^6 Men, Mines, and Animals in South Africa. 



l^ow the traveller can compass mile after mile of 

 plain without seeing so much as a solitary buck. 

 In a few places, however, attempts are made to 

 resuscitate and preserve the blesbok and the 

 springbok. On an estate of some 80,000 acres 

 belonging to Messrs. Marks and Co., situated on 

 the Vaal river, about forty miles south of Pretoria, 

 there has been raised a herd of a few hundred 

 springbok, which are carefully preserved. On 

 another estate not far off, near Paritj, belonging 

 to Mr. Koetze, some thousands of blesbok are to 

 be found, and are carefully preserved. These two 

 examples sho^v what might be done in the way 

 of preservation of deer if, not only as regards 

 this, but also as regards nianv other matters, 

 God had only given a glimmer of intelligence 

 to the Boer. For it must be remembered that 

 these animals are fairly profitable to keep, both 

 their meat and their hides being in some demand. 

 Over the whole Transvaal, however, little now 

 remains to the sjJortsman beyond feathered game. 

 This exists in respectable quantity and variety, 

 but the expanse of plain is so vast that the game 

 is greatly scattered, and the sportsman must often 

 walk far and long before he is rewarded by a shot. 

 On the grassy veldt will be found more than one 

 kind of magnificent crane ; the pauw or greater 

 bustard may sometimes ])e secured with a small- 

 bore rifle ; the koran or lesser l)ustard is moi'(^ 

 numerous ; in the morning and in the evening his 

 discordant call may constantly be heard, and in 

 anything like decent cover he is easily secured 

 Avith a shot gun. Scattered aljout the veldt are 



