364 Lieut. C. W. Mackwortli-Praed on [Ibis 



We left Tsavo station on July 20tli, and trekked slowly 

 up the river towards Kilimanjaro through very thick bush- 

 country. After ten days we came to more open scattered 

 bush-country, which is the western edge of the Serengeti 

 Desert. It was the dry season at the time, and the river 

 was the only water left. We then followed up the most 

 easterly of the Tsavo head-streams, till we reached a swamp 

 only a mile or two from the German border. I do not 

 know the proper name of this swamp, if it has one, but 

 I have referred to it as Tsavo Swamp. We remained 

 there until it became necessary to leave the district 

 hurriedly — I may say very hurriedly — on August 12th. 

 We reached Tsavo again on the 17th. 



A week or two later I left Nairobi for Thika, some 

 30 miles away. After collecting there for a few days, a 

 German raid occurred at the other end of the country 

 towards the Victoria Nyanza. When that was over, I 

 returned to Thika, and camped by the Thika River, in the 

 Ithanga Hills, for nearly a mouth. I then had to return to 

 Europe. 



No new birds were met with, but the localities are new for 

 several species — notably for Aquila pomarina, the Spotted 

 Eagle, which has not previously been recorded from Africa 

 south of the Sahara. 



During the whole time I only saw three of our northern 

 European migrants — the Common Swallow, Common Sand- 

 piper, and Wheatear ; while only five others could be called 

 even occasional visitors to Europe — Aquila pomarina, Buteo 

 desertorunij Milvus (Bgyi^us, Ardeola ralloides, and Merops 

 apiaster. 



I thought that African birds nested at any time of year, 

 more or less, but I certainly struck an unfortunate time, 

 as I only saw four species actually breeding. These were 

 Hieraaetus spilogaster (ailvanced) and Pterocles decoratus 

 (beginning) on the low ground in late July and early 

 August ; and Hirundo smithi and Stephanibyx coronatus, 

 both with young, in the highlands in late August. 



I was also surprised at the few birds which were common 



