KUNGL. SV. VET. AKADEMIENS HANDLINGAE. BAND 48. N:0 5. 9 



although grass-covered spots can be found within the thornbush as well. This 

 country is comparatively well watered by the small tributaries, Itiolu, Luazomela and 

 Lekiundu, to Guaso Nyiri. 



The fauna of this district is not identical with that of the Athi plains. One 

 especially misses there the Kongoni, Whitebearded Gnu and Thomson's Gazelle, which 

 are so characteristic of the latter. Grant's Gazelle of the Guaso Nyiri steppe belongs 

 to another race and probably this is the case with the Impala and the Waterbuck 

 found among the bushes at the small rivers mentioned, although material of these 

 animals for comparison was not collected on the Athi plains. In fact among the big 

 grazing mammals, which are common on the latter, only the Zebra appears to be 

 the same in the northern district. The Oryx [0. beisa annectens), the Gerenuk, 

 Grevy's Zebra and the Somali Giraffe {O. c. reticulata) prove by their presence that 

 here is a different zoogeographical territory. Pattersons Eland is also found on these 

 plains, although not common, and the big black Buffaloes inhabit suitable thornbush 

 patches. The Rhinoceros is not uncommon as well on the open ground as among 

 bush and under the acacias. Of carnivorous animals Lion, Leopard, Cheetah, and 

 Hyenas are represented. The Porcupine is of the H. galeata type which inhabits the 

 more southern parts of Brit. East Africa as well, but the Hare {Lepus somalensis) of 

 the Guaso Nyiri country is an entirely different type, a member of the Somalifauna. 

 To the latter belongs also the Ground Squirrel the colonies of which inhabit dry 

 places. The Otomys is the same as further south, but the Arvicanthis is different 

 {A. somalicus reptans). Among other small rodents may be mentioned a Spiny Mouse 

 {Acomys ablutus) apparently characteristic of this locality, Thamnomys dblitus, Sac- 

 costomus mearnsi and Dasymys savannus. A new Sylvisorex and a Grocidura represent 

 the shrews. 



Baboons occurred in large troops at Luazomela river on bush steppe. The 

 Yellow-winged bat (Lavia frons) used to hang in thornbushes. Quite small bats were 

 seen in some places after sunset but none was secured. 



The following list gives the names of the mammals collected or observed by 

 this expedition in steppe country as well near Nairobi as just south of Guaso Nyiri, 

 and the differences of the faunas at these two localities is to some extent elucidated 

 by this, although, of course, several names could have been added if the time at our 

 disposal had not been so short. 



In such cases when the name or the + mark is put within parenthesis exact 

 identification of the subspecies has not been made. 



K. Sv. Vet. Akad. Hand). Band 48. N:o 5. 



