THE PRESERVATION OF GAME. 225 



cheerfully to a tax for the preservation of this game elsewhere. No, sad though it 

 may appear, the safest way to preserve these animals from extinction (at any rate in 

 a country like East Africa) would be to hand them over to some great syndicate of 

 sportsmen who would undertake the responsibility of preserving them. 



However, I am looking a long way ahead, for it is certain that for many years to 

 come they will not feel the crush of civilisation over their present vast areas. In the 

 meanwhile as great a number of sportsmen as possible should be enticed into 

 identifying themselves with all movements having the preservation of game as their 

 objective. For it is the sportsmen who know about the game, their habits and 

 characteristics, and the likely effects of any experiments in any particular line, 

 moreover it is the sportsmen's interests which are most deeply concerned. 



Now as to what exactly characterises a sportsman in matters relating to big 

 game. Opinions, of course, differ on the subject, but let me try to lay down a few 

 broad rules. 



A sportsman, I take it, is a man who wants to shoot a few selected heads 

 (generally of males only) of each of certain animals. To obtain these he is prepared 

 to go to infinite trouble and to conform to all the game-laws. He learns as much of 

 the habits of his game and the lore of woodcraft as he is able to work up in the time 

 at his disposal. He is a good marksman with a rifle, but, in spite of this, he uses 

 every art in his power to get near his game, so as to stand as little chance as possible 

 of only wounding an animal. If he fails to approach sufficiently near for a safe shot, 

 he knows that it is generally owing to want of skill on his part, and so he does not 

 try to score off the animal by taking a long shot, but only makes up his mind to 

 achieve better stalking next time. He is one who follows a wounded animal either 

 until he has finished it or until all possible chance of recovering it is lost. 



Every shot fired should be within a maximum range of, say, two hundred yards, 



and should be a steady and carefully aimed shot at some vital spot. There is no 



reason why a traveller or sportsman should not kill occasional animals for meat 



where game is plentiful However, in consideration for his successors, he ought to 



shoot as moderately as possible. To ensure this he should only shoot males when 



possible, as by so doing he does not lessen the output of that species, for, if he kills 



a female, he may take two lives, one of these in embryo, besides losing all the 



animals which might be bred from that female subsequently. He should not shoot 



when he has already a supply of meat, unless he is just approaching a gameless 



region ; and he should allow himself a limit of range beyond which he does not fire. 



If he has not the time, opportunity, or inclination to get near shy animals, it should be 



to their good fortune, so he should not fire at longer ranges. 



G G 



