64 THE SOCIETY D'Oli THE PEBSEEVATION OP 



appears to bo justified. The officers oE the British Boundary 

 Commission had experience on more than one occasion 01 

 unusual and unprovoked truculence on the part of the lions. 



Cheetahs do not apparently exist to the west of the Mau Plateau. 



Hyaenas can scarcely be called sporting animals, but may be 

 referred to as they are occasionally seen, though they are not- 

 common either in the Nile Province or South- Western Uganda. 

 Wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) are sometimes found in the Nile 

 Province. They are extremely interesting animals, though it is 

 perhaps fortunate they are not more common, for the destruction 

 they cause to game' is immense. They undoubtedly exist in 

 South- Western Ankolo. One individual was seen during the 

 work of the Anglo-German Boundary Commission. 



In a general sense, referring to the Game Eegulations and the 

 probability of their effecting the purpose to which they are framed, 

 it may be said that on the whole, with slight modifications such as 

 have 'been suggested above, they are very satisfactory, so far as 

 protecting the game from. Europeans is concerned. The pro- 

 tection, however, as has been repeatedly stated, is not so effective 

 against the uatives. It must be remembered that before the 

 advent of the British Government in Africa, the natives them- 

 selves to a certain extent protected, the game by parcelling out the 

 whole country into beats, so that each beat was the reserve for a 

 particular tribe or village. Any encroachment by neighbours on 

 the reserves meant bloodshed. Hunting expeditions also usually 

 had to be organised on a somewhat large scale, as a, hunting party 

 unless sufficiently numerous and well armed ran the risk of being 

 attacked on the way home and having all its game taken away 

 from it. Again, various tribes never pursued the game at all, as, 

 for instance, the Masai. This, of course, acted as a most effective 

 protection in the area which the Masai reserved for themselves. 

 Now, however, all this is changed. The Pax Britannica is so 

 complete that fighting is not permitted anywhere. The result 

 is that the native limitations are no longer observed, and hunting 

 can go on unchecked anywhere. The effect is very striking in the 

 Masai plains in East Africa. Ten years ago any Mkamba (a tribe, 

 of extremely keen hunters with spears and bows and poisoned 

 arrows) would have had a Masai spear through him for a certainty 

 if he had come two miles down from his own hills. Now, 

 however, all the Masai, plains are swarming with Mkambe hunters, 

 and the slaughter they occasion amongst the game must be seen 

 to be believed. It seems therefore only fair, as the British rule 

 protects life and property amongst the natives, protects their 

 cattle and affords everyone equal facilities for growing their crop* 

 and maintaining themselves, that some restraint should be enforced 

 on the natives in order to protect the game. It is of course 

 extremely difficult to interfere with instinctive and natural habits 

 which are in the ordinary nature of life to the natives, but it is 

 much to be feared that unless some effectual protection is afforded 

 the only effect of the Game Eegulations will be to retard for a 

 short time the final disappearance of all the game in Africa. 



