In 1912 the writer visited the former German colony in south-west Africa chiefly in order to secure material of Tumboa (Welwitschia) mirabilis, mirabilis both from the morphological and physiological standpoints. It was necessary to make a trip across a very extreme desert whose scanty flora exhibits remarkable xerophytic adaptations. The conquering of this colony by the late General Botha and General Smuts and the future probable relationship of the territory to the British Empire under a mandatory held by the Union of South Africa, may lend a special interest to the following notes on that trip.