April 1997 
region Ihc 'Sango Bay arca'. 
Hamillon (1975) seems lo liav e been the fits to propose 
that the forests around Sango Bay may have survived 
the dry periods of the late Pleistocene, when most 
Ugandan forests disappeared However, his suggestion 
that it was bul a minor refugmm is supported by 
Snuhsakcr (1981) because, although there are only four 
species of monkeys there, two are dtsunctive subspecies, 
one belonging to the Rvvenzori colobus Colobus 
angolen . os adol/l-frlederici 
The presence of Padocarpus and other montane trees 
in die Sango Bay area lias been known for many years 
(Eggehng and Dale, 1951) Howard (1 99 1, page 2 5 7) wnles 
I lull 'll number of montane species occur here including 
P milan/ianus. P gracllor. Ilex minx. Psychairia 
meglstasncia and Olea afrtcana . and Uicir occurrence 
here would seem to support die view that this is a relic 
forest' There are now known to be at lensl seven 
Ingldand species of trees on tire Sango Buy list, as well 
as several species of shrubs (see Appendix) Bul Ihc 
(act Ihul then; are also many non-uoody montane plants, 
and several species or birds, seems nol lo have been 
documented before 
We provide in I lie Appendix a complete list of records 
for plants that are normally confined lo montane nren. 
above 1 500 m. bui which have been recorded below about 
1 150 m in the Sango Bay area Particularly notable arc 
species such as China abvamica that in Kenya occurs 
only above 2000 m (Agncw & Agncw. 1994) 
We recognise that a species may have different 
Hllilndinal preferences in differenl parts of ns range 
Thus most or Hie insectivorous plants, species of 
Uroscra and I’lriailana. which occur near Lake 
Mabugabo. are montane species in Kenya (Agnevv and 
Agncw, 1994) but arc found at other lower sites in 
Uganda Hamillon (1974) records other examples of 
monlane species occurring at exceptionally lowaltimdcs 
tn or near swamps; for example. Xunalas hi swamp forest 
in Mabim Forest, and Kapanea and Ilex in Svevgium 
swamp foresl in Ihcsonihwcsi ofUganda Ollier species 
such as ihc cosmopolitan bracken. Pierldiuni nquttmum 
arc predominanUy montane. bul occur sporadically al 
altitudes down to 300 m. this species is also locally 
common in Ihc Sango Bay area, especially m disluibed 
habitats 
The contrast between the percentage of bird species 
which arc montane (barely 1%) and plan! species (4%) 
adds support to Ihc idea of the Sango Bay area Itavmg 
relic forests Plants tend to be less easily dispersed than 
birds and would therefore have been more likely lo be 
let! behind' as Ihc forests spread agam al lliecnd of the 
Iasi Ice Age 
Of ihc birds, Friedmann and Williams ( 1969) rccoidcd 
Ihc African Black Duck Anassparsa in the Sango Bay 
area, and Cinuamon-chcstcd Bee-eater Merops 
oreahnies and Equatorial Akalai Sheppard,,, 
aequalarlalls in the Sango Bay forests. During surveys 
or some or the habitats near Ihc foresls during 1994 and 
1 995. Pomeroy and Otim found a population of Chubb's 
Cisticols Clsilcala chuhbi in a woodland of Acacia 
kirkil just to the north of the Malabigambo section of 
the forest. 
A look for possible common characteristics amongst 
Ihc plains and animals which seem to have been ‘left 
behind' in the Sango Bay area as temperatures and rainfall 
increased at the end of ihc Pleistocene would be an 
tntercsling topic for further research. 
Acknowledgements 
Alan Hamilton. Edith Kabcsiimc and Axel Poulsen are 
thanked for their comments on draffs of this article 
References 
Agncw. A.D.Q. & S Agncw (1994) Upland Kenya wild 
powers (2“ cd, ) Easl Africa Naiural History Society. 
Nairobi 
Bcenljc. H. (1994) Kenya trees, shrubs and lianas 
Nnlional Museums of Kenya. Nairobi 
Eggcling, W.J.& I R Dale (1951). The Indigenous Teen 
nf the Uganda Prvlcctorate. Uganda Government 
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Friedmann, 1 1. & I G. Williams ( 1969). Tbc birds of the 
Sango Bay forests, Buddu county, Masaka district 
Uganda. Los Angeles CaumyMuseum Contributions 
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Fuller. R M . G.B Groom. P Ipulel, S. Mugisba. D.E 
Pomeroy, A B Katendc. R Bailey, R Ogulu-Ohwayo 
& S B Waudera (1995) Darwin initiative Computers 
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Hamilton. A.C (1974) Distribution patterns of foresl Irccs 
in Uganda and their historical significance Vegetatia 
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Hamillon. A C (1975) The disposal of foresl in* species 
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in East Africa African Journal of Ecology 19: 99-1 14 
Appendix 
Montane spccicsor plants rccoidcd from the Sango Bav 
area, at an altitude orbelow 1 1 50 metres. All records arc 
or herbs, and are from the present study , except where 
otherwise shown Infoimation on altitudinal ranges in 
inland East Africa is mainly from Agncw and Agnevv 
( 1 994) and Bccntjc (1994), 
Acamhaccae Acanthus puhescens S 
Dichpiera laxala 
Dyschortsle radicnns 
I'seuderamhenmum 
ludovlcianum 
Adiamaccac Pellaea domana F 
Aquifoliaccae Hex mills T 
Howard(199!) 
Araliaccae Polysctas fulva T 
Cacsalpiniaccae Cassia kirkil 
Convolvulaceac Aslripomoea grantil 
Euphorbiaccac Acalypha hraehvstachya 
Clutia abysslnica 
