484 APPENDIX C 



ing and dancing about a bright camp fire. Although we tried many times 

 to shine their eyes with a powerful light, we never succeeded, nor were we able 

 to hear any rustling of the branches or scraping on the tree trunks as one might 

 *\ expect an animal of such size to make. The porters were offered a rupee apiece 

 for dassies, but none was brought in. 



Rock Hyrax (Procavia brucei maculata). These animals inhabited the rocks and 

 cliffs on Ulukenia Hills in fair numbers. None lived in burrows of their own 

 make, but took advantage of the natural crevices for cover. I heard their 

 shrill calls at night, usually when the moon was out. Several were shot and 

 two trapped in traps set in narrow passages through which the animals travelled. 



Klippspringer (Oreotragus oreotragus). Several pairs of these little antelopes were 

 seen on Ulukenia Hills, but never were more than two found at a time. They 

 lived on the rocky hill-sides and were quite tame, allowing one to approach 

 within twenty-five yards before taking fright and dashing into the rocks, inva- 

 riably their shelter when alarmed. When thoroughly frightened they made 

 a loud sneezing sound. Two were collected; one of which was a female with 

 horns. A young Boer who had lived in that neighborhood three years told me 

 that all the females of proper age had horns. 



Pygmy Gerbille (Dipodillus harwoodi). These little sand mice resemble very closely 

 some of our American pocket mice (Perognathus). Heller took several on the 

 Njoro O Solali and found them common, and I caught one specimen on the 

 South Guaso Nyero River. On the sandy desert flats on the south-west side of 

 Lake Naivasha they were abundant. The holes running obliquely into the 

 ground were sometimes blocked with sand from the inside. On the opposite 

 side of the lake there was less sand, and here the gerbilles were found only in 

 spots. In sand alone their burrows resembled those described, but where the 

 ground was hard they entered almost perpendicular, and were never blocked with 

 sand. Often seed pods and tiny cockle burrs were strewn about the entrances. 



Pygmy Mouse (Mus[Leggadd\gratus). Various forms of this tiny little mouse were 

 taken all along the route we travelled. They were caught in traps set at ran- 

 dom in the brushy thickets in the lowland, as well as in the open grassy spots 

 on the rocky hill-sides where they frequented the runways made by various 

 species of Mus. A few were collected on Mount Kenia. 



Athi Rock Mouse (Epimys nieventris ulae). This mouse proved to be a new species. 

 It was common in and about the rocks on Ulukenia Hills, which is the only 

 place where we found them. Those taken were caught in traps baited with 

 peanut butter, dried apple, and rolled oats and set among the rocks. 



Forest Mouse (Epimys peromyscus). At our camp at 8,500 feet altitude we first met 

 with this mouse, and although a good line of traps well baited and set about 

 stumps, tree trunks, and logs for three nights, but one mouse was captured, 

 that being taken under a large log. Several others were trapped in the thick 

 brush bordering the bamboo. At 10,000 feet several were caught in the bam- 

 boo, and at 10,700 feet a good series was collected on a well-thicketed and tim- 

 bered rocky ridge. 



Masked Tree Rat (Thamnomus loringi). None were taken until we reached the 

 south-west end of Lake Naivasha. Here and also at Naivasha Station a number 

 were collected in traps baited with rolled oats and dried apple and set at the 

 base of large trees and in brushy thickets in groves. In some of these trees and 

 in the bushes, nests of sticks, grass and leaves were found. While setting 



