THE BUFFALO 67 



three years ago. In Uganda the animals have been 

 struck off the protected list, as, owing to their reputed 

 bad character, and the fact that the natives seldom 

 attack them, their special preservation has been con- 

 sidered undesirable.* 



In north-western Rhodesia, three years after the 

 passage of the rinderpest epidemic, buffaloes were confined 

 to one or two isolated localities. In the neighbourhood 

 of the middle Zambezi the writer at that time saw no signs 

 whatever of them, but the piles of bones and skulls, 

 encountered on nearly every day's march, clearly in- 

 dicated how numerous they must once have been. Places 

 might be seen where a whole herd of as many as two 

 hundreda nimals had died within a few acres, and prob- 

 ably within a few hours. The country was a veritable 

 Golgotha. About the same time Major Gibbons en- 

 countered a few on the Kwito River, some hundreds of 

 miles to the west, but apparently in but small numbers. 

 In British East Africa the Athi Plains are said once to 

 have been covered with the species, though at the present 

 day, except in one or two isolated places, it is never 

 met with. 



Mr. Selous has probably said the last word upon the 

 habits of this animal, so far at least as South Africa is 

 concerned. I have noticed quite young calves in the 

 Transvaal Game Reserve in September, and near Gondo- 

 koio on the White Nile, there were a large number 

 of young animals, about two months old, seen in 

 December. 



The risk involved in hunting buffaloes as compared 

 with that incurred in the chase of other dangerous animals 

 has been much discussed by all authorities, and the 



* Lately, I believe, they have been once more partially pro- 

 tected. J. S. H. 



