80 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



towards the same result. So serious has the matter become in 

 South Africa that it is proposed to form an association to acquire 

 a tract of country of about 150 square miles, and enclose it with 

 a strong fence, in order to preserve small herds of some thirty- 

 five or forty distinct species of animals which are threatened with 

 early extinction — and when the list includes such beautiful 

 creatures as the giraffe, zebra (the quagga is already said to be an 

 animal of the past), eland, gnu, and several antelopes, it will be 

 seen that our natural histories may soon be robbed of some of 

 their most interesting features. It is thought that the undertaking 

 would not be surrounded with much difficulty, and that in the 

 course of a few years some revenue might be derived by the sale 

 of surplus stock to Zoological Gardens. To show that such a 

 project is feasible a recent article in the Forest and Stream is 

 quoted in the Zoologist for June, 1894, which describes the Corbin 

 Game Park in New Hampshire, U.S.A. The idea arose through 

 Mr. Corbin, a wealthy railroad man, having been presented with a 

 few young deer, which were turned out on his country seat at 

 Long Island, and did well. Then noticing frequent reports of 

 the rapid extermination of the buffalo in the Western States, the 

 thought of endeavouring to perpetuate the species entered the 

 minds of the Corbins (father and son), and gradually, as elk 

 (Wapiti), moose and antelopes were added to the list, it became 

 necessary to look for a larger and more natural home for the 

 animals. Accordingly a tract of country containing 22,000 acres 

 on the foot-hills of the White Mountains was secured, which was 

 enclosed with a barbed wire fence about eight feet high, costing 

 nearly ^15,000. Here a start was made with twenty-two buffalo, 

 sixty elk, seventy deer, six cariboo, and a dozen moose, and in a 

 few years in most cases the animals have multiplied considerably, 

 and in future years it may be necessary to thin out some of the 

 denizens of the park. The enclosure contains two lakes of 20 

 and 30 acres each and 100 miles of streams, so that variety of 

 country is not lacking. The Messrs. Corbin are so pleased at 

 the results of this experiment that they are constructing, in a 

 smaller park at Manhattan Beach, a large pond, which will be in 

 connection with the ocean, to be stocked with seals from New- 

 foundland, and sea-lions from California. 



The success of this experiment shows that two or three such 

 parks should be created in different latitudes in Australia, ere its 

 unique fauna becomes a thing of the past, as it certainly will do 

 at no distant date unless such steps are taken. In Victoria the 

 most suitable tract (the Dandenong Ranges) has been lost for 

 such a purpose, but could not a portion of the Otway Forest 

 supply its place, or even the proposed National Park at Wilson's 

 Promontory, though the latter seems to be rather destitute of the 

 forest protection necesssry for such a purpose. 



