though safer from fire, will not be nearly so cool, grass roofs being very good nonconductors of heat. It is almost impossible to say what the heat is in the sun, but in the shade of the verandah it rarely registers more than 80° to 85°, and inside the house it is usually in the daytime 70° to 72°, and at night in the house about an average of 68°. It is rarely necessary to have a fire, and few houses can boast of a fireplace. Of course, no glass is used for windows. It is difficult to wash the floors, as they are only beaten earth, and the usual plan is to smear them over with cow dung once in every two or three weeks. This is a necessity, not only to protect the floors and to harden the surface, but also to keep down the number of fleas and jiggers, which are very plentiful in the country. The smearing with cow dung appears to fasten them to the floor.
The native word for jiggers is ‘mvunza,’
