THE GREF PARROT AND THE CHIMPANZEE. 405 



steppe and forest region. Joining this region, which harbours 

 purely western and partly also southern species of plants and 

 animals, is the district between the lakes, to a certain extent 

 a neutral transition ground, where eastern and western varie- 

 ties meet. The close affinity between the two regions will be 

 best demonstrated by a short review of the most prominent 

 animals peculiar to them. 



Let us take first the grey parrot, Psittacus erythacus, L., the 

 northern limit of which passes right through our territory. 

 From Usoga, where the bird is common, according to the 

 assertions of the natives, it passes ' in a deep south-westerly 

 curve round the large swamps in the north-eastern part of 

 Unyoro, then bends farther northwards, and for the rest of 

 Unyoro remains at 2° N. lat., along which parallel it crosses 

 the Albert Lake. After this, its northern limit is uncertain — 

 we have here to deal with regions entirely unexplored — until 

 it reappears in Monbuttu, and follows very nearly the course 

 of the Bomokandi or Mayo, reaching the Welle-Makua at one 

 point only, and crossing it where the large banana and oil- 

 palm forests at the great bend of the river in the A-Madi 

 district furnish a suitable abode. Beyond the mouth of the 

 Bomokandi, it appears to advance much farther to the north, 

 for Lupton Bey writes me that it is not uncommon in Dar- 

 Abu-Dinga, and to the west of that place, that is, somewhere 

 between 5 — 6° N. lat. This accords with its appearance so far 

 north as Lake Chad, where it has been caught by Denham. 

 In this case also the line running from south-east to north- 

 west is followed. 



While it is definitely proved that the grey parrot reaches 

 the Nile basin, as I have seen it frequently in Uganda and the 

 adjacent countries, this is still an open question as regards the 

 chimpanzee. Its existence in the country proper of the sources 

 of the Nile is still problematical. All the more frequent is it 

 in the basin of the Welle-Makua. Throughout Monbuttu and 

 the wide A-Zande district, wherever large stretches of forest 

 or belts of wood afford sufficient space and suitable trees, the 

 chimpanzee will not be sought in vain. It passes then far up 

 northwards with the forests, and Dr. Junker reports that it is 

 also common in the west, in the region of the A-Babiia, for 



