— 10 — 



to the Equator, the Highlands are some distance south of the 

 termal equator, hence there is a winter period, though slight. 

 There are two lainy seasons, the short rains usually falling bet- 

 ween October and November and the long rains between March 

 and June. In a tropical country the effect of heat is so depen- 

 dent on the presence or absence of moisture, and generally 

 speaking, the fall decreases on the coast from South to North 

 and increases with the elevation and towards the interior, the 

 fall in certain parts of the Highlands amounting to 150 inches 

 per annum. — The coolest months are from June to August 

 (compare Brown, 1919, p. 522). 



The average monthly rainfall for a period of six (ten) years 

 in Nairobi (according to "The Red Book", 1919) is: March 4.32 

 ins., April 9.00 ins., May 5.10 ins., June 1.04 ins., and for Oc- 

 tober 2.88 ins., November 5.53 ins., December 3.02 ins. etc. The 

 total rainfall per annum is 36.41 ins. 



The bird-life here in Nairobi and the surrounding districts 

 having been so closely and carefully studied and so worthily 

 treated by L o u n b e r g (Birds coll. Swed. Zool. Exp. to B. E. A., 

 1911) and van Some re n (Ibis, 1916) and others, there is no 

 reason for me in this connection to enter into a further description 

 thereof. Among the interesting bird discoveries from these lo- 

 calities I will only mention a few. By a little brook outside 

 Nairobi, Chloropeta natoXensis massaica occurred in numerous 

 variations, and on the fringes of the forests, Melittophagus la- 

 fresnmjei oreobaies was observed a few times on the sparsely 

 wooded slopes at Kiambu. From these districts I have also 

 described Floceus insignis ornatus, Apalis cinerea minor and 

 Apalis melanocephala nigrodorsalis, of northern migratory birds, 

 Muscicapa striata striata and Lanius collurio collurio were 

 shot here. 



Owing to a mishap we were obliged to stay for a short 

 time at Kikuyu, 15 miles west of Nairobi, 6.700 feet above sea- 

 level, during which time we added to our collections in the small 

 wooded groves situated in the neighbourhood of the rail-road. 

 The surroundings here are cultivated in all directions. During 

 our short stay here we procured Elanus coeruleus coeruleus, 

 which frequented the tall trees in the areas under cultivation, 

 Sireptopdia semitorquata semitorquata, which was very common 

 and busy building its nest. In the brushwood Cossypha caffra 

 iolaema, Turdus deckeni elgonensis, Centropus s. superciliosus, 

 and many others had their habitations. Serinus striolatus affinis, 

 Nectarinia kilimensis and Saxicola iorquata salax were found 

 in great numbers. Here too Chrysococcyx Maasi and Cisticola 

 prinoides occurred, although rather sparingly. The commonest 

 Weaver bird was Hyphantornis nigriceps. Among the gallina- 

 ceous birds shot was I'ternides leucoscepus infuscatus. 



