Birds from Eastern Africa. 289 



Johnston had to return home^ owing to a bad attack of sun- 

 stroke. I then decided to make a short trip back to Merereni 

 to get a few Grant's and Waller's Gazelles and Lesser Kudus ; 

 but as the Masai who had murdered the Rev. Mr. Houghton 

 and his wife were still reported to be in the country, I was 

 advised to wait till they cleared out. In the meantime I went 

 over to Manda Island, opposite Lamu, and collected birds 

 there, from May ]7th until June 15th, 1886. The whole 

 island is covered with dense bush, with the exception of a 

 ridge of sand-hills running parallel with the coast, and where 

 the bush has been cut down in a few places for " sharabas " 

 (cultivated fields). 



On June 15 1 returned to Lamu, and after stopping a week 

 I set out for Merereni, travelling overland, and on my arrival 

 found a large colony had been formed there by some Swahili 

 pickers of Mereri (/. e. orchella-weed). The game in conse- 

 quence was very scarce and wild, but I managed to get some 

 very fine specimens of Grant's Gazelle and a good Waller's 

 Gazelle, also an inditferent Lesser Kudu, besides three 

 Ostriches. Neither elephants nor buffaloes had come down 

 owing to the want of rain. 



Being disappointed with this trip, I decided to go for a 

 three months' excursion to Kilima-njaro, and after putting my 

 things straight in Lamu, I went down to Zanzibar to get my 

 caravan together. Instead of proceeding by the usual route, 

 via Mombasa, I tried a new route via Vanga, which, though 

 longer, was said to be better watered. I started from Vanga 

 on Sept. 13, and was accompanied by the Rev. A. W. Shaw, 

 of the Church Missionary Society, who thought that the 

 mission-men were better porters than the Zanzibaris, but 

 I think I disillusioned him of this idea. As game was 

 plentiful, and the demand for meat was great amongst the 

 Wataveita, I was enabled to buy flour, corn, bananas, beans, 

 &c. with meat, and thus tomake my three months' provisions 

 last for ten months. Here again I found the combination of 

 bird-collecting and big-game shooting almost an impossibility ; 

 but I managed to make a small collection, which, as Capt. 

 Shelley reports, contains examples of 31 species, of which 

 one is new to science. 



Y 'I 



