KUNGL. SV. VET. AKADEMIENS HANDLINGAR. BAND 48. N:0O 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, 
Grévy's Zebra and the Somali Giraffe (G. 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 uncemmon 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 
(ÅA. somalicus reptans). Among other small rodents may be mentioned a Spiny Mouse 
(Acomys ablutus) apparently characteristic of this locality, Thamnomys oblitus, Sac- 
costomus mearnsi and Dasymys savannus. A new Sylvisorex and a Crocidura 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. 
[CA 
K. Sv. Vet. Akad. Handl. Band 48. N:o 5. 
