2 MR. C. AV. UOBLEY ON THE 



the stock of game in the country as a whole to-day with that in 

 say 1895, probaljly the present stock would only represent 15 per 

 cent, to 20 per cent, of the former : this is, however, only to be 

 expected when one considers that upwards of 6000 square miles 

 of land, most of it game country, has been alienated to colonists. 

 I am not complaining, for it cannot be expected that fertile 

 lands which will provide homes for people of our race and grow 

 products essential to civilization, Avill lemain for ever in the 

 possession of wild game. 



I Avill, however, revert to the question of the future of the game 

 later on, and now propose to recall the conditions which prevailed 

 20 years ago before man took a hand in the matter, i. e. to any 

 great extent. 



At that time the areas noted for great profusion of game were 

 the Atlii and Kapiti Plains, the Yatta Plateau, the iSerengeti 

 Plains, the Loita Plains, the Rift Yalley, and the Uasingishu 

 Plateau, A ])ortion of the Kapiti Plains and the Loita Plains 

 are included in the game reserves, so presumably carry a good 

 stock in places, but all the other areas are decimated, mostly 

 owing to the eftect of settlement. 



The main factors which determined the distribution of game 

 in the early days were yearly variations in rainfall which resulted 

 in a sufficiency or insufficiency of grazing in particular areas ; 

 epidemic diseases also periodically affected certain species, and 

 the number of carnivores also counted. All these factors operate 

 at present, but the first mentioned, viz., the variation in rainfall, 

 operates more hai"shly than formerly, for nowadays the area over 

 which the game can migrate in search of grazing is restricted. 

 If, for instance, the Southern Game Reserve is seriously affected 

 by drought, large numbers of game are doomed ; some may 

 ■attempt to migrate into the farm lands, but many are shot down, 

 and the survivors retreat to the reserve where the grazing is 

 finished and many of the water-holes dry. A good example of 

 this occurred in 1910, when the plains were so dry that zebra and 

 liartebeest came up in force into the town of Nairobi, i-egardless 

 of man, in their search for water ; the lions followed them and 

 Ivilled game nightly in the open land in the centre of the town. 

 Natives and others killed many of the invaders, and the emaciated 

 remnant was driven back to the plains. 



Speaking of epidemics, one of my earliest recollections in East 

 Africa was the great rinderpest visitation of 1891. I was then 

 exploring the course of the Tana River, and the buffalo Avere 

 coming down to that river literally in thousands to die. The 

 bush country fringing the Tana between Hameye and Mumoni is 

 not ideal buffalo country, for the grazing is not too plentiful at 

 any time, but once they conti'acted the disease they appeared to 

 be impelled to seek water, doubtless coming from great distances 

 to the river, and I estimate that in the stretch of countr}^ above 

 mentioned, a distance of about 80 miles, we saw several thousand 

 buffalo in all stages of disease and death, attended by vultuies and 



