'^. Sport and Nature in Cjcrmany 



arc attached near the ears of young roel^ucks and red 

 deer. Tlius their resting-places, their niovenients, their 

 ofrowth, can be carefullv observed. . . . We are, therefore, 

 actually living in a time when to a certain extent each 

 individual head of Li'ame is numbered ! 



Interesting and valuable as such measures may be, 

 should we not extend our loving care also to the animals 

 that, though they are not reckoned as game, yet adorn 

 and ijive animation to the land we live in ? Some great 

 landlords have given a bright example of progress in this 

 direction. Thus in Hungary there are sporting estates 

 on which wolf and bear are not completely exterminated, 

 and in Germany iestates on which the fox is spared to a 

 certain extent. The result has been to the advantaQ-e of 

 stags' antlers and bucks' horns on the estates in question. 

 English landlords allow a free home to a pair of peregrine 

 falcons or eagles, so as not to allow these beautiful birds 

 to be completely extirpated. 



From these examples it is clear that there can be 

 various opinions as to the view generally taken with regard 

 to " predatory animals." If there is not merely a selfish 

 protection for game animals, but also protection for the 

 other mammals and birds, we shall thus preserve from 

 extinction some of the glorious forms of the realm of 

 nature, and prevent their being sacrificed to narrow 

 interests. There is food for thought in the fact that (as I 

 have often had occasion to observe in Africa) in primitive 

 countries there is to be found an astounding abundance 

 of animal life. Since preJiistoric times man has been 

 engaged in hunting zuith his simple weapons zvithoiit, on 



185 





^'l.^fh 



('T.ljiiiu. 



