122



Notes 071 a Trip in Uga?ida.



I was now on Elephant tracks for about twenty miles, now

and then coming on quite fresh ones, but I was unlucky in not

seeing the animals. There are some large swamps round here, a

noted breeding place for Elephants.


Kangao’s is the last camp along the road before reaching

Mbale, and here the tracks were everywhere. There were some

large Parrakeets about here, always in pairs, but they were very

wild, and I was unable to identify them. I managed to shoot

one but could not find it in the long grass. One loses a great

many birds in this way.


And now we get to Mbale ; and the first bird we notice is

a large black Crow with crescent shaped white patch on the back

of neck. This is a larger bird than the black and white Crow

common all over the country, which latter has the whole of its

breast and belly white, as well as the white patch on the neck.

On the north, south and west a level plain stretches out as far

as the eye can reach, but on the east about a mile distant is a

mass of perpendicular rock perhaps three miles long by 2,000

to 3,000 feet high, with one or two lovely waterfalls down the

face of the rock. I was able to get up to the top one day for a few

hours and had a most delightful time. When once on the top one is

in an entirely new country, nothing but hill and dale as far as one

can see; such a change from the flat country one has left 3,000

feet below. Streams run down every valley producing luxuriant

vegetation. I did not see very many birds, but am sure there

must be a great number if only one had time to work property.

I noticed one beautiful Sun-bird with a tail four to five inches

long, but could not get anywhere near it. I shot one olive

green one with dark blue breast which I have not seen elsewhere.

I also noticed several Shrikes. There seems to be a large

number of these throughout the county. By-the-bye, I had

four nestling Shrikes* given me some time ago which I kept in a

cage for some weeks and then let out. One I gave to a friend,

but it either flew away or was taken by the cat soon after; one

of mine was killed either by a parrot or puppy, but the other two

throve wonderfully, and used to come flying on to my shoulder

whenever I went outside. I fed them on cut up meat and insects



Lanins excubitorius.



