With Flashlight and Rifle ^ 



had had considerable experience as a sportsman in 

 Europe, and who has contributed much to the study of 

 African wild hfe, told me that when he first came upon 

 a lake frequented by hippopotamuses he killed more 

 than thirty of them in a short time without realising 

 that he had done so. He would see several monsters 

 rise to the surface and shoot at them, apparently without 

 result — seemingly because he niissed his aim or because 

 the bullets did not get at a vulnerable point. The 

 animals he had shot at always rose again to the 

 surface, until at last he had used up all his ammunition, 

 apparently in vain. Some hours later the carcasses of 

 thirty hij)popotamuses were Hoating about on the surface 

 of the water ! 



This of course could only happen to the new-comer. 

 But it is bound to happen constantly with the kind of 

 inexperienced sportsmen continually arriving in our 

 colonies. This evidence from a trustworthy source 

 throws a flood of light upon the cause of the exter- 

 mination of many species of wild life. 



In the small lakes between Kilimanjaro and Meru 

 Mountain, discovered by Captain Merker, I found a 

 great number of "viboko" (the plural of "kiboko") in 

 1899 — about 150 prol)al)l\. In the autumn of 1903 

 their numbers had dwindled almost to nothing. 



I had killed onl\' four m\self for pi'eser\-ation as 

 specimens — I could ha\e killed almost the whole lot 

 with ease had I chos('n. In the driest season they were 

 confined to the deej)est parts of the (|uite small lakes, 

 where the\' wei'e al\\a\'s liable to be shot. It is li'ue 



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