96 COLONIAL REPORTS MISCELLANEOUS. 



that they are still as plentiful as ever. This statement, however, 

 does not agree with the facts. The native hunters themselves 

 admit that game is getting scarcer and scarcer every year, and 

 that they have to go further afield to get it. In the olden days, 

 when internecine warfare was practically the normal state of 

 affairs, the hunters, who formed the bulk of the armies engaged, 

 had but little time to devote to the chase of wild animals; now, 

 with peace assured, they have taken to it with renewed energy and 

 are quickly making their mark felt. 



I may remark that a large proportion of the trophies taken out 

 of the country every year by Europeans has been either pur- 

 chased from the native hunters or picked out from the hunters' 

 " heaps " of skulls found in some of the villages. Yery few of 

 them consist of bond fide trophies obtained from animals shot by 

 the Europeans themselves. I only mention this fact in order to 

 remove the erroneous impression that the Europeans are respon- 

 sible for the annual slaughter of a large number of animals. 

 Proper enquiries will, I think, confirm my assertion. Only those 

 who have had real experience of big game shooting in tropical 

 West Africa can realize the arduous nature of the undertaking 

 involved in procuring anything like a large bag. Again, the 

 number of Europeans out here who would walk a mile in full 

 exposure to the sun to shoot a wild animal is extremely small. 

 To sum up, it may be safely accepted that, with perhaps the 

 exception of the hippopotamus, there is at present no danger 

 of the large game of tropical West Africa being exterminated 

 by the white man. The conditions out here are far too unfavour- 

 able for any but the greatest enthusiasts to take up in earnest 

 big game shooting as a pastime. The real danger conies from the 

 native inhabitants themselves. 



An alternative to limiting the number of native hunters allowed 

 to shoot on the plains would be to take up a portion of the latter 

 as a game reserve and to strictly prohibit all shooting within the 

 area selected. 



During our return to Abetifi we found that the greater number 

 of the swamps met with before had dried up and the walking was, 

 in consequence, done in more comfort. From Abetifi we pro- 

 ceeded to Aburi via the Inipriso-Kankan-Bunsu-Ku Kurantumi- 

 Koforidua road. 



JOURNEY FEOM ABETIFI TO ABURI. 



The small plateau on which Abetifi is situated is connected by 

 a series of step-like descents with the much more extensive and 

 flatter plateau of Impriso. This appears to be an ideal place for 

 the residence of Europeans and is only some 300 feet lower than 

 Abetifi itself. There is any amount of flat ground available for 

 building sites and recreation grounds, water is plentiful, the 

 climate is bracing, and the place is not so exposed to strong winds. 

 About two hours after leaving Impriso one comes to the steep 

 escarpment that abruptly terminates the plateau to the south. 

 The path down the face of the escarpment is very rough and in 

 places, where there are huge overhanging ledges of rock, has to be 

 negotiated with some care. 



