« MR. C. "W. HOBLEY ON THE 



which makes it vahial:»le for reims. Thei'e are, however, a good 

 number of the common species in the Southern Reserve, and one 

 can frequently see a herd from the mail train on the Uganda 

 Railway near Sultan Hamud Station. 



Wildebeest. — In former times there were vast numbers of 

 these beasts to be seen, and in the spring of 1896 I saw an 

 ■enormous herd, which I estimated at nearly 10,000 head, migrating 

 northwards along the Athi Valley on the east side of Avhere Athi 

 River Station now stands. The species is, however, in no danger 

 of extinction, for there are still a considerable number in the 

 Southern Reserve and on the Loita Plains. 



I will now add a few words regarding the vagaries of 

 geographical distribution of some of our game species, and the 

 difficulty of ascertaining the laws that govern it. 



I will give the following examples : — 



1. Sable Antelope. — This species is found from the border of 

 Tanganj'ika Territory near the coast and inland for about 20 

 miles, then very sparsely northwards to the Sabaki River, where 

 it ceases. In fact, it is extremely rare noi'th of the Uganda 

 Railway. It is not found anywhere else in Kenya Colony or 

 Uganda. 



2. Wildebeest. — In the plains near Kilimanjaro through the 

 Southern Reserve up to the neighbourhood of Donyo Sabuk this 

 abounds ; it stops abruptly at the Thika River. Farther west it 

 is found to a small extent in the southern portion of the Rift 

 Valley, but never extended northwards along that valley farther 

 than the Lower Kedong Yalley, although the plains immediately 

 to the north abounded in grass and water. West of the railway 

 the wildebeest favours the Loita, Plains ; in that area, however, it 

 was shut off from extension to the north by the Man Forest. 



3. RoAX. — Tlie distribution of this antelope is very capricious. 

 It is said to be sporadically foiuid near the coast, but is very rare, 

 and I have never seen it there. It is foxmd on the big range of 

 lulls west of Sultan Hamud, and on the foot-hills of the Ukamba 

 Range to the east of that place. Then there is apparently a gap, 

 for I have not heard of its occurrence again until we come to the 

 Nyando Valley about 30 miles east of Kisumu. Sir Frederick 

 Jackson also mentions its occurrence near the Turkweli River. 

 It is, however, nowhere a common beast. Odd specimens may 

 yet turn up in unexpected places. 



4. Topi. DamaUscus senegalensis. — The distribution of this 

 antelope is Avorthy of attention. On the coast it is fairly common 

 between j\Ialindi and Lamu, and some say that it is found farther 

 south near Vanga. Jackson states that it does not occur south of 

 the Sabaki, but I saw a few 2n.AV. of Rabai. Proceeding inland 



