THE WILD FAUNA OF THE EMPIRE 21 



■question, and makes a proposal which he thinks would be ade-' 

 ■quate to the case. That is for you, my Lord, and your officials to 

 consider ; but we hope that consideration will be given to the 

 sanctity of the reserves and the security of the game. I need not 

 enlarge further upon that point, except to say that the sum at 

 present spent is, in our opinion, inadequate for the purpose. 



Now, in making this complaint, I wish to say that while there 

 are many minor defects which we should like to see remedied, we 

 do not come hero to complain of your officials. We think that the 

 Game Laws, so far as is possible, have been well enforced and 

 carefully observed on the whole, but wo count on many of your 

 officials as friends of the principles of our Society : the man on the 

 spot is alive to the question as a general rule. Moreover, we urge 

 that the attraction of the game to young officials — whether civil or 

 military — is a very important thing. Your Services, depend upon 

 it, are better and more efficient because of that attraction ; and not 

 only that, but to those young men who live in unhealthy climates 

 it is an element of health that they should have that means of 

 recreation. 



To turn to more practical matters, we ask that special attention 

 should be paid to what is called the Southern Eeserve in British 

 East Africa. There is no more beautiful or interesting sight 

 within the Empire than the masses of great game visible from the 

 windows of the train : the railway passes all along that reserve — 

 which is exceedingly well placed and designed for its purpose. We 

 ask leave to press upon you that this reserve and other reserves 

 should be treated as sacred ; that you should not part with lands 

 to settlors or others within the reserve ; wo consider that the sanctity 

 of the reserve would bo most gravely interfered with if that were 

 done. The reason why we think there may have been some slight 

 laxity is that in the Gamo Laws as printed, or at any rate in a copy 

 of them which is in our possession (there may be a more recent 

 form, I do not know — we have heard nothing of it), the original 

 constitution of the reserve included both sides of the railway ; that 

 is to say, what is called the railway zone on both sides was 

 included, and without, so far as we know, any decree, that part 

 which is to the east of the railway appears to have now been 

 tacitly allowed to drop out of the reserve. We think that is a 

 pity. 



I should like to say a word about an attack which has been 

 Daade in the Press recently with regard to another territory — 

 namely, British Central Africa, by persons' on the spot, or persons 

 m England, who attack the general principle of reserves, more 

 especially on the ground that the animals within them carry 

 diseases, or harbour the disease bacillus, which is also carried by 

 the tsetse fly and others. We would ask you to listen to what 

 experts present may have to say upon that subject, and not too 

 readily to be led by the opinion, which is not always a scientific 

 one, of those who may have other objects in view than the one 

 appearing on the surface. As to the importance, I have here a 



