126 THE ODYSSEY OF AN ANIMAL COLLECTOR 
fields have been cultivated and sown with grain, there has been 
an invasion of doves, which have been duly slaughtered. Later 
someone with knowledge has shown, by examining the stomachs, 
that they were not eating grain at all, but were devouring the 
wind-borne seeds of obnoxious weeds carried from fallow native 
lands many miles away. It is a great pity that some birds which 
are really of great economic value are persecuted because of our 
scanty knowledge of their feeding habits. 
Interesting sunbirds to be found in the Karati Bush were the 
Kenya Highlands Scarlet-chested Sunbird, the Kenya Highlands 
Amethyst Sunbird, the Bronzy Sunbird, the Kenya Malachite 
Sunbird, and the Falkenstein’s Sunbird already mentioned, all of 
which looked unbelievably beautiful in their natural surroundings. 
Other birds that caught the eye were Long-tailed Rollers, the 
rare d’Arnaud’s Barbet, and the beautiful little Red-fronted 
Tinker-barbet. In the bush there were still plenty of buffalo and 
that graceful antelope, the impala. 
As one climbed the escarpment to the open highland plains 
(8,000 feet) the air was noticeably cooler and invigorating. At 
that time this was a vast grazing ground for game, and great 
herds of Burchell’s Zebra, kongoni, and Thompson’s Gazelle 
wandered about with little fear of man. On occasions I saw a 
mixed herd of these animals, the numbers of which were so great 
that it was almost impossible to count them. One of the finest 
sights was a herd of sixty-four eland—the largest of the African 
antelopes and as big as any ox—the old bulls making a wonderful 
contrast to the females and calves. 
Needless to say the most conspicuous form of bird-life on these 
plains was the ostrich, which was then quite plentiful. 
The base of the forest-clad Aberdare Mountains is a very 
peculiar formation. Looking across the open country it seems for 
all the world like rolling plains, practically treeless, but there are 
all sorts of unseen wonders when you come to explore. The many 
streams which rise in the mountains flow through incredibly deep 
ravines, which are not visible at a distance. They are not formed 
by the action of water, but by the natural shrinkage of the earth’s 
crust. Being thickly forested they are full of interest, and near the 
water in shady places there are wonderful ferns of all descriptions. 
