Geography of the Gaboon . 57 
separated by a lesser dry season. Closer to the 
tropical lines, where the sun remains but once in 
the zenith, the rainy season is a continuous one.” 
Such is the theory of the “ Allgemeine Erd- 
kunde” (Hahn, Hochstetter and Pokorny, Prague, 
1872). An explanation should be added of the 
reason why the cool wind ceases to blow, at the 
time when the air, heated and raised by a perpen¬ 
dicular sun, might be expected to cause a greater 
indraught. We at once, I have said, recognize its 
correctness at sea. The Gaboon, “ in the belt of 
calms, with rain during the whole year,” has two 
distinctly marked dry seasons, at the vernal and 
the autumnal equinoxes. The former or early 
rains (Nchangya?) are expected to begin in 
February, with violent tornadoes and storms, espe¬ 
cially at the full and change, and to end in April. 
The heavy downfalls are mostly at night, possibly 
an effect of the Sierra del Crystal. I found 
March 28th (1862) very like damp weather at the 
end of an English May; April 6th was equally 
exceptional, raining from dawn to evening. During 
my trip to Sanga-Tanga and back (March 25th to 
29th) we had frequent fogs, locally called “ smokes,” 
and almost daily tornadoes, sometimes from the 
south-east, whilst the lightning was dangerous as 
upon the Western prairies. After an interval of 
fiery sun, with occasional rain torrents and dis¬ 
charges of electricity, begin the Enomo (Enun?), 
