Percival Arthur Blayney (1874 - 1940)
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He was born in Newcastle on Tyne, England, in March, 1875. In eary manhood he took a keen interest in natural history, and prior to coming to East Africa, conducted an ornithological safari in Arabia and was for some time in South Africa. His active association with Kenya, then the British East African Protectorate, began in the days of Sir Arthur Hardinge, who was the first High Commissioner (1895-1900) after the British government had taken over the administration of East Africa from the British East African Company.
Arthur Blayney Percival was appointed an Assistant Collector - then the equivalent of the present Assistant Distisct Commissioner- on June 14, 1900. It was not long, however, before he became actively concerned in his real life's work, the preservation and study of big game; for on May 1st 1901, when Sir Charles Elliot had become High Commissioner, he was appointed Ranger for Game Preservation. From then on until he retired in 1923, he was occupied in this work.He was largely instrumental in the creation of the two big game reserves, and the proper control and preservation of game. It was as a result of his own intimate knowledge and experience that the first properly codified game laws the East African Game Ordinance of 1906 - were drafted and passed into law.
It was not until 1907, however, that the Game Department was constituted as a separate unit of the Colonial Service. Mr Percival served as Senior Assistant Game Ranger under the first Chief Game Ranger, Col, J.H. de B. Patterson. He also served as Senior Assistant Ranger under the next head of department, the later Mr, R.B. Woossnam....
In 1909, he was one of the founders of the East Africa and Uganda Natural History society, where he encouraged the study of the principal and lesser known East African fauna groups, and himself made substantial contributions to the present sum total of knowledge on the subject. Birds and mammals were his particular study, and a very large number of bird and some of the fauna, were named after him.
The present Coryndon Memorial Collection is based largely on the late Percival's collection of mammals. In 1915 Mr. Percival took over the control of the Game Department being its first head to carry the title of Game Warden. It was to him more than a mere job it was his life interest. To it he gave more than his working hours, and he was widely recognized as a first class field naturalist.
He was always ready to share his expert knowledge with bona fide hunters and expeditions from the various museums and scientific societies of Europe and the United States, and his wide knowledge of East Africa and its fauna rendered his advice invaluable. ..He was also instrumental in the early introduction and acclimatization of brown and rainbow trout into Kenya rivers....
Even after his retirement from the post of Game Warden in 1923, he continued to maintain his keen interest in natural history, and his own land at Machakos was a game and bird sanctuary of unique character. . ..He also rendered much valuable assistance to many other American visitors, including the late Theodore Roosevelt.... His books on big game and natural history include "A Game Rangers Note Book" and "A Game Ranger on Safari".