194 MR. OLDFIELD THOMAS OK THE [NoV. 15^ 



round the south- eastern slopes of Mount Kenya I found the 

 nearly complete body-skin (quite fresh), but cut into four pieces, 

 in a village, and also a lai'ge piece of old skin. These formed my 

 fii'st consignment to England. 



" In the folloA\'ing May I was in the Nandi country (E.N.E. of 

 the Victoria. Nyanza), and in the forest 1 then again heard of 

 this pig from the natives. Some American missionaries had also 

 heard of it and had even seen examples. One of their men had 

 killed one, and I was able to get a skull and another piece of skin 

 Avhich is identical with the pieces I got from Kenya, I eventually 

 got a portion of another skull from the same locality (c. 7000 ft.). 

 The natives all assert that the Pig is essentially a forest animal 

 and seldom comes into the open, which probably accounts for it 

 not having been brought to the notice of sportsmen before." 



I am also able to add the following extract from a letter written 

 by Mr, C. W. Hobley, O.M.G., Sub- Commissioner of the Uganda 

 Protectorate, to Dr. Chalmers Mitchell : — 



"I heard of the existence of the Forest- Pig '■ Hylochoeriis mein- 

 ertzhageni ' (as being a separate animal from the Wart-Hog or 

 Bush- Pig) from the Wandei'obo hunting-tribe about a year ago, 

 and since then have as often as opportunity offered made effoi-ts 

 to obtain the skin and sku.ll of one. I promised a present of a 

 cow to anyone who brought me a complete skin and skull. All I 

 succeeded, howevei", in obtaining was a shield made of the skin of 

 this animal. Quite a number of shields made of the hide of this 

 pig are to be found in E. Kakumega and Tiriki, and some years 

 ago I noticed these shields and inquired from what animal they 

 were derived ; my informant, however, misled me by telling me it 

 was the hide of the ' Aard-vark ' or Ant-Bear, and it was only 

 about six months ago that I discovered my error. 



" The Forest- Pig is, I find, well known by the Nandi, Masai, 

 and Wanderobo. The Masai equivalent is ' El Guya ' ; the Nandi 

 equivalent is ' Tiimtu ' (which, I believe, means foi'est-dweller) ; 

 the Kakumega and Tiriki equivalent is ' Mbirii ' ; some Wande- 

 robo call it ' Turn ' ; there is, howevei', another word which I have- 

 for the moment mislaid. 



" All the various tiibes acquainted with the beast are united 

 about its size ; the Wanderobo assured me it was as large as a 

 zebra, and the Kakumega people, Avho do not know the zebra, said 

 it was as large as a small ox. These two comparisons agxee very 

 well. 



" The only skulls I have seen are those which Lieut, Meinertz- 

 hagen obtained from the forest between Tiriki and Kabwaren, and 

 one which Mi'. R. J. Church, of the Uganda Railway (now resident 

 at Nairobi), had obtained on Mau about two years ago. I have not 

 had an opportunity of comparing the latter with Lieut, Meinertz- 

 hagen's specimens, but believe it to be the same ; Mr, Church had 

 a head-skin of his specimen, and I believe it had a lot of white 



