THE WILD FAUNA OF THE EMPIRE. 



39 



No. 4. 



EXTRACT FROM A LETTER FROM A CORRESPON- 

 DENT IN EAST AFRICA, dated September 16, 1908. 



1 AM writing to you as there are a few things 

 about the game here that may interest you. 



I believe you once passed through Taveta, and 

 80 will know what an extremely beautiful district 

 l1} is, although at present the plains are badly burnt 

 U P, the earlier rains having been very slight. 



There has been no resident district officer here 

 s mce November last, and as a consequence, the 

 game has suffered rather badly. The Wakamba 

 ar e the chief offenders, and now that the drought 

 has driven the game to the lower swamps, these 

 poachers have concentrated there also. 



A number of little bomas they had made close 

 to the places where the animals drink, as well as 

 several nests made in trees overhanging game-paths, 

 have been found and destroyed. 



Another cause for the diminishing as well as 

 tn e extreme wildness of the game is the fact that 

 certain Germans send their men into English terri- 

 fy to drive zebra to their traps. 



Kongoni are plentiful, and there are a fair 



n umber of Grantii ; a few ostriches wander about 



between Chala and the Serengcti, while there are 



luite a number of rhino, about. Coming back 

 f 

 r °m the swamps I came across a herd of fourteen 



Sttaffes, most of them young ones, not having their 



Qiarks yet, but only a brownish coat. In the same 



