— 18 — 



ding to G r a b n e r (Lehrb. der Pflanzengeograpliie, p. 140) the 

 plain-districts have less than 150 cm. rain per annum. The more 

 the humidity decreases the lighter and shorter will be the vegetation 

 and the formation passes into a semi-desert, such as Vol kens 

 describes from the foot of Kilimandjaro. But if on the other 

 hand a mild climate with abundant or almost continuous rainfall 

 prevails (which is just the case in the Elgon districts) then sa- 

 vannas are formed. The long rainperiod, which in these localities 

 lasts from May to October, is thus conducive to the genesis of 

 plains. Real dry-weather prevails only from December to February. 



In the low bushes, interspersed here and there in this area, 

 I met a number of birds that I had not seen elsewhere. Thus, 

 TrocJwcercus albonotatus albonotatus, Elminia longicauda teresita, 

 Anomalospiza imberbis and Eremoniela elegans elyonensis occurred, 

 the last-mentioned, according to my observations, less commonly. 

 Anomalospiza was found, as a rule, in small flocks but I always 

 saw the others in solitary specimens. A not uncommon bird here 

 too was Emberiza flavivetitris flaviventris, and at times I saw 

 Othyphantts reichenowi niyroiemporalis, whose nest I found, both 

 here and at other places, in the extreme tips of the slender 

 branches. The most interesting find from this locality was the 

 bird, Centropus seneyalensis incertus which I have described for 

 the first time. This bird was found breeding. 



Further, Myrniecocichla aethiops cryptoleuca was met with 

 very frequently; Riparia cincta cinda circled everywhere and 

 Quelea cardinalis built its nest here and there in the giant reed- 

 straws. In large flocks TJrobrachya phoenicea phoenicea flew across 

 the plains in the company of Vidua serena. In the tall grass 

 and elsewhere Cisticola chubbi, C. robusta ambigua, C. strangei 

 Jiolubii were met not unfrequently and on some occasions even 

 C. brachyptera brachyptera was seen. Of francolines only the 

 rare Francolinus Jcilcuyuensis was met with in this locality. 



The dense forests. 



The vegetation on the western flanks of Elgon is very rich, 

 and quite West African in character, the birds also having West 

 African affinities. The eastern aspect of Elgon differs from the 

 other sides of the mountain in being much less rich in vegetation, 

 and in having a less abundant rainfall. There is forest in stream 

 valleys sometimes, but more often the water-courses plunge down 

 rocky gullies through a country which is strewn with immense 

 boulders and thinly covered with coarse grass and the usual 

 stunted trees of the East African wilderness (Johnston: The 

 Uganda Protectorate, vol. 1 pp. 58, 60, 61). 



The dense forests on the eastern slopes of Elgon generally 

 commence at an altitude of about 7.000 feet and follow up the 

 slopes to about 10.000 or 11.000 feet above sea-level. In certain 



