U THE SOCIETY FOB THE PKESEBVATION OF 



To give some idea of protection and the eventual result of in- 

 breeding, I will quote from ' Lydekker's Koyal Natural History.' 



In 1820 it was estimated there were 500 European bison (Bos 

 bonassus) in Lithuania, and about this time active measures were 

 taken to protect these creatures. In 1830 they increased to 700. 

 In 1831, owing to a local revolt, they decreased to 637. From this 

 date to 1860 they increased steadily till it was estimated there 

 were 1,700. In 1863, owing to the Polish uprising, their numbers 

 were decreased by half — viz. 847. After peace was restored they 

 increased slightly and then began to decrease. In 1880 there were 

 600, and they are still on the wane. The buffalo in the Yellowstone 

 Park are becoming decadent from in-and-in breeding. 



Now I wish to draw your attention to the Sabi Eeserve, on 

 which something like £'4,000 to £'5,000 a year is being spent. 



We have a report in the Journal of this Society (Vol. II. p. 26, 

 dated October 13, 1903) giving a list and probable numbers of the 

 species that used to, or at the time of writing, inhabit the reserve. 

 The number of species mentioned are twenty -four ; of these, four — 

 viz. elephant, eland, hartebeeste, and ostrich — are not now found 

 in the reserve at all; next we have nine species, represented by 

 from one to sixteen individuals of each species; after that, six 

 species represented by from thirty-five to one hundred individuals 

 of each species; three more species spoken of as numerous; and, 

 last of all, two species well represented by 9,000 and 2,000 indi- 

 viduals respectively. 



A second report from the same reserve is to be found in the 

 same volume (p. 34, dated July 31, 1904 — viz. the following year), 

 and I gather from it that some extra ground has been added called 

 the Lydenburg and Pongolo Eeserves. 



Taking these three reserves together you will find that the first 

 four species are still unrepresented; the next nine have consider- 

 ably increased, owing to taking in the new ground; the six that 

 follow have decreased, most of them by more than half ; the three 

 species spoken of as numerous are not so in reality ; and the two 

 species which the year before were represented by 9,000 and 2,000 

 individuals have dwindled away to very few, probably having 

 migrated. 



Now, in my opinion, this reserve will not, on the figures shown, 

 save any species for any length of time. 



With such very small herds of the various species there is only 

 one possible way of counteracting the ill-effects of in-and-in breed- 

 ing, and that is by importing every few years fresh blood from 

 other reserves. This is, of course, a costly and possibly an almost 

 hopeless remedy, but it is the only one if any permanent gain is to 

 be derived from this reserve. 



Sufficient ground should certainly be added to the reserve to 

 cover the migration of the impala and reedbuck — the only two 

 species whose numbers warrant any expectation of being able to 



