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

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EAHIiS BULLETIN

MARCH/APRIL 1977

CONTENTS

Some Observations on the Spotted Hyaena in Forest Areas , . , 26

Notes from Tanzania o ....... .»o e 30

Note on a Wild Dog Sighting . ................ 32

Note on the Ewaso Ngiro Swamp ................ 3 2

Hints on Beetle Collecting ... ........ ,34

Observations on the Pishing Owl 36

Further Records of the Corn Crake from Dar- e s- Salaam . . . .38

Checklists of Birds in Nairobi National Park 38

A large Hirundine Roost in Uasin Gisliu ........... 39

New fear Week-end at ilichimukuru Estate ........... 40

The Nest Record Scheme ........... .41

Letters to the Editor , . . . . . , . . , . . . . , , . . . .42
Record oectron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . « .44

Book Review 45

Wanted Known 45

Society Notes ....................... .46

New Members 47

Society Functions .............. .49

SOME OBSERVATIONS ON THE SPOTTED HYAENA
CROCUTA CROCUTA IN FOREST AREAS
PART 1

During the past decade
pattern of the Spotted Hyaen
in great, detail by two scien
and their books ’ Hyaena ’ and
reading. These studies v/ere
Ngorongoro Craterj Tanzania,
of light upon the habits of
place can be called a forest
been m-ade on Hyaena in the f

the social behaviour and hunting
a, Crccuta crocuta, has been studied
t i:

ts, Hans Kruuk and Jane Goodall,

' Innocent Killers ' make fascinating
made in both the Serengeti and
and though they shed a great deal
a hitherto unknown predator, neither
. The following observations have
orests of The Aberdares, Kenya.

The Aberdare Mountains, like so many o'

)ther areas in Kenya,
have changed drastically since they were opened officially as
a National Park on 16th March 1959. Before that time the whole
area v/as under the Forest Department, and it certainly did not
contain any great number of animals

post

e d

to Kiand

ongoro

study a

report

wr it t en

quit

e s

imply vvi

t h the

Park

j cl

s it was

th$

sn c

a bo

tan

ical and

not a

that t ime ,

and

two

pre

dators w

ere

hel

both

e virtua

llY

abs

late

r y

ears by

the

V/ak

Wild

g s never

c ou

hun t

ers

. They

p e r i 0 d i

when

game was s

G arc

^ e ,

The

ore

part

ment

1 1 c h e

s ,

en I

v;as

in 1

9 6

I w

'as

abl

e to

the

and

0 ve

r .

end

e d

The

e r d

are

oyal

Nat

ional

look

imar

ily

indeed for many thousands of years before,
ping to hold the balance of Nature. Today
ent. They Y-reve the Wanderobo (replaced in
ikuyu ) , and the Nild Dog, Ly c aon pictus .
rse lived in the forests as permanent
pally swept in from the surrounding plains
hunted for a short time, and then moved out

For many years' the
had

of life

istration, had been persuading

Forest Department,
ae _ Vfa

forest YY3.J of life and take over a se
them, ■ The ¥akikuyu were agriculturis
ers v^^hen convenient. The Kenya Enierg
finally ended the role played by man as

the Y/ild Dog

Plains of tl
along three
forest.

role

aye d

che

r o

The

emis

1) cl S

re su

rmal

ey?

ide

of Th

Sail

an d the

help

the

Admin-

t 0

ab an

don

the

area s

e t

as id

e for

re an

d only

hun t-

1952

til

1957,

e s

t dwe

lie

r as

as an

feet

ive

enuding

Cole

’ s

a 3 5

di t

;he

When the National Parks mounted effective ant i-poa,ching
patrols during the early sixties the population of both Lions,
Pan thera le o and of Leopards, P an t h e r a pardus , certainly

increased j but the Lion kept mostly to the moorland areas, and
the Leopard confined their killing very much to Bushbuck,
Iragelaphus scriptus , and other prey animals small enough to
drag into a tree. Incidentally , though a number of lion always
Lived on our big mountains the Warden released a number of un-
wanted stock-killers which certainly boosted the population.

The African Buffalo, S yn c e r u s caf f er , increased with effective
protection from man and their increase took place in the absence
of suitable predators. As is well knovm Nature abhors a vacuum:
not only did Hyaena increase to fill this vacuum but they changed
their v/ays and became a true predator of the forest, A few, of
course, had always lived around the forest villages, and I shot
one or tvYO at Tusha and Kiandongoro, Now they became packs,

I have studied the Hyaena at the Game Lodge v/here I work
for more than seven years, and, during that time about six actual
kills of Buffalo have taken place. Many more incidents have
occured when the beast has been attacked and then either left
alone or the kill has taken place elsev\?here. One serious attack
on a Bushbuck has been witnessed, tv/o on Black Rhino, Liceros
bic ornis calves, and one Elephant, Loxodont a af r ic ana , calf came
in with its tail newly bitten off. Giant Eorest Hog, Hylochoerus
meinert zhageni , sounders are often surrounded and attempts made
to snatch the piglets but so far we have not seen them succeed
and probably Leopard are much more successful in that field.

A Bongo, Booc ercus eurycer os , was once surrounded but appeared
to escape, and a Hyaena came in v/ith a T/hite-t ailed Mongoose,
Ichneumia albicauda , dangling from its Jaws,, Incidentally,
this species of Mongoose, when confronted suddenly by a Hyaena,
once erected all its long hair, making itself look twice as big,
and the Hyaena quickly departed.

From this it will be

c 0

mm on

prey

spec

ies. Calves

e mothers

pr 0 V

e to be too

ould

the

pack

be extremely

hes i

t at i

on ,

Various hunt

them

are

very

similar to

N 0

rmally no

than six or

th a

c oup

le of

big, aggres

mb er s

the p

ack rush to

0 t

ion ,

. 1

owing

and snort in,

owth ,

pounding

of hooves,

aena.

must

be remember

i vely

sil

en t ,

and the nois

os e ,

ending in

a cac aphony

The glade in front of the Loi

s t

arts ,

is a

grand sight '

recti

ons

and c

onverging on

seen that Buffalo are by far the most
are taken regularly but, should
effective in protecting them, or

those of \7olves killing Moose,
eight animals do the actual killing,
sive females in the lead, and other
the scene when they hear the comm-
g of a Buffalo, smashing of under-
8,nd maybe one or tv/o howls of a
ed that the hunt itself is compar-
es build up as the kill draws to a
cac aphony of sound which defies description.

dge is quite big, and, when a kill
to v/atch Hyaena racing from various
the place. One is always impressed

by their speed

Like Wolves, Hyaena test prospective prey until the oppor-
tunity arises for a kill, and many many such animals are tested
Apart from discovering which are the weakest, physically and
morally, it probably serves as a means whereby they live in
harmonyo In dense cover, where meetings are frequent, they
must learn to co-exist.

ally by seperatiiig them

usu

all

don

spi

t e

■ill

e sp

e c

Many Buffalo calves are taken,
from the mother, but sometimes this
are the slowest in the herd, and in
ing to the centre, eventually they
cows often calve alone in dense cov
ion by man is severe, \7hen herds are b
ion by sheer ?/eight of numbers is greater, then they calve
v/ithin the herd, Buffalo which refuse to run but stand their

aey can get their backs against a
ean stand in a pool, are usually

They

Buff alo

ig however, and protect-

ground ,

parti

cul

arly

when

rock

bush ,

v/hen

the

left

alone af

ter

a br

ie d

Tv/o

ob j e

c t i

V e s mu s t

they

try

hard

get

the ’

uppermost in the mind of the Hyaena
i?d or individual to panic and run by
making short rushes, or they tease frontally in the hope that
eventually the provoked one v/ill chase its tormentor. Either
way the attack will then come from the rear. Although these
slow-killing methods are criticized by the uninformed as being
cruel, it must be remembered that v/hen small animals prey upon
large it is the only practical vmy, and that shock, induced by
fear, excitement and noise probably eliminates pain, I have
watched kills lasting for hours and certainly could detect no
violent reaction such as one would expect to result from pain,
even when v^hole mouthfulls of flesh have been torn away. The
anaesthetic power of shock is Hatures’ ansvYer in the v/ild and
onlv man confounds it.

In all these years we have only observed two Hyaenas trail
ing broken legs. Both v/ere watched for a few weeks and then
they disappeared. In times of shortage such animals vi/ould not
be able to feed on a kill and malnutrition would finally elim-
inate them. Attacking from the rear is not cowardice but self-
preservation. It should be mentioned here that on the plains
the groin appears to be the favourite point of attack but in
dense cover this is not alv/ays possible, frequently the tail
is bitten off, or the hocks nipped in the hope of slowing them
down, and then attack is from the anus downv/ards,

finding carrion in forest areas is by no means easy , , .

there are no vultures to V\ratch circling and little or no wind

for scentingo Over the years two adult Buffalo have died of
natural causes near the lodge and in both cases the animal lay
for hours before discovery^ Sick or old animals usually go
into dense cover in a valley bottom to die. Ants quickly take
over such a body as do maggots and it could v/ell be that many
are found too late by Hyaenas. When searching for carrion
Hyaenas comb the forest in twos or threes 5 thus covering a much
greater area. They probably find the young of antelopes this
way, and no doubt chicks and eggs of ground-nesting birds. In
forest areas I do not doubt that Hyaenas find hunting the living
far more profitable than hunting the dead,

Plyaenas are superb opportunists. Everything they see,
they seem to eye as edible or inedible, and this accounts for
the stories of boots etc being taken out of tents at night.

At my lodge young Elephants often walk beneath the building to
reach the sacks of salt stored there. Other material of course
is there as well, and one night they managed to pull out, kick
out,' or otherwise move an iron septic tank lid, and it lay
finally on the grass a few metres awray. It was amusing next
night to observe hovf every passing Hyaena tested its teeth upon
the surface.

During the rains once, when Moths were exceedingly plenti-
ful and creating a banquet for all, a small flock of Harlequin
Quail, Go turnix delegorguei , had gorged on them and crouched on
the grass by the wall. Hyaenas also ate these Moths and event-
ually a Hyaena sauntered by somie Quail. All the little birds
rose in time, except a greedy one which had eaten too much,
it was caught -in mid-air, held in the mouth a fev/ moments to
enjoy the feeling of capture, and then gulped down, feathers
and all.

'When glutted, 'Hyaenas appear to have three ambitions;
sleeping, playing and testing any other animals they can see.

We T/atch sleeping Hyaena most nights of the v/eek. They simply
lie down on the grass in the open with head on paws for periods
of up to a half hour. They are not curled up like a Box, but
stretched out straight. They cat-nap so lightly that the moment
any other animal appears they are instantly v/ide awake and on
their feet. Chasing each other on moonlit nights is a common
occurance, and they will play thus for hours, sometimes using
a stick or clump of dead grass to add to the fun. The parabolic
glitter of their eyes as they bound along is visible for a long
v/ay. Teasing appears to be not only a well-enjoyed game but
another means of creating familiarity with potential future prey,
A group of Hyeana will dance for half an hour around a Hugh bull
Rhino,, jumping back smartly every time he snorts. vie have even
watched them mob a pair of Crowned Cranes Ealearica regulorum,

in a clump of rushes far out in the poolo The Hyaenas plunged
ohest-deep into the water and formed a circle round theiUj and
then returned quite happy when the birds flew noisily away.

Young Hyaenas are probably often short of minerals or
5 even though we have never seen them licking the saltlick,
bly they may be short of bacteria to break down their un-
ted food. This could explain why they will sometimes
up to an old Buffalo bull lying chev/ing the cud and lick
the anus. The ultimate in such behaviour was when two
stersj probably from the same litterj sneaked up behind a
bull Rhino when he was engrossed on the saltlick. Crouch-
ide by side they licked, away under his tail and he not
tolerated the action but straddled his legs to make it
r to them to reach, Finally his penis dropped and one of
started licking that. And it was at that stage that he
d around and chased them both away. It could well be this
age v/hich causes young Hyaena to eat the Moths lying exhau-

People o
Like all pred
and vie have c
This however
and the Hyaen
On the plains
Males from a
another pack
to the death,
the Aberdares
common I thin
are very old.

ften ask me the qu
ators they are sub
ertainly seen them
does not appear to
a litters are quit
they are killed o
strange pack will
they can catch and
when kills are m.a
5 where nights are
k arthritis claims

estion, 'What kills Hyaenas?',
ject to disease and sic kn ess
in a terribly emmaciated state,
be as great as with Hunting Dogs
e small, often no more, than two,
ccasionally by Lions and Leopards
certainly kill any youngsters of
packs fight a great deal, often
de in disputed territory. On
cold, rain is heavy and- mists
quite a number long before they

In my next article on the Spotted Hyaena I will describe

in detail some of the
considerable light on
place nightly on this

kills actually witnessed, for they throw
the cloak-and-dagger battles which take
huge moTintain,

R . J , Pricket t ,

P, 0, Box 792 , HYERI
Kenya ,

HOTES PROM T AIT Z ALT I A

On 21st Hovember 1976 we sav/ a female lion,

from the Hdutu Pride in Tarangire national Park catch
male Warthog , Phacochoerus ae thiopicus as it was
the Tarangire River, The Warthog was killed in

Panthera leo

an adult
drinking from
the River which

had about 5cm of water flowing at that point. The rest of the
pride soon joined the female and some 10 Lions were tearing at
the carcass. Inevitably small pieces of meat v/ere dropped and
these v/ere carried down by the current. Soon after the Lions
started to feed a Hammerkop , S o opus umbre tta appeared on the
scene. He proceeded to wade around downstream of the carcass
and collect the fallen pieces of meat. He also once caught
what appeared to be a rather large white roundworm. After a
few minutes the Hammerkop was joined by a Jacana, Actophilornis
af ricana who also proceeded to join in the feast provided by
the Lions, Several hours later the Hammerkop v/as seen sleeping
near the River with a very heavy crop.

Over the past tv;o years I have seen several animals either
albanistic forms or proper albinos where eye colour could not
be determined.

South West of HdutUj near Makau village in mid 1974 a pure
white yearling female Waterbuckj Kobus sp,j ?/as seen on several
occasions but in January 1976 I found her tv/o to three month
old remains; she was probably killed by Lion^ P an t h e r a leo .

Just West of Idutu in late April 1976 I saw a pure white Wilde-
beest calf 9 Connochaetes t aurinus about four months old. This 5
of all the white animals I have seen 5 was the only one not
completely accepted as a normal-coloured animal. Its mother
kept to the edge of a fairly large herd, but often other V/ilde-
beest, particularly males, v/ould approach closely and look at
it .

In late May 1976 a three-quarter grown v/hite Thomson’s
Gazelle, Gazella thomsoni v/as seen just North of Ndutu. Prom
early 1974 until I left Nduifcu in June 1976, a Superb Starling,
Spr e o superbus with several v/hite feathers in each wing and
some on its head was seen in the vicinity of Ndutu Lodge.

Prom soon after my arrival in Tarangire , I have seen an
Ashy Starling, Cosmopsarus unicolor with white central tail-
feathers around the Lodge, About the middle of September 1976
I saw what appeared to be a white Buffalo, S yn c e r u s caf f er
calf between Tarangire Lodge and the Tarangire National Pa.rk
gate. It was part of a herd of at least 700 and it v/as imposs-
ible to get a good look at it. In the first week of October 1976
I sav/ a D'Arnaud's Barbet , Trachyphonus darn audii with nearly
pure v/hite on wings, back and tail, while the red-orange under
tail coverts etc were as usual.

G-erald Rilling,

P,0. Box 284j ARUSHA,
T an z an i a ,

NOTH OI-T VifllB DOCt lYCAOH PICTUS SIGHTING

It is generally assumed that
Lyc aon p ictus , more than the sight
cause panic among wild ungulates,
usually found on open plains where
hunting technique, that of pursuin
nces, can be used to maximum advan
vation may therefore be of interes

the si

of Wild

S 5

0 f a,n

ther pre

1 0

3:‘s

Mo re 0

, Wild D

their

rt icular

g thei

rey over

dis

t a'

t age .

e follow

s er

t ,

During the last week of August 1976, in a clearing in the
rain-forest covering the Southeastern Loita Hills, Kenya, we
noticed a pack of Wild Dogs, five adults accompanied by eight
half-grovm youngsters, A family group of Zebra, Equus burchelli
with two young foals passed by the youngsters at less than 50m,
paying no attention to the Dogs at all. The young Dogs became
alert,, observed the passing Zebra, but gave no chase. The
adults were nearby, but we could not see whether they too, had
noticed the Zebra. The unconcern of the Zebra, even assuming
that they saw only the young Dogs, v/as surprising, so was the
fact that the Dogs were v/ithin the rain-forest,

Judith A, Rudnai,

P,0o Box 15516, HAIROBI.

HOTE on THE EWASO HGIRO SWAMP

The Ev/aso Hgiro Swamp near Alangurua, lies just to the
South of Lake Magadi (579m) and just North of Shomboli (l563»5m)
in Kenya and lake Natron (609m) in Tanzania. It lies roughly
2°5'S 36 7'E, and is formed by the Ewaso Hgiro River which
eventually seeps into Lake Natron,

The sv/amp was first mentioned by the
as the place where her friends had seen a
headed Stork, Balaenic eps rex (eANHS Bulle
1976 p, 131-1 32), We have hun ted for this
ards eventually found the tracks after an
area and visited it on 13th December 1976,
the swamp on 24th January 1977, and later
party reached there on the same day.

Botanically it was most interesting.

Lat e

Mrs

Pres

t on

Shoeb

ill

Whal

t in ,

No ve

er/De

c ember

swamp

and

,K. R

ich-

aeria

1 s e

ch of

the

Tog

e the

we vi

sited

J ohn

Misk

ell and

his

being

vast

area ,

hundredSj possibly thousands of hectares of Reedmacoj Typha sp.
with leaves and inflorescences up to 3ei high amongst v/hich were
mats of Nile Cabbage or \Yater lettuce 5 Pist ia s tratiotes mixed
with Po t amoge t on spo In the clear shallo?/ water was the water
fern Mars e Ilia sp» which also survives on dry land around the
edgSj forming mats amongst patches of Water Lily pads 5 Nymphia
sp. The Water Lily flowers ?/ere \'ery small and hardly blue
with the leaves an odd shape 5 m.ore like an 'antelope-spoor*.

A number of submerged herbs were also noted. Part of the swamp
had been recently burned while the shore plants had been grazed
almost to ground level by cattle, stock and game.

No fish were seen although basket-type fish traps of the
Luo type were found and there is a small Luo fishing settlement
nearby. Several species of fish are known from the Ewaso Ngiro
River, such as Clarias sp, A feature of the shore were the
innumerable large and small dragonflies, the scarlet Crocothemis ,
blue Orthetrum, Trithemis and large An ax , Rhyo themis and
Trapezost igma with colourful hindwings , and dainty Goenagriidae
Lams el Elies,

The follc-vving mammals v/ere seen during the day and most
v/ent to the. s'vamp to drink, Olive Baboons, Pap io anubis ,
several group;-., '.■Tarthog, Phac 0 choerus ae thiopicus , one family
with four ve] y small piglets. Grant's Gazelle, Gaz ella grant i ,
Imp ala, Aepyc eras melampus , the Hare, Lepus c apens is and the
Yellow- ?/ingcc Bat, La via f rons in the Acacias,

However, birds v/ere the main feature, the most interesting
being!

Squacco, Ardeola rail o ides very numerous and often in a party
of a dozen or more-,

Saddlebill Stork, Epliippiorhynchus senegalensis , a single bird.
Marabou, Le p t op 'g iliis crumenif e rus , numerous, as were the carca-
sses of cattle ,

Yellow-billed Stork, Ibis ibis , a few.

Sacred Ibis, Thr e ski 0 rn i s ao thiopr cus , numerous, here and there.

Glossy Ibis, PI eg ad is f alcir.ellus , a few

African Spoonbill, PI at ale a ajUga, a few

White-faced Tree Luck, Lendrocygna viduata, a pack

•EgyP'tian Goose, A1 op o chen aegypt iaca , a few pairs

Knob-bill, Sark i d i o rni s me 1 on 0 1 a <, party, one male with a large

kn o b

Wigeon, Anas p enelope , seveia.1, in off plumage
Red-billed Luck, Anas erythr orhynchus , many
Hottentot Teal, An as ho 1 1 en 1 0 1 a , several

Egyptian Vulture, Neo-phron perc’hopt erus , most in white adult
plumage

Marsh Harrier, _C i r cu s aerug iiio sus , over swamp. One seen to make
a ‘ tall swoop ' ,

G-abar Goshawk ^ Me Her ax ft~abar , in Acacias by swamp edge
Booted Eagle j Hieraae tus p ennatus , a singleton
Crowned Crane, Balearica regulorum , in pairs

Lily-trotter (jacana), Act ophilornis af ricana in flocks, often
30 and more birds I

Blacksmith Plover, Vane Hus armatus , pairs

Spotted Redshank, g ring a e rythr opus , a fine singleton in good
plumage

All the commoner, Palaearctic, Magadi Waders were in great
numbers and

Water Bikkop , Buhr inus vermiculatus , in pairs

Pratincole, Glare ola pratincola , a party of 20 came to drink
Blue- cheeked Bee-ea,ter, Me r o p s superciliosus p e r s i cu s , numbers
\7hit e-throat ed Bee-eater, Me r ops albicollis , numbers with the
Blue- che eked

African Sandmartin, Rip aria paludicola , thousands over the Typha
either resting on or feeding in great flocks, most of the time
low, ju.st over the gra^ss or swamp
Wood Sandpiper, T r in g a glare ola

Por details of the rou.te to the Ewaso hgiro Sv/amp , please
contact the Birdrooni, the National Museum, Nairobi.

GcRo' Cunningham van Someren
P.O. Box 40658, NAIROBI

I) . K » Richards ,
P. 0. Box 4195 1 5

NAIROBI.

A further short note on the Ewaso Ngiro Swamp came from
John Miskell 5 mentioned above. He reports catching 2 male Tiger
beetles, Myr i 0 chile me Ian cholic a Eab. at the Sv/amp . These are
the first specimens in the National Museum, Nairobi collection
from Southern Kenya. Ed,

HINTS ON BEETLE COLLECTING

Beetles belong to the insect order Coleoptera (meaning
sheath- v/inged ) and the order is considered to contain the second
largest number of species among the animal orders. The possib-
ility of collecting species new to science or extending the
range of known species by several hundred kilometres is enormous.

There are four basic methods for collecting Beetles, The
first is the use of a net made from strong material which will
not tear when sv^eeping it through bushes and trees. This method
is very productive after the rains when the flowers are out, as
these may contain many Beetles, The second method is very sim-
ple, just turn over stones, look on the ground and under dead
bark of trees and you will find them. The dung of all animals
contains Beetles, normally of the family Scarabaeidae , and one

pile of dung may contain many species at different stages,

V/hen using this second method simply pick up any Beetles you
see 5 but do take great care as some of the large Tiger Beetles
can bite 5 and the Nairobi Eye 5 Paederus crebrepunct atus is
a Beetle I V/hen is doubt, use forceps. The third collecting
technique is equally easy - either v/atch your security light
for Beetles which are attracted to it, or, when on safari, a
gas or paraffin light will attract any insects in the area.

The fourth basic collecting method is to pour water onto the
sand of a dry river bank or lake edge; any Beetles which are
underground v/ill come to the surface.

Beetles can be killed in a chloroform killing jar. This
is a quick method and one of the safest to use. A cyanide jar
is not advisable as it is very harmfull to humans I Smaller
species can be put in a tube with a little soft tissue in the

bottom, and a few drops on chloroform dripped on top. Ethyl

acetate or carbon t et e.rchloride can also be used to kill your
specimens, but these are slow-acting and make the specimens
brittle. Do ensure that the Beetles are well and truely dead
before you pin them through the right wing case; some of the
large species can be quickly knocked unconscious by the killing
agent but not killed, so it is advisable to leave them in the
killing jar for an hour or more. Entomological pins can be

obtained in Nairobi and size 5 (Continental) or 0 (British)

should be used for the large Beetles while size 3 (Continental)
or 7 (British) are suitable for the smaller species. All Con-
tinental pins are the same length but vary in width, while the
British ones vary both in length and width. Very small Beetles
should be mounted on a card with a little gum arable or other
wat er-soluable glue, and the card elevated on a pin. It is
very important that the smallest possible amount of glue be
used or it will stick up the legs and antennae and make the
specimens difficult to study.

The most important part is labelling your collection for
one which does not have data la,bels is useless for scientific
purposes. This can bo done either v/hen you collect or as the
specimens are pinned. Preferably use a note book in the field
and take notes as the specimens are collected. This data is
then transferred to the labels under the specimen. The infor-
mation needed on the data label is; Place, Country, Altitude
(state ij- given in feet or metres), Date (day, month, year),
Eield noues (e.g, feeding on Aloe graminicola ) and the name^of
the collector.

Unfortunately,
Eastern Africa, but
sive collection and

no general work exists on the Beetles of
bhe National Museum, Nairobi has an exten-
are always willing to help in identifying

collections.. Specimens which are donated to the Museum are
always most v/elcome =

John Mi shell 5

Entomology Dept, 5

PoO. Box 406585 I'TAIROBI.

OBSERVATIOiTS Oil THE PISHIilG OWL 5 SCOTOPELIA P51I
Oil THE TAHA RIVER 5 KENYA

V/hilst on the Tana River Expedition 1976 , I v/as lucky
enough to observe the Pishing Owl on several occasions. This
bird is said to be uncommon, but is v/idespread in Africa, The
Ov\t1 was seen on seven occasions on the Tana River, a figure
which at first sight does not seem very much. However, when
compared to the number of times other Owls were seen, these
seven occasions take on a new significance. The Scops Owl,

Otu 3 s c o s , though frequently heard was never seen, even though
night-time searches were carried out. The White-faced Scops
Owl 5 Otus leuc o t is , was recorded only once when one flew into
a mist-net at dusk. The African Wood Owl, Ciccaba woodf ordii ,
was recorded nine times during the day in fairly thick veget-
ation, These records would seem to indicate that the Pishing
Ov/1 is not rare on the Tana River,

Of the seven sightings of the Pishing 0?/l , two were at
night. One was near \7ema, above Garsen, flying down the River
whilst members of the expedition were conducting a night search
for Crocodile, Grocodylus nilot icus , The other was observed
fishing from, a dead tree stump in the middle of the river near
our camp at Kipende a,t about 5 a,m, A dead Elephant, Loxodont a
af ricana ha,d floated downstream and lodged on the same sand-
bank as the tree. The maggots proved an attraction to birds
during the day and also to Catfish at night. Observation was
facilitated by an Image Intensifier, This instrument is basic-
ally a photon accelerator which gathers all the available light
from the moon and stars to which our eyes are insensitive, and
transforms it into an image which we can see, projected onto a
phosphorous screen forming a green, glowing picture. Using
this instrument it was possible to soe the Owl up to about 50m
av/ay, even though it was invisible to the unaided eye. The
Owl would sit immobile for long periods, resembling the tree
stump on which it sat, from time to time turning round. On
three occasions the Owl dropped to the water 2 - 3»5 m away,
tv/-ice returning to its pearch with a Catfish c, 20cms long.

A second catching technique was recorded when an Ov^l flew off
downstream, not returning for 10 to 25 minutes. It was pres-
umed that during this time it flew along the River, On one

of these occasions it returned to the perch v/ith a Catfish over
30cm long, a large splash being heard beforehand. These measure-
ments were arrived at by comparison v/ith the tree stump the Ov/1

was

and

sitting

also

Th e

f is

fish

ab out

v/hich it ?/as possible to measure by daylight,
.mation as a fraction of the Owl’s length.

v/ere ea.ten on the tree

stump, the bird raising
in one clav/ and tearing off
pieces which it sv/allowed. The bulk of the two smaller fish
v^ere swallowed v/hole but the head v/as never eaten. This would
be difficult due to the long spines present on the pectoral and
dorsal fins. These are very sharp and can be locked in position,
and small barbules make them a formidable means of defence . It
is probable that Catfish constitute the bulk of the fishing
Ov/1 ’ s diet on the Tana River, It is knovra that many species
spend the day in deep pools, but are present on the surface at
night, for example the Cl arias sp. which comes in to very shallow
ViTater at night.

The fishing Ov/1 was encountered by day in the Mangroves,
Rhizophora sp. at the mouth of the Tana, where two were seen.
Here they were relatively large numbers of fish-eating birds,
including fish Eagles, Haliaeetus vocif er , Osprey Pan d ion
haliae tus , Long-tailed Cormorant, Phal aero corax af ricanus ,
African Darters, Anhinga ruf a and various Herons, Regarding
the dense nature of the Mangroves, a relatively large number of
fishing Owls can be expected in this particular habitat. A
single Owl was encountered overlooking the River near Mulango,
above Garissa, and another just belov/ Dura, V/hilst in camp at
Hewani, above Garsen, a fishing 0\y1 roosted during one day in
a large Mango tree , Many if era in d i c a , overlooking the camp where
it v/as photographed before it flew avmy at 6,15 p,m. The positi-

ons of those Ov/ls seen during the day indicate that
most others, sits in a fairly open position during the

it, unlike
•1

The two Ov/ls seen at Hewani and at Hema
apart, again indicate that the fishing
the Tana River, At no time during the expedition were

day,

, although about l6km
Owl in not uncommon on

any

unusual sounds heard at night
ascribed to this species were
Leslie Brov/n , Bu 1 1 e t in of t Ii e
1976, 96(2),

and none of the various calls
heard. These are described by

British

Orn i t h o 1 qg i s t s ’

Club

Mr KcL, Campbell,
P,0. Box 14469,
ilAIROBI.

FURTHER RECORDS OP THE CORE CRAKE FROM DAR-ES- SALAAM

Relatively few records of the Corn Crake, Crex crex , are
available for Kenya and Tanzania, (Backhurst, Britton and Mann,
1973? J ournal of the East Africa Hatural History Society and
Hat ional Museum Ho 140i 11-12) and there appears to be only one

rec,ord from coastal East Africa, a single specimen collected at
Dar-es-Salaam on 29th April 1973 (Howell, 1973? EAHHS Bulletin ;
95-96 ).

Two further specimens, both males in breeding plumage and
both v/ith heavy deposits of fat, have since been collected on
the University of Dar-es-Salaam main campus. The first bird
was captured on 21st April 1976 by a grounds worker in an area
of grassland betv/een the athletic grounds and the sewage ponds, ,
This bird weighed 183g? had a wing length of 135mm, and each
testis measured 5 x 4mm, The second bird, kindly donated to
the Department of Zoology by Dr \7.B. Rudman, was killed by a
domestic cat on 30th April 1976, It weighed 180g, had a v/ing
length of 135mm, and each testis measured 2 x 1mm, Both birds
were skinned by C.A, Hsuya; the first v/as prepared as a mounted
museum specimen (catalogued as UDSM-B-90) the second as a study
skin (UDSM- B- 9 1 ) .

These additional specimens of the Corn Crake from Dar-es-
'^alaam would seem to indicate that the species may be more
common than previously recognized and support the suggestion
made earlier (o_g.. cit . ) that, in addition to using a route
through the highlands of Tanzania and Kenya, the species also
regularly migrates Horth along the East African coast in late
April o

K.M, Howell,

Dept, of Zoology,

P.0, Box 35064?

DAR-ES- SALAAM, Tanzania

CHECKLISTS OF BIRDS IH HAIROBI HATIOHAL PARK

Two checklists are commonly available, that of Y/illiams
in the Field Uuide t o the national Parks of East Africa, and
that in the official guide by the national Parks of Kenya, The
former (a) contains about 390 species and the latter (b) 320.
Although (b) is incomplete in many respects it nevertheless
contains 37 species not listed in (a) so that the combined
checklist would be about 427 species.

Follov/ing seven years of regular birdwatching in the Park,

I can add tli
either of th
African Dart
Little Bitte
Hildebrandt '

Brovm-backed
Cliff Chat

Siffling Cis

Silverbill

Thick-billed

e following
e s e lists.

eight species which do

not occur on

e r

Anhinga rufa

Narogomon dam

Ixobrychus minutus

Hippo Pools

s Francolin

Franc olinus hildebrandti Mokoyeti and

Sosian Gorge

Wood.p e cker

Picoides obsoletus

Forest

Myrme cocichla c inn amome i v en t r i s

Mb ag at hi Gorge

Cliffs

ticola

Cisticola brachypters

X Open areas in
Forest valleys

Lonchura malabarica

Dear Ho 9

Seed- eater

Serinus burtoni

Forest

My personal checklist for the
295 species.

Park nov/ stands

ab out

Reynolds (bAITHS Bulletin 1973»112) lists nine species tha
he had seen which were not on list (a). Of these the followin
two are additional to the aforementioned three lists;

Crested Franc olin Franc olinus s epliaena
Kaffir Rail Rallus caerulescens

To these can be add.ed ;

Sanderling Callidris alba (Bowles, V.Y, • EACTHS

Bulletin 1 9 7 4 ; 1 20 )

Bittern Bo t aurus st ellaris (Dorris, C.E.,

EAITHS Bulletin 1974; 163 )
giving a grand total of 439 species.

I feel that many more species could be added to this list
particularly from the 'difficult' groups such as Birds of Prey,
Cisticolas, Larks and Pipits, I v;ould be interested to collect
from members any further records so that a reasonably complete
checklist for our most accessible Rational Park can be prepared.

IT . J . Skinner ,

P.Oo Box 30197s ITAIROBI

A LARGE HIRUHDIilE ROOST ID UASII'I GISHU

During the period August; to October 1976 birds were caught
and ringed at a. massive Hirundine roost close to Eldoret, Kenya.
The roost 5 which apparently lias been in existence for several
years, was very accessible b^ing in 0, relatively small reed bed
at the shallow end of a cattle dam. This year the birds were
first seen in late July and the numbers rapidly increased to a
maximum in September when estimates of upto 10 birds v/ere

0'S? cf-

present. The roost dispersed quite rapidly in early October
and by I'Tovember only a few hundred birds were present.

The ro
rus t ic a 5 of
Sand Martin
c in eta v/ere

ost mainly consisted of Europe
which 80^ were juvenile birds
s 5 Riparia rip aria and Banded
also causht.

an Sv/allows, Hi run do
. Small numbers of
Sand Martins 5 Riparia

In all a total of
indication of the size
our ovm birds and these
decreasing in size. II o
juveniles were found wi
sumably put there when
to identify them.

2200 Sv/allows were caught and as an
of the roost we only controlled five of
were only caught when the roost v/as
other birds were controlled but tv/o
th coloured wool tied to each legj pre-
the birds were nestlings in an attempt

J. R. Best ,

P.Oo Box 450s ELBORET,
Kenya.

HEI7

YEAR \7EEK-EHI) AT MICHIIIUKURU

ESTATE

This Hew Year v/as celebrated in fine style, Mr and Mrs
P. Scott invited us to camp on Michmurkuru Estate in the ITyam-
beni Hills s Kenyaj and besides providing a commodious camping
site, invited us to a barbecue in their delightful garden, where
meat was roasted and buns toasted and everyone had a splendid
time. v/hile the oldest and youngest members of the party crept
or v/ere carried away to bed, .the rest stayed to see the Hew Year
in and a bit further, though' this did not deter them from getting
up in good time in the mornings 'to see the tea factory,

and sampling some lovely v/alks afforded by the estate with its
lines and patches of forest, A good deal of tree planting is
undertaken on the estate and it was good to see Vit ex keniensis
being planted besides the more popular and quick-growing exotics.

Pet er
tunity of
way. To s
form of ch
hopping ab
ment s , not
But how of
poliocepha
hopping ab
might soun
in the fie
the Robin-

Haz

Britt on

set u

p net

d gave

us the

oppor-

see

g b

s that

e seldom 0

ver

see

in an

other

inging

able

alway

s e

ems

me 1 0

e a

e at

e prope

way

to s e

b i

rds

to wat

h them

out

b j ec t 0

ring

ing i

1 0

s tu

birds *

mo ve-

1 0

at i

the cu

io s i t

y of

lazy

de ere

it .

t en

0 V/

e e the

Brovm-

dies t

Ale th

e Alethe

la or the Abyssinian Hill-babbler, Alcippe abyssinica
out? The Alethe, though in a description its colours
d dull, is a singularly beautiful bird in the hand or
Id, the large eye and conspicuous eye-stripe recalling
Ghats, Cossypha spp. to which it is closely related.

I myself had only seen it once before; at lutembe near Kampala;
Uganda on lOtli February 1963, There was a pair of virhich vie saw
one very well, V/e guessed it was a Thrush; and with this start
were able to key it out. The identification was made by my
companion Pam Arman ; one of the keenest of our Uganda members
in those days.

As for the Abyssinian Hill-Babbler; several of us saw it
from the roof of Mountain Lodge; when the Society held a field
meeting there in June 1973 j and on another occasion others of
us thought vie heard the song. This v/as near Ragati Forest Stat-
ion in February 1971 » Jean liayes recorded the song and played
it back; and the bird answered from the depth of the. forest;
but would not come oiit or show itself.

Many thanks are due to Mr and Mrs Scott for this delightful
v/eek-end and memorable New Year celebration. They even sent us
off ¥/ith gifts of delicious tea; very different from Y/hat I at
least usually buy in the shops.

' Corvinella'

THE LEST EE CORD SCHEriB

There has been an encouraging increase in participation in
the Nest Record Scheme during 1976, There is no substitute for
personal contact in conY'incing members of the worthiness of their
contributions so that the distance of our home from I'To.irnbi has
alvnays been a disamlvant o,ge in recruiting new faces, G,R. Gunn-
ingham-van Someren’s tireless efforts in promoting the Scheme
in Nairobi are much appreciated,' Many members are now obtaining
their cards directly from him at the National Museum; and o.
further supply is available at the Society’s office at the Museum.
This saves on postage; but I a^lviays acknowledge the receipt of
cards and am always pleased to correspond Virith any contributor.

An analysis of the breeding seasons of East African birds
by Dr Leslie Brown and my husband Peter is nov/ virtually complete
and it will be published in four parts in our J ournal , It will
form an invaluable baseline, enabling future data to be evaluated
meaningfully 5 and should not be viev/ed as 'the end of the road'
in our study of breeding seasons, Ue still want records. of the
commonest species, hov/ever scant the data. An understanding of
breeding seasons is only one a.im of the Scheme, A large body
of data v/ill prove iiseful in the future for clutch-size, nest-
site and other studies,

I have received fewer requests for data during 1976 than in

some previous years but I was able to supply data on the Ostrich
S truthio camelus to L,Mo Hurxthal , the Ye 11 ov/- backed V/eavei-j
Plo c eus melanocephalus and the Golden-backed Weaverj P. ,1 acksoni
to Pr Jo Parsons 5 the Stripe-breasted Sparrow-Y/eaver,Plocepasser
maliali to Dr I'loEo Collias, on Mackinnon’s Shrike, lanius
mackinnoni to Y/oRoJ. Dean and breeding records from Tsavo East
Rational Park to P«Co lackc

Please send any 1976 cards to me directly as soon as poss-
ible, Finding nests is fun J Pilling in cards is a chore, but
a worthwhile one. I hope that 1977 will prove to be still more
successful .

Mrs Hazel A. Britton
Organiser, EARHo Rest
Re cord Scheme ,

Shimo-la-t ewa School,

P. Oc Box 90163 ,

IIOMBASA, Kenya.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dear Sir,

I refer to the note published in the EARHS Bulletin for
January/Pebruary 1977 p.8 - 9 recording Guppies in the Athi
River.

I first found Guppies in the Athi River catchment area in
1972 - in the Rairobi River between Kariobangi and Rairobi Palls.
In 1973 I also observed Guppies in the Ruaraka River (adjacent
to Kenya Breweries) and in the Athi River at Fourteen Palls,

B.So Meadov\rs 5

P.Oo Box 30521, RAIROBI,

Dear Sir

I re

Bulletin
mosquito
and Gambu

ote in the Januar y/Pebruary
Athi River, Two species of
then as Lebistes reticularis

fer to Mr K, Campbell’s n
on finding Guppies in the
larvae- e at ing fish, known
s ia af f inis holbrooki were introduced to Kenya around

Senoir Entomologist of the Medical
CoB. Symes, for the expressed purpose
larvae populations in wells on the
tanks were built at the laboratory and
to apply for fish for ponds and the

35 by the then
Laboratory, Mr

1930 - 19
Research
of controlling mosquito
Island of
the publi

Mombasa, Two
c were invited

like. In 1 9 36 tlie writer coramenced an extensive canpaign in
ITairobi and District to introduce these fish to all semi and
permanent water such as the manj streams flowing through ITairobi;
to quarries and burrovz-pit s , to the many swamps in the city area
which existed at that time. later when it became necessary to
intensify mosquite control on account of the possibility of
Yellow fever, all sorts of domestic and factory water supply
tanks v/ere stocked to control the Ae de s Ilosquito. Throughout
1939 to 1945, lumbers 1 and 11, Mobile Malaria Units of the
East African Army Medical Corps stocked all standing water and
streams around the very many army camps within Kenya and even
took fish to Ethiopia, for the Abyssinian Campaign, Thus either
of these two species of fish may be found anywhere in Kenya
from Kisumu to the Coast, the MED to the Tanzania border. They
failed in lake I'lakuru as the water v/as too saline but did survive
in laivasha. Most of the dams on the Coffee and Sisal Estates
were also stocked.

GoE. Cunningham
(one time Health
and E o A . A c H . C . )

P.O. Box 40658,

Dear Sir,

As an ordinary, rank-and-file birdwatcher, might I suggest
that you persuade some member of the Ornithological Sub- Commit t e e
to v/rite a note in the Bulletin (not their specialist publication
though of course there too if they wish), on the recent changes
in nomenclature ? It is with great pleasure and relief that I
read in the lewslett er of the Dept, of Ornithology -'There have
been several additions to the bird list for East Africa and so
many changes in nomenclature since the first edition of Mackv/o-
rth-Praed and Grant (l955 ) that those .v/ho have these volumes
will find them very out of date, A revised check-list for the
non-passerines has now been prepared, stencils cut and should
be available shortly for anybody wishing to bring their volumes
up-to-date’ (Newsletter No 9, p.l). This is an immensely help-
ful piece of work to have undertaken, and I only hope that they
will continue it by preparing immediately a similar list for the
Pas serines .

At present a great deal of confusion exists. The new
nomenclature is not generally available though its use is comp-
ulsory in the Bulletin , and if anyone sends in a note using the
old names, you. Sir, will make the alterations, so that the
poor author no longer knows vi/liat he is talking about. Graeme
and Daphne Backhurst’s list was not widely distributed, and the

-van Someren
Dept, Nairobi

NAIEOBI,

Library copy has to be kept in protective custody. I have
actually heard fellow raembers telling each other that it is
better to rely on English names rather than the scientific ones,
as they are less liable to changOj and this is very disappoin-
ting after many years of trying to persuade them to use the
scientific names at least for reference work.

Of course we are in no position to question the wisdom or
desirability of these changes. The mere publication of a list
would do much to restore confidence, and an explanatory note
would enable us to bear the present inconveniences with more
patience. The questions that particularly need to be answered
seem to be the following ;

1. Is .the new nomenclature internationally recognised, or only
for local use?

2. Is it nov/ fairly stable?

3. \7ill the new Group Order (e*g, in the Passerines, Alaudidae
to Zosteropidae instead of Alaudidae to Smberizidae) be used
in future books (a) on African birds (b) on birds in other
parts of the v/orld ?

4. Whose work do these changes help, and in what v/ay ?

Priscilla Mi Allen,

P.O. Box 14166, ITAIROBI,

RECORD SECTIOIT

A E e w Rodent Species t o IT air obi Museum

In ilovember 1976 while trapping small mammals in Kakamega
area, Kenya, an interesting species of rodent, Colomys goslingi
was caught. Two specimens were obtained, both at night. One
was along a small stream at Mukumu Mission 0° 17 ’S 34*^ 45.5 ’E
and the^other below Kakamega Forest Station along the lugusida
River 0 1 5-. 5 * S 34 52, 5 'E.. Both water courses had thick

vegetation cover. The specimen from luguside River was caught
in a big cage trap which was partially submerged in v/ater v/hich

While it was in the water it s^7am

the v;ater it climbed the sides of the cage with agility. The
rodent is probably a good swimmer and climber.

was meant to trap Otters,
well; v/ater did not v/et its fur; and on taking the cage out

The species has been recorded from Cameroons, Congo, Zaire,
Angola, Upper Kile in the Sudan and the Aberdares in Kenya,

I. Aggundey,

Curator of Mammals,

P.O. Box 40658, UAIROBI

BOOK REVIEW

\7ild Cat s of the V/ o r 1 d by C,A„W« Guggisbergj iJev/ York, faplinger
Publishing Co, 1975

This fine book has been added to the Library, a gift from
the author. The Cats, though differing widely among themselves,
form a well-defined grouxo whose grace and beauty combined with
ferocity and independence of character, have fascinated mankind
from early times. This is a reference book rather than a book
to read through, but the most readable and probably to most of
us the most interesting parts are those where the author is able
to write from his own rich and deep experience. All the East
African species are illustrated by his own photographs. But he
is a man of great erudition as well as long experience in the
field. Photographs aaid descriptions are v/ell documented and
there is an extensive bibliography,

’ Corvinella’

WAITTEB KITOVfil

■ The follovving books are wanted ;

Trees and Shru bs of Kenya Colony 1956 by E, Bat t is combe
Y/ildf lowers of ITairobi national Park 196 2 by S, Heriz- Smith

Please contact Benise Costich, PoO, Box 526, ILICHAKOS,
Kenya if you wish to sell or give away the above publications.

The Paint ings of Forman Light on

Members who are interested in obtaining a copy of one of
the editions of ITorman Lighten 's paintings can obtain informat-
ion by writing to 'The Paintings of Horkan Lighten', P.0, Box
41815, NAIROBI,

Bird Checklist for Serenge t i N at i on al Park

I have been working on a checklist of the birds of Sereng-
eti National Park, Tanzania, which is now ready for printing.

To make sure that no information is missing, members are reque-
sted to add their information to the list. Any records and
breeding records are of interest, even for common species.

Every observation put on the list v^rill sliov/ the name of the
observer and all letters will be acknowledged, I hope a lot
of members will write to me i Dieter Schmidl, P.O, Box 35,

NAKURU, Kenya,

SOCIETY ITOTES

Ornithological Ptiblicat ion

The Ornithological Sub- Oomiait t ee of the Society agreed
unanimously on the need for a quarterly East African ornithol-
ogical publication, to be produced under the auspices of the
Societju It was agreed that this publication, together with an
Annual Bird Report should be funded by a seperate subscription
and be available to Society members on payment of Shs. 50.00
annually, in addition to the Society’s subscription. These
proposals were accepted by the Executive Committee at its meeting
in December 1976.

At a further meeting in January it was decided that the
new publication be called * Scopus ’ and that production of the
first 1977 quarterly issue should go ahead. This should be ready
for distribution by the Society’s Annual General Meeting in
March,

Cheques should be made payable to'D.A. Turner Scopus Account’
and DOT to the Society. The Secretary/Treasurer is Mr D.A.

Turner, P.O. Box 43019? ITAIROBI. All contributions for * Scopus ’
should be sent to Dr D.J. Pearson, Dept, of Biochemistry, P.O.

Box 30197 ? ITAIROBI.

Praed and Grant for Sale

A member is selling both volumes of Mackworth Praed and
Grant ’ s ’ Birds of Eastern and north Eastern Africa ’ . Cost
Shs. 1700.00. To give up-country members a chance, please send
in your request to The Treasurer, P.O, Box 44486, NAIROBI to
reach her by 18th March, Envelopes should be clearly marked
’P &G’ in the top left hand corner. The first letter opened on
that date will get the books.

’Upland Kenya Wild Plov/er s ’

The Society has ordered 50 copies of this excellent book
which is said to be on the high seas. They have not yet arrived,
and the publishers fear they may be lost. Hov/ever, members wish-
ing to obtain a copy should place their orders with The Treasurer
P.O. Box 44486, NAIROBI. Those v/ho do so will be notified if
and v/hen the books arrive, so place your orders now.

Few Members

The Se ere tary/Treasur er would like to thank all those who
have helped us in our membership drive by spreading the word
to their friends. To date v/e have had 60 new members, so please
keep up the good work.

* Medicinal Plants of hast Africa^

V/e have sold out, but more copies of this valuable book are
on order. Please contact the Treasurer in the Society’s office
in the .national Museum. Price Shs. 55»00 to members

‘ ITakuru ’ Book

Purther supplies of this book have arrived, and again they
can be bought in the office. Postal orders are accepted, but
please add Shs, 6.00 for packing and postage. Cost Shs. 50,00
to members.

Car Stickers

ITew members

are

reminded that the

Society has

car stickers

for

sale at

only

Shs

. 2 . 00 each.

Available in the

Office ,

one

me mb e rs

said

the

other day,

if you

do not want

to stick

t h e m

your car

you

can

use them as

drinks

mat s i

J ournal Reprints

We have some very valuable and usefull reprints in the
Office, Some of them are in very short supply, so do not miss
the chance.

FEW MEMBERS

Lo c al Pull Me mb e r s

Mr A.P, Barbet, P.O. Box 30709 , ITAIROBI
Miss V^'alerie Barr an , P.O. Box 30465, ITAIROBI
Mrs E.R.G, Barrott, P,0. Box. 40751, ITAIROBI
Hr and Mrs P.J, Bentley, P.O. Box 4571 3 , ITAIROBI
Mrs G.G, Bisley, P.O, Box 20723 , ITAIROBI
Mr Svend Borrit, c/o P.O, Box 30201 , ITAIROBI
Mrs Susan Bowls, P.O. Box 25030, ITAIROBI
Mr Hugh Cowie, P.O. Box 1 5 569 , ITAIROBI
Ms Joyce E.G. Duncan, P.O. Box 24922, ITAIROBI
Ms Yvonne Errington, P.O. Box 30270, ITAIROBI

Dr A, van G-astelj IT.A.R.S., P.O. Box 450^ KITALE j Kenya.

Mr David J, Grantham, P.O, Box 40426, ilAIROBI

C. Groenendijk, P,0. Box 41 537 ? ITAIROBI

Mr John Hall, KTTC, PoO. Box 446 00, ITAIROBI

Mr John Harries, Kareti Estate, P»0o Box 333? THIKA, Kenya

Ms Go Heuser, Royal Danish Embassy, P.Oo Box 40412, TTAIROBI

Miss MoEoC. Howard, St Julians, PoO. Box 48121, ITAIROBI

Mr Thomas Jaensqn, loC.IcP.B., P.O. Box 30772, ITAIROBI

Mr CeAoA, Jansen, P.O. Box 14828, ITAIROBI

Miss Beryl Kendall, PcO. Box 45925? ITAIROBI

Mr Alan D. Logan, P.O. Box 47209? ITAIROBI

Dr Gladys J.G« Lowe, c/o Dr Edwards, P.O, Box 30521 , ITAIROBI
Mr David Mason, Imani School, P.O. Box 750, THIKA, Kenya
Mr P.O. Mathez, c/o UITEP, P.O. Box 30552 , ITAIROBI
Mr J.B. Mitcalfs, P.O. Box 47383? ITAIROBI
Mr and Mrs Mollison, P.O. Box 30047? ITAIROBI

Ms Shalcuntala Moorjani, Department of Botany, P.O. Box 30197?
ITAIROBI

Mr R.D, Morgan, P.O. Box 47? GILGIL, Kenya
Mrs Peggy McGillivray? P.O. Box 30481, ITAIROBI
Mr SoG. ITjuguna, P.O. Box 27 35 9 ? ITAIROBI
Mr Murray Roberts, P.O. Box 1051? ITAKURU, Kenya
Mr \7ilson Wanjama Ruara, Sokoro Sawmills Ltd., P.O. Box 12,
ELBURGOIT, Kenya

Mrs G.A. Shaw, P.O. Box 30105? ITAIROBI
Miss Dianne Stanyon, P.O. Box 41721, ITAIROBI
Mr Jim Taylor, -P.O. Box 750, THIKA, Kenya
Mrs Barbara Thomas, P.O. Box 47098, ITAIROBI

Ms Sheila Thompson, P.O. Box 42247? ITAIROBI

Mr K.K. \7achiira, P.O. Box 14548, ITAIROBI

Ms Diane Ward, Limuru Girls School, Private Bag, LIMURU ,
Kenya

Mrs E.A, Webb, Cedarvale Parm, P.O. Box 184? ITAITYUKI, Kenya
Mr A.A.E. Williams, P.O. Box 23, ITJORO, Kenya
Mr Edgar V. Winans , P.O, Box 41081, ITAIROBI

Ms Carol Ann Zito, Kaaga Girls High School, Private Bag,

MERU? Kenya

Local Life Member

Dr A.A.J. Jansen, Medical Research Centre, P.O, Box 20752,
ITAIROBI

Change of Status - Lif e

Mr P.S. Beverley, Kianyaga High School? P.O, Box 1020,

K I AIT YAGA, ICenya

Local Junior Menbers

Kr Charles Amuyunzuj University of Uairobi, llgala Hall,

P,0, Box' 30344j ilAIROBI

Mr Acliolca John Daudij c/o Kenyatta University College , P.0»

Box 30553? UAIROBI

Mr Bruce E. Davis 5 Lfaitobi Study Centre? P»0o Box 30197 ?

UAIROBI

Overseas Pull Member

Ruth A. Laseski? Erov/n University? Dept, of Geological Scien-
ces? P,0o Box 1846 ? PROVIDEIICE? Rhode Island 02912? U.S.A.

SOCIETY PUITCTIOITS

Sunday 13th March All-day field excursion to the Thika? Pout-
teen Palls and 01 Donyo Dabuk area. Leader Mr P.D. Kelly,
Please meet at the Blue Posts Hotel? Thika either at 8.15 a.m.
for duck and wader watching on some local dams or at 10 a.n,
for visits to the Palls and Mountain area. The la,tter will
be of general natural history interest. Please bring a picnic
lunch and be prepared for some walking. A v/atchman v/ill be in
attendance to guard the cars during v/alks.

Mon d ay , 1 4th March at 5.30 p . m, at the national Museum Hall?

Uairobi; AiTUUAL GEITERAL MEETIITG after which the film 'The Year
of the Wildebeest ’ (50 minutes) by Alan Root will be shov/n

by courtesy of the Wildlife Clubs of Kenya.

Mon d ay 18th April at 5.30 p . m. at the Uational Museum Hall?
ITairobi. Dr D. Pomeroy of the Zoology Department of Kenyatta
University College will give an illustrated lecture on MARABOU
STORKS.

Sunday 24th April Mr M.P. Clifton? Entomologist at the

national Museiim? will Lead a ' Dudu- Crawl ' . This will take
place in Karura Forest? Uairobi. Please meet at the national
Museum at 9,30 a.m. and bring a picnic lunch if you wish to
stay all day.

Sunday , 8th May Dr J.J, Gaudet of the Department of Botany?
University of Uairobi? will lead an excursion to study the
Lakeside vegetation at lake Uaivasha. Further details later.

Monday 9 th May at 9.30 P . m » At the national Museum Hall 5

Nairobi j Dr John Kokwaro of the Botany Department j University
of Nairobi will give a lecture on I-EDICINAL PLANTS.

Sunday 1 3th May Half day botanical excursion in the Nairobi
Area, Leader Mrs Pleur Ng'weno, Please meet at the National
Museum^ Nairobi at 9,00 a,m.

Week-end 4th/3 th J mi e Mr S, Moss of the British Council and
Mr D, Theobald of the K,1,S, will hold a course on Basic ecol-
ogy? provided that sufficient members sign on. The course
will take place within very easy reach of Nairobi and take two
days. The cost v/ill be Shs , 15«00 for the printed material.

All equipment v/ill be provided. Only basic ecology will be
taught - no taxonomic knowledge is necessary. If you are
interested, please write direct to Mr S. Moss, The British
Council, P.0, Box 40751, NAIROBI for details.

Monday 13th June at 5 . 30 p , m . at the National Museum Hall,

Nairobi. An illustrated lecture by our Chairman, Mr John

Karmali on 'BIRDS THROUGH MY LENS'.

Week- end 1 8th/ 19th June The Society has been offered special
t e'rms (^hs, 110,00 per person per night) at Meru Mulika Lodge

in Meru National Park, Details later,

Monday , 11th July at 3-30 p . m , at the National Museum. Hall,

Nairobi. Mr R,D. Haller, Agronomist at Bamburi Portland Cement
Works, v/ill give an illustrated lecture on 'REHABILITATION OE
A LIMESTONE QUARRY' .

Monday 8th August at 3-30 p - m, at the National Museum Hall,

Nairobi. Mr B,S. Meadov/s will give a lecture on 'Y/ATER POLL-

UTION'.

Details of July and August field trips will be announced later,

Wednesday morning bird walks continue. Please meet at the
National Museum, Nairobi at 8,45 a.m,

STOP PRESS Where have all the Sunbirds gone ?? Members seeing
concentrations of Sunbirds or large patches of flowering Aloe
graminicola, A. kedongensi s , Le on o t i s nepet if olia or L, mollisima
please contact the Treasurer in the Society Office, ^

THE EAST AFRICA NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY

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

Editor, Jl £. Africa nat. Hist. Soc. Nat. Mas.: Mrs J. Hayes
Treasurer: Miss D. Angwin
Librarian: Mrs J. Hayes
Secretary: 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 C. Kamau, E. T. Monks, Mrs I. Preston,
J. F. Reynolds.

Co-opted Members: Mrs H. A. Britton (Nest Record Scheme Organizer), A. Duff-Mackay, Dr A. Hill,
J. Maikweki, S. Muchiru, Dr J. M. Mutinga, Mrs F. Ng’weno, Dr D. J. Pearson.

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

Ornithological Sub Committee: G. C. Backhurst, P. L. Britton, Mrs H. A. Britton, A. D. Forbes-Watson,
Dr D. J. Pearson, J. F. Reynolds, D. K. Richards.

joint Library Sub Committee (Society representatives): Mrs J. Hayes, Dr J. 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, v/hich 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. BULLETSN

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.

MEMBERSHIP SUBSCRIPTION RATES
Life .....
Institutional (schools, libraries)

Full

Junior (full-time student, no
Journal supplied)

Subscriptions are due 1st January. From 1st July
from that date. Application forms for membership

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

. annual payment: Kshs. 50/-

. annual payment: Kshs. 10/-

you may join for Kshs. 35/- and receive publications
are obtainable from the Secretary, Box 44486, Nairobi.

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