20 IHK (;A.MK (Jl- BKIIISH EAST AFRICA. 



less common of llic plain animals, such as rhino, eland, oryx callotis, and gnu, and 

 it must be said that it is probably not entirely due to the thinning of the game 

 by sportsmen. 



Although most game in East Africa are very local in their habits, presumably 

 many animals find it healthier to change their quarters from the north-east to the 

 south-west or reserved side of the railway line. 



Of other places becoming more and more denuded of game many instances 

 could be quoted, but one will perhaps suffice. Sir Harry Johnston mentions, in his 

 work on Uganda, the thousands of Grant's gazelle which kept the grass round Lake 

 Naivasha cropped close as a lawn. Now, you will hardly see a head of this beautiful 

 gazelle on the shores of the lake, and certainly you will not see a good head. 

 If you take up a Land Office map of the district you will see that the whole of 

 the shore round Lake Naivasha is cut up into little blocks and squares, denoting 

 land allotted to various settlers. I do not wish to imply that the gazelle have all 

 been shot, because it is more than likely that the greater part of them have moved 

 elsewhere. Nor do I wish to decry the efforts of those pioneers who hope to make 

 this country into a prosperous colony. It is only from the point of view of the 

 animal-lover that it is so sad to feel the absence of game where once such 

 enormous herds roamed. Nor, if the greater part of these missing animals have 

 found their way into the southern reserve, is the case much better. For they can 

 only serve to congest this sanctuary, giving it more animal life than it can well hold. 

 In this case it were almost better if they had been shot, for overcrowding may result 

 in disease sweeping off more animals than have been saved from the rif^e. 



Again, take up a Land Office map of the once wonderful Athi Plains, and you 

 will see that these vast tracts are also theoretically divided up into the same little 

 blocks and squares. It would appear at first sight that on all these huge plains 

 there is not an acre on which the sportsman can shoot without being guilty of 

 trespass. However, as yet it is not quite as bad as this. I said theoretically above, 

 for, although nearly the whole of this area is private property, you may still walk 

 many a mile without seeing a settler's fence or house. It seems that a greater part 

 of this land has been taken up by people who have no intention of settling on their 

 property or of doing anything to it. Apparently they are only waiting for an 

 opportunity to sell at a profit. However, this state of things cannot exist much 

 longer, for the Government, as soon as it gets breathing space, is sure to enforce 

 intending settlers either to take up their land in a bonu-fide manner or else return 

 it to the State. 



Although the congestion in the game reserve may be insignificant and hardly 



