8 EINAR LONNBERG, MAMMALS COLLECTED BY THE SWEDISH ZOOLOGICAL EXPEDITION ETC. 



legs are used in a stiff jointed gallop when its wariness gets the upper hand of 

 its curiosity. The pretty little Thomson's Gazelles are also still rather common, 

 although strongly decimated near settled districts. At Juja farm Whitebearded Gnus 

 and Grant's Gazelles which also are typical members of this fauna were seen. The 

 Zebras are together with the Kongonis with which they often join in mixed herds 

 the most numerous mammals on these open plains, but they constitute also the only 

 species of those hitherto mentioned which (without modification) extends north of 

 Tana river. Along water courses on the steppe where there is bush or other covert 

 Impalas and Waterbucks are at home, and perhaps also a Reedbuck. Here on the 

 steppe among the big grazing animals the Lion hunts its prey, and the carrion feeding 

 Hyenas {Crocotta panganensis {?) and Hycena scMllingsi), and Jackals {Canis adustus 

 and C. mesomelas) share with the Vultures the remains. The Cheetah is also seen 

 on the open steppe. Pedetes and Otocyon appear to inhabit the open plains, although 

 their nocturnal habits are not easily studied. Where the growth of grass is rich and 

 the bushes become numerous so that the landscape can be termed bush steppe the 

 Serval, the Cheetah, the Wild Cat, Mungooses, and even the Lion and Leopard find 

 suitable covert. The Duiker {Gephalophus ahyssinius hindei) is fond of hiding in high 

 grass, and the Steinbocks {RhapMcerus) which I saw were all found on bush steppe. 

 In similar localities Warthogs are found, although they visit the open steppe as well. 

 The Zebras and Kongonis also enter the bush steppe, if the bushes are not too nu- 

 merous. The Hares {Lepus victorice and L. crawshayi) lie up in patches of high grass 

 or among tall herbs and bushes which as a rule grow on old termite hills which are 

 deserted and have fallen down. Similar resting places are sometimes selected by 

 Duikers, Wild Cats and others. Certain rodents like Arvicanthis, Zelotomys, Otowys, 

 Tachyoryctes etc. inhabit the steppe as well as insectivores, chiefly of the genus Cro. 

 cidura. But as the expedition only passed over a short stretch of these plains and 

 only camped there a few days the collection of small mammals from this district 

 does not give any fair idea of the fauna. Several species caught in the cultivated 

 land and enumerated in the list above live also in the bush- and grass steppe. Along 

 rivers and small water-courses in the steppe country there is often a fringe of trees 

 and there is the home of the »Tumbi]i» monkeys {Cercopithecus pygerytherus). 



The steppe country south of Guaso Nyiri which we visited is mostly covered 

 with scattered flat topped acacias, although here and there broad stretches of open 

 grassy plains extend, and in some places also patches of thornbush are found. On 

 the grass-covered plains the soil is often very loose but sometimes hard and dusty 

 like a country road, so that a cloud of dust rises when the big game animals move. 

 Among the acacias the ground as a rule is thickly strewn with sharp-edged black 

 stones of volcanic origin, but there is often a rich growth of grass if the stones do 

 not absolutely cover the ground which sometimes is the case.' In the thornbush 

 patches the soil is hard and dry often with very little vegetation except the bushes, 



' A photo of a typical acaciasteppe with grass and such black stones is reproduced in the report on the 

 birds of this expedition K. Sv. Vet. Akad. Handl. Bd. 47. N:o 5. PL 1, fig. 2. while fig. 1 on the same plate 

 shows a more open steppe. 



