3006 THE ZooLocist—APRIL, 1872. 
I know) of any corroborative reports from other parts of the world 
which are equally with India infested by dangerous beasts. For 
instance, jaguars, pumas and bears are of frequent occurrence in 
New Granada, South America: if they fancied human flesh, there 
is no reason why they should not indulge the taste freely; natives 
are abundant and defenceless, and the Government would not 
trouble itself to make reprisals or interfere in any way. Poisonous 
snakes also abound; but my brother, who has resided there for 
eighteen years, tells me he never knew of a fatal accident from 
either beast or snake. 
I should also like to see the return of the killed on the other 
side in this great battle between man and beast: as head-money is 
paid by the Government of India, doubtless the death of every 
dangerous animal is reported. If wild animals can still maintain 
a not unequal struggle with civilized man, armed with modern 
weapons, one wonders how the men of pre-historic times, armed 
only with stone hammers or wooden clubs, held their own and 
ultimately exterminated the still more terrible beasts of their age ; 
we must at least admit it was a very creditable piece of work. 
But leaving the bears and lions, as Dr. Watts advises, “ to growl 
and fight” it out as best they can, I wish to say a few words about 
another race of animals, whose defenceless state ought to have 
inclined man’s heart to mercy. I am informed by an extensive 
leather merchant that vast numbers of the skins of the gnu and 
other antelopes are imported from South Africa, and that the trade 
is steadily increasing, the British shoemaker having pronounced 
the skins superior to English “kips”! Nearly all the antelopes of 
the world are congregated in South Africa, on the wide-spread 
plains of Caffraria, Millions of these most beautiful and innocent 
of God’s creatures have lived in freedom and happiness for count- 
less generations, injuring no one and consuming nothing that man 
wants; by what right, I ask, does the British boot-maker invade 
their peaceful state? or what better claim has he upon their skins 
than he could advance to the hides of negroes, should a demand 
for natural black leather spring up? 
We deplore the folly of our fathers in allowing their sailors to 
exterminate the dodo and the great auk to provision their ships ; 
but they sinned from an ignorance which we cannot plead, and 
our children will have a heavier charge to bring against us if we 
permit the slaughter of the inoffensive antelope to proceed ‘un- 
checked to the bitter end. Nothing is more certain than that we 
