Dalton,M.

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72
AMBOSELI NATIONAL RESERVE.
By MERRELL DALTON
VOL. XXII
Amboselilake,an areaof someninetysquaremiles,still fills in the
rains,a timewhentheNationalPark lodgeis closedto visitors,thegame
scatters,andthe Masaitribesmenare ableto moveout to othergrazing
grounds.In thedry monthsan enormousquantityof Masaistockas well
asthousandsof headof gamearedependentuponthe.waterin theswamp
around01Tukai wherethelodgeandGethin'swell known'RhinoCamp'
aresituated.
It is truly an amazingsightastheliving friezeof animalsstartsmoving
acrossthe dry white lake bedsto the'greenof the swamp: a veritable
'sundownerparade'of wildbeeste,zebra,giraffeandgazelle,interspersed
hereandtherewith well regulatedflocksof sheepandgoatsand black,
white,red andpiebaldcattle,
The groundin the vicinity of the..s.wampis literally pulverised,and a
fine dust risesin cloudslike white'steam,often completelyenveloping
the entirelandscape.On a clear day,however,or beforethe wind or
tramplinghoofsdisturbsit, thescenery,with its palelakebeds,forestsof
green-goldacacias,(fevertrees),beltsof palmandemeraldswampswith
thebackgroundof Kilimanjaro,itsmajesticdomesprinkledbysnow,forms
an unforgetableandmagnificentspectacle.
Somesafarifirmsnow includea tour of the mainswampat 01 Tukai
aspartof theirgame-viewingprogrammewhenatAmboseli,and,although
seasonal,manydifferentspeciesof waterfowlas well as storks,egrets,
plover,and the sacredibis can usuallybe seenforegatheredalongthe
open margin.Colonel Gethin, (Namangariver hotel) who knows this
areasowell, tellsmethatlargeflocksof duckcomein with therains,and
areoccasionallyjoinedby knob-nosedgeese;lily trottershavebeennoted
there,whilstpelicansfrequenta smallpan,northeastof thecamp,where
waterlies out for sometimeafterthe smallersoakshaveturnedto sun-
bakedmud.
During sundrypatrolsaroundthis swampwe continuallysaw white
egrets,sacredibis,Egyptiangeese,stilts, the Saddle-billedstork, (a soli-
tary specimen),many small waders which I took to be sand
plover,threeor four woodibis,greatwhiteherons,greyherons,bittern,
and the usualnoisypartiesof blacksmithplover. Both greeseand the
sacredibis wereextremelytameandobviouslyusedto visitors!
At thesouthernendof thisswampthereis a tiny spring,hiddenamong
rushesand ferns,whereice cold water bubblesstraightfrom Kiliman-
jaro'ssnows. This springandits overflowfeedstheswamparea,andit is
quite usual·to seee12phant,buffaloand sometimesa Bohor'sreedbuck
feedingalongtheedgeof thereedsandthefeatherypapyrus. Hippoare
in residenceat 01Tukai,but areseldomseenoutsidein thedry weather
Wi!debeesteat Ambose!i-Typica! Landscape.
Egret and Sacred Ibis-- or Tukai Swamp.
October,1953. Amboseli National Reserve. 73
thoughtheir tracksare evident,showingthe progressof their nocturnal
wanderings.A driveround this vicinity usuallyproducesa "mixedbag"
gazelle,dikdik,possiblyoryx, (Callotis), lesserkudu,rhino,lion, kongoni,
cheetahbat-earedfox, baboonin largetroops,giraffe,and of coursethe
ubiquitousgnu andzebra.
Visitorswill not fail to seeGreaterbustardwhicharepresentthrough-
out the wholeof the AmboseliReservein enormousnumbers,thereare
plenty of lesser bustard,yellow-neckedfrancolin, Grant's francolin,
guineafowl andplover;groundhonrbill areoftenseen,andthosesolemn
scavengersMaraboustorksstandghoulishlyin groupsaroundthewater.
One eveningno less than four greatBateleureagleshad comethere
to drink, anda glorioussight they madewith their scarletceres,beaks
and feet,and black,busby-likecrests,againstthe brilliant greenof the
rushesandgrass! Inside,however,the standof papyrusis so high and
densethattheonly indicationof feedingbuffalo,rhino,or evenelephant,
is the flutterof the white,,,cattlegretsas theyhoverup and down de-
tickingtheirhugecharges~'
SHORT NOTES
A SPECIES OF DOOR SNAIL IN UGANDA
Very few membersof Door Snails (Family Clausiliidae)havebeenre-
cordedfromAfrica southof Abyssinia.
Austrobalea africana (M. & P.) occursin SouthAfrica. Two speciesrefer-
edto thegenusClausilia (butcertainlynotbelongingto thatgenussensu
stncto) havebeenfoundin .TropicalEastAfrica but aresorareandtheir
habitatsunknownthat no further materialhas becomeavailablefor
anatomicalinvestigation.
DuringOctober1952I discovereda singlespecimenof a snailbelonging
to eitherBalea or Austrobalea. It wason thebark of Acacia albida Del.
togetherwithnumbersof Succineasp.(thereareseveralterrestrialspecies
of thisgenusin E. Africa) at Moroto,KaramojaDistrict,EasternUganda.
Despiteseveralhourssearchingon everyavailabletreeno furtherspeci-
menscouldbe found. Undoubtedlyfurther specimenswill be foundin
East Africa but the recordof a single Clausiliidae from Ugandais of
interestthoughthespeciesis notknownandeventhegenusuncertain.
Door Snails may be recognisedby their elongated,spiral form and
browncolour,but seeillustration(figure6) in my SnailsandSlugspaper
in thepresentJournal.-
B. Verdcourt.
28thOctober,1952.
A MEAT-EATING DUIKER
It wouldbeinterestingto hearwhetheranyreadersof theJournal have
knownof a duikereatingmeat?


Amboseli National Reserve

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