the EANH5 
Bulletin 
COMMENT 
The COMMENT in ihe EANHS Bulletin 28(2) of 
August 1998 contained a misleading first para- 
graph One hundred years ago Nairobi was not 
mostly forest. To build the city the forest was not 
cut down, the colonial government did not allo- 
cate it as needed for the city’s infrastructure and 
most of us in Nairobi do not live on former forest 
land. 
Fortunately there are photographs taken at the 
turn of the century which show the error of Ms 
Ng’weno’s statement. Most of Nairobi was com- 
pletely bare of trees. Ainsworth set about rectify- 
ing this by planting eucalypts— first of which were 
planted around the Norfolk end of what is now 
Moi Avenue. 
As Ms Ng'weno points out, there were forest 
patches— Ngong Forest (of which the forest now 
in Nairobi Naitona! Park was part). Karura and 
the patch in what became City Park (which was 
the first to be given protection). Contrary the claim 
that the colonial government allowed forest to be 
cut down, it prevented this happening around Nai- 
robi from its earliest days. The high proportion of 
exotic trees in Nairobi and its suburbs reflects 
the original ‘baldness’ and the necessity of having 
to plant trees where previously there were none 
Today Nairobi is far more densely wooded titan it 
was in 1898 when railhead reached it. 
Errors of historical fact notwithstanding, I 
nonetheless support the Hon. Secretary's senti- 
ments about the need to preserve what is left of 
Kenya’s forest s. 
lan Parker 
Ms. Ng’weno adds: 
One of Nairobi’s attractions, and one reason 
over 600 species of birds have been recorded 
there, is that it is a meeting place of ecosys- 
tems, including the grasslands to the south and 
the forests to the north 
Articles 
Lhuya bird i 
Nicholas Shikuyenze. Smith Likare, Georye 
Amnlete, Christine Wilder. Joseph Oyuyi and 
Thomas Books - 
Reproduction in a group of captive southern 
tree hyrax Dendrohyrax itrhoreus Judith Rudnai 5 
Earthwatch Fellowships 
The European Song Bird Project in Osca. I lungary 
Team II August 2nd to 14th. 1889. Mwanyi 
Solomon Nyari 
Short Communications 
A cross species mating between the diadem 
butterfly and Trimen’s false acraea rape or 
female choice? land. Gordon 
11 
11 
12 
Cuddly or tasty? Fiona Alexander 
Two brood-parasites and their hosts. Leon Benmm 13 
Shimoni Forest: biodiversity worthy of protection. 
Fleur Ny 'we no 
Getting seabirds off the hook. John Cooper 
Book Review 
Wildjlower Safari: the life of Mary Richards 
by William Condry. Andrew Agnen 
14 
14 
14 
15 
Notices 15 
Request for papers. L A. Depew, Editor 15 
