GAME raoTECTION IX INDIA. 37 



On the othei- side of the Province to the west, the opening out of 

 (Jhota Nagpur by railway extension has thrown the foiests open 

 to a far lai'ger number of rifles than was ever to be seen in that 

 part of Intlia a decade figo or less. 



Singbhuiii, Palamow, Hazar\hagh. The game in all these forests 

 now requires pi'otection if it is not to be wiped out by the rifles 

 of such large centres as Calcutta etc., now brought within easy 

 i-ail distance. 



Rules such as ai'e in force in the Central Provinces would be 

 e«|ually valuable and a})plicable to these parts of Bengal. 



Eastern Bengal and Assa^n. 



This pi-ovince may be put almost on a pai- with the Central 

 Provinces so far as the pi'ovision made for Sanctuaries for game 

 is concerned. The work has not been carried out in all the 

 divisions, but the ones most shot over are well provided in this 

 i-espect, if we except Chittagong. 



The provision of Sanctuaries, howevei-, was not made any too 

 soon, if, indeed, it can be considei'ed to have been introduced soon 

 enough. The apathy of the authorities has led to the deteriora- 

 tion of the stock of game almost to the verge of extinction. The 

 forests are in large blocks, and it would have been sufficient in 

 the past to enforce the rules under the Forest Act. Neglect to 

 do so has reduced the lunnbers of such animals as rhinoceros, 

 butFalo, and bison to such small figures that detei'ioration, if not 

 extinction, now threatens these species." 



The following Sanctuaries exist in the divisions detailed below: — 



Khasi and Jaintia Hills. Tlie Riat Khwan Sanctuaiy of 969 

 acres in this division is closed to all shooting, with the idea of 

 preserving game in general and not of one or more particular 

 species only. The Laitka.i' Sanctuary of 432 acres is closed to all 

 shooting, with the idea of protecting insectivorous birds in addi- 

 tion to game in general. The Riat Laban of 995 acres is a 

 sanctuary similar to the Laitkar. 



Nowgong and Sibsagar. An immense Sanctuary known as the 

 Kaziranga Sanctuary of 57,273'6 acres is closed to all shooting 

 except permit-holdeis, 



Xovgong. Lowkhawa Sanctuary of 25,760 acres is closed to all 

 shooting, save that allowed to permit holders. 



Kainrap. The North Kamrup Sanctuaiy of 57,600 acres is also 

 closed to shooting other than that allowed to authorised permit- 

 holders. 



Goalpara. Thi-ee large Saiictuai-ies have been created at the 

 instance of Mr. W. F. Perree, Divisional Forest Officer in this 

 Division, probably one of the most visited from outside of any 

 in Assam. The sanctuaries were in the first instance, I believe, 

 <lesigned to prevent the rhinoceros from being exterminated, but 

 the buffalo and gaur are also carefully protected. Although 

 shooting is said to be permitted to permit-holdei's I believe that, 

 as a, matter of fact, these sanctuaries have been entirely closed to 

 all shootinijf. 



