ch. xxxi GAME RESERVES 309 



being, happiness, or prosperity of the bulk of the 

 population, then that game must be banished. 



Short of this, it is admitted that we owe a certain 

 duty to the actual wild denizens of the country. When 

 we took upon ourselves the privileges which attach to 

 our great Empire, we also assumed certain responsi- 

 bilities. One of these responsibilities, a minor one 

 perhaps, but still very real, is to see to it that none of 

 the splendid and beautiful forms of animal life con- 

 tained in that Empire should be ruthlessly or needlessly 

 exterminated. This is the second consideration ; and 

 on these two considerations I believe that the large 

 bulk of our population, both settler and official, would 

 be agreed. 



It is as to the best means to effect this end, i.e., to 

 preserve the maximum amount of game at the 

 minimum amount of inconvenience, that opinions 

 mostly differ. It has been asserted by some that it 

 a close season were imposed the farmers and settlers 

 themselves might be safely entrusted with the task of 

 preserving what amount of game they desired, while 

 the Government could see to it, through their game- 

 rangers, that no species came in danger of exter- 

 mination. Those who hold this opinion are aware, 

 of course, of the fact that wherever you pick the 

 area to be reserved for game it is sure to be a 

 Naboth's vineyard to someone, and hold that game 

 is likely to get a worse name through this supposed 

 usurpation than if such land were actually thrown 

 open for settlement. Against this view those who 

 advocate Game Reserves argue, " By all means 

 let us have a close season ; but that is not enough. 

 We believe, certainly, that a large proportion of the 

 farming occupiers will, if only for the sake of sport, do 



