I 
MOMBASA 
11 
scuttle away sideways and with astonishing quickness 
it requires some alertness on the part of the collector to 
catch them. 
The parts of the islands immediately bordering the 
sea are thick with vegetation, and the castor-oil plant 
{Ricinus communis) is sure to attract attention. Another 
common plant is the Cape gooseberry. The wealth and 
beauty of the butterflies flitting among the plants soon 
impress the visitor with bhe fact that he is in a tropical 
region. The birds, too, are interesting, especially the 
weaver finches, some of which build their nests in the 
branches of the bougainvilleas that grow in the gardens 
bordering the roadway ; even in those which overhang 
it. The comparative security of birds is shown by the 
freedom in which they build in the haunts of men. 
The verandah of the Court of Justice is adorned by the 
nests of swallows. 
Every part of this fertile island teems with life, 
animal and vegetable. My visits to the club used 
to interest me, for pretty weaver finches flit through 
the branches of the trees in the club gardens, lizards ran 
along the railings, and in the silence of the library it was 
amusing to watch geckoes dart across the ceiling catch¬ 
ing flies. 
In the short evening hour the European population 
takes the air. The chief mode of locomotion is the 
jinricksha, but there is a narrow trolley-way running 
across the island to Kilindini with lateral branches to 
official residences. The small cars which run on these 
lines are pushed by native boys. These cars and 
jinrickshas are very useful, especially as there are 
no horses. 
There is a cosmic phenomenon of some interest which 
can be seen and studied in the Indian Ocean and 
throughout the East far better than in England, 
namely the zodiacal light. Shortly before the dawn, 
a lenticular patch of soft white light, with its base on 
the eastern horizon and its apex pointing to the zenith. 
