In Wildest Africa -^ 



permanently preserved, and that lies in the hunters them- 

 selves consenting to protect and spare it. 



It has been rightly remarked by such a competent 

 authority as A. H. Neumann (who is, moreover, one of 

 the most experienced of English elephant hunters) that 

 the continued existence of many wild African species is 

 not incompatible with the progress of civilisation. He 

 points out that we can only reckon with some degree ot 

 certainty on the effective preservation of wild animals, 

 where not only reservations have been established for 

 them, but where also a considerable amount of control 

 can be exercised over both Europeans and natives. In 

 his opinion, for instance, a mere regulation forbidding the 

 shooting of female elephants is impracticable : '' I should 

 like," he says, " to see one of those who have drawn up 

 such a regulation come into the African bush, and there 

 show us how we are to distinguish between female and 

 bull elephants in these impenetrable thickets." 



In the British colonies in Africa reservations for wild 

 animals have been established with most successful 

 results. Those of British East Africa, the Sudan and 

 Somaliland, and finally of British Central Africa, taken 

 topfether, have about ^\^ times the area of the Victoria 

 Nyanza. 



By means of reports made as carefully as possible 

 by the district authorities, estimates have been obtained 

 of the numbers of existing wild animals. In the laying 

 out of the reservations the very migratory habits of the 

 African fauna have been taken into consideration as far 

 as is practicable, and by strict protective regulations of 



