16 THE SOCIETY FOB THE PRESERVATION OE 



acquaintance with it — that I do not think much precaution is 

 required as regards restricting Europeans. But I quite agree _ wit a 

 what Mr. Buxton says as regards guns in the hands ot tne 

 natives, especially in the Colony of Sierra Leone They seem 

 be lulling everything that is eatable. The same thing has taken 

 place in the coast Lands of Nigeria: it is there so flagrant that it s 

 an example of what can occur when semi-civilised natives have 

 unrestricted access to guns and gunpowder ; along the coast 

 every bird and beast of every kind practically has been exter- 

 minated. On the Gold Coast the same thing is going on, but 

 owing to the country being so densely forested, the Europeans 

 are not able to attack the game in such an unscrupulous way, 

 they wished to do so. . u 



Mr S H Whitbwead : I do not know whether 1 migs" 

 endeavour in a very few words rather to bring back the discussion 

 to first principles, because you, Sir, I think, a lew years ago haa 

 an opportunity of judging of the state of things in our oldes* 

 Colony of Newfoundland, where there is a very well-foundea 

 apprehension with regard to the extinction of the Cariboo. It you 

 had extended your trip on that occasion into the Qmted States,, 

 you would have found the examples, to which Sir Henry Seton- 

 Karr has alluded, of the most remarkable force of public opinion 

 which has grown up throughout the "United States and also m 

 Canada, baking the form of a determination not to allow the same 

 fate to befall the other game as has unfortunately befallen tne 

 buffalo. The result of that, of course, is that public opinion is 

 strongly supporting the regulations winch are made by various 

 legislators, and as a consequence the game laws work well. & 

 is a case of quid leges smemoribus. Of course, in South Africa 

 there is no effective public opinion to enforce and support sucJ 

 things as game laws; but I do not think we are claiming too mucn 

 when we say that in the future, if South Africa is to become ft 

 largely populated and flourishing portion of this Empire simiUtf 

 public opinion will arise ; and our great fear is that it will arise 

 too late. (Hear, hear.) We venture to contend that it is tn« 

 province of those who govern at homo to tell public servants ana 

 public departments to anticipate and in a, way to guide and lea" 

 public opinion by making regulations, which may in some cases w 

 first sight appear to be harsh and arbitrary, but for which I am 

 quite sure in the future the Government would bo thanked by tine 

 inhabitants. , 



Mr P C Selous: [t appears to me with regard to the wnoie 

 of the northern part of Southern Rhodesia, the whole of the 

 country lying between Buluwayo in the line between J'.uluway' 

 and Salisbury— if you go sixty miles to the north of that you go 

 into the Tsetse Efy country and from there to the Zambesi it » 

 all Tsetse Fly country. That can never be settled upon, and no 

 domestic animals will ever live there. I look upon that as a> 

 immense Game Reserve in itself, owing to its natural conditions. 

 If you take the high plateau of Rhodesia, the M.ashonas have 



* 



