- 13 - 



Our next stop was at Londiani, 7.410 feet above sea-level 

 We stayed here a few days to make our final preparations for 

 the safari to Mount Elgon, while I spent the time in making 

 further collections of birds. 



Londiani is an important agricultural centre, of which 

 Cran worth (Profit and Sport in B. E. A. 1919, p. 269) says 

 that "it is a prosperous little centre, nestling among the cedars, 

 whence the main and much abused road branches off to the 

 Uasin Guishu plateau. There is a township here, planned with 

 an almost incredible want of skill in the centre of a swamp, 

 while all around the ground rises into ideal sites". "The Red 

 Book", 1919, p. 109 gives the average yearly rainfall to almost 

 45 inches. 



A few kilometres outside the township there are rather 

 extensive, dense woods, on the fringes of which and on the bush- 

 clad slopes Nectarjnia kilimensis, Cyanomitra verticalis viridi- 

 splendens, Cossypha caffra iolaema and Saxicola iorquata salax 

 were fairly common. Esirilda astrild nyansae and Estrilda 

 nonnula also occurred in fairly large numbers in the bushes, 

 where Colius striatus ugandensis was met with in small flocks. 

 Dioptrornis fisheri and Euplecies capensis xanthomelas, Bails 

 ■molitor puella and Lanius cuUaris humeralis were also seen al- 

 most everywhere. 



In the depths of the forests I saw Cinnyris mediocris, the 

 very rare Chlorophoneus ahbotti and small flocks of Lophoceros 

 melanoleucos suahelicus, which slowly and listlessly moved among 

 the branches of the trees. From the highest tops of the trees 

 the varying cries of Turacus hartlaubi medius were heard and 

 the skrill notes of Oriolus percivali echoed from different direc- 

 tions, while Fycnonotus tricolor fayi — one of the best song- 

 sters — was heard singing wherever we went. From the foliage 

 of the slender twigs Zosierops virens jachsoni was often heard 

 and Turdus deckeni elgonensis timidly flew about among the 

 brushwood. 



On the 6 th May we left Londiani and started towards 

 Mount Elgon. At first our way passed through grass country, 

 and along the road Calandrella cinerea saturatior, Motacilla 

 vidua, Riparia cincta cincta, Euplectes capensis xantJiomelas and 

 others occurred quite commonly. In large flocks Drepanoplectes 

 jachsoni was seen passing across the expanse of grass and on one 

 occasion I shot out of a large flock 18 specimens with a single 

 shot. Many times did we see the pairing displays of the males. 

 At various places along the road there were pools of water or 

 swamps where Gallinago nigripennis was found in great numbers. 

 Cranworth says, however (op. cit. p. 414): "Londiani used to 

 have a very good reputation for snipe, but lately this has not 

 been sustained." Here, in the immediate vicinity of this little 

 township, it seemed to be still common however. 



