In Wildest Africa -^ 



pci'uiancntly preserved, and that lies in the hunters tJieui- 

 sehes consenting to protect and spare it. 



It has been rightly remarked by such a competent 

 authority as A. H. Neumann (who is, moreover, one of 

 the most experienced of Enghsh elephant hunters) that 

 the continued existence of many wild African species is 

 not incompatible with the progress of civilisation. He 

 points out that we can only reckon with some degree ot 

 certainty on the effective preservation of wild animals, 

 where not only reservations have been established for 

 theni, but where also a considerable amount of control 

 can be exercised over both Europeans and natives. In 

 his opinion, for instance, a mere regulation forbidding the 

 shooting of iemale elephants is impracticable : " I should 

 like," he says, " to see one of those who have drawn up 

 such a regulation come into the African bush, and there 

 show us how we are to distinguish between female and 

 bull elephants in these impenetrable thickets." 



In the British colonies in Africa reservations for wild 

 animals have been established with most successful 

 results. Those of British East Africa, the Sudan and 

 Somaliland, and finally of British Central Africa, taken 

 together, have about live times th(; area ot the X'ictoria 

 Nyanza. 



By means ot reports made as caretully as possible 

 by the district authorities, estimates have been obtained 

 of th(; numbers of cNisling wild animals. In the laying 

 out ot the rest^rvations the \-ery migratory habits ot the 

 African tauna have been taken into consideration as far 

 as is practicable, and by strict protective regulations ot 



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