332 THE WILDERNESS AND JUNGLE 



civilisation. Science cries shame on this bar- 

 barous destruction of wild creatures without 

 a thought for the species. Humanity cries 

 aloud against the spoilers, and they are equally 

 condemned by the economist. It is no argu- 

 ment to say that these animals have their market 

 value when dead, for that only strengthens the 

 case of those who plead for their protection 

 for the benefit of future generations. 



Unfortunately, it is not only those who make 

 their living by shooting elephants and other 

 animals who are to blame for the present 

 state of affairs. That, of itself, would be bad 

 enough, but it is worse to think that much of 

 the scarcity of big game to-day is due to the 

 greed for trophies. Everyone wants to beat 

 the records of his predecessors and to kill 

 either more or larger specimens than they. 

 This is playing to the gallery, and is quite 

 unworthy of the best traditions of shikar. It 

 is true that the crowd does not applaud the 

 gunner as it does the footballer, but it can 

 gape in silly admiration at the trophies he 

 brings home, without even making certain that 

 he shot them himself. 



The twentieth century has been already 

 marked by much activity among those con- 

 cerned in preserving the wild creatures from 

 oblivion. At the dawn of it M. Foa, a French 

 lion-hunter of distinction, suggested a kind of 



