254 
Preparatioiis for the March . 
the “middle-dries,” here called Ngondi Asivu 
(Tuckey’s “ Gondy Assivoo”); upon the upper river 
this Cacimbo lasts between April and September; 
when it passes over the bush is burned, and the 
women hoe the ground to receive its seed. Carli 
well describes this season when he says :—“ The 
winter of the kingdom of Congo is the mild 
spring or autumn of Italy; it is not subject to 
rains, but every morning there falls a dew which 
fertilizes the earth.’' This meteor was not ob¬ 
served on the highlands of Banza Nokki and 
Nkulu ; it is probably confined to the low country, 
where I found it falling heavily. 
