80 FISH CULTURE IN BRITISH EAST AFRICA 
FISH CULTURE IN BRITISH EAST AFRICA 
By D. E. Hutchins 
Trout on the Aberdare Mountains 
A notable development has recently taken place in British 
East African fish culture. It will be recalled that in 1905 
trout were introduced to the Aberdare mountain streams by 
Mr. Hinde (Provincial Commissioner), and by Mr. Grogan 
and an association of various persons interested in the experi- 
ment. These fish were placed in a small stream, the Gura, 
on the cold high-lying moorland, crossed by the road from 
Naivasha to Nyeri. The trout introduced were of three kinds : 
Loch Leven, German brown trout, and Californian Rainbow 
trout. The last consignment, including the German trout, 
was an unfortunate one ; most of the fry were lost before they 
were turned out, but it is said that a few of the German trout 
escaped into the river before the loss of the main lot : so that 
the trout now in the Gura stream may be descended from all 
three. Be this as it may, it seems certain that the present 
trout now flourishing in the Aberdare streams are descended 
mainly from Leven trout, crossed probably with the Rainbow 
trout. There seems to be no pure Rainbow trout ; probably, 
long ere this, they would, following their usual habits, have 
perished in the attempt to get out to sea, after eating up every- 
thing they could find on the way. There is of course just the 
possibility of their having reached the sea by way of the Tana 
River, though then it would probably be only to perish in 
tropical waters. A more promising trout than the Californian 
Rainbow seems to be the Californian Yellow -finned trout. 
The Algerian and South Italian trouts should also be tried. 
But to come back to British East Africa and the Aberdare 
streams : — 
In 1908 Mr. Macgregor Ross and myself, on our way to 
Kenia, passed the Gura River, and though I halted there for 
some time, I could see no fish : but a year later, a good-sized 
fish was caught by an official of the Forest Department, and 
