ZOOLOGY 233 



(1931). It has been a subject of debate in East Africa during the 

 past few years. 



For the British West African Colonies Colonel Haywood (1932) 

 advocates considerable modifications in the existing reserved areas. 

 In Nigeria he proposes to substitute for the existing number of 

 small reserves, all inadequately guarded, a large national park of 

 several thousand square miles in one of three possible areas; Borgu 

 in the north-west, Chafe-Kwiambana in the north, or Muri-Wase 

 near the eastern border, the best game area, but very inaccessible 

 and overrun with tsetse fly. For the Gold Coast he suggests 

 abolishing the existing reserves, because the stock of animals 

 therein has been nearly annihilated by native hunters, and making 

 one or two fairly large national parks or permanent sanctuaries. 

 In Sierra Leone all forest reserves are already game sanctuaries for 

 elephants, and the Government has expressed itself ready to set 

 aside two such areas in the east of the Protectorate as general 

 game reserves. In West Africa there is no control over the use of 

 firearms by natives to kill animals for food, and game has been 

 driven farther and farther back, and reduced in numbers to a 

 point where many species may be incapable of re-establishing 

 themselves. The Kruger experience shows, however, what results 

 protection can achieve, and if sufficiently large areas can be found 

 in West Africa there may yet be time to develop a really excellent 

 and accessible park. 



F. S. Collier, a member of the Nigerian forestry service, in an 

 admirable series of articles (1935) on the preservation of fauna in 

 Nigeria, considers the results in that territory of hunting by Afri- 

 cans with firearms, and concludes that it would be in the interests 

 of the inhabitants themselves to introduce effective means of con- 

 servation. He proposes the establishment of hunting-forests in 

 which hunting is unrestricted for residents in the neighbourhood, 

 but for which licences are necessary for visiting Africans and Euro- 

 peans. Adjoining these hunting-areas there should be breeding 

 refuges or sanctuaries which should bear a fixed relation to the 

 area of the hunting-grounds served. It would appear that the 

 desired result could be brought about by declaring certain of the 

 forest reserves as game sanctuaries, under the protection of the 

 existing forestry staff. This would render the creation of extra staff 



