6 
EASTERN ETHIOPIA 
II 
About 280 miles from Mombasa the railways enters 
the Athi plain, and around Simba station lions are 
plentiful. The rhinoceros and giraffe are occasionally 
seen in this section of the line. The amount of game 
on the plain varies with the condition of the grass : 
when favourable hundreds of zebra, herds of hartebeest 
(kongoni) and wildebeest (gnu) will be seen. Ostriches 
are often “ on view ” walking one behind the other, 
apparently as self-conscious as bridesmaids walking up 
the aisle of a church in the wake of the bride at a 
fashionable weddine:. These birds minofle with zebras 
on the grazing grounds. 
Scattered about in small herds, often in close proximity to the line, 
this pretty gazelle will be recognised. It was discovered by 
Joseph Thomson in liis journey through Masailand to the 
Victoria Nyanza (1883). 
