2 CENTRAL AFRICAN GAME AND ITS SPOOR. 



pheasants is not to be despised, it is often the case that the woodcraft which 

 brings the birds to bag is the work of the keeper, and the gun if asked to do 

 it would generally fail. Of course, even in big game shooting, there are many who 

 think that their only duty is to pull the trigger, and that the rest of the work 

 should be done by the native trackers, but this does not affect the argument, as such 

 an one could hardly pose as a true hunter. 



Our definition of a true hunter would be the man who is not only a good shot but 

 who knows the spoor, habits, and haunts of his game, and who has also the patience 

 and endurance to follow and outwit them. 



Again, can there be any comparison between the trophies to be obtained with 

 these two weapons ? Of course, in the first instance, it is necessary for a man to 

 depend almost solely on his native trackers, but even then he can take an intelligent 

 interest in the work of tracking and stalking, and, if he has any quickness of 

 perception, the vast fields of observation open to him will soon be apparent. 



It should be his ambition to dispense with their services more and more, as 

 without the necessary practice he can never become self-reliant. 



We do not mean to suggest that he will soon render himself more efficient 

 than the native who has spent his whole life in the bush, for, however good he 

 becomes, it will be very long before he can afford to disregard their advice. The 

 true sportsman will value a head the more in proportion to the amount of individual 

 work he has performed in getting it, and the woodcraft he has shown in shooting 

 a good head, for he will never kill wantonly, but only for trophies. 



How incomparably greater is the value of a head, perhaps good only for the 

 country it is shot in, than the most magnificent trophy obtained by purchase ! Contrast 

 the associations connected with the one shot and that knocked down in an auction room. 



The lessons of woodcraft and tracking are often learnt young, for many of us can 

 remember our quiet walks with the keeper on his trapping rounds, and how many 

 hints we picked up from the old man. 



Love of a country life is ingrained in many of us, and in later years this develops 

 into a keen longing to visit foreign countries, and to experience the exhilaration of 

 nobler sports than we can find at home. 



We think the building up of the British Empire largely due to this love of 

 travel and adventure, for in most cases the traveller has been drawn to a country 

 because it is the home of wild game. 



How many of us would ever have wished to visit Africa if it did not hold the best 

 game shooting in the world ? Few, we imagine ! 



Hunters have been the pioneers in many parts of this continent ; if the game had 



