834 Sir H. Johnston on the Occurrence of 



XX. — On the Occ«<rr/?wce 0/ Balreniceps rex on Lake Victoria. 

 By Sir Harry Johnston, K.C.B., G.C.M.G., F.Z.S. 



When I first reached the shores of the Victoria Nyanza 

 in the late autumn of 1899, I was informed by Mr. Hobley, 

 then Collector for the Elgon District, who was residing on the 

 shores of Kavirondo Bay, that the Shoe-bill or Whale-headed 

 Stork was occasionally seen on the north-eastern shores of 

 the Victoria Nyanza. I believe that the same information 

 was given to me by other Europeans also. When I reached 

 the country of Uganda proper, I questioned Mr. F. J. 

 Jackson on the subject, but he said that he had never heard of 

 the bird being found anywliere nearer than the Nile marshes 

 about Lake Kioga. Just about this time we had both been told 

 of the Balanicej^s having been shot on the Victoria Nile near 

 Lake Kioga by Captain Ponsonby, of the Uganda Rifles. 



One Sunday in the raontli of March, 1900, my collector, 

 Doggett, and my brother, Mr. Alexandei" Johnston, went 

 out in the afternoon for an excursion in my large Uganda 

 canoe. In tlie marshes about five miles to the west of the 

 Entebbe Peninsula they saw a couple of Whale-headed 

 Storks, one of which Doggett succeeded in shooting. Sub- 

 sequently lie returned to the same locality — the marshy 

 coast-line of the Lake to the west of the Entebbe peninsula — 

 and shot two moi'e specimens. I also permitted two more of 

 these birds to be killed by Captain Rattray and Mr. Guy Eden 

 respectively. Captain Rattray's bird was given by him to 

 Mr. F. J. Jackson for liis collection. When these specimens 

 had been procured I placed Balaniceps on the Protected List. 

 I have subsequently heard of the bird having been seen by 

 credible witnesses on the west coast of the Victoria Nyanza as 

 far south as the Kagera River. A German officer also told me 

 that it was met with on the German coast, just south of 

 the Kagera, but he did not think that it extended its 

 range so far as the south coast of the Victoria Lake. On 

 the east coast it seems to be found as far south as the vicinity 

 of Kavirondo Bay. Personally, I <?onfcss that it is a little 

 difficult to understand why its range should not include all 



