A publication of the East Africa Natural History Society, Box 44486, Nairobi, Kenya. Price 4 shillings

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EAITHS BULIETIII

SEPTEKBER/OCTOBEE 1977

COHTEITTS

A ITote on the Flora and Fauna of two Seasonal Sv/anips in

theRiftValley. c . » . . . . . , . . . . , . . . e 96

A G-ras sliopp er-\7arbler from Rguruman Escarpment 5 Kenya , , IO4

A Definite Sighting of the Taita Falcon , » , . o . . » . 105

I'lotes on Birds seen in Diani Forest, Kanya 106

Great Spotted Cuckoo 0 .. ...... o«..» . 108

East African Rest Record Scheme ............. 108

Ringing hews .. 110

Cov/ries on the South Kenya Coast 112

Hints on Collecting, Fluid Preservation of Reptiles,

Amphibians and Fish ... , ........ 113

Mammal .Notes 115

Late News from the Rift Valley Swamp 116

Letter oo u h cnditor . . . . . . . « . . . . . . . . . . 117

Scopus ..... ....... 118

Requests .. ...... 118

Annual Orchid Show , . ........... 119

Special Film Show 119

Socieuy Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . » « . . 120

Nev/ Members 121

Society Functions 122

A ¥OTE OE THE ELORA AHD EAUHA OE TWO SEAS ORAL
SWAMPS II THE RIET VALLEY

The fauna and flora of local temporary or seasonal s¥/amps
have not received much attention but to a naturalist they should
be fascinatingo Unf ortunat ely j all too often, time does not
allow a proper study. This note reports on v\rhat we have been
able to undertake over a series of visits to a seasonal swamp
area in the Rift Valley, to the West of the Ngong Hills, Kenya,

The main sv/amp and lake, which is nameless, lies at about
1800m above sea level, belov/ the Hgong Hills at 1 23.5 ’S and

36 35 'E, They are shov/n on the 1; 50, 000 map as being some

2866m long by 758m wide. There is a smaller swamp area to the
West, on -slightly higher ground. To our knowledge and on ques-
tioning the loaal people, no appreciable water has accumulated
in these hollows since 19.6 2., the last period of heavy and susta-
ined rainfall. Throughout 1970 - 1977 this area has been more
or less arid, almost a desert, v/ith little in the way of green
vegetation other than Acacia sp,, Eicus sp. on„t.he J.scarp’
walls and a few hardy, drought-resistant shrubs and small trees,
including Dr ac aena ellenbeckiana.

This year, 1977, we have experienced almost unprecedented
rainfall, particularly during Eebruary - May, The nearest
recording point comparable to the swamp area is Ololkisaili to
the South which has recorded the follov/ing; January 48,4mm,
Eebruary 1 6 0 . 9m.m, • March 9.1mm, April 311»6miii5 May- 135.6mm,
June 26,2mm and July nil, .This total of 691,8mm fell on 44
days. during the period. In 1976 Ololkisaili recorded a total
of only 266,3inm which fell 'on 27 days, mostly during April and
May, As there are no rainfall reco'rds on the immediate vicinity
of these -swamps, these rainfall figures can be taken as reasona-
baly representative of the area. It is sufficient to say that
the swamps, with up to 2m of water, have been more or less dry
for at least 10' years and probably more,

CvS visited these swamps for duck shooting during 1938,
1939 and 1951 | all years of high rainfall, LKR , this year,
during the course of his duties, had flown repeatedly over the
area and noted the flooding of the low lying areas. On 26th
June he v/as able to visit the large swamp and lake (Swamp l) by
travelling over appalling tracks but was able to confirm his
aerial observations that there ?/ere a great number of v/ater
fowl and that the Great Crested Grebes, Podiceps cr ist atus ,
were displaying.

96

It would appear that the first rains flooded the lov/er
areas and certain vegetation responded to it. Further flooding
resulted in this early growth being drov;ned and left under
extremely turbid water. On our first visit the water was slowly
but cleai-ly receding. There was no grass or sedge such as
Cyperaceae around the shore as v;ould have been expected. Little
green could be seen in the lake except at one point where there
was a thin cover of sedge. One species of aquatic plant,
Aponogetum abyss inicus , was only represented by dead and decom-
posing foliage. This was probably due to the turbidity of the
water preventing sufficient light getting to the plants, which,
however, responded when the lake level fell tov/ards the end of
the month by sending out new green shoots. The dead leaves were
extensively used by the Grebes for their floating nests.

The lake contained a considerable number of Acacia trees
particularly at the southern end', all standing in water. Most
of these were one or two metres above water level with a few
taller ones which formed the nesting sites for a number of
species of birds. Some of these Acacia nilo t ica had died,
while others were covered in yellow pompom flowers.

On our earlier visits the water was 'alive' v/ith countless
miriads of all sorts of swimming organisms. Crustacea of many
kinds were everywhere and could be scooped out with a fine mesh
net. There v/ere at least two species of Branchipoda and Ostrac-
oda of various sizes from pin-head and less to creatures over a
centimetre in length. These, of course, formed a rich food for
the Y/ater birds. Their life span is short but they leave a mass
of desiccation-resistant eggs in the mud. Their millions of
scintillating microscopic 'shells' v/ere seen trapped on the
cattle footprints where they had died as the v/ater level receded.
On 24th July the edges of the upper sv/amp had been v/ell trampled
by cattle and the footprints v/ere found to be full of mosquito
larvae, both Anophaline and Culicine,

Of particular interest was the presence of vast numbers of
the fresh water snail, Bulinus sp,, a known intermediate host
of various flukes, Trematodes, including the human Schist as oma
(Silharzia), Lither birds had introduced these snails or they
had survived the years of desiccation buried deep in the dried
mud. This species and others are known to be able to lie dormant
for some yea.rs but 10 years or more appears to be an excessively
long time I

Plants may have also been introduced by birds or their
seeds lain dormant all those years. One plant found was the
submerged v/ater weed, Utricularia g i b b a , with its filmy foliage
and emergent racemes of yellov/ flowers. We did not, however.

97

find this species 5 nor the snails, in the upper sv/aiap (Swamp 2)
which suggests that those in the main swamp had managed to with-
stand the desiccation, for surely both the snails and the plant
would also have been introduced into Swamp 2 by birds ?

A few clusters of
together with a very int
Slat in e sp. which awaits
the first record of the
Sahara (Mr Gillett & Dr
arrive at the swamp ? C
come from ?

the

water

f

ern

Mars

ell

,ia

e r e s

ting s

mall

wat e

r plan

det

erminat

ion .

Th

is

spe

f ami

ly

in

E

as t

Af ri

ca

and

Ball

j

per

s

. c 0

mm. )

0

How

ar ri

ed

by

b

irds

9

If

so ,

sp« v/ere seen
t, the aquatic
cies is probably
South of the
did this plant
where did it

Progs, of course, were numerous, mostly juveniles and five
species were collected (det, A» Duf f-MacKay ) . These were metam-
orphosing Kassina senegalensis ; a species v/ith black spots on
a white belly, Carcost ernum boett zeri ; a tree frog, Hyperolius
viridif lavus f enr i gue and a stout toad, Pyxic ephalus delalandi .
In the smaller upper sv/amp tadpoles of the Clawed Toad, Xenopus
sp, v/ere seen in their thousands in all stages of development.

A single example was collected from the larger swamp and doubt-
less these formed the main food of the Grebes and other v/ater
birds .

Several Terrapins, Pelomedusa subruf a were noted, some
small and others v/ith a carapace at least 30cm across. The
question arises as to how they survive the years of drought or
where had they come from and how had they found the swamp ?

Insect life was represented by small clusters of '\7hirligig
Beetles, Gyrinidae , and by hundreds of gaudy Dragonflies, part-
icularly the bright blue bodied Orthet rum sp., banded-winged
Brachy themis sp. and the marbled-winged Palpopleura sp. The
scarlet Tri themis and the broad-bodie dj scarlet Croc o themis sp.
were plentiful, as was a species of Pant ala. Hov/ever, these
species were virtually absent from the upper swamp and v/ere
replaced by the slender-bodied Demoiselle Dragonflies, the
blue-green Pseudagrion sp. , a Le s t e s sp. and the orange-red
Cereagrion sp. These smaller dragonflies v/ere absent from the
lower swamp until 24th July when a few v/ere seen.

Butterflies were a feature along the muddy shoreline where
groups of the bright yellov/ Pieridae , Bur ema brigitta gathered
to feed on the v/hite liquid bird droppings in the wet mud.

These were joined by the white Pierid, Belenois au rota and the
Liar oon- 1 ip , C 0 1 0 1 i s danae . Also present is what is probably
the world’s best known butterfly, the Painted Lady, ¥ an e s s a
cardui . These were in large numbers, some feeding at the bird
droppings. The common Yellow Pansy, Pr e c i s hiert a , v/ith its

98

large yellow patches on the hindwings and its relative the Blue
Pansy, Precis oenone , v/ith blue patches on the hindwing, were
everywhere in the grass or feeding on the mud. On 10th July, at
mid-day, while we were at lunch, we witnessed a mass migration
of the two latter species. They flew past, between the car and
the lake edge in their hundreds per minute, flying low and moving
steadily southwards.

Mammals in the area and around the lake were not plentiful
but we did see a fine herd of Eland, Tauro tragus oryx , on two
visits and on each trip a few Grant's Gazelle, Gazella grant!
v/ith the occasional Giraffe, Giraf f a Camelopardalis . A pair
of Bat-eared Poxes, Oc t o c yon megalot is sat at an earth near the
upper swamp v/hich clearly at one time had been flooded. This
earth appeared to be a disused burrow of an Aardvark, Or yc t er opus
af er , and all around the shore there were many such burrows
which made driving somev/hat hazardous. In the mud we recognised
tracks of Jackal, Can is sp, and Lion, P an t h e r a 1 e o , but we were
confused by the many tracks and small prints of small carnivora
which doubtless prey on the nesting birds. On 24th July prints
of Leopard, P an t h e r a p ardus and the Ratel or Honey Badger,
Mellivora capensis were found, those of the Ratel clearly show-
ing the very long digging claws on the front feet,

Birdlife was remarkable and one could only ask how did all
these birds find the swamps and what induced them to stay and
breed ? Breeding must have started soon after the onset of
the rains in February, The following notes will give some idea
of the attractivness of these very important seasonal v/etlands.

On 17th July we had the use of a small boat which made exploration
of the lake more comfortable than slogging through the mud or
wading in deep water which prevented us from closely examining
many potential nest sites.

Outstanding and suprising was the nesting colony of Spoon-
bills, Plat alea alba intermingled \7ith Sacred Ibis, Thre skornis
aethiopica, and Long-tailed Cormorants, Phalacrocorax af r ic anus .
The largest tree held nests of all tiiree species plus a pair of
Yellovz-billed Egret, Egr e 1 1 a intermedia which had tv70 well grov/n
youngsters. In this same tree we found five Ibis still sitting
on eggs plus 2S juvenile birds almost ready to fly. On another
tree 'were three pairs of Spoonbills each with three juveniles
at an advanced stage, thcagh not ready to fly. Cormorant
juveniles and adults numbered some 20+, In another tree there
were tv/o nests and seven juvenile Spoonbills and a fourth tree
held only one Spoonbill nest, again with three large youngsters.

On 24th July there were four late Spoonbills sitting on eggs
while three more Yellovz-billed Egrets were nesting and had clut-
ches of 1 , 2 and 5 blue eggs vvhile a fourth was nest building.

99

A fifth tree had many nests but all were empty except for an
oldeggofaSpoonbill,

On 7th August a further check was made and it was found
that all the young Spoonbills 5 Ibis and Cormorants had left the
colony and that there were nine new nests of Spoonbillj nine
of Cormorants and a Yellow-billed Egret 5 all with eggs.

V/hile we v/ere investigating a large juvenile Ibis fell
from its nest into the water and appeared to commence s?/imming
so v/e turned back to rescue it. Our efforts were unnecessary
as the bird swam directly to an Ac ac ia and climbed up into the
branches with remarkable agility. Ve had no idea that an Ibis
could sv^im, however another youngster must have fallen into the
v/ater as vre recovered its body near the shore ?/here it had been
blown, A single Fish Eagle 5 Haliae tus vo c if er had found it
but had not yet started to feed when v/e disturbed it. The Eagle
had been standing in at least 23cm of water by the carcass.

At Swamp 2 5 v/hich contained far more half-drowned Acacia
trees j we found another nesting colony of Ibis and Cormorant,

The nests v/ere in a thicket of Acacia , v/hich made close examin-
ation difficult j however Y'le counted 17 juvenile Ibis and seven
Cormorant. Parents came readily to the nests to feed the young
unperturbed by our presence a fev/ metres away.

Crebes of three species \?ere present in numbers 5 one of
these 5 the Great Crested Grebe we had seen displaying earlier
in June and July. On 17th July, having a boat, we were ablevto
examine any collection of weed that might have been a Grebe's
nest. In all we located the following numbers t Great Crested
Grebe v?ith nests containing clutches of 1, 4, 6, 1, 2, 2, 6, 4?

I5 4j 4, and on 24th July a further clutch 1 and 2. On 7th
August Y'fe located a further nine nests of this bird with clutches
1, 2, 3? 2, 3j 3s 2, 3s and 1, Many of these were still white,

indicating that they v/ere nev/ly lo.id.

Black-necked Grebes, P o d i c e p s caspicus had clutch 1 and 3
and the Little Grebe or Babchick, Tachybapyus ruf icollis , had
clutch 2, 4, 6, 3s and 1, On 7bh August, two further nests were
found containing clutch 1 and 1, Some nests contained very
fresh eggs almost immaculate pale blue-white but other eggs
were very brown stained from the v/ater weeds with v/hich the
birds cover their eggs v/hen they leave the nest. On 24th July
we located two further .Black-necked Grebe nests with clutches
6 and 4o There v/ere many pairs with chicks at various stages
which we found more difficult to count. Many of the Grebe nests
were supported on submerged branches of the Acacia trees, making
it a 'prickly’ business to get close enough to count the clutches.

1 00

At one point, though nests could be seen, we just
penetrate the thicket.

could not

Other nesting waterfowl were duck
islands as nest sites. These islands

3 v/hich used the little
were formed of old termite

mounds. On such places, on 10th July v/e found tv/o nests of

the African Pochard

22, the second with a minature

iT e 1 1 a erythrophthalma ,

egg

were checked on 17th July
19, again v/ith a minature

( taken )
we found that the
egg (again taken)

with clutches 9 and
When these nests
clutch 22 was now
liormal eggs

measured 58 x 43i'iim while the minatures were 4-2 x 33mm. The
clutch nine had been reduced to six a.nd a third nest had
appeared with four eggs plus a fourth empty nest. All these
nests were within about 30cm of each other. On 7th August we
found another Pochard with clutch 13. On a second small island
we found a Pochard v/ith clutch 12 with one egg out of the nest.
This nest was within a metre of that of a Black-v/inge d Stilt,
Himant opus himant opus v/hich contained tvvo normal pyriform khaki
eggs with black blotches together with a small abnormal egg
of pale blue with feint blotched markings (taken). The normal
egg measured 43 ~ 44 x 31kuh while the abnormal one v/as 41.5 x
31mm. On 17th July this clutch had two normal eggs.

An Egyptian Goose, Alopo
on v\rhat was probably a nest
On 17th July we located a Re
in a flotilla of nine newly
one of these had been lost,
Pendrocygna bicolor was seen
on the lithe Moccoa Pucks,
bill and stiff upright tails
vfe could not locate a nest,
insufficient cover of grass
nesting condition. Many nes
in another swamp further up
Moccoa is said to often use
Crested Grebe. On 18th Augu
find a nest of the Moccoa wi
was of dry grass well hidden
Acacia branch which had fall
down lining to the nest and

chen aegyptiaca was seen sitting

but we ommited to inspect it,
d-billed Puck, Anas erythrorhynchos
hatched ducklings but by 14th July
A single Pulvous Tree Puck,
on 9th July and it v/as still there
Oxyura moccoa with their bright blue
were present in small numbers but
It is possible that there was
or Cyperus as this is their preferred
ts were found in 1938 - 39 by CvS
the valley. In South Africa the
the floating nests of the Great
st we were fortunate enough to
th a clutch of four eggs. The nest
amongst grass growing over an
en into the water. There was a
the eggs were very fresh.

Other breeding birds seen were Stilts and the Blacksmith
Plover, Vanellus armatus and we located the follov/ing nests:
three of the Stilt, each with four eggs and another found on
24th July with four eggs. There were three Plovers nests of
four eggs. On 10th July we located one Stilt with a clutch of
two on a tiny island but left this to examine another tree and
returned some ten minutes later and found a newly hatched chick
floating in the water. It was lying ’doggo' , feining dead.

101

V/e persuaded it to swim to shore where it climbed out on rather
wobbly legs 5 and to our suprise v/e found that the nest had
only one eggo The youngster had hatched in the fev/ minutes
we were away. V/e found several other young Stilts and many
of these were swiniming„ V/e remarked on the close resemblance
of a two week old Stilt to the Marsh Sandpiper 5 Tr inga
st agnat alls , both in general colour pattern and sizoo V/e
presume the Stilts must have come from Lake Magadij the near-
est place where the indigenous birds occurj for we knov/'that
the Magadi water level has been very high and possibly unsuit-
able for them to feed or breedc 'They went through various
distraction acrobatics and aerobatics when we approached the
nests. Some birds appeared to deliberatly fall into the water
and then proceed v/ith the ’ br oken-wing ' behaviour. The Black-
smith Plovers v/ere just as noisy in their protests at the
invasion of their nest territory.

Coots 5 Pu 1 i c a cr is t at a , v/ere present but no nests were
found. Moorhens, Gallinula chloropus v/ere numerous and we
located a number of nests up in the flooded Ac ac ias . Many
youngsters v/ere seen of all ages, often without parents in
attendance. Bests found contained clutches of 6, 3 5 and
there were 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, and 3 juveniles in nests.

We found the Common Sandpiper, Tringa hyp o leu c a at both
sv/amps but no evidence of nesting. These v/ere either over-
summering birds or very early migrant arrivals.

On 17 th July v/e noted Crowned Cranes, Balearica re gulp rum,
behaving in an odd manner, one of the birds running ahead of
the car along the grassy track. V/e discovered it was being
follov/ed by a small fluffy brown and cream coloured chick which
we were able to catch up with and examine v/hen it hid in the
grass. This chick v/as again seen on 24th July.

Other breeding birds were a pair of Cut-throat Pinches,
Ama.dina f as c iat a in an abandoned nest of the Chestnut Weaver,

Plo c eus rubiginosus , in a small Acacia tree less than 2m high.
Another Weaver nest had been taken over and adapted by a Superb
Starling, S p r e o sup er bus and contained two newly fledged young-
sters. Another nest was that of the Grey Plycatcher, Bradornis
michr orhyn chus , v/hich had two young, one considerably bigger
than the other. On 24th July at Swamp 2, a nest of the Kenya
Rufous Sparrow, Passer iagoensis , was found v/ith two eggs.

Other birds noted at the Swamp were Hottentot Teal, Anas
hott ent o t a and Knob-billed Goose, Sarkidiornls me 1 an o t a . A

single European Stork, Cic onia c ic onia v/as present on the 10th
and 17th July, with a Great White Pelican, Pel ecanus on ocro talus .

102

Possibly the most interesting bird was a single fine Osprey^

Pan d ion halisetus , which flew over us on 1?th July, This bird
must have strayed a considerable distance 5 for Naivasha must
surely be the nearest locality for the species. Squacco Herons
Arde ola rail o ides were present and at the smaller swamp tv'fo sub-
adult light Herons 5 Hyc t ic orax nyo t icorax in their speckled
plumage. Grey Heron j Ardea c inerea and Black-headed Heron,

Arde a me lano c ephala Y<rere also present.

vie found Painted Snipe, Hos tratula benghalensis , a male
and two sub-adults or large chicks. They were hiding under a
submerged Acacia. The male flew off, then dropped into the
v/ater and swam to shore. Meanwhile the tv/o youngsters floated,
feining dead thus allovfing us to photograph them at a range of
80cm or so. Ho nest was found.

Casual visitors were a single Grey-headed Gull, Larus
c irr o c ephalus , seen on 10th and 17th July and a \7hit e-wing ed
Black Tern, St-erna leucoptera in breeding plumage and another
in non-breeding dress. On 14th July these Terns were still
present but joined by five or six whiskered Terns, 3 1 e rn a
hybrida in non-breeding plumage.

On 10th July a single Y/hite-breast ed Cormorant,

Phalacroc orax c arb o was spotted and in the grasslands were
Cattle Egrets, Egr e 1 1 a ibis and Great White Bgr e t s (Her on ) ,

Ardea alba . On 24th July Dr T. Mathews and party sav/ an African
Spotted Crake 5 P o r z an a p o r z an a , and several Painted Snipe.

Hew birds seen on 7th August included, with three Great White
Pelicans 5 three Pink-backed Pelicans, Pelica,nus ruf escens .

The Squacco and Hight Herons had increased in number, feeding
on tadpoles in the sliallo’ws and had been joined by 11 Glossy
Ibis, Plegadis f ale inellus . The number of palaearctic migrant
V/aders had increased. Among these v/ere Curlew Sandpipers,
Cali-dris f erruginea , v/ith a lot of brown Summer plumage and
some Ruff, Phil omachus pugnax , some of which retained traces
of breeding plumage.

To the East of the sv/amp there is a spectacular cliff
rising some 150m and on this we found a pair of mature Egyptian
Vultures, H e ophr on perchopt erus , 'with a sub-adult
August the p
twice entere
a nest. DKR
Polyboroides
biarmicus .

birds v/ere seen to enter a deep vertical crevice
occasions, ' ' ~ "

uented .the c

On 7th

air of adults were seen copulating and one bird
d a hole in the cliff face where it must have had
was also fortunate to see a Harrier-Hawk,

ale on, Ealco

J-

ypu

s

wh

ich

was

at

t

ack

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d

by

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0

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in

which

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man

on

several
Ltixi , freq-

103

Swif t s

ColuEiba p;ulnea , wliicii were calling loudlyo Swallows 5
and Martins frequented the cliff face. Rock Hyrax, He t er ohyr ax
b ru c e i could be heard giving their wierd calls.

As a finale we would like to report that on 24th July
hr T„ Mathews and party sav/ a fine Leopard on the rocks on the
track to the swamp. Later, on our return, we examined the pug
marks on the track and discovered that the Leopard had been
accompanied by a juvenile. This is great news. Xle also saw
Klipspringer 5 Or e o tragus oreotragus on the rocks and Steinbuck
Raphic erus campestris in the grass and bush.

G.R. Cunningham van Someren, &
P.O, Box 406585
IT AIR OB I,

h.R. Richards,
P.O. Box 41 95 T ,
HAIR OBI.

A GRASSHOPPER-V/ARBLER

P R OM H GURU MAH E S C AR PME H T ,

KEHYA

A Gras shopp er-Wa
captured in a mist net
netting site was locat
55 55' E longitude 5 in
SY/amp near the source
2,000m, The bird was
released .

Th

e

in

it ial

p 0 s

s

VYas

d

is c

oun t

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1 0

bla

ck

sp

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on the

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dark

c en

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(end

of

t

end

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ong e s t

t a

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and small

tha

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lo c

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Ci

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ic

ola.

rbler. Locus tella nae via nae via was
at 0645 hrs. on 19th June 1977. The
ed at approximately 1 49 ' S latitude,
dense undergrowth at the edge of a
of the Emungur orkine River, at elevation
ringed, described, photographed and

ibility that the bird was a Cisticola
the rounded tail, lack of subterminal
1 feathers, long under-tail coverts v;ith
ail coverts approximately 12mm from the
1 feather), streaked flanks, small streaks
feet. The pointed v/ing also indicated
likely a Palaearctic migrant than a

The following part
VYing length 6 5mm; bill,
tail, brown VYitli light b
tail or VYing moult. The
nor VY o rn .

iculars VYere also noted : VYeight , 12,0g

black above horn below; ii'is, dark brown
arrings; tarsus and feet, pink; no body,
tips of the primaries VYere neither nevY

G.R, Cunningham van Someren, L.J. Pearson, G.C. Backhurst,
CcJ. Mead (B.T.O,, Tring, U.K.) were consulted and shown photo-
graphs of the bird and all confirmed the identification of the
bird as a Grasshopper-Warbler. Of the other possible streaked
Locus tella species, the Lanceolate Warbler, _L, lance Plata is
much smaller then the Hguruman bird, while Pallas's Grasshopper-
Vlarbler, L. c e r t h i o 1 a and Middendorf's Grasshipper-Warbler ,

ochot ensis should ?/eigh well over 1 2g and have v/hite at or
near the tips of the tail feathers. (Williams on , Kenneth,
Identification for Ringers, 1. The Genera C e 1 1 a , Locust ella ,

Acr 0 c ephalus and Hippolais , June 1974, British Trust for
Ornithology, )

This is the first record of a Gr asshopper-V/arbler for East
Africa, the nearest previous record being from Ethiopia, It is
remarkable that the bird was captured in June, when most Palaea-
rctic migrants are completely absent from East Africa.

The migration routes and breeding habits of the Grasshopper-
Warbler have always been a mystery (Moreau, R.E., The Palaearc tic-
Af rican Bird Migration Systems , Academic Press, London & Rev/ York,
1972, p, 99 j . Hopefully, future netting and observation of birds
in the Rguruman v/ill begin to shed light on this little-known
species .

Vincent C, Eayad,

Christine C. Payad,

P.O. Box 14790,

NAIROBI.

A BSPIRITE SIGHTING

OP THE TAITA PALCON

On 12th July 1977 at about 0730 hrs, I was having break-
fast at Banda No. 1 of Ngulia Safari Camp in Tsavo West National
Park, Kenya, v/hen a rather small Palcon dashed tov/ards the water
hole. I first thought it was an African Hobby, Pale o cuvieri ,
but then the Palcon sat on the dead tree closest to the bahdas,
V/ith my fourty times magnifying telescope I could realise at
the first glance that it v/as a Taita Palcon, Pale o f asciinucha.
There v/as a very broad mo.ustachial stripe as in the Peregrine,
Pale o peregrinus , which neither the Banner, Pale o biarmicus ,
nor the Hobby have, a brownish black crown and two very distinct
chestnut patches at either side (left and right) of the nape,
joined by a slightly paler and narrower horizontal band, below
v/hich there were two more pprallel but paler chestnut stripes
running dov/n the hind neck. Eyelids, cere, feet and toes were
yellow, bill bluish grey v/ith blackish tip. Above (only seen
from the side) it ‘was brownish grey and belov/ huffish white at
the throat and from chest to under tail coverts pinkish chestnut
with few very small and tv/o bigger dark spots at the flanks.

The tail was rather short, giving an Ov/l-like appearance to the
body from some angles. When flying off at eye-level the rump
looked rather pale in comparison to the rest of the upperparts.

and

ii:

Pro

ban

bir

ban

off

it

con

and

pre

aga

the

it

the

After a short while the Falcon took off high into the air
in the distance it stooped at a Swallow or Swift but missed
and returned to .another tree at the side of the banda.
fessor Skinner and his wife happened to be in one of the
das and I called them to witness. After quite a while the
d took off again but only to sit on the tree in front of the
das j where we could study it thoroughly. Eventually it took

again 5 went high into
could be seen making a
tinue my breakfast 5 it

the air and against the opposite hill
vertical stoop. When I was about to
appeared again from low over the plain

swung a third time on to that particular tree, v/here it
ened itself intensively. At about 0830 hrs, it took off
in and this time disappeared into the distant haze. Since
bird appeared so familiar v/ith that tree I watched out for
the next morning but in vain.

re

I have observed lanners and African Hobbies as well and
is no doubt that it was neither of them.

Hermann Pelchen,
P.O. Box 47097 3
HAIROBI,

Fu

r the

f is

ch

eri

in

I w

ou

Id

like

Th

is b

sam

e

for

es t

two

w

e ek

s of

was

p

res

en t

W i

thin

as

f our

t ime

be

on

a

well

MOTES OH BIRDS SEEN IH DIAHI FOREST, KENYA

r to our note on the Spotted Ground Thrush, Tur dus
October 1976 , (eAHHS Bulletin , July/August 1 97 7 ) ?
to add the following report.

ird was seen on no less than tv/elve days in this
during the last two weeks of June and the first
July. On two of these occasions, a second bird
simultaneously,

the time of v\ratching, the bird was seen as often
s in the same area, suggesting that this site might
used circuit.

The bir
usually settl
the ground fr
feed in the u

d arrived with a
ed on any conven
om which, after
sual Thrush mann

rapid, purp
ient branch
a few mom.ent
er .

o s

S 5

eful flight, an
st over a metre
he descended t

d

from

o

On three
about 10,30 a, m
ned and sang a
some duration,
noise, possibly

occasions having
, 3 he alighted an
delightful, faint
He wras also seen
a type of alarm

visited once ot
d, instead of f
3 but well sust
and heard to u
call , not unlik

tw/ic e

and

at

e eding

he

pr e e

aine d

song

of

1 1 er a

' se

e e e t

e that

of

the

106

Dusky Dlycatcherj Muse icapa adus ta ,
made v/ith the bill wide open.

but rather longer,

Thi!

xs

These observations took place just 50m beyond .the point
where the well-used coral surfa,ced track to the Robinson Baobab
Staff Quarters turns sharp right into the compound, continuing
along the old road which runs along the South side of the
quarters, from which it is separated by a strip of forest about
thirty metres wide.

The method used v/as simply to sit quietly in the car for
up to two hours, -during which time the birds and certain mammals
(Red Duiker, Gephalophus harveyi , Suni, Peso tragus moscIi3.tus ,

and a pair of unidentified Elephant- Shrew ; became quite accus-
tomed to our presence, and even a small green Snake slid
quietly over a branch just in front of the bonnet of the car.

The same site showed us,
days 5 the Pigmy Kingfisher, C_e
single bird arrived first in a
looking about from a perch not
occasion, we v/ere standing qui

second b
round- an
: bush no
with bi

Almo s

t immed

iat ely ,

a

most

d^^amat i

c ,

nois

y 5

bare

twig

S 0

f

a lit

tl^

diame

ter.

T?

ven tual

ly

the bushe

s b

e 1

ov/ , t

he :

Hawk

Mo th

s „

A c

onf

id

ent p

ai;

ruf us

wer

e h

op

p ing

abi

site

this

mo

rn

ing f

or

Eve

ry

vi

sit t

0 ■

This

t ime

it

w

as a

gl:

t aile

d Cu

cko

0,

Cere

0 C I

on no less than
yx pic ta. On on
very excited st
three metres fr
etly making bird
ird arrived and
d-round flight a
more than a cou
11s locke d , both
beating like tho

eight seperate
e of these , a
ate calling and
om where, on this
call recordings,
there ensued the
11 within the
pie of metres in
birds fell into
se of two giant

' of Red-tailed Ant Thrush,
)ut on fallen branches just
the last time this holiday,

Peso onyphus
as v/e left the

do not show any of th
Prom the glirapse that
dark brown on its upp
same but with olive g
spaced down the later
Barred long-tailed Cu
help please ?

this forest leaves us with new
impse of v/hat could only have b
o c cyx sp, though Mackworth-Prae
ese three occuring regularly in
we had ,
er parts
reen and
al feath

c k o 0 , _Ce

we noted that the bird
, and that the tail was
white, the latter regu
ers. Might this have b
rcococcyx mon t anus ? C

challenge s .
een a long-
d and Grant
this area,
v/as a rich,
of the
1 arly
een the
an anybody

In view of all that is being said and v/ritten these
days about the need to conserve forests, it is unbelievable
that a considerable portion of this lovely woodland is already
marked out for cultivation. Can anything be done to save it. ?

107

The bird seen was almost certainly _Co mont anus recorded at
the coast from the Tana River to Shimoni. The most recent
record is a skin collected by Pel. Britton from Shimoni.

G.R. Cunningham- van Someren^ Bird Room^ Rational Museum,

Geoffrey & Dorothy Irvine 5
P.C.EoA. Ohogoria Hospital,
P.0, Box 5035s . OHOGORIA,
Kenya,

GREAT SPOTTED CUCKOO

On 14th August 1977s Jean Hayes, Michael Clifton and I
were fortunate enough to observe a young Great Spotted Cuckoo,
Clamat or glandar ius being fed by a pair of Blue-eared Glossy
Starlings, Lamp r o t o rn i s chalybaeus .

The

bi

rd

v/as

s e

en on

the S

Kenya

in

Mr

c.

h3

IV

0

mp s

on ' s

garden

Hr s P ,

Nash

rep

ort

e d

that

there

which

the

St

arl

ing

s h

ad raised.

and hi

s g

ar d

en

on

1 2t

h August,

of fee

din

g i

t s e

If ,

an

d was

s e en

’ par en

t '

was

ne

ar

i t

begge

d for

South Lake Road, Lake
, Both he and his s;
had been three young
and two had left the
The remaining Cuckoo

to do so

However

It would be interesting to know, maybe from I
Britton, the I'lest Record Scheme organizer, if the I
Glossy Starling is a known host of the Great Spotted Cuckoo

Naiv

asha ,

.s t

er

Cu

ck

00 s

'P

ar

ent s ’

wa

s

c apable

.±

a

i H

az

el

.e-

eared

Gu

ck

00 c

Dennie Angwin ,
P, 0. Box 72833 f
NAIROBI.

EAST AERICAN NEST RECORD CARD SCHEME

I am writing to report progress on the analysis of the
above Scheme. I anticipate being able to complete analysis of
the Non-Passerines by the end of June or the first few days
of July. The matter has been delayed by a series of -more or
less serious illnesses, a grinding volume of other literary
work during 1976, and last but not least, gratuitous incarcer-
ation as a dangerous spy in Som.alia in Pebruary and March of
this year for five y/eeks, simply because I had the ill-luck to
be a passenger in an aircraft that made an emergency landing in
Somalia due to compass error, Hov/ever, the end of this analy-
tical tunnel is now in sight.

108

Peter Britton has already completed his analysis of the
Passerines 5 so that during August 5 and perhaps earlier 5 we shall
be able to collaborate on the 'Discussion' section of this paper^
which will be the most difficult to do in some v/ays , and also
the most importanto The analysis of species records iSj
basically j a statistical chore 5 taking time 5 but requiring no
other powers than patience 5 perseverance 5 and attention to
details However^ the discussionj based on five main climatic
regions 5 with differing rainfall regimes, in East Africa, will
require refrence'to much other ¥/ork. It is also abundantly
clear from the species data that simple answers to the problems
of why birds breed at certain seasons will not be available,
since the sa,me species may breed in the rains in one regime and
the dry season in another. I feel inclined to preface the paper
by a quotation from H.!. Mencken (quoted by Dr Dean Amadon in
a paper of his in Raptor Research 9; (1/2) p„ 1 -- 11; 1975 ) ;

'Eor every complex problem there is a simple answer and it
is v;rong'

Or alternatively, to quote the late Professor Jock Marshall,
with whom I v/as discussing Y/ynne-Edwards ’ controversial theories
in 1964; he said that it v-ms absu.rd to suppose that any one
theory ¥Vould explain every possible set of c ir cum.s t an c e s . And
he was right.

Altho'ugh this analysis, which has taken me personally
months of v/ork, may pose as many queries as it answers, it
does, for many species, cleanly show peak breeding dates, and
pinpoints many subjects for future research. There are a very
large number of species with less than ten breeding records
which are common and widespread, for example, the Hammerkop ,
^ojDUS umbjvetta ar. d the Y/hite- crowned Shrike, Eur o c ephalus
anguit imens . There are far more records for Ayres Hawk Eagle,
Hieraae tus dubius (generally considered a very rare bird) than
for the Banner Ea.lcon, Ea,l c o biarmicus which also has fev/er
records than the Peregrine Falcon, F, p er egrinus , though the
latter is far more local and much less numerous. There is no
recent breeding record for the Silvery-cheeked Hornbill ,
Bycanistes brevis . Any numbej? of similar examples could be
given, though of course there are a large number of records
for some common species.

Having slaved through all this mass of m.aterial I want to
make a plea for all , repeat all future breeding records to be
put on cards, as ?/ell as, or instead of, being reported else-
where. In recent times the Bird Room of the national Museum
has been sending out. a newsletter which contains, inter alia,
numerous breeding records. I do not know how many of these are
put on cards, though I do know that Mr Cunningham van Someren
has been active in pushing the Rest Record Card Scheme. *

109

I would urge those who give their records to Mr van Soraereii
for his newsletter to get a supply of cards and fill then in
in the field; it takes a maximum of two minutes per card for
the first visit, giving good detail ('which is very often omitted

I would also plead that those who record an unusual breeding
record in the literature to do so also on a card. There are,
for instance, relatively few records for the Half- c ollared King-
fisher, Alcedo s emit or quat a and one recent one, the first for
Kenya, is not on a card. If those who consider filling in a
card or two nov/ and then an intolerable chore, they should try
v/ading through masses of literature checking references and
attempting, as far as possible, to avoid missing any record of
importance or, again, duplicating something recorded on a card.
If one only had to deal with the cards instead of. strewing one’s
study floor with books and journals at the same time, it would
have taken a far shorter time to complete this work.

The finished paper, when it appears, should rank as a land-
mark in African ornithology. To my knov/ledge, no other Nest
Record Card Scheme anywhere in the world has been analysed in
full, nor has any thorough attempt been made to relate breeding
seasons to climate in most areas of the tropics, V/e have attem-
pted to analyse not only the records on cards but all those we
have been able to locate in the literature, going back to the
early years of this Century, sometimes earlier, so that this
paper should be regarded as the definitive work on the breeding
seasons of East African birds, and will probably be the only
such thing available for any major tropical region anywhere in
the world.

Dr Leslie Brown,

P.O, Box 24916,

NAIROBI ,

gham van Someren reports that a majority of the
records published in the Bird Room Newsletter
recorded on the Nest Record Scheme Cards, Ed.

ord Scheme Cards are available in the Bird Room, the
eum and in the Society’s office also at the Museum,
-/5 per card. Ed,

RINGING NEWS

Bird Ringing in Kenya is permitted again. The Ringing
Scheme itself has a permit which is issued to me and all the
current Kenya ringers are listed in an Appendix to it. Anyone
wanting to ring birds should get in touch with me, giving full

*

Mr

Gunn in

br e

e d

ing

hav

e

been

Ne

s t

Re c

Na

t ion

al

Mus

Co

s t ;

Ct s .

details of his or her ringing experience (particulars of foreign
ringing permits would be a big help), and I will apply to the
Yfildlife Conservation and Management Department for the nev/
name to be added to the Appendix, In some cases the applicant
will not be an experienced ringer, so I will then put him in
touch v/ith an established ringer for training. More ringers
are required, so if anyone is interested, please contact me.

The Ringing Report covering the three years from 1st July
1974 to 30th June 1977 should be published in the Journal soon.

It shows that the amount of ringing in East Africa continues at
about the same level, but with very little done in Uganda or
Tanzania, Some interesting recoveries are reported, a selection
of v/hich is given below. The report contains our longest dist-
ance recovery (a Ruff), and our fastest (a Marsh Warbler), also
there are some interesting recoveries of Ethiopian Region birds.

Nov/ for brief details of some of the recoveries s a Curlew
Sandpiper, Calidr is f erruginea from Magadi was shot in Iran
three years later and a little Stint, _C, minu t a , one of compar-
atively few ringed at Ferguson’s Gulf, Lake Turkana, was caught
in a mist net in Kazakhstan during part of Dr E,I, Gavrilov’s
ringing programme; unfortunately though this bird died before
it could be released. There are tv/o Ruff, Philomachus pugnax
recoveries to north-eastern Siberia, both of which had been
ringed at Nakuru; one at 125 E and the otner to no less than
153 40 'E - over 11 000km from Nakuru, A Wood Sandpiper, Tr inga

gl areola to the Gor’kii Region of U.S.S.R, was one of only a
handfull ringed in v/estern Kenya at Bunj^ala Rice Project. The
first ever recoveries of Marsh Sandpiper, st agnat ilis have at

last come in, one to the Transvaal and the other to the breeding
area in the Soviet Union.

The European or Barn Swallow, Hi run do rus tica always
produces a good number of recoveries and there are seven foreign
ones, all to the U.S.S.R, except one, found in Iraq, There
are nine foreign recoveries of Yellow Wagtails, Mot ac ilia f lava ,
seven to Saudi Arabia and one to Iran, This species tops the
individual species ringing list at nearly 43 000,

The report is notable for the re c 0 veri e s ’ of Passerines ringed
at Ngulia Lodge in Tsavo National Park (West); five Marsh Warb-
lers, Acrocephalus p alus t r is were recovered in ’West Germany,

East Germany, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia and Malawi, This last
one, to Malawi, was found only five days after ringing, A
wintering Garden Warbler, Sylvia borin was shot in Jordan on
its way back to Africa, and a Sprosser, Lu sc ini a lus c inia ,
which had been ringed in the middle of the night, was bagged
on its v/ay north the next spring in Lebanon, Lastly, an Ngulia

1 1 1

Red-tailed Shrike 5 lanius isabellinus (ringed on the same day
as the Sprosser incidentally ) was recovered in Kuv/ait the next
April .

Finally, may I ask any ringers who have stopped ringing to
please tell me, and, most important, please return all their
unused rings s we often run short of certain sizes - new ringers
arrive unannounced and want rings - and it takes a long time
to have fresh stocks made and delivered., The size v/hich is very
•low now is 'A' ( 3 « 0mm ) « All returned rings will be bought back,

of course.

Graeme Backhurst,
P.O. Box 290035
lAIROBI

COWRIES OR THE SOUTH KEUYA COAST

Whilst visiting the Kenya Coast during late July 1977?
seventeen species of living Cowries were located on a small
stretch of reef of Tiwi Beach. The species observed were;

Cypraea lyn
_C . t igris
_C 0 came ola
vit ellu^s
_C . kieneri
Co erosa

Cypraea nonet a
Oo annulus
_C 0 helvola

caputserpentis
_C , h i s t r i 0
C. Isabella

Cyprae a t alpa
c 1 an d e s t in a
cribraria
limac ina
C, caurica

Cypraea kieneri , _C. none t a , _C, annulus and _C. clandestina
were located on the lagoon side of the reef at about 30cm
above chart datum. The other Cowries v/ere located on the
seav/ard side of the reef at approximately chart datum.

Cypraea t igris , _C. mone t a and _C. annu.lus were exposed on
weed whilst the rest -v/ere discovered n.nder or in the dead coral.
It v/as noted that Cypraea kienei’i , _C. clandestina and _C. helvola
were sitting on dull yellov/ egg clusters,

\Yhile none of these Cov/ries are uncommon we thought that
seventeen species in little more than two kilometres of exposed
reef which is 'worked' by many people was high. All these
Cowries were returned to their habitat after being photographed.

In addition to the above a local fisherman had several
Cypraea boivinii which he claimed originated from Shimon i.

If this is correct it is a very considerable extension of its
range. Has anyone any reference to this species from the East

112

African Coast?

for the record my wife found a good ’dead’ specimen of
Cypraea marginalis amongst broken dead coral opposite the
Tv/o Pishes Hotel on Diani Beach in January 1969.

Brian and Kay Bengal e,
PcO. Box 498325
NAIROBI.

HINTS

PLUIB PRESERVATION OP

ON COLLECTING

REPTILES 5 AMPHIBIANS ANB PISH

Unlike other vertebrateSj there is no satisfactory way of
preparing dried specimens of amphibians and fish other than
freeze drying which requires elaborate apparatus. Very large
reptiles such as Crocodiles and big Turtles can be prepared as
skins and skeletons in much the same v/ay as large mammals, but
most of the reptiles also have to be preserved in a fluid
medium. There are many chemicals 'which may be used as preser-
vatives, but for Y/hole animals for museum collections alcohol
or formaldehyde, or a combination of both, have proved most
satisfactory.

In general terms the word alc.ohol r.efers only to ethyl
alclohol (or ethanol) of which probably the best knovm property
is that which becomes evident towards the end of a cocktail
party. The above propex'ty is, for the present purpose, an
unfortunate one, since it had resulted in this cheap and useful
substance being classified as a luxury, a'nd thereby attracting
an extremely high rate of taxation in practically every part of
the world. The only form in which alc.ohol is readily available
free of liquor tax is as methylated spirit. This has been rend-
ered highly poisonous by the addition of methyl alcohol (which
is .ocpensive) and further adulterants have rendered it obnoxious
to the olfactory .senses (and presumably also to the gustatory)
and have imparted to it a bright purple colour. This stuff -is
all right for lighting the primus, but is really not much use
for preserving specimens - though it may be used in emergency.

The National Museum has a permit to use what is called
Industrial Methylated Spirit (l.M.S.) which is 90^ ethanol,

5% methonol and 5% water, and has been found to be satisfactory
at a dilution of 70% total spirit made by adding 350ml v/ater to
one litre of l.M.S. The dilution is important as strong alc-
ohol has a high affinity for .water v/hich makes it a dehydrating
agent, so that if, for instance, one were to put a frog into
pure l.M.S. it v^ould shrivel up as if it had been dried in the

1 13

sun. It is also important that the concentration is not too low,
as alcohol is a weak fixative and preservation will be incomplete
A large volume of spirit should be used for a small volume of
specimen 5 as the fluids in the specimen dilute the alcohol, and
the spirit should be changed after a day or two.

The above difficulties make alcohol an unsatisfactory preser-
vative for use by the casual collector. The use of formaldehyde
is to be recommended as by far the easiest way of preparing
perfect specimens, particularly in the field as is usually the
case.

Formaldehyde is a gas which is readily soluble in water, and
is usually obtained in a 40^ aqueous solution known as ’Formalin'
Formaldehyde and formalin concentrations are forever causing
confusion. Remember that 40^ formaldehyde is 100^ formalin, so
that the names formaldehyde and formalin are not in t er changable ,
In spite of this, liov/ever, it is not unusual for 4/^ formaldehyde
to be loosely referred to as 4^ formalin when it is, of course,
10/^ formalin, and it is in this way that the confusion is perpe-
tuated. Thus, to make formaldehyde i

1 volume formalin (40fo formaldehyde)

+ 9 volumes water

“ j_j volumes of 10^ formalin (4^ formaldehyde)

Formaldehyde is a strong fixative and the so
strength usually employed, though it may be reduced
small fish, amphibians, and invertebrates, and for
imens already fixed. The concentration is by no me
as it is for alcohol, and the 1 in 1 0 mixture can s
be made by crude measurement or by eye.

In the simplest possible way, specimens may be preserved by
slitting the abdom.ens open to expose the viscera and then immer-
sing them in a jar of formaldehyde. Such, however, seldom result
is a very presentable specimen, and it is well worth while
■taking a little trouble to prepare them as follows ;-

lu

t i

on

i

s

the

t

0

1/0

f

0

r

s t

or

ing

s

pe c-

an

s

cri

. t

i

c al

at

is

f ac

; t

0

I — I

•H

J_. Small specimens should have a small quantity
injected into the abdomen by a hypodermic needle
large specimens should have their abdomens incise
visera loosened on either side to allow easy pene
fixative. The abdomens of tortoises should be in
full strength formalin from as many points of acc

of formaldehyde
and syringe,
d and the
tration of the
jected with
ess as possible..

_2,

All

the

large mus

cle s

sh

ould

but

be

c ar ef ul

not

1 0

in je

c t

too

In

the

case

of

male

1

iz ar d

s

and

be injected with formaldehyde,
much as to cause distortion,
snakes, a large quantity of

1 1 4

formaldehyde should be injected into the base of the tail to
fully extend the hemipenes.

_3. ihe specimens should be arranged and set as follows

a) frogs should be placed on their backs in a shallow dish
of preservative 5 with the legs loosely flexed on either side of
the body, and the arms and all digits extended for best display.
Splash preservative over the specimen from time to time and they
should be set in 15 to 20 minutes.

b) Lizards should be placed belly downwards in a dish of
formalin, and the limbs and digits extended. The tail should
be bent round and up along the side of the body. Wedge the
mouth open a few Diilimetres with a wad of cotton or paper.

Th

e s

P

e cimen

may

take '

hour

t 0

one

hour t

0

set

0

c

)

Sn ak e

s

are

best

coiled

up

in

side a

D

ar .

vY

edg

e the mouth

op

en

a

littl

e

as

for 1

i z ax'ds ,

d

)

Tort 0

i

s es

shoul

d have

the

he

ad an d

1

egs

ex

ten

ded as for

as

po

s

s i bl e .

e

)

Pish.

If

the f

ins are

ex

t en

d e d the

fish

c

an

be left

floating in preservative, but if the fins persist in folding
the fish should be laid on a board and the fins kept extended
by pins. Pour some formaldehyde over them occasionally and they
should set in about 20 minutes.

Labels should be made of strong, good quality paper - photo-
graphic paper is excellent - and tied to the specimen. 'Irite
only in carbon ink (black Indian ink) or graphite pencil, never
in biro or ordinary ink’ as these always wash out.

The above is necessarily only a brief outline. Anyone v/ish-
ing to discuss further details is most welcome to contact me
at the I'Tational Museum,

Alex MacKay,

Herpetologist ,

P.O. Box 40658,

HAIR OB I,

MAMMAL HOTES

AARDWOLE OBSERVATIOHS

The Aardv/olf , Proteles cris t atus is seldom seen or at least
seldom seen and identified. It is a nocturnal mammal, but much^
more active at dusk and dawn than say the Aardvark, Oryc t er opus
af e r . I have seen them as early as 4 o’clock in the afternoon

and as late as 8 o’clock in the morningo The real problem is
in the fact that in the poor light and at any distance they are
easily mistaken for a Silver-backed Jackal, Can is me somelas ,

If in any area v/here they occur, questionable mammals should
be carefully checked with binoculars, Tv/o places where 1 have
seen them recently are at Samburu Llational Park, Kenya, near the
Zebra bomas and near the East African v7ildlife Safaris Mara Camp.
In the latter area others have been seeing them on an average
of one a week.

MC I) IK PISTRIBUTIOh

In Mr John Williams ’ Pie Id Guide t o the National Parks of
East Africa' he gives the dividing line between Gunther's
■pik Dik, Rh yn c h o t r agu s guen theri and Kirk's Dik Dik R. kirki
as the Uasin Ngiro River, Kenya, I have always seen many
Kirk'_s Pik Pik North of the River, but it was only in mid- June
this year that I saw my first Guenther's South of the River,

There _was a pair about half way between Samburu Lodge and Buffalo
Springs, I had a very good look at them and the longer more
bulbus nose was clearly seen.

THE PIET OF THE RAT EL

The Ratel, Mellivora capensis is quite commonly seen in the
open plains of the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania, near Ndutu.
Though more sightings are in the early morning, they are seen
throughout the day. One^ of their major food items here would
appear to be the rodents found on the plains in the patches of
higher vegetation such as Solanum and Indigofera sp. They have
been seen to criss-cross patnhes of this at the trot until either
they stumble ‘on a rodent or one becomes careless and moves and
is snapped up. On another occasion I was attracted to a pair of
Rat els by flying dust. They ?/ere taking turns digging a small
but deep hole into v/liich one would disappear completely. After
about five minutes one emerged with a large lizard (probably
an Agama), They squabbled over this and as v/e tried to approach
closer to identify the lizard they tore in into two pieces and
disappeared into a nearby abandoned Hyaena burrow.

Mr G. Rilling,

c/o P.Oc Box 404-69 j

NAIROBI,

LATE NEWS

FROM THE RIFT

VALLEY SWAMP

On

to the

18th August CvS with Graham Madge made a further visit
Swamp with a boat, but to our great disappointment found

1 1 6

that all the nests in the five big Ac ac ia trees had been robbed 5
almost certainly by humans, for not an egg or chick of the
Spoonbills, Cormorants or Yellow-billed Egrets remained.

However, our luck was in for v/e found the nest of a Moccoa Duck
with four eggs which v/ere large (80 :c 5 2mm), and feint blue in
colour. We also found the nest of a Hottentot Teal v/hich cont-
ained four, possibly more, just ho.tched downy chicks. In addit-
ion more fresh Great Crested Grebe nests, four with three eggs
each and one each of 2 , 4 s.nd 6 eggs while at another nest the

parent refused to leave and she v/as probably brooding newlj
hatched chicks. On the cliff face the nesting Lanner Ealcon
repeatedly attacked and drove off an Egyptian Vulture and a
Harrier Hav^k which ventured too close. The Swifts we have now
positively identified as the larger Mottled, A pus ae quat orialis
and the smaller Hyansa, A, nianso.e .

G.Pl, Cunningham Van Someren

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Dear Sir,

I refer to the note by Dr and Mrs Irvine on p. 63 of the
Hay/June 1977 Bulletin regarding the difference in bill-colour
of the White-bellied Go-Away Bird, Corythaixoides leucogaster.
While I was detained as a spy in Somalia in Eebruary and March
this year I amused myself w'atGliing these birds, and I also
observed that the bills of some were green and others black.

I could not detect any other difference except that the green-
billed birds were apparently slightly smaller. This difference
is not mentioned in most standard works (though every collector
¥/ho sexed his birds should have noticed it), but it is recorded
in Archer and Godman, Birds of British Somaliland an d the Gulf
of Aden, Vol 111, 1961 p. 686, on the authority of Mearns.

The bill of young females is said to be black, but that of
adults green or yellowish green.

Erom Dr Irvine's record it would aiDpear that both sexes were
feeding a young bird. This appears to be regular in Turacos,
being well documented in Turacus hartlaubii (Van Someren, 1955;
Days v/ith Birds ) , and has also been observed in other species.
However, in most species, there is no such easy way of distin-
guishing the adults as in _C„ leucogaster. This is a good
example of the failure of collectors to record simple facts
that wouls make observation in the field much easier. Another i
of the obvious differences betv/een the sexes of Bateleur,

T er athop ius e c audatu s , first pointed out to me by my Mb ere
observers in Embu District, and not recorded in any standard

work other than Brown and Amadon (l969 ); H awk s Bafil e s and Bale ons
of the World.

I would, in passing, mention that there are less than ten
good dated breeding records for \7hat must be the most abundant
of all members of the Musophagidae in East Africa. Any species
frequenting savanna must necessarily be far more abundant than
any species frequenting forest, because of the very much larger
area of habitat available. Thus, the V/iiit e-bellie d Go-Away Bird
is probably the commonest Yie have, but we know very little about
its breeding habits.

Dr Leslie Brown,

P.O. Box 24916,

NAIROBI.

SCOPUS

The third issue of Scopus will be publish
time as this Bulletin. Your Executive Commit
to write this note in order to encourage more
At present there are about 140, scattered thr
Europe and Uorth America but more are needed.

ed about the same
tee has asked me
subscribers .
oughout Africa,

Scopus is published every three months, v/ith an extra fifth
issue each year taking the form of an annual report. The five
issues v/ill comprise about 150 pages this year. Material
published relates to East African ornithology in its widest
sense; the style is_ scientific yet readable.

Pull details of hov/ to subscribe to Scopus are given in each
issuer local members of the Society may receive it by sending
Shs . 50/- to D.A, Turner, Scopus a/c , P.O. Box 48019, NAIROBI,
The subscription is annual, so those paying now v/ill receive
all the copies of Scopus published in 1977, plus the bird
report which will be out next year. People having material to
contribute 5 and all contributions are welcome, should send it
to Dr D,J, Pearson, Department of Biochemistry, P.O, Box 30197,
NAIROBI.

G . C , Backhur s t ,
P.O, Box 29003,
NAIROBI.

REQUESTS

The Eishe s of Eas t Africa by Hugh Copley, Anyone having a copy

%

of this book or other books on the fish fauna of East Africa
for salej please contact;

Pat Manganj P«0» Box 135 5 iTAI YASHA, Kenya
Pl e q u e s t for Par as it i c \7asp s

I have recently started field work in Tsavo East ITatioiial
Park and adjacent areas to investigate the biology of, and
produce a key to, the Braconid Wasps of that areae

It has become obvious after reference to Museum collections
in Africa and Britain that much taxonomic revision will be
needed before the task can be completed. At present the paras-
itic wasps of Kenya seem to be under-represented in collections
and I hope that those entomologists amongst you will be able to
help rectify this matter, by sending any unwanted specimens,
specimens reared from insects or even purposely collected ones
t o me ,

I am primarily interested in Braconidae but if in doubt
please send all conceivably relevant material; it will all be
put to good use, I will be glad to refund postage to any
contributors. Please indicate if you need the specimens to
be returned. Thank you.

P , L , J , Qu i c k e ,

5 G-eorge Road,

Solihull ,

West Midlands B9 1 3BU,
U . K ,

AITHUAL ORCHID SHOW

The Kenya Orchid Society
on the undermentioned dates
Wednesday 12th October
Thursday 13th October
Priday 14th October
Saturday 15th October

Y'^ill hold its Annual Orchid Show

12 noon -
9,30 a , m .
9,30 a , m .
9,00 a . m ,

6,00 p c m .

- 6,00 p , ni ,

- 6,00 p , m,

- 5,30 p . m ,

Entrance Pees ; Adults Shs, 5 /-

Children Shs, 2/-

SPECIAI PILM SHOW

The Ornithological Sub- Committee of the Society cordially
invite all members of this and the Kenya Museum Society to the
showing of the film ’Plight for Survival' depicting the

migration of birds from Europe to Africa, to be shown at the
Ford Foundation Hall, the national Museum on Friday 21st October
at 5 . 1 5 p . m.

SOCIETY HOTES

’ Medicinal Plants of Eas t Africa^ By our Vice-Chairman, Dr John
Kokwaro is now back in stocks Cost to members as follows ;

Soft Go-ver Shs , 55/- Local postage Shs 4,50

Hard Cover Shs, 85/- Local postage Shs 6,30

' Lake H akuru ' A few copies of Charles A, Vaucher’s beautifully

illustrated book remain. Cost to raembers Shs, 50/- plus Shs 4.50

for any postal orders. For both the above books, contact the
Secretary/Treasurer in the office or P,0, Box 44486 , ITAIROBI.

nature in East Africa The Society's first Bulletin, published
between 1947 and 1950 makes fascinating reading. Three complete
sets, comprising 11 issues and a Special Supplement , a Guide
to the Animals of iinirobi national Park, are available in the
Society's office. Cost for a complete set Shs, lOO/-.

Seperate numbers are also available, except for Series 2 Ho, 1
at a cost of Shs, 10/- each. The complete set ?/ill cost 2,70
in postage, so up-country members should write soon,

'Upland Kenya Wild Flowers ' A letter from Oxford University
Press recently stated that these books has still not been traced.
The Society has ordered 50 copies, if and when they arrive.
However, Mr Jan Gillett and the apithor, Dr Agnew, are working-
on a revised edition which should be ready at the end of 1978
or early 1979, Those Eiembers who have booked copies will be
notified if they ever arrive,

' Common Families of Flowering P 1 an t s ' Dr Moss's booklet, v/hich
was advertised in the last Bulletin should be available in
September, The selling price to members will be about Shs 5/- 5
and orders are now being accepted for tliis very usefull guide.

Posters and Informal Notes should be ready soon. There have been
printing problems, but these have nov/ been solved. Further
details are available in the office. The informal notes will
be on sale at lectures,

1978 Ren ewals Although it is still very early to be talking
about your subscriptions for next year, I v/ould like to say
that prompt payment is a great help in the office, and very
much appreciated,,, renewal forms will be sent out with the
I'To ve mb er/Dec ember Bulletin,

NEVf LEIIBEFiS

^ Local Lull Members

Tore So Bade 5 c/o Mrs Goggs 5 Po0» Box 43233 j NAIROBI
Margaret Boo th- Smi tli 5 PoOo Box 14678 3 HAIFOBI
* Mr Mo Go Gilbert 3 East African Herbarium, PoOo Box 45 1 66 ,

NAIROBI

Mr and Mrs AoJ. Gray, PoOo Box 30214? NAIROBI
B^rs Lis Inglis 5 PoOo Box 42299 , NAIROBI

Mrs Mary Labuscliagne, c/o Pattinson, Po0» Box 14821, NAIROBI
Scott and Barbara \7allace, Institute for Development Studies,
PoOo Box 30197, NAIROBI

Local Half Year Members

Mr Paul Andwana, Jamliuri High School, PoOo Box 40584, NAIROBI
Mr PoJo Cartland, PoOo Box 301 18, NAIROBI
Ms Jo Darlington, PoOo Box 30772, NAIROBI

Miss VoKo Emery, British High Commission, P.Oo Box 30465,

NAIROBI

Harm Ho Heemstra, c/o ILCA, PoOo Box 46847, NAIROBI
Mrs Vibeke Hilmer- Lar s en , c/o Safari Park Hotel, Po0« Box 45038,
NAIROBI

Mrs Deborah Kirk, P.Oo Box 74305, NAIROBI

Mr and Mrs Haus Miesch, Embassy of S?/i t zerland , PcOo Box 20008,
NAIROBI

Mr Davinder Sikand, ?o
Ivlr AoIIo Simpson, P»0c
Mr Don 0.1 d Smith, PoOo
Mr John E, Smith, PoOo
Mrs Co Trollope, PoOo

Oo Box 49012
Box 48788 ,
Box 20 1 02 5
Box 30156,
Box 42493,

, NAIROBI
NAIROBI
NAIROBI
NAIROBI
NAIROBI

Overseas Pull Me mb e r

Laurence Neil Rose, 53 St, Mary’s Road, Swanley, Kent BR8 7BU,

En gland.

Overseas Half Year Member

Prances Ahern, 20 Goldenrod Ave , Northpost, New York 11768, UoSoA,

Lo c al Junior Pull Member

Miss Lopa Patel, P,0, Box 10284, NAIROBI
Lo cal Half Year Member

Shakunt Dodhia, P,0, Box 46206, NAIROBI.

<

121

SOCIETY YUnCTIOrTS

Monday 12tli Septemlper 1977 at 3^30 p.m. at the National Museum ^

Hallj Ilairobi: Mr ICaliurananga of the E,A„ Herbarium will

give an illustrated lecture on ' The Ecology of Large Herbivores
in the Siman ,i iro Plain s , northern T an z an i a ‘

Weekend 17th/l8th September 1977» Botanical Pie Id Trip to 01
Donyo Orokc Hamanga. Please see previous Bulletin for details.

Leader Mr J.Bo Gillett of the E,A. Herbarium

Saturda7)T Ist/Sunday 2nd October : Mr S. Moss of the British

Council and Mr Bo Theobald of the K.IcEo v^ill hold a short course
on Basic Ecology - a repeat of the course held in June this year.

If you wish to take part in this interesting course please write
to Mr S, Moss of the British Council 5 P.O. Box 4075 1 5 NAIROBI,
enclosing a stamped addressed envelope and Shs 15/- for printed
material. All other equipment \?ill be provided by the organisers.

The course will take place in the Nairobi area. No previous
knowledge of ecology and taxonomy will be necessary,

Monday 10th October 1977 at 5qQ Pom, at the National Museum Hall »

Na.irobi : Br Norman Myers will give an illustrated lecture on

' 5p o 1 1 e d Cats'

E rid ay 21st October 1977 ‘Plight for Survival’ (see p, 119-120)

Weekend 22nd/23rd October 1577s Weekend field trip by kind
invitation of Mr and Mrs- \7ebb, Nanyuki,, Members should be
prepared for camping, bringing all equipment, food and drinking
water, Pirev/ood and washing water will be provided. It is
intended to study the vifild life and plants in pockets of indig-
enous forest on the farm. Members wishing to come, please fill
in the enclosed, slip and return it v/ith a stamped addressed
envelop e to Mrs A,L, Campbell, P,0, Box 14469 5 NAIROBI before
3rd October, Route instructions a:id further details v/ill then
be forward. ed,

Monday 14th November 1977 at 5- 3Q p.m. at the National Museum
Hall, Nairobi^ ‘/ilo. Rondille ’ a film about the Rendille pastoral
camel nomads in northern Keiij'a, produced by Granada Telivision,

Mr A, Grum who was anthropology consultant will introduce the
film and answer questions afterwards,

November field trip to be announced later,

Becember I0th/l2th 1977 Camping trip to study the Birds at Lake
Jipe, Tsavo West National Park, Leader Mr B,A, Turner,

'Wednesday morning bird walks lead by Mrs Pleur Ng’v/eno continue.

Please meet at the National Museum at 8,45 a,m.

122

s

THE EAST AFRICA NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY

Chairman: J. S. Karmali
Vice Chairman: Dr J. Kokwaro

Editor, Jl E. Africa nat. Hist. Soc. Nat. Mas.: Mrs J. Hayes

Secretary /Treasurer: Miss D. Angwin

Librarian: Mrs J. Hayes

Ass. Secretary /Treasurer : Mrs D. M. Collins

Executive Committee (in addition to the above): Miss P. M. Allen, G. C. Backhurst (Ringing Organizer),
Mrs A. L. Campbell, M. P. Clifton (Editor EANHS Bulletin), Dr J. Gerhart, Dr J. M. Mutinga, Dr D. J.
Pearson, J. F. Reynolds.

Co-opted Members: Mrs H. A. Britton (Nest Record Scheme Organizer), Dr A. W. Diamond, Dr A. Hill,
J. Kahurananga, J. Maikweki, S. Muchiru, Mrs F. Ng’weno, D. A. Turner.

Journal Editorial Sub Committee: Mrs J. Hayes, Miss D. Angwin, Mrs V. Balcomb, M. P. Clifton, Dr A. Hill,
Dr D. J, Pearson, J. F. Reynolds.

Ornithological Sub Committee: G. C. Backhurst, P. L. Britton, Mrs H. A. Britton, G. R. Cunningham-van
Someren, Dr A. W. Diamond, A. D. Forbes-Watson, B. S. Meadows, Dr D. J. Pearson, J. F. Reynolds,
D. K. Richards, D. A. Turner.

Joint Library Sub Committee (Society representatives): Mrs J. Hayes, Dr J. O. Kokwaro.

MEMBERSHIP

This offers you free entry to the National Museum, Nairobi; free lectures, films, slide shows or dis-
cussions every month in Nairobi; field trips and camps led by experienced guides; free use of the Joint
Society-National Museum Library (postal borrowing is also possible); reciprocal arrangements with
the Uganda Society’s Library in the Uganda Museum, Kampala; family participation: wives and children
of members may attend most Society functions; one copy of the EANHS Bulletin every two months; a copy
of each Journal published during your period of membership; the Society controls the ringing of birds
in East Africa and welcomes new ringers and runs an active Nest Record Scheme; activities such
as plant mapping and game counting are undertaken on a group basis. Membership rates are given at
the foot of this page.

JOURNAL

The Society publishes The Journal of the East Africa Natural History Society and National Museum. Each
issue consists usually of one paper, however, sometimes two or more short papers may be combined
to form one number. The aim of this method of presentation is to ensure prompt publication of
scientific information; a title page is issued at the end of each year so that the year’s papers may be
bound together. Contributions, which should be typed in double spacing on one side of the paper, with
wide margins, should be sent to the Secretary, Box 44486, Nairobi, Kenya. Authors receive twenty-five
reprints of their article free, provided that these are ordered at the time the proofs are returned.

E.A.N.H.S. BULLETIN

This is a duplicated magazine issued six times a year, which exists for the rapid publication of short notes,
articles, letters and reviews. Contributions, which may be written in clear handwriting or typed, should
be sent to The Editor (EANHS Bulletin), Box 44486, Nairobi, Kenya. Line drawings will be considered if
they add to the value of the article. Photographs cannot be published.

SCOPUS

The Ornithological Sub Committee publishes this quarterly bird magazine. Cost: EANHS members
KShs. 50/- p.a., non-EANHS members KShs. 75/- p.a. All correspondence to D. A. Turner, Box 48019,
Nairobi, Kenya.

MEMBERSHIP SUBSCRIPTION RATES

Life .....
Institutional (schools, libraries)
Full

One payment: Kshs. 750/-
annual payment: Kshs. 50/-
annual payment: Kshs. 50/-

Junior (full-time student, no

Journo/ supplied) . . . annual payment: Kshs. 10/-

Subscriptions are due 1st January. From 1st July you may join for Kshs. 35/- and receive publications
from that date. Application forms for membership are obtainable from the Secretary, Box 44486, Nairobi

SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION LIBRARIES

■ 1

III

ill III II I

II

3 9(

)88 01230 280

00