THE PRESERVATION OF BIG 

 GAME 



I AM very much interested in the above and 

 should like to make a few remarks in sup- 

 port of it. There are certain points which 

 might be taken seriatim. 



(i) Disease. This is practically confined to 

 rinderpest, at least in Uganda, British East 

 Africa, and Somaliland, which countries I pro- 

 pose to deal with more especially. Years ago 

 the ravages of this dreadful epidemic practically 

 wiped out buffalo, eland, and greater kudu. 

 Now, thanks to international game laws and the 

 consequent protection of animals by means of 

 large reserves, this has been stayed, insomuch as 

 rinderpest is in a very fair way to have been 

 stamped out, and the different species of game 

 which are chiefly affected by it have had a chance 

 to recover, and certainly their numbers are very 

 rapidly increasing again, to the unbounded satis- 

 faction of all sportsmen. What could be more 

 sad than that these princes amongst African big 

 game should disappear from the face of the 

 earth ! 



I have seen buffalo skulls bleached by the sun 

 246 



