UENE It AL A1 E IS'L'ING S k'01L SC I 15X'l'Ih'IC 13 ITSINES S
ZOOLOGlCAL SOCIl3'l'Y OF LOXDOK.
PAPERS.
1. Tiic F;iuna of East Africa and its Fritnrct.
By C. T. HOBLET,
(X.G., ( l.B'I.Z.S.
[Received October 17, 1921 : Itend Felmnry 7, I9?3.]
I have been asked by the Secretary to give soiiip of niy
impressions of British East Africa, wliicli is now known a s
Kenya Colony.
f am natumlly diffident in addressiiig a learile11 society like
this, and my only claim to attention is that there are probably
few present this evening who lime liar1 S L I C ~ Ia long experience of
the country of whicli I propose to s1)exk. JTy connection witli
East Africa began in 1890, niitl since that tilire I Ii:ire swvetl
continuously iii the UgRndn Protectorate niitl Hiitisli Ea\t Africa,
and have rlnring tile wliole of tlint period been :I keen observer
of the fauna of the nre;i, so 11:~venntm:illy chosen tlint subject for
iny remarks tliis ereiiing.
The country h a s been SO often tlcscribed in Looli~of travel a n d
sportsmen's recortls of slaughter, t l i a t :iny general description i\
i~nnecessary. I therefore propose t o confine myself to a few
remarks on the faiinn based 0 1 1 persoii:il ol)seivtion.
I WILS foitiuiatc enough t o be able to tr:rrel in tlie country
when i t \ins in wh:it may he termed tlie exploration stage ; tliat
i4 to say, before tlie :idrent of any Eriropenn settlement nncl tlie
conseqiient tlisturbnnce of natural conditions. Needless t o say,
game was f a r more nimerous over the wliole country, bat
pnrticulnrlv in tlie favoured areas ( i .c., tlie great plains) ill those
clays than it i.s to-day; and on looking Iiack and trying to compare
1
PROC.
ZOOL.Soc.-1992, KO. I.
2
YR. C. W. UOBLEP O N T l l E
the stock of game in the country as a whole to-day with that i n
say 1895, probalily the present stock M odd only represent 15 per
cent. to 50 per cent. of the former : this is, Iiowever, only to be
expected wlieii one considers that iipw:irdb of GOO0 square miles
o f Inntl, most of it gniiie country, has been alienated to colonists.
1 a m not complaining, for it cannot be expected that fertile
lands which will provide homes for people of oiir race and grow
protlucts essential to civilization, mill ieinaiii for ever i n the
possession of wild game.
I will, however, revert to tlie qiiestion of tlie fnture of the game
Inter on, and now propose to recall t h e contlitions which prevailed
20 years ago before riian took a hand in the matter, i. e. to any
great extent.
At that time the areas noted for great profusion of game mere
t,lie Athi arid Kapiti Plains, the 1-atta Plateau, the Serengeti
Plains, the Loita Plains, the Rift Valley, and the U:ihiiigisliu
A portion of the Kapiti Plains and tlie Loita Plains
I’latenn.
are inclucletl in the gallie reserves, so pi~esumahlyc:rrry a good
stock in places, hut all the other areas are decimated, inostly
owing to the eEect of settlement.
The main f:trtois which determined the tlistribiition of game
iii the eaily & ~ y swere yeaily vrtrintionb in rninf:dl which rehultecl
x i a, sutKciency or insuficiency of gmzing in particular areas ;
epiclemir diseases also periodically affected cei tain speries, aid
the number of carnivores also coiinted. All tliese factors operate
:it present, But the first mentioned, viz., the variation in rainfall,
operates more harshly than formerly, for nowadays t h e area over
which t h e game can migrate in search of grazing is restricted.
If,for instance, the Southern Game Reserve is seriously affected
by drought, large numbers of game are doomed; some may
attempt to migrate into the farm lands, but many are shot down,
and the survivors retreat t o the reserve where the grazing is
finished and many of the water-holes dry. A good example of
this occurred in 1910, when the plains were so dry tlint zebra and
hartebeest came up in force into the town of Nairobi, regardless
of man, in their search for water ; the lions followed them and
killed game nightly in the open land in the centre of the town.
Natives and others killed ninny of the invaders, and the emaciated
semnant was driven I)ack to the plains.
Speaking of epidemics, one of my enrliest recollections in East
-4frica was the great rinderpest visitation of 1891. I was then
exploring t h e course of the Tam River, and t h e buffalo were
coming down to that river literally in thousands to die. The
bush country fringing the Tana between Hameye and Mumoni is
not ideal buffalo country, for the grazing is not too plentiful a t
any time, but once they contracted the disease they appeared to
I)e impelled to seek water, doubtless coining from great distances
to the river, and I estimate that in the stretch of country above
mentioned, a distance of about 80 miles, we saw several thousand
bufhlo in all stages of disease and cleatli, attended by vultures and
YIII‘SA OF E.NT AFRICA.
3
lu:iraboii storks iii niyri:iils, all gorgetl t o repletion. Occasioiinlly
i1e;id giraffe, waterbrick, : ~ i i i l1)iihli Iiiick \yere seen ; t h e elimd also
siitfered, and I nin tohl t h a t kiitlii nil roan wei’e :ilso nttacketl.
From t h e bnfKilo t h e i1ise;ise spie:rd t o t h e c:i.ttle, rind :tt
Sgomeni in North-East Kitiii, wliit~liW I S L: great cattle ceiitie
liefore t h e epirleinic, we were sliown soiiie 20 otltl berrsts, tlie
sole s ii r vi vors of nlii i i y t 1 i 011 s m i t 1 1i e:i t 1, and t 1I e tl esi rcat etl carcases
.of the victims were i)i!eil up n s n w:dl oritsitle tiie villages.
It WRS during t h a t j0in.iie-y t h t we h:i.lipeiietl t o follow a t h y
1,eliintl a. 1:irge iwipi of Lnilripiii J1:isni wliicli was engaged in
r:iicling t h e Enibu ant1 Albe tril)es. I. will ]lot tlwell on t h e
-eviilences of ruthless sln.iigliter we witnessell, b u t some fifteen ye;i.i.s
Liter I was recnlliiig tlie iiicitletit t o i,lie chief of t h e Laikipin
Xlnsni, aid h e 1:woiiicdly tolil iiie t h n t lie wiis a ‘(nio1’iiii ” or
wirrior at t h e time mid lint1 participntetl in t,lic raid : lie pareiitlietically added tliat i t w n s :LII niifortniin.te veiltiire, for soine of
t.he captiired cattle were iiifecteil witli rintlerl)est, m i l so tliey
took tlie disease back t o their owii herds on Liiikipia ant1 practically d l perished. Nemesis iii(leet1 !
This oiithrenk was tlie worst epidemic linolvil in t h e l ~ x e n t
history of Africn.; i t spreatl ra.pitlly south through what WRS then
German East Africn., crossed t h e Zanibezi, reached Hu1niv:iyo
about 1895, and by t h e end of 1896 i t had reacher1 tlie Cape.
Unring t h e last yeais of tlie visitation its progress was rema~kalily
Tapid, viz., about 1000 miles ; it was probably spread t o a great
extent by t h e transport riders. Since t h a t devastating attack we
have had minor epidemics of t h e disease; iri 1‘304 I sn.w elniitl
,dyingof it near Naivaslia, and t h e 3Iasa.i then lost over 600 1i~:itl
afstock. Although sporatlic outbreaks still O C C I I ~ , this disease is
now well in hand.
I n very d r y yeais, when grazing is scarce and t h e plains w e
very dusty, outbreaks of n.nt,lii.ns occiir ~inoiigtiie game, t h e
principal species t o stiffer being Coke’s Iiartebeest : t h e I n s t
serious outbreak wliicli was itleiitjifietl wiis in I ‘305, wheii seveml
tlionsand hen.rl of g p n e tlietl o i i tlie Atlii Plaiiis.
is r:ii.ely nl)sent fioiii tlie Iiercls of hlnsni
~~euro-pneuiuoiii;~.
cn.tt,le grazing in t h e Soritli Reserve ; l)iit, c:ruioiisly enoiigli, tlicre
is no recortl of t h e tlisewe :rttncking t h e p i n e , ant1 t h e 6n.iiie
\\T:trden lins st:ited t l i : i t cases a r e known where eln.ntl : i i i t l bnffklo
graze over tlie s:~nie1:ind n s c;it,tle iiifectetl wii,li this tiisease aiid
:ire a,ppn.i~eiitlyimiffectetl.
dboilt 1906 ail epiileiiiic of n l i a t is 1)elieveil t o be tlistemper
liroke wit nmoug th? jxcka.lsoii tlie Atlii l’hiiis, and large nninbeys
ilietl ; a. ye:ir or two Iat,rr t h e saiiie disease was recortied froin t h e
Rift Valley, ant1 then froin Laikipia,. It, is not, liowever, known
wlietber tho ilise:i>e is eiitlciiiic, or wlietlier it ]ins been i n t r o d ~ ~ c e d
11y civilization.
Wild gn.ine is in soiiie ni’e:is iiifected t o a consitlernble extent
with intestinn.1 ~inrasites. 1 Iinre frequently observetl t h e intrnIrlriscnlnr cystjs of ivliat is t:oiiiiiionly relletl * iiiie:isles ” i n nilmln,
1*
4
MR. C. W. HOBLEY O N THE
Grmt’s gazelle, and hnrtebeest. The healtli of the host appenrs.
to be unimpaired.
Taking it all round disease is rare among game nncl serious epidemics are uncommon ; as Mr. Perciral has pointed out, tlie reason
is that directly an animal becomes sick it either leaves the herd
or is driven out, and being alone and tlull with sickness i t moie
readily falls a prey to one of the killers or one of the scavengers ;
next day the vultures complete the story, and very little is left to.
form a breeding ground for tlie flies wliicli are the great disseminators of disease.
It would take f a r too long to nttenipt to den1 with ench speciesof the viirious game animals in the part of Africa with which 1
am acquainted, arid so much has alrea,tly been written by ot1iri.s.
I will, however, venture to rofer to one or two of particu1:ii.
interest.
ELEP€fAh’T.-FirSt coines the elepliniit.
The nunibers of
elephant have grently decreascd during tlie last thirty years, for.
apart from tlie European sportsmen froiii oversem, the residents
in tlie country have accounted for a large number; further, tlie
improvement in communications h:ts indirectly led to a greater
amount of illicit slaughter. It is true that game laws have been
in force in British East Africa and U g n d a for about twenty years
and administered by a keen star, and the ports hare been carefully watched ; but a great deal of iroi-y has nevertheless been
smuggled out over our land frontiers both to the north and s o d ] , .
and without heavy expenditure this was impossible to check.
There are certain small tribes like the Dorobo and Sania who me
professional hunters, and many of the Eastern Akamba are great
oEenders. A native with a few tusks lins UP to now liad n o great
difficulty in disposing of them t o some itinerant Arab, Baluchi,
or Somali trader who was wandering nhout ostensibly trading in
hides, ant1 Indian traders could n11vn.y~be found to finance such
nndertakings.
The elephant endangers itself by c ~ i i s e ~ ~ v ~ tfor
i s ~itn ,is :I.
be& of very regular liabits ; a t certain seasons i t invnriddy
seeks certain localit,ies, and i t is interestiiig to map out the lines.
of migratioa.
Geiierally speaking, in the hot dry season i t seeks the slie1tri.of tho high forests, rind in the rains treks to more open country :
native hunters sa.y that the pe~petnaldrip from the trees in tlir
forest is distasteful to it. Elephants in the Kilimriiijaro regioii,
for instance, move down the northern flanks of the Usambarn
Itange about April and spread out tlirough the Nyikn Plrtins
almost to the coast, one of the tkttractions there being the ripe
fruit of great groves of Hyphsene pnlins.
Similarly, mother herd migrates each year froni the mnie
region and marches enst, cros..ing the Ugendn Rni1wn.y near
Kinani and on eastmard across the Athi into Southern Kitni.
For many years pnst, about June, :I herd of elephants has come
E'Al'SA OF EAST AFRICA.
5
.tlowii to tlie sea iiortli of lciliii :ind lins spent a iiiontli or so
\v:ui~leiiiigiilioiit : i n d feetliiig in the tliorii bush iiem Rlaliiitli.
'l'he Iiertl iiiay be tlie oiie referred to from I<ilimanjn.ro, or it iiiay
milie froiii tlie Middle Tana o r even from the Lorian.
Every year a herd of eleplia.nts mas wont to descent1 from tlie
Alierthre range to the Rift Valley between Kaiv;isli,z and Loiigonot
)it. ; tliis liert1 lias, 1 tliiiik, been o1,literatetl. Other lilies
of iiiigraC,ion were across Soritli Lailtipia froin the A1)ercl:tres
to Kelly:\ :inti tlieii north-east towarc1.s 1,ori:ui'.
Still other liertls
iiiigrated from the AIxrt1:ires north wards, passing east of Hnringo
townrds BZoiuit Kyiro.
Elepliniits froiri the Nan forests :Llso yearly come down to the
Iiigh grass country in the Loiver Nyando Valley, find others
iiiiiiiinlly freyuentetl a swnmpy valley :Lt tlie foot of (iwasi Mount.
r.
llie iiiain rorites of these inigraiits were so well innrked, and
they followed practically the same roatls year after year and
: I h i i t the same iiiontli, that :I iiatite hunter's task was easy.
r ,
lliesc elephi~ntroatls are in certain pl:i.ces striking features ; on
the east side of 01 Bo1oss;tt J ~ l t ethey ciiii he seen climbiiig
.tli;i.gon:~llylip tlie flmk of the escwrpiiient, and foriii iuiiformly
g r d e d roads about H feet wicle. On tlie summit of lll~iithere
:ire other roads originally elepliant tracks but li~teron widened
out a d deepened by iiiol)s of Alnsai cattle, and about which some
ininginatire people have trictl to force the opinion that they are
the relics of an :incieiit liigliwa,y froin Egypt t o Zimbalnve.
Rearing that considerable stocks of old ivory mere in possession
of the natives, some years ago the local goveriiinent instituted the
practice of buyiiig in ivory :it half the iiinrket value; this resulted
in the prodiiction of :L I:trge ainonnt of old ivory but also of n
large number of tnslts iiiostly derived from iiiiianture beasts.
lleceiitly most of tlie ivory bronglit in Iias been obviously obtained
from a n i i d s liilletl f : d y recently, but often cnniouflagetl to
resemble olt1 ivory.
It is very notice:Me, however, t h t during the last ten years, in
corisigiiiiieiits of confiscatetl or piiidiased ivory, the avemge weight
per tusk h:ts decre:tsetl, a.iit1 oltl big tuskers are iiow, I believe, very
scarce. Tlic future of tjlie e l q h n t iiiay therefore Im said to be
precariou-he will not stay in any reserve ; tlic iiiheritetl iiist,inct
with which lie innkes liis a.niina1migr:itions will, I fear, cituse his
tlisnppenr;iiice, i~ltlioughtliere may for inany years to ('oiiie be
vxst areas wherein lie conltl live iii reasonable safety.
! ~ o s . - A few wortls regwtling t h e lion. This beast is iii n o
tlniiger of extinction. As is well known, cats are very prolific, : ~ n d
:* Froin t h e Loriaii swamp tlw niigraiit liertls pass N.W. t o Marsahit niid tlieii
soiitli\r-arils back t o the Aberdarc+, a rouiid trip of well-nigh COO miles. The
\rcll-kiio~viihiiiitcr ii;ituralist N r . R. .J. Cuiiiiigliaiiie iiiforiiis me that this ,joiirney
Grim the Ahcrdilrcs back to tlie dberclnres is believed to take tlirce years, for herds
hare becii idciititied leaving the forests oil the alJo\.Cmouiitaiiis without c d v e s an11
rrtiiriiiiig to the saiiie place tlwer jvars 1att.r with calws of abont a year old. l'lir
faronrite brerdiiig place is said t o be 1Inrstbit firrst.
6
HR. C!. \V. HUMLtiY ON T l l C
as long as tlie reserves are maintained nnd contain any game, so
long will there be lions ; in fact, a reasonable supply of lions is, I
consider, a sine p a non in a reserve, for tliey clear off tlie weaklings and the sick, forming ynrt of nature’s scheme in a natural
assemblage of animals mainly composed of herbivores. Cnriously
enough, however, during the war they increased out of proportion,
for although a n enormous amount of game was shot by the
troops, the lions were not hunted to any extent.
The result of this was tlint game being scarce in t h e area of
military operations, numbers of lions became cattle eaters, and
tlie Masai herds which tenant the Southern Game Reserve have
suffered heavily ; I believe that t h e Game Department has had to
take steps to reduce t h e number of lions there during the last
year or two. It is not easy to understand what normally limits
t h e number of lions; one never sees a lion which has died of
starvation or disease, and lions which are shot always appear to
be i n a fair conclition, but some cause iintloubtedly does operate
in a natural assemblage to preserve tlie proportion of carnirores
t o herbivores.
Considerable troops of lions are sometimes seen, but it is rare.
Sir Frederick Jackson recorded n troop of 23 near Lukenya; tlie
largest troop I have seen myself was 11, inntle up of 1 male,
4 females, and 6 half-grown cubs, neor Sgong, where I watched
t h e adults opened out in echelon on a liillside, Iiunting a herd of
zebra, t h e cubs being assembled under n tree watcliing tlie
performance, and doubtless learning the nrt.
Lions 1ia.r.e now been well-nigh aLolished in tlie older settled
areas and necessnrily so, for no oiie can successfully farm stock
in a country where lions are common. There nre still, however.
but few places where cloinestic stock could safely be allowed to
stay out in a pasture all night.
RRIxocERos.-This curious beast has suffei ed severely of recent
years, and great numbers h:ive been killed. Tlie greater ploportion inhabited t h e open plains and a e i e thus conspicuous to
sportsmen. They hnve i r r i t ~ b l enatures and have R stupid habit
of charging down on anything tli>itannoys their sense of smell.
I n hundreds of cases this hns indnced their tlenth, for mnny n ninn
has had to shoot R rhino i n self-defence. I liave myself lint1
several narrow shaves owing to their sudden attacks.
Many were killed during tlie wnr in the southern portion of
t h e Game Reserve by the troops of both forces.
The high price whiah rhino horn3 hnve commanded in tlie E;lr
East during the last few year# has, moreover, proved an indncement to the native hunters to slaughter these animals; tliey
were instigatecl by the Indian traders, who surreptitiously sliipltecl
them out in considerable quantities.
This beast does not make long migrntoiy joiiineys. nnd, providing that the reserves are of ample size and contain an adequate
F A U N A 01.'
EAST AFIXC A .
7
supply of tile acacia scrub wliich forms its diet, : t i i d water, there
is no reason to fear its extinction.
a
&JFFALo.-After the big rinderpest epidemic it was feared that
these fine beasts were practically extinct, and for mine 20 years
or so they were undoubtedly rare.
They have, however, gradually increased in certain areas, and 110
anxiety need now be exercised as to their extinction. There are,
it is believed, considerable numbers in tlie Southern Reserve, oil
the northern stretches of Lnikipia, in Southern Kitni, and various
other places.
A considerable number also frequent the coastal area where t h e
bush is very thick, and up to recently a few even annually visited
the mainland opposite Mombasa town, but left the spot when the
bush was cleared to make a plantation. I n the spring of 1919
about half a dozen visited the place they knew, but finding no
cover they retreated into the interior ; one, however, swam across.
t h e moutlis of the two harbours and landed on the mainlantl
sooth of the island, a distance of over half a mile.
In the old days buffalo could be seen in the early part of tlic
day and in the late afternoon grazing out in the open like herds
of cattle, but since the epidemic this is very rarely the case.
They now live in dense bush, only coming to graze in the open at
night, retiring to the bush again at dawn. Possibly now there
are fewer of them they have lost the confidence they formerly
possessed.
The geographical nrngc of the buffalo is remarkable, for, as I
have remarked, they frequent the hot coast-lands, and theii, a p i n ,
a desiccated buffalo carcnse is recorded from the foot of a g1:icier
on Mount Kenya. As might be expected, the aninids inhabiting
the higher altitudes have thicker coats than tliose at the coast.
HIPPopoTmus.-Thk beast is decreasing at R great rate j i n
the old days the middle and upper T m a swarmed witli them, but
now not more than 5 per cent. survive. The mine applies to the
Athi River ; they have also greatly decreased in Lnke Victorin
and in other smaller lakes.
Unfortunately tlie Game Reserves do not contain much water
suitable for them, but it will be :t long time before they disappear
from tho swampy bays on Lake Victoria, and from some of the
more remote rivers, sucli as tlie lower course of the Nyiro whirli
flows into the Lorinn Swamp.
GInAFFE.-The area occupied by this fine beast is becoming
more restricted erery year, and the settlement of the Uasingishrr
plateaii will probably settle the fate of the 1)eaiitifril subspecies
which is found there, for the Didcli colonists find it Iinrd to refi*tiiri
from slaughtering them, as giraffe hide 1i:rs :I peculiar quality
8
MH. C. W. IlOBLEY ON T H E
wliicli inalres i t valuable for &ins. There are, however, a good
nuniher of the common species in the Southern Reserve, and one
can frequently see a herd from tlie mail train on the Uganda
Railway near Sultan Hamnd Station.
~\'ILDEUEESl..-In
former times there were vast nninbers of
these beasts to be seen, a i d in t h e spring of 1896 I saw a n
enorinous Iiertl, which I estimated at iiearly 10,000head, migrating
northwards along t h e Atlii Valley on the east side of where Atlii
River Station now staiids. The species is, however, in 110 danger
of extinction, for there are still a considerable n u m b e ~in t h e
Southern Reserve and on t h e Loita Plains.
I will now add a few words regarding the vagaries of
geographical distribut~ioiiof soiiie of our game species, and tlie
tlifiiculty of ascertaining tlie laws that govern it.
I mill give the following examples :1. SABLEAXTELOPE.-TI~~S
species is foiind from the border of
Tmginyika Territory near the coast and inlnncl for about 20
miles, then very spnrsely northwards to the Sa.haki River, where
i t ceases. I n fact, i t is extremely rare north of t h e Ugnnda
Railway. It is not fouiitl anywhere else i n Kenya Colony or
Ugand a
2. WILmBEEsr.-In tlie plains near Kilimanjaro tlirougli the
Southerii Reserve up to tlie neiglibourhoorl of 1)onyo Sabuk this
r
it
abounds : i t stops abruptly nt the Thika River. F ~ t h e west
is found to a siiiall extent in the southern portion of the Rift
Valley, but never extended northwards along thiit vdley fn.rther
than the Lower Keclong Valley, although the plains immediately
t o the iiortli abouurled in grass and water. West of the rai1wa.y
t h e wiltleheest favours tlie Loita, Plains ; in that men., Iiowever, it
was shut off from extension to the north by tlie Mau Forest.
.
3. Roas.-'L'he
distribution of this mtelope is very ca.pricious.
It is said to lie sporarlically foiind near the coast, but is veryrare,
:ind I have never seen it there. It is found on the big mnge of
hills west of Sultan Hamutl, and on the foot-hills of the Uka.mba
Range to the enst of that place. Then there is apparently a p . p ,
for I have not heard of its occurrence again until we come to tho
Nyando Valley about 30 miles east of Kisumu. Sir Frederick
Jackson also mentions its occurrence near the Turkwell River.
It is, however, nowhere a coniinon beast. Odd specimens may
yet turn up in unexpected places.
4. TOPI. DcmalisciLs s~,iegc~leiisis.-TIic tlistribution of this
aiitelope is morthy of attention. On the coast it is fairly common
between Malintli and Lmiu, nnrl some sa.ythat it is found farther
south iienr Vanga. Jackson states tliat it does not occiir south of
t h e Sabaki, but I saw a few X.W. of Rabai. Proceeding inland
9
YAGSA OP EAST A1,'RICA.
there is an enornious g q , for we do not find it again iintil we
come to the Uasingisha I'latemi, which is al)out 6000 ft. :ibove
sea-level. This is an uiiexplicahle Iiin.tris. I have not, however,
11:1,cl :tn opportunity of coinpiring Unsingishn skins with speciinens from the coa.st, so c:i.nnot testify to their absolute identity.'*
5 . \ j T ~ c~AzEr.rx--This
~ ~ ~ ~ ' species
~
is anothei8 es:iiiiple of
intermittent distribution. It, is foiiiitl on the steppes on the east
or left h n k of the T;i.nn River l)elow I h n e y e :iiicl extends
iiorthwa.rcls to Soniali1:intl. !Clien there is a great gap, for no
tr:rce of it is seen uiitil we i*e:icli t h o neighboiirliood of Lake
AIagxdi, a r1ist:riice of WO niiles; n few :we also foiintl on the
Herengeti Plains, priiici1)ally t o the north of tlie Toi-Tareta
Railmay line. It is also believed t,o exist in Usanlbars tlistrict in
Tangnnyilia Territory, but this is if.s southerly limit.
6. HARTEBEEST.-~~lle coninioii hartebeest of the counitry is
Coke's, and, a s a riile, mlienever n sqiiare mile or two of opeu
country octxirs we get tliis ubiqriitous beast. I t is 1oc:illy called
tlie '' Kongoni." A curious tliiiig happens in the Kift \-alley j a t
the south elid of the Rift Valley in Kenya Colony all the linrtebeest are cokei, but aboiit the north end of ISaivdi:i Jlake
nearly every Iiartebeest see11 beloilgs to the Neum;i.nn's v:iriety,
:tnd as we go farther north :und west we fiiitl this gives wiy to the
curions Jixkson's variety, ant1 on t h e Unsingishu P1:ite:i 11 there
is no species of the linrt,ebeest otlier th:in Jackson's. Tliis, of
course, is not so n ~ n c l iit question of the tlistribation of oiie sliecies
a s a c1i:tnge of one species, :uitl tlie v;criations of the (;riilit's
C4:xzeIle :mtl the Oryx in tlittkrent areas coiiltl siniilnrly lie tr:rcetl.
These facts of errat,ic tlist,iil)iitioii are clifficult to niiilerstnntl,
to find an a.tleqii:i.teexplanation I a m inclineil t o Iielirvr tli:it
me sh:ill linve to go Ii:wk to the t h e wlic1n the pi-ogressi\-etlesica t i o n of tliis portioii of Africa set in.
Tliis q1ie:;tioii o f clesiccntioii cx.iinot Le tlisciissetl IIPIT :it niiy
length. I liave collected n considei~:~lile
miount of eritlelico rcg y l i n g it wliicli was piililislieil in tlie ' Geograpliicnl Journal,'
hoveintier 1914. Tlie cnases are by no uienns clear. but certniii
ineteorologist~shave :xtlranred tlie opinion that (luring the gl:\c:iill
periotl of Enrope there was a iiiricli grwter i.ainfall i n ;lie areas
to which the glaciers tlitl not extend. A t ally rate?tlici.t? is cde;ir
evidence tliat in Pleistocene tiiiies or tliereahorits the g1:iciers of
lienyn. extentled some 6000 ft. below t,lieir present teriiiinations,
viz., to &ont 9000 ft. above se:i-leiel, :\lit1 on Rn\\-eiizori g1aci:il.
tleposits w e , it is stntet?, t o be f o n d n t tlie surprisingl>-10w:iltitutle of 5000 ft. above sea-lercl.
Xow the greater rniiifnll diiriug tlrat periotl, n-liicli 0111y-tlecreased grn.tlually t,liroiigli :I long terin of ye:ii's,ninst 1 i ; i i - e rcsiiltetl
in a marvellous expansion of the forest are:\ ; t h e liigli-lewl floix
:ind
* Tlic topi is nlsn coiiiinnn mi the 1,oit;t Plains n i d sontli\nrrd.
iiieridinii of Longitade into Tiiiigaiiyik:t Trrritoiy.
OII
tlw suiw
10
Bin.
<a.
IY. iIonLm- OK THE
would extend over a inncli 1:irger area, :tiid tlle low-level forest.
assemblages woulcl extend over tlioiiFands of sqwire iiiiles IIOW
only ten:riitecl by dwvnrfed trees of species wliicli can snrvire the
long tlronglits. C!oiiseqnently the areas of opeii grass lands so
necessary to inany species would be restricted.
All this iiiust hare 1i;itl a profoiuitl effect 011 the wild garne of
those tiines and on its distribution. The low forest., for instance,
now only tsarvives in a few favoured spots sncli as the delta of the
Liiini River near Taveta, the banks of the Tana, nnd on a few
isolated are:is near the cotist, bnt tra.res of its existence :ire to be
found orer n great extent of country, and ctliese remiiants are
evicleiire of its greater extension.
Piecing together the few facts I liave quoted regarding distribution, I preinise that Kenya. Colony ma.y be looked upoii as the
junction or the terinin:i.tion of three zoological areas :-The West
Coast area, the Sonialiltind area, and Soutli-E:ist African area.
The K e s t Coast area oficinllp terminates a t Ruwenzori Mountain,
but traces of its fanria are still found far east of that iiiountain,
in conntry mliicli they inwtdetl daring the period of niaxiniiini
;i,Eorestatioiibefore referred to, a rnriety of the West A frican
potto (Z’~i*odicticzcs)heiiig found as far east :is Iiakumeg,~Forest,
wliicli is 5 0 miles east of Lake Bictorin. The bongo is also :L
West African type, the butterflies of Kauirontlo and West, Nanrli
also contain niaiiy West African types, a n d the grey parrot of
W. Africa comes as far as tlie Nandi Forest, and is w r y occasionally seen as far east, as K i k u p .
As regards the Somnliln.nt1 faiiiin., I loolc upon Waller’s gizelle
as the type-species illiistr:i.ting tlie invasion from the north, it i s
qnite coninion on the no]-tli ant1 east side of t h e Tam, but inucli
rarer a t its sontliern liiiiit ; Grdvy’s zebra is another example, a.iitl
possil)ly tho lesser Budn. Tlie greater Icudn is a 1mzzle because
i t is fairly coinmon in parts of Soninlilaiitl, :i.iicl comnioii in p:trts
of Soiit,li Africa, but very rare in Kenya..
Witli reg:ird to tile Soutli-East Africa area, the sable antelope
nntlouhtctlly worked its x t y tip tlie East coast from Portuguese
East Africa, a n d I aiii inclined to believe tli:tt the wildebeest
:~.lsocxiiie north from Soritli Africa, developing new clinracteristics
on the jorwney.
The original focus of distribution of tlie hbalines, wliicli include the various fornis of Iiartelieest, is very clifficult to settle,
bat they possibly originated and split up into 1-nrieties in this
nren, for inore Iimtebeest probably exist in i t than in any other,
:inti the foruis are iiiore niiinerous.
GANEASD D~ssass.--Altlioiigli, of course, there :ire ninny Iceen
sportsmen in the Colony, there is a strong local feeling agniiist
wild game among a section of farmers, who beliere t h t it,
sprentls the tsetse-flies and tliiis increases the area affected by
tr?.l~:iiiasoiniasis. T l q again argue that gnnie fosters the snpply
FAUNA OF
mm AFRICA.
11
of ticks and forms a reservoir for East Coast fever, etc. They
tlius urge the exterinination of all t h e game.
The tsetbe-fly has probably restricted t h e settlement :trea, b u t
up to tlie present there hns been no dearth of land free fiom tliis
insect. To what extent the tsetse depends for its perpetuation
on wild game is not quite clear. I, personally, SRW more tsetses
than anywhere else i n :ibush area on the coast where hardly any
game existed ; then, again, there are tsetse-haunted areas 011
the Kerio R i w r where the Turkana tribe l i e d large numbers
of doiilreys and camels with impunity. Tlie bionomics of this
insect need still more investigation, and it does not necessarily
follow that all the representatives of the genns Glosska carry
the disease.
The tick question in Africa is really one of more importance,
and why some areas literally swapm with these Amclinids, wliile
others are but sparsely supplied, is a mystery. I do not know
i f it is anything more than a coincidence, but I have noticed
that the areas covered with black cotton soil contain far more
ticks than the sandy soils or red soil areas. The black soil craclrs
R good deal iii the dry season, and it is possible that these
cracks may form shelterb for sorne of the ticks when the grass
is fired, whereas in other areas the greater portion of the ticks
are annually destroj-ed by fire.
The Atlii and Kapiti Plains swarm with ticks. and the soil
there is a black clay formed by the weathering of the underlying
sheet of phonolite, and which opeus out into deep crack\ duiing
clrought. The Rift Vt~llf~y
soil is a light powdery volcanic dust,
and ticks are by no means plentiful. 1 1 1 the light soil of the
coastal region ticks are also not very nuiiieroiis.
There is no doubt that wild game is tolerant of the pnrasites
which cause diwases such as East Coast fever :ind Redwater
fever in cattle, ant1 there is little doubt that tlie ticks become
infected by bitiiig these hosts; further, it is alleged that a tick can
engorge itself once in each of its three stages of existence, also
that in most cases when n tick engorges on an animal i t cleans
itself--that is t o say, its internal parrtsites, if any, are discharged
into the mammal upon which it feeds. Presumably if this
animal is almndy infected tlie tick absorbs a new crop of pmasites
with its blood.
It is also alleged tlint it has been proved that in some cases
ticks hand on their pwasites to their progeny. It will therefore
be seen t h a t the problem is fairly complex.
The veterinary aut!iorities in Enst Africa and Soutli Africa
have done a good deal of work on t h e subject, buts it appears to
me that further investigation is necessary before we cnn I J ~
dogmatic on these difficult qnestions.
It must, moreover, also be borne in mind that if tlie big gaiiie
is exterminated i n a n area, there will always remain a supply
of ground game also 1)resurnably tolerant, which m:iy keep the
disease parnsites dire.
13
3111. C. \V. IIOHLEY
(IS T l l E
The abolition of the tick is, I fear, inipossil~le;on a feiicetl
fn.rm frequent dipping of tlie cattle i~pparently does greatly
reduce tlie popnlation of ticks witliin tlie fenced area, but of
course (lipping is impossible with wild gaiiie.
A t any rate, the wild game is incriminated a.8 regards tlie
spread of disease to domestic animnls, and there is strong evi.clence as to its guilt, pnrticuln.rly as regards East Coast fever antl
Redwater disease of cattle ; canine tick fever is another case i r i
point.
GAME REsEIivEs.-Tlie
&me Reserves in Kenya me not
tenaiitetl only by the mild game, for they are also occupied by
certain native tribes.
The Southern Reserve contains the Masai tribe with its huge
flocks and herds ; the Northern Reserve contains a sparse population of Solr and Sainburu people.
The Masai do not hunt or kill wilt1 gntne to any great extent ;
they probably kill a few buffalo in order to get hides for tlieii.
.sliields, and they d s o kill a few lions. I n this way they are not
detrimeiital to the game ; their young men are useful, too, as grtme
scouts. During normnl years inatters ad just tliemselves, but iii
periods of drouglit, when gracing is scnrce and wator scarcer still,
the gnnie has to take second place to the Masai stock, and there
is little doubt that the game suffers.
It is not usually so nincli sliortnge or" grass as shortage of
water, for wild game ca.n graze farther from water than cattle,
i m t 1 the question of incrensing the water storage of the reserves
sliould be carefully gone into, and works carried out. The Mnsni
woaltl probably contribute to the cost, as the area has been cleclicntecl to their use: and they are looked, npon AS having the first
c 1 a . h on it ; presumably if they decided to kill all the game there
a s being detrimental to tlieir grazing rights, it might be argued
that they were legally entitled to do so ; this is, however, :ti1
academic point a t present.
The Nortliern Reserve is inostly nritl desert, and it receives
little attention from m y one ; i t is rarely patrolled by the Game
Department, for R Inrge portion of it is not too safe a t present.
A few favoured spo~ssuch as Xhrwabit and Mt. Kyiro m e the
haunt of elephants, bufhlo, antl probnbly kiidu ; Grevy's zebra
is also found in this part of the Colony.
GENER.~L.-T~~
wealth of wilt1 @%mewith wliicli naturu has
endowed East Africa slioultl, I think, be viewed as a national trust
t o a greater extent than i t is a t present. I n Kenya itself efforts
as regards its preservatioii are looked upon as being reactionary,
n.nt1 the Came Department is too apt to 1)ecome n cockshy for
the local politicians, nnrl only tolerated beozuse i t brings in a
little inore revenue than is spent upon it.
Before the war big game sportsmen spent ninny tliousa.nds
nnnually i n tlie country, and affotfortletl eiiiployment to a coii-
FAGS11 OF EAST AFHICA.
1
!3
sidernble iiumLer of Europeans ant1 nntires ; fmtlier, t h e iiicoiiie
from licenses averaged n r e r fl0,OOO per anniiiii.
It is, Iiowever: pirocliinl t o :mess tlie value of tile p i n e 011
tliese lines, ant1 1 feel siire blint oiir American friends d o not
inea.sure t h e value of their fine reserves i n terins of dollars.
I n m y view t h e wontlerful f:iunn of oiir Enst African possessions does not solely beloiig t o t,lie people who hn.ppen t o set,tle
there, and who soiiiewlittt reliict,;int,ly vote i~ niiniiiiiiiii niiiouiit,
per rinniiiii for its preservation-it
beloiips t o tlie Eiii1~ire-:ind
slioulcl not be entirely nt tlie iiiercy of locii.1 iiiterests.
Of coiirse, ns I said before, settlement must g o 011 :inti full coilsiderntion must be given to tlie economic interests of tlie colonists.
:ind synipatlietic atteiitiou t o coiiipl:iints regirtling t h e tlel'rethtions of p n e , a s well a s t h e question of game :ind ciitt'lr
tlisenses. Cenerallj- t h e relntions between t h e Gctriie I)ep:irtnieilt~
ant1 t h e colonists require p e n t tact and jndgnient.
I believe t i n t n propos:il t'o retluc-e t h e game reserves iiinterinlly
moiiltl have t o obtain tlie Secretary of State's approvn.1, b u t presniiinbly lie woultl follow tlie recomnienthtioiis inatle by tlie
(;overnor n t tlie time, n i i t l tliiit officer's views might Le
coloiired by tlie liiiiiterl view of liih Legislntil-e Comicil, niitl
tliereiii is t h e dniiger.
1 should like t o see :I Comiiiittee selected from t,lir C!ouncil
of this Societyantl tlie Coiiiicil of t h e Society for t h e preservaticiir
of t h e fauna of tlie Eiiipire diily recognised l:y tlie Honie Goveriinient as t h e official :idviseis 0 1 1 t h e qiiestioii of gnine preservatioii
in Ea.st Africn, ant1 on tlie p l i c y of t h e Game Departiiieiits iii the
r:trious Cron-ii Coloiiies and t h e n1antl:Ltory teriitory of
lmgnnyiku..
If t h i s coiiltl I J brouglit,
~
nlioiit I feel sure tlint it inore scientific
treatment of tjlie qiiestioii woiiltl eiisue.
, 7
I ani loth t o intro(1iice any 1ieiwnal note, hut n ill vcnt,iire tcb
record that tlie lweseiit, (::line Wnrden of Keny:i. is [lei-oted t o tlic.
p i n e i n his care, i i n t l Ii:is :1n iiiii,iv:i!led field ii:itiii.:ilist's knoivIetlge of t h e fauna of tlie coitntry ; lie, nioreo~-er,does nli t l i ; i t
is possillle with t h e liiiiited st:iff' n t his disposnl. H e n-oiiltl
l~i-obablyhe extremely tliankfiil t o receive siipport from :I lmly
of great weiglit oiitsitle t.lie cou1itl.y ; such suplwrt coiiltl l i c i t
f:d t o strengtlieii his 1 i n i i ( l s I ant1 t o give liiin greater coiifitleiic~e
iii his efforts.
I,liowever, st>roiiglytlesiiz t o urge t1iri.t t h e wliole 011tl00li slioiiltl
he reviewet1 on a scientific lmis, :~ndtlint t h e lJioiioiiiics of t l i c .
f;iiiiin lie given greater 1)roiiiineiice. Up t'o i ~ o wr v l i n t ma:- l i t !
termed n litind t o iiiotit~lipolicy Iins been t h e rogue. It is ti.iie
tllnt t h e vaiioiis (fovernnrs have heen more or less iutc.restet1 iii
sport, and h n r e generally supportetl gnine preserviition, h i t i i o
0110 knows wlietlier n Goveriior niiglit nppenr whose policy woultl
render niigntory niiy systeni:rtic giiiiie 1)reservntioii.
hfiicli, moreciver, retliiii.es tn lie done if tlie lleserves :ire t o br-
14
XR. C. I!'. HOBLEY O X TIIE
.wide permanent sanctuaries for the big game. An iinprovemeiit
of the watei~-snppIywill, for instance, do a great deal to anchor
t h e game to their Keserves.
The fencing of the portion of the (-:a.me Reserves which abuts
011 the settled areas wil! eventually have t o lie iindertaken, aid
this is a serious matter, for i t will cost a consirlerable sum to
erect, antl aannnl slims for maintenance.
The relation of the tsetse-fly and ticks to gnnie needs furtlier
investigation by trained observers, and i t is, 1 think, important
that n biological station should be fountletl iii the main Beserve
witli a resea.rch zoologist i n charge, and this should be the centre
for detailed investigition into the life-liistory of the game
:miin&, the problems of distribution, the tlisea.ses of game, a.nd
the Fionomics of insect life, witli particrihr attention to the
tsetses and ticks. Attention should idso be given to locust exterminntion, for the tiestrnction of large areas of grwzing by these
insects proforintlly affects the game, antl when the locusts spread
t o the farins, they lend to losses and consequent grievtxnces. For
:t. similar reason attention should be directed to the clestrnction
o f the myriads of larvre of n butterfly, of the genus Belenois,
which periotlicnlly destroys large aceiis of grazing in the Reserves
and elsewhere.
The (Atme Department shonld officially photograph the game
in their natural haunts, both by telephoto apparatus and film
cameras ; the rangers have opportnnities of seeing game under
conditions denied to most. A series of photographs would form
a very valuable record, and also prove of service for edricstional
purposes. The Department should also collect from time to time
series of heads of the varioris species for our national collectiocs,
a n d a complete reference collection for the local n~iiseiiin. The
lesser fauna and the avifniina should also be collected for reference and study-the field is very wide.
With proper arrangements and funds tlie Department conltl
also snpply the Society with live specimens to fill its gaps. The
Department at present is so limited in personnel that it almost
entirely confines its energies to the game-keeping side, i. e., the
prevention of poaching, doubtless an important duty ; but inore
stress. requires to he laid on observation, ant1 the collection of
:Lccnmte scientific data regarding the fauna.
Sn the past, vncnncies in the Game Department hare been
filled in soniewhat haphazard fn.shion from 1oca.l applicants. This
pr,zctice is, I believe, a mistake, a.nd i t is impossible to obtain
scientific data if it is continued. Here, again, this Society might
nsk to he allowed to act a6 a selection boa.rd to see that only inen
with the necessa.ry zoological and biological qnalifica.tioiis were
appointed to the Game Departments in this gi*oupof territories.
It will, I tliink. he alloived that the whole question of the future
of the game in East Central Africa is one of great interest,
FACNA OF EASI' AFRICA.
15
whetlier viemetl from the point of view of tlie zoologist and
iiatiiialist, o r from that of R great iiational asqet.
The problem is one of Some complexity. On one side \%ehave
tlie interests of a n increasing. number of settlers nlio have in
inany cases invested their all In their farms, and who c:lnnot be
igiioretl ; for as time goes on they are steadily acquiring the riglit
to clecitle the futnre fate of t h e country in which they have
settled. O n the other 11anr1, we still h a r e in o u r trust a nealth
of wild fauna such as exists lowl lie re else in the worlcl to-(lay ;
simi1:w conditions ruled in other parts of Africa, but in most
areas the g,mie has been well-nigh annihilated by the :xtlx-ance of
3ettlement. In Keny? Colony tlie conditions are iiot qnite an:$logoiis, for here we have large areas iiot suited for white settlement, ant1 if g,anie can be definitely coilfined in those arcas by
the conservation of arleqiiate water and grazing, n n d later by the
:uldition of fencing, the solotioil of the problem is i n sight.
The question is how this state of affairs can be I)roiiglit aboilt,
and tli:it is where I venture t o hope that this Society and also
the Society for the preservation of the fauna of the Empire may
be able to play a great part,
I do not propose t o pose as an alarmist, but hnring 1iad the
opportiinity of watcliing the growth of the country for inany
yeam, 1 considel, that the interests of the wild-game fannn are ill
i i precarious contlition, and therefore crave no excuse for urging
that inore interest should be taken in its f u t m e by the zoologists
of this country.