78 Wild Life in Central Africa, 



man at heart that is, a man who was interested in wild 

 life from a natural history point of view. Their one idea 

 is to kill, and they only keep a few skins and heads good 

 enough to sell. They seldom take an interest in game 

 trophies, except when they expect to get a few shillings 

 for a good pair of horns, and very few take the slightest 

 interest in field natural history. 



Some of them are good shots, and many of them are 

 good hunters as far as the killing goes ; but few are good 

 sportsmen, and the authorities should make an example of 

 some of the worst of them and send them back to South 

 Africa, where they have left little game to slaughter. 

 Doubtless there are many Britishers whose methods are 

 quite as bad as the Boers', and similar treatment should be 

 meted out to them, for they are a nuisance of the worst 

 description. 



However, British East Africa has at least one very large 

 reserve where the game is protected, but the settlers now 

 think that land so near the railway should be opened for 

 settlement ; and doubtless in time they will manage, through 

 legislation, to get rid of the large southern game reserve, 

 which would be a mistake, I think. 



Reserves which are far from communications are difficult 

 to supervise, and it will be a pity if this splendid haunt of 

 wild life is done away with. 



Nyasaland and North-Eastern Rhodesia being well bushed 

 countries, the game has a better chance of survival, and 

 luckily there are no Boers there yet ; but I think the Govern- 

 ments of these territories should try and protect the game 

 by appointing game wardens in each territory. All licences 

 issued should pass through their hands, and the power of 

 refusing a " big-game" licence should be given to them. 

 Also they should be given full authority to arrest poachers, 

 either white or black, and any such case should be tried by 

 the magistrates. 



In these countries a great outcry has been made against 

 the game, as it is supposed to tend to the increase and 

 spread of sleeping sickness. 



