^8 MR. E. P, STEBBING ON 



in its preservation, and that in effecting this object it has every 

 right not only to safeguard this valuable asset, but also to obtain 

 a reasonable profit therefrom. Less than half a century ago 

 this principle was acted upon when forest lands were taken 

 possession of, and now the villager has to pay for every bundle 

 of grass and bamboo that he obtains from Government forests 

 for building his humble abode." This latter, by the way, is not 

 a true representation of the actual facts of the case, for many 

 forests are burdened with "rights," under which large amounts 

 of forest products are annually given away free to villagers by 

 the Government. 



" The agricultural community is certainly the next important 

 body whose interests will be affected. In European countries, in 

 England for example, the population have a firm conviction that 

 the right of killing game belongs to them, contrary to the 

 practice of centuries. In India, no such difficidties surround the 

 game-protection question. The occupiers of the soil have no 

 conviction whatever that they possess the right of property in 

 the game animals and birds that abound in their fields and 

 jungles. They are concerned only about the protection of their 

 crops from the raids of these animals. If this right of protection 

 is recognised, and the Government which assumes ownership of 

 all game acknowledges its responsibility in this respect, it can be 

 confidently stated that no apprehension need be felt regarding 

 the attitude of the Indian rural population towards the proposed 

 law. Legislation for the protection of game in this country 

 will not create any feeling comparable to that which still exists 

 in the minds of the people regarding the action taken by 

 Government when forest lands were resumed fifty years ago." 

 The analogy, it may be pointed out, scarcely holds, since the forests 

 of the country are protected solely in 'the interests of the people 

 themselves and posterity, whilst the protection of game is under- 

 taken in the interests of the sportsman and in that of science. 



" The third class which will be affected by this law is sportsmen, 

 European and Indian. In the former category should be placed, 

 fii'st, the official who is backed by Government authority and his 

 favoured friends who are given all the facilities which his position 

 allows ; next, the solitary hunter with his small camp and all 

 the Game Regulations of the Province to keep him in the right 

 path. The subdivisions in this class are numerous, and include 

 the unemployed colonel putting in his time, the subaltern out 

 on ten days' casual leave, the humble clerk who can occasionally 

 giet away from his office for a week, and the British soldier let 

 loose iti parties for fixed periods. 



" Next comes the Indian shikari, who is also numerously sub- 

 divided. Thel-e is the rich land-oWner, possessed of unlimited 

 sporting appliances and his host of followers ; the professional 

 game-killer who lives by his licensed gun ; the small landholder 

 who does not know how to use a firearm, but whose dignity is 

 enhanced by the possession of weapons^ — freely lent to his 



