NATURAL PRODUCTS. 199 ance in the midst of their more dusky sisters does take one rather by surprise. Children of Monbuttu women and Hgyptian or light-coloured Berber fathers have a yellow skin, while those of the same fathers by A-Zandé mothers are light copperred, and if by Bari, Dinka, or Mittu mothers they are blackishbrown.

The remarks I have made above apply also to the neighbourhood of Tingazi. The soil is rich and productive, and where the termites permit cultivation, a harvest of maize can be reaped three times in the year. Nevertheless, no one thinks of a systematic cultivation, for there are bananas and maniocs in abundance, and the forest affords, besides, large quantities of fruits. Conspicuous among the latter is the. orange-coloured fruit of an Anona, of a sweet-sour taste ; also the beautiful pink cola-nuts, which are very abundant, the cone-shaped fruits of caoutchouc tendrils, the gourd fruits of two kinds of Artocarpus,* the peach-like apple of the Myristica, which grows also in Uganda, various kinds of Amomum, and many other fruits.

There is but little cattle, and the sheep and goats are mostly brought from the south, where large herds are said to be kept upon the wide plains of the Mabode country. I was assured by the prince Sanga, one of Munza’s brothers, that Munza’s cows, mentioned by Schweinfurth, came from the neighbouring country of Logo, where, no doubt, there exist large herds. The name “ Maoggu” is identical with Logo, ma being the Monbuttu plural article (Maloggo). The salt to be seen here is not brought from the west, but from the Mabode country. I saw some large perfectly cone-shaped pieces of it at Gambari’s, which had been sent to him by his brother Arama. It is tolerably clean and white, but has a slightly bitter after-taste, which could be got rid of by repeated evaporation. Among the various products, caoutchouc is destined, if developed in a natural manner, to become the greatest source of prosperity to the country. Great quantities of it could be obtained with a little trouble and a few presents; and since I have shown the natives how to thicken the milky juice without the addition of water, in order to prevent the formation * See note on p. 195.