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Angolan black-and-white colobus monkeys (Colobus angolensis, Sclater 1980) in the Nyungwe Forest Reserve, Rwanda, are anomalous compared with con-speci¢cs and congeners elsewhere, because they form exceptionally large groups, in excess of 300 individuals, and because of their unusually high consumption of mature leaves (H40% of annual diet). Site factors at the Nyungwe Forest in southern Rwanda are believed to contribute to the unusual socio-ecology of the C. angolensis residing there. Foremost, the forest provides an abundance of mature leaves that are higher in nutritional quality (protein : ¢bre) compared with mature leaves analysed at other African sites. The combination of a cool high elevation locale, and a relatively open canopy, may contribute to the production of high quality mature leaves at ground level and in the canopy at the Nyungwe Forest.We believe that the almost unrestricted availability of acceptable foods for Nyungwe's folivorous colobines minimizes the potential for exploitation competition for food, and is a key factor in allowing them to form exceptionally large groups.

I compared primate abundances in an old forest and in adjacent regenerating farm clearings abandoned by slash-and-burn agriculturalists in Sierra Leone, West Afric6tUnit~trlate correlation procedures were used to identify socioecological characteristics of primate species that best explained success (abundance) of primates in regenerating farm clearings adjacent to old forest A highly frugivorous diet was the single most significant primate characteristic correlated with use of abandoned farms (r s = 0.886 p = 0.019). In contrasg other studies of primates in disturbed habitats determined that a frugivorous diet was strongly negatively correlated with primate use of selectively logged forest and other disturbed habitat& These contrasting results expose the hazard of generalizing about ecological correlates of primate success in disturbed habttat~ which may be site or disturbance specific Although this warning is derived from studies of primate~ it may apply to other taxa as well La correlaci6n ecol6gica del ~mito de las especies eta habitats modificados pod_dan ser especiiicos al tipo de perturbaci6n y al sitio: Los primates de la Isla Tiwai Resumen: Compar~ la abundancia de primates en un bosque madtwo yen termnos agdcolas regomrado¢ que rueton abandonados por ugricuitores que talan y queman el bosque en Sierra Leon~ oeste de Africa Procedtmtentos de cotrelacion tmi~ fueron utilizadas para ldentiflcar caracteristicas socio-ecol6gicas de las especies de primates que mejor explicaron el dxito (abundancia) de los primates en los claros agrtcolas en regeneraci6n adyacentes a bosques maduro~ Una dieta altamente frugtvora fue la t~nica carac. tedstica pru~$ significativa de los primates correlacionada con el uso de los terrenos agricolas abundonados (r, = 0.886 p = 0.019). En contrastg otros estudios de prtmates en hdbitats perturbados determitmnron que una dieta frugivora estaba negattvamente correlacionada con el uso de de los primates en bosques talados y otros hdbituts perturbado~ Estos resultados contrastantes ponen de maniflesto el riesgo de generalizar sobre corv~laciones ecol6gicas del dxito de los primates en hdthttats pemdmdo~ los cuales pueden set especificos al sitio o a la perturOaci6tt Si bien esta advertetwla deriva de estudios en primate~ tambidn podrla set aplicada a otros taxone&

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