66 
EASTERN ETHIOPIA 
animal or vegetable which is the totem or sign of 
that clan. For instance, the mud-fish (mamba) is the 
sign of the Mamba clan, but no member of that clan . 
will eat, injure, or willingly destroy this fish. 
The Baganda make their own pottery. There are 
several varieties of clay, red, kaolin or white, and 
black. The blackness of the vessels made from black 
clay is intensified by a glaze made from graphite which 
occurs in Uganda. Some of the pottery is artistic, and 
good examples of vases glazed with plumbago may be i 
seen in the British Museum. They also weave baskets ' 
and mats, and are skilful in utilising the various long 
grasses which grow in the marshes. The thatchers are J 
a separate guild. They are especially clever in covering 
the outer walls of porches and the woodwork of veran- . 
dahs with the long polished stalks of elephant grass . 
packed closely together in an upright position and 
bound with string. 
It is a remarkable fact that the Baganda, the foremost 
negro race in Africa, have no knowledge of the plough, ( 
the saw, sails, or of wheeled vehicles ; neither have they 1‘' 
done anything to tame or domesticate animals, but they ^ 
are fond of dogs. 
A curious kind of ant-eater known as the Manis is 
found in Uganda. From head to tail it is covered with 
scales, so that this animal has the appearance of a huge 
fir-cone, and like a hedge-hog it can roll itself up like a 
ball and expose a hard smooth surface to its enemies. 
It is said that the Manis can contract its scales on its 
body, so that if a monkey’s finger or a dog’s nose 
is placed beneath a scale either would be badly nipped. 
This animal lives entirely on ants and termites : it has 
a tubular mouth, a long tongue, and no teeth. The 
walls of the stomach are much thickened, and like birds 
it swallows small pebbles to assist in grinding its food. 
The Manis lives on trees ; sometimes when climbing a ■ 
tree it may descry an enemy, it will then fling its body 
backwards and remain immobile, with its tail firmly 
