20 DIVERSIONS OF A NATURALIST 



Johnston's time, ten years ago, a refuge for the giraffe, 

 it is scarcely possible, at present, to provide an efficient 

 police force to protect areas of something like iooo 

 square miles against the depredations of native and 

 commercial " hunters " provided with modern rifles. 



In May, 1900, I was, with the late Sir Clement 

 Hill, appointed " plenipotentiary " by her Majesty Queen 

 Victoria to meet representatives of Germany, France, 

 Spain, Portugal, and the Congo States in a conference, 

 presided over by the late Marquis of Linlithgow, at the 

 Foreign Office. The conference was arranged by the great 

 African powers in order to consider and report on the means 

 to be taken to preserve the big game animals of Africa from 

 extinction. We spent an extremely interesting fortnight, 

 and finally agreed upon a report, the upshot of which 

 was that whilst certain animals, such as the giraffe, some 

 zebras and antelopes, the gorilla, and such useful birds 

 as the vultures, secretary bird, owls, and the cow-pickers 

 (Buphagus), should be absolutely protected, others should 

 be only protected at certain seasons, or in youth, or in 

 limited numbers, and others again should be killed with- 

 out licence or restraint at any time, such being the lion, 

 the leopard, the hunting-dog, destructive baboons, most 

 birds of prey, crocodiles, pythons, and poisonous snakes. 

 The question of large " nature-reserves " was discussed. 

 It was agreed that such reserves should be maintained 

 for the breeding-places and rearing of the young of 

 desirable animals, and that the destruction of predatory 

 animals or an excess of other forms should be permitted 

 to the administrators of such reserves. Thus it is clear 

 that no absolute " nature-reserves " were considered 

 possible. 



In fact this is the case whether the reserve be large 



