PROSPECTS OF E. EQUATORIAL AFRICA. 543 
away with me, but they all died before reaching 
Zanzibar, as they suffered a great deal from the effects 
of the land transit, being very young. Of course to 
any ornithologist this country is exceedingly interest¬ 
ing, but to those whom I am more immediately address¬ 
ing, rare or beautiful birds will not serve as a sufficient 
inducement for opening up a new country; still I 
might remark, for economic reasons, that there are 
abundance of guinea fowl, francolin, pigeons, and 
bustards, and all these serve materially to supply the 
traveller with palatable food. 
I cannot say much for the reptiles of this country, 
as there are few species which would attract the 
traveller’s attention, and none which, as far as I know, 
would be useful commercially, unless the crocodiles of 
Lake Jipe might furnish some of the leather which is 
now so fashionable for dressing-bags; but the very 
scarcity and unobtrusiveness of the reptiles is a nega¬ 
tive advantage. Like most parts of Africa I have 
ever visited, the snakes here are very few and in¬ 
frequent in their appearance. Most species, too, are 
non-venomous. 
In many of the streams, rivers, and lakes there are 
fish in great quantities, representing most of the 
African fresli-water genera. There are few that are 
not edible, and some species are remarkably good to 
eat, and of considerable size and weight. While at 
Taveita I was often able to feed the entire caravan 
during a week or more on the fish caught in the small 
Liver Lumi; and at Jipe they are so plentiful that a 
fish-smoking establishment, similar to those on the 
Upper Congo, might be set going to provide food for 
long journeys. There are few things that Swahili 
porters like better than a fish diet. 
