devoted couples in these 
inhospitable heights; how they fly in bow-like circuits from one 
plant to another, or flit about here and there on the big branches, 
digging their delicately bent beaks into flowers to obtain insects, 
whereby they effect pollenisation at the same time. 
“ That day everything appeared grey and obscured through 
a misty veil of fog and rain; the weather had been growing 
steadily worse, and such severe, damp cold prevailed that my 
hands had become quite numbed. Except for a leathern jacket, 
which only kept the upper portion of my body dry, I could not 
have advanced so far. As the fog prevented any view, and it was 
already two o’clock, I turned back, although the guide urged me 
on, addressing me vociferously; but I only understood the words 
‘chupa’ (bottle) and 'matabisch’ (for baksheesh). I learned 
later that he feared he would lose his baksheesh if he did not 
show me the bottle on Ulimbi which served as * visitor’s book.’ 
“ Next day brought glorious weather with warm sunshine, so 
that in our encampment, about 2,400 metres above the sea-level, 
we were able to work at our collections in our shirt sleeves. Our 
drooping spirits revived, and I decided to make another attempt 
at an ascent on the following Sunday, the i6th of February. As 
my constant follower, Maneno, and another, had not proved 
good mountaineers on the 14th, and had been left wailing and 
freezing on the way under an erica bush, I gave up any hope of 
relying on my own people, and selected three quite wild natives, 
with whom it was only possible to carry on very imperfect com- 
