RETROSPECT AND CONCLUSION 



both on the plains and in open bush and forest country. 

 Among these the most important are the hon, giraffe, 

 hartebeest, zebra, wart hog, Grant's gazelle, oryx, eland, 

 roan, sable, rhino, leopard, baboons, and a number of 

 smaller antelopes. The best kind of country, therefore, 

 to hunt in, is, without doubt, those places where the plains 

 merge into open bush or parklike country and where 

 clumps of bushes are mingled with larger shade trees. 

 This kind of country is also much more suitable for 

 observing animals at close quarters. There the natu- 

 ralist-sportsman is more apt to secure good photographs 

 of live big game, and there it is possible to stalk the 

 wild animals successfully with both camera and gun, 

 and this is one of the most interesting feats of big-game 

 hunting. 



It is not too much to say that from one hundred and 

 fifty to two hundred shooting parties, and sometimes even 

 more, now yearly go out to British East Africa in search 

 of big game. If it is estimated that each hunting party 

 during the sojourn in the land only kills on an average 

 fifty animals — some have perhaps felled from two to three 

 hundred and more, even without counting the many ani- 

 mals which were wounded but not secured by the party, 

 and which afterwards succumbed to their wounds — this 

 would make from two hundred parties not less than ten 

 thousand animals slaughtered yearly! Add to this that 

 each adult lion or leopard kills an animal almost every 

 night, no one can wonder that game grows more and more 

 scarce and wary, and that fine heads and large tusks will 

 soon be impossible to obtain. 



The sportsman who is able to do so should, therefore, 



303 



