126 LOPHIOMYS (TEEE RAT)— CATHA EDULIS 
LOPHIOMYS (TREE RAT) 
By G. H. Goldfinch 
This interesting rodent is comparatively common in the 
Man and Subugo Loldian forests. The Dorobo hunters call 
it 4 Emonget * or * Imonget ’ and believe that its bite is likely 
to prove fatal ; possibly in the remote past someone was bitten 
by one and blood-poisoning supervened. They are said to 
live in hollows in trees, particularly the juniper, and their 
habits appear to be very similar to those of the Tree Hyrax. 
Their diet is entirely vegetarian, but their food plants are 
probably quite different to those of the Hyrax ; for while 
Lophiomys is very easy to feed in captivity, and will eat almost 
every kind of green food, it is very difficult to keep a Tree 
Hyrax alive more than a week. 
They appear to have about two young ones at a birth ; the 
newly born animals are silver-grey in colour with a little bare 
line along each flank. 
It is said that the adults live in pairs, and that if one is taken 
out of a hole one day one is likely to catch its mate by going to 
the same hole next day. 
They do not appear to have any particular cry, but when 
frightened make a peculiar clicking noise with their teeth. 
CATHA EDULIS 
By C. W. Hobley 
In No. 4 of Yol. IX. of the Bulletin of the Imperial Institute, 
attention is directed to this tree and some interesting infor- 
mation is given. It grows wild in East Africa, from Abyssinia 
to Natal, and is found on the Nile and in Arabia. It is ex- 
tensively cultivated in Arabia and forms an article of commerce, 
considerable quantities being sold at Aden. The Somalis in 
Nairobi are alive to its value and consume a certain quantity ; 
