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SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XII. No. 294. 



which lie behind Beira, and which formerly 

 teemed with game, will be denuded of all game 

 through indiscriminate shooting. When the 

 railway was commenced between Beira and 

 Umtali buffalo existed in vast herds, and 

 hartebeeste, wildebeeste, sable antelope, eland, 

 and many other antelope existed in profusion. 

 The railway is now completed and is simply a 

 line running through the veldt, and would not 

 of itself interfere with the game. At present 

 there is but little game close to the line, but 

 game of all sorts still exists in great but much 

 diminished numbers some few miles away. 

 The reasons for the disappearance of the game 

 are as follows : — 



1. The shooting of game for food by the em- 

 ployes of the line and the reprehensible practice 

 of shooting for mere slaughter or for horns. In 

 so far as shooting for the pot is concerned this 

 is legitimate, as fresh meat cannot otherwise be 

 obtained. Unfortunately the use of the .303 

 rifle is harmful, as animals are more frequently 

 wounded by this rifle than killed, and go off 

 into the veldt to die. Even with the soft-nosed 

 or Jeffrey split bullet the shock is not severe 

 enough to always bring the animal down and 

 therefore this rifle compares unfavorably with 

 the old Martini-Henry. The magazine .303 is 

 simply a temptation to slaughter. During the 

 past two years there have been a large number 

 of employes, and the canteens have been pushed 

 for food. It is the practice of canteen keepers 

 at Bamboo Creek, which is in the center of the 

 game district, to send not only white hunters 

 but also natives to shoot ; obviously the result 

 is disastrous. 



2. The advent of numerous hunting parties 

 in the season, which extends from about June 

 to December, during the early part of which 

 many of the antelope are in young. These 

 parties without exception go in for indiscrimi- 

 nate slaughter, and if allowed to continue will 

 denude the whole country of game. 



3. The rinderpest, which visited this country 

 in 1898, killed off thousands of the buffalo, and 

 nearly exterminated the eland and sable ante- 

 lope. 



The district in question is not cultivated and 

 can only be of use as a hunting district. I have 

 reason to believe that if properly approached, 



the Mozambique Company would be willing to 

 establish a close season, or even close down the 

 shooting for four or five years. There has now 

 been established in Beira a cold storage com- 

 pany which will shortly commence operations, 

 and thus every one on the line will obtain 

 meat. Also after this year, the contract for 

 the railway having been completed, there 

 will be a far smaller population requiring 

 meat. 



Last year, owing to a very prolonged rainy 

 season and the disturbed state of South Africa, 

 there were very few hunting parties, and this 

 year there will be practically none, owing to 

 the war, so that the game have now a chance 

 of increasing in number ; but unless another 

 five years of close time are allowed, followed 

 by a rational system of close seasons, they will 

 have but a small chance of getting up to the 

 number they were at only three years ago. 

 This applies especially to the buffalo, eland 

 and sable antelope. 



I would suggest that the hunting parties be 

 strictly supervised and limited to a small num- 

 ber of heads ; also that a long close season be 

 established, and that buffalo, eland, and sable 

 antelope be made Royal game for some years 

 to come ; also that natives be prevented from 

 shooting. 



I have reason to believe that the Mozambique 

 Company would not object to employ game- 

 keepers, but there is no hope of the company 

 ever doing anything on their own initiative. 



This part is one of the few accessible spots 

 where the larger kind of antelope can be found 

 and it is more than a pity to see these beautiful 

 animals slaughtered as they are now. In the 

 interest of true sport the indiscriminate shoot- 

 ing of the past three years should be stopped. 

 The months November and December should 

 be the only months in which shooting is al- 

 lowed. The grass having been burnt off there 

 is less likelihood of wounding instead of killing, 

 and by this time all the young have been 

 dropped. 



SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. 

 We wish to call special attention to the letter 

 from Dr. Richard Rathbun, on the International 

 Catalogue of Scientific Literature published 



