THE WILD FAUNA OF THE EMPIEE IS 



quagga was exterminated in the early seventies, and a few years 

 later all other game inhabiting the open grass country of the 

 British and Dutch States had been reduced to a miserable remnant 

 of their former countless numbers. To-day there are but two 

 small herds of black wildebeest in the Orange Colony; and they 

 owe their existence to the fostering care of two Boer farmers-— 

 Messrs. Terblanche and Du Plessis— names which deserve to be 

 honourably remembered by all who care for the preservation of 

 these beautiful animals.' 



_ The elephant, of course, owing to the increasing value of 

 ivory, is m special need of protection. And here again it is desirable 

 to enforce Mr. Jackson's plea for an efficient staff in East Africa 

 since the Northern Eeserve in that Protectorate shelters, or ought 

 to shelter if properly watched, a considerable number of these 

 animals; and generally throughout Africa it should be urged that 

 under no circumstances should trade bo permitted in tusks 

 weighing loss than a settled minimum weight. In this connection 

 it may be remarked that when it becomes" necessary to allow the 

 killing of elephants on account of damage done, or apprehended 

 to crops and buildings, it does not in the least follow that any 

 relaxation of this rule should bo permitted. It may be necessary 

 to kill your enemy in self-defence. But self-defence does not 

 require you to make a commercial profit on the affair by selling 

 his gold-stopped teeth. On these grounds wo rejoiced when we 

 learned from the Blue Book that the Colonial Office had raised 

 the minimum weight of saleable tusks to 30 lbs., in accordance 

 with our request, but our disappointment was great when on a 

 further search we found that Uganda, which is probably the most 

 important homo of elephants left in Africa, had at the last 

 moment been exempted from the rule. It is therefore the special 

 privilege of the natives of that territory to hasten the extinction of 

 the elephant by shooting immature animals. 



So much has appeared in the public press on the subject of the 

 tsetse fly and its relation to the terrible ' sleeping sickness,' and 

 the responsibility of wild game for its presence, that the Society 

 has sought the opinion of Professor Minchin on the subject and 

 Ins report will be found on p. 47. 



It remains to extend a cordial invitation, to join our ranks to 

 all who love animal life and would preserve 'it from ruthless 

 destruction. Our object is a definite and simple one, and we 

 believe that the need for our efforts is urgent. The small annual 

 subscription of half a sovereign is appropriated to defray the ex- 

 penses in connection with the publication of this Journal all secre 

 tarial work being performed by our Hon. Sec. Mr. Ehys Williams 

 to whom any inquiries may be confidently addressed. 



So much public interest is now taken in the subjects which 

 concern us that we find a superabundance of material and 

 several papers of special importance have reached us for which we 

 can find no room in this number. We propose, therefore, to issue 

 a further number in the course of a few weeks. 



