43 6 
BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA 
some vital part. These hippopotamus traps are common sights in the natives’ 
plantations by the river side or on the lake shore. 
Birds and small mammals are caught in a running noose, or clever little 
traps are made for the same purpose. 
“ The old order changeth,” however, and most forms of native sport are 
being brought to the dead level of gunnery. This induces more selfishness 
than formerly, when successful hunting was a matter which depended on 
the friendly co-operation of large numbers of men. Formerly a rigid etiquette 
was observed in the killing of game. No stranger would attempt to hunt in a 
country which was not his without first obtaining the chief’s permission ; and 
when successful a portion of the meat was sent to the chief or the proprietor 
of the land as a present or tribute. The “ ground tusk ” of elephants was 
always given to the chief, also the skins of lions or leopards, both by strangers 
and by his own subjects. In many of these tribes it is a treasonable offence 
for any one but a chief to sit on a lion or leopard skin. 
Fishing is carried on by the rod and line (possibly learnt from Europeans), 
by netting, and by erecting fish weirs and basket traps ; also by poisoning the 
water and stupefying the fish in certain still or stagnant river pools. The fish 
baskets are often cleverly constructed with long recurved strips of bamboo 
arranged in the neck of a funnel. The fish forces its way in after the bait and 
cannot return. The netting is usually done with large seines, though I have 
seen hand nets used. 
The preceding remarks on cultivated and wild fruits, grains, and vegetables, 
on domestic animals and the beast of the chase will have given a fairly compre¬ 
hensive description of the natives’ dietary. To complete it I have only to add 
that in some tribes (especially among the women) and in some districts there is 
a craving for argillaceous clay, which they eat with (I imagine) results that are 
eventually fatal; and further that they consume with gusto certain insects: 
these are the flying white ants, the “ Kungu ” fly of Lake Nyasa, large beetle 
grubs, caterpillars, and locusts. The white ants are roasted wings and all, dried 
in the sun, pounded in a mortar and made into cakes, which are eaten as a 
relish. The minute “Kungu ” fly (which rises from the water of Lake Nyasa in 
the dry season in dense clouds) is treated in the same way. It flies against 
mats which are hung up, is swept off, packed into oily cakes, roasted, and eaten. 
I believe in some districts the grubs of bees are eaten, taken from the honey¬ 
comb. Most of these insects are served up as a relish to be eaten with the 
porridge. In the same way small fish are dried, mixed with salt and pounded 
into a paste. Honey is much appreciated. In some districts hives are made 
of bark and placed in the trees near a village for the wild bees to build in. The 
quality of the honey depends on the prevailing flowers from which the bees 
draw their supplies. Occasionally it is white, firm, and exquisitely flavoured, 
fhe natives of the West Shire district * (where much honey and wax are 
collected) make a kind of mead from the honey, which is diluted with water 
and fermented. 
Farinaceous food is the mainstay of the Central African negro and is chiefly 
eaten in the form of porridge—the Ugali of the Yao and Swahili; the Nsima 
of the A-nyanja, A-mambwe, A-lungu, A-senga, and Aba-bisa ; the Ikindi of 
the Wankonde. This is made ordinarily of the flour of Sorghum, 1 maize, 
cassava, or banana ; nearly always of Sorghum, however. I he grain is 
1 To give my readers some idea of what Sorghum grain is like I might say it is similar to a huge 
millet seed, nearly round, about the size of swan shot. 
