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TIIE KILIMANJARO EXPEDITION. 
CHAPTER XVII. 
CLIMATE, GEOLOGY, BOTANY, ETC. 
Elsewhere in this work I have briefly pointed out the 
main features in the physical geography of the Kilima¬ 
njaro region,the dry, almost uninhabited plains, covered 
with coarse yellow grass and stunted trees, save 
where perennial streams induce rich vegetation ; the 
misty snow-capped mountains, where the* damp climate 
causes a verdure and a freshness reminding us of the 
fairest portions of our own island ; the majestic forests 
that clothe certain districts like Taveita, or, not far 
distant, the broad flats white with natron-salt, the beds 
of dried-up lakes. With a country offering such very 
diverse features there are naturally wide ranges of 
temperature and an infinite variety of climate. Two 
days’ climb on Kilima-njaro will transfer you from 
equatorial heat to Arctic cold. You may change your 
surroundings in this short period from the tropical 
vegetation of Taveita to a lifeless wilderness of ice, 
rocks, and snow. Midway up the mountain there are 
lovely regions, mild, equable, and moist, with a 
climate resembling a Devonshire summer. Here the 
intense verdure and the luxuriance of fern life testify 
to the constant showers of gentle rain. A few thousand 
feet below, in the salt plains, you may be parched and 
scorched by the hot desert winds, recalling—though 
