ELEPHANT HUNTING, ETC. 209 



methods are similar to those practised in other parts of 

 Africa, and include pitfalls, the dropping of heavily weighted 

 spears from trees upon the animals passing beneath, etc. 

 Another system involves the manoeuvring of a herd of 

 elephants into the dry grass; a girdling ring of fire is then 

 started and the entrapped and bewildered elephants fall 

 victims to the natives' spears. However, the employment 

 of any especially destructive methods may be forbidden by 

 the governor of a province.* 



The Governor-General of the Belgian Congo issued on 

 April 27, 1912, an ordinance reducing considerably the sum 

 of money to be paid by native elephant hunters to the State, 

 if they wish to keep the ivory they have secured. Hereto- 

 fore, the charge exacted by the Government on all such 

 ivory was 18 francs ($3.47) per kilo, but the new ordinance 

 substitutes the following graded charges according to the 

 size of the tusks: for points exceeding 10 kilos in weight 

 15 francs ($2.90) per kilo; for points weighing from 6 to 

 10 kilos, 10 francs ($1.93) per kilo; on points running from 

 2 to 6 kilos, 7 francs ($1.35) per kilo. It will, however, 

 be noted that in view of the price likely to be obtainable 

 by the natives from traders for their ivory these charges 

 are still very heavy, and are calculated to discourage to a 

 great extent any speculative venture on the part of the 

 Congo hunters. t 



The following provisions relating to elephant hunting 

 are embodied in an ordinance of the Governor-General 

 of the Belgian Congo, dated December 6, 1912, still further 

 reducing the price on ivory secured by native hunters. 



Elephants may be hunted by natives when provided 

 with an authorization, which is gratuitously accorded to 



*Vice-Consul Ross J. Hazeltine of Boma, in Daily Consular and Trade Reports, August 10, 

 1912, p. 750. 



tCommunicated by Capt. Gilbert Clayton, Sudan Agent, War OflBce, Cairo, Egypt. 



