12 EINAR LONNBERG, MAMMALS COLLECTED BY THE SWEDISH ZOOLOGICAL EXPEDITION ETC. 
A plumlike fruit of the size and shape of an olive with a flat wrinkled stone and 
with aromatic taste, although very adstringent before it is ripe, is much liked by 
the Baboons. This bush has long thorns and the new, still very small leaves were 
seen a few times and found to be pinnate. Another very common bush has a kind 
of peculiar »berries» of the size of large pease. These sit on the upper side of the 
branches and contain a hard seed in the centre, but between that and the exterior 
brownish cover is a milky looking, wery resinous and sticky but aromatic juice. These 
»berries» were eaten in quantities by the Gerenuks. Evergreen bushes are not nu- 
merous but seen here and there, usually along the dry river beds which are not far 
between. The Grant Gazelles used to feed on the leaves of these evergreen bushes, 
Large Euphorbias rise above the thornbush but they are few in number. Flat-topped 
acacias are fairly numerous in some localities, but they are always more widely 
scattered than on the acacia steppe. Some of these acacias began to get leaves 
towards the middle of March, but the shade thrown by them was not very effective, 
and that of the Euphorbias decidedly better, although the latter always are without 
leaves. A coarse grass growing in tufts is to be found here and there and sometimes 
it almost covers the ground on some open places in the thornbush, offering pasture 
lands for Buffaloes, Grévy’s Zebras etc. Although this grass looks very dry and 
coarse it must be nourishing, because as well the wild grazing animals as the cattle, 
sheep and goats of the nomadic tribes were in fairly good condition. 
Low bushes with wooden stems and branches but more herbaceous tops are 
common, and the Rhinoceros feeds chiefly on such. At Thera I saw once some kind 
of such bushes with white flowers. 
Along Guaso Nyiri grows a fringe of doumpalms, and among them also high 
poplar-like trees of 2—3 different species, and sometimes also big acacias. Among 
these trees the Tumbili-monkeys (Cercopithecus pygerythrus), live but they are very 
good runners on the ground and are often met with in the thornbush far from any 
trees and then know how to save themselves by slipping in among the thick bush. 
The doumpalms are also commonly found along all more important dry river beds. 
The Elephants eat the palmnuts but are not able to crush them. I often saw that 
nuts lying on the ground had been gnawed on the exterior somewhat sweetish layer 
by small rodents (Acomys?). It is possible that the Baboons also gnaw on these 
nuts because my gunbearer Kongoni, who knew a great deal about animals pointed 
to these nuts once and said »chakula nyani» (»food of Baboons»). 
Here and there rocks of granite rise above the level ground, sometimes forming 
real little mountains. Among such rocks the Hyraxes find their home, and they are 
often seen basking in the sunshine outside the crevices and cracks into which they 
flee when any danger threatens. If the rocks are high and steep the Baboons have 
their stronghold on them. 
With the exception of the river Guaso Nyiri, water is very scarce in this country. 
The numerous river-beds which are directed as affluents to Guaso Nyiri were all of 
them dry, at least in Febr. and March, when we were there, and probably’ many of 
them, if not all, are permanently dry. A few waterholes exist in the bottom of 
