486 APPENDIX C 



many in nooses ingeniously placed in the runs that were opened and closed 

 after the trap was set. While digging into the burrows, several times I found 

 bulky nests of dried grass in side pockets just off the main runway. Most of 

 them were empty, but one was filled with the animal's droppings. 



Kapiti Blesmol (Myoscdops kapiti}. This mole rat, which proved to be new to 

 science, was first encountered at Potha on Kapiti Plains and it was again met 

 with at Ulukenia Hills. I was shown several skins that were taken about fif- 

 teen miles east of Nairobi. They were the most difficult of all mole rats to catch 

 because they lived in the very sandy soil and almost invariably covered the 

 trap with sand without themselves getting into it. I found a number of their 

 skulls in the pellets of barn and other species of owls. 



Springhaas (Pedetes surdasler}. Very common at Naivasha station where their 

 burrows were numerous on a sandy flat practically in the town, and many 

 were taken within a hundred yards of the station. They are nocturnal, although 

 one instance came under my observation where a springhaas was seen on a 

 dark day to run from one burrow to another. By hunting them on dark nights, 

 with the aid of an acetylene light we were able to secure a good series of skins. 

 When the light was flashed on them, their eyes shone like balls of fire the size 

 of a penny, and it was not uncommon to see from two to five and six within the 

 radius of the light at one time. They were usually flashed at a distance of 

 about a hundred yards, and as the light drew near they would watch it, fre- 

 quently bobbing up and down. Often they hopped away to right or to left, 

 but very seldom did their fright carry them into their burrows unless a shot 

 was fired; in fact even then we sometimes followed up one of their companions 

 and secured it. Some allowed us to approach within ten feet before moving, 

 and then off they would go in great bounds, but I was never able in the dim 

 light to see whether or not their tails aided them in jumping. I once shot a 

 fox from a cluster of eyes that I am positive were those of springhaas; this 

 together with the fact that the stomachs of all of the foxes killed contained ter- 

 mites and insects, leads me to believe that these two animals are more or less 

 congenial. Doctor Mearns saw a springhaas sitting with its tail curled around 

 to one side of its body, similar to the position often assumed by a house cat. 



Several small colonies of springhaas were discovered on sandy flats near 

 Ulukenia Hills. Two females taken from the same burrow showed great vari- 

 ation in size, one having a tail several inches longer and ears larger than the 

 other. Although I never discovered a burrow that was completely blocked 

 with sand, in the morning one could find quantities of fresh sand that had 

 been thrown out of the entrance during the night. 



Great-eared Fox (Otocyon virgartus). This new species of fox we discovered at Nai- 

 vasha and found it very common there. All of the seven specimens secured were 

 taken by "jacking" at night, although while travelling over the Uganda Railroad 

 we frequently saw them singly or in pairs in broad daylight. The white people 

 knew nothing of a fox in this country and had always called them "jackals." 

 They seemed to live in pairs and groups of three to six. On dark nights it 

 was usually easy to shine their eyes and approach within shooting range. W r e 

 would shine a fox, then suddenly the glare of its eyes would disappear and we 

 would walk about casting the light in all directions until we again saw the two 

 balls of fire glaring some fifty or a hundred yards away. Often the foxes would 

 slink about for some time before we got within gunshot range. Frequently we 



