26 THE SOCIETY EOB THE PBESEBVATION OE 



Therefore I venture to think that from this point of view Lord 

 Curzon made a great point when he said that one of the most 

 important things was the situation of your game reserves. I 

 certainly think that provided the game reserves are placed in 

 suitable localities, such as, no doubt, can be found in open plains, 

 and not congregated along low-lying valleys, when you protect 

 the game there will be no danger that you are also protecting the 

 tsetse fly. 



Mr. S. H. Whitbbbad : Lord Elgin, I only ask leave to add 

 one point to those which have been impressed upon your attention 

 by previous speakers, and that is a point which I ventured to press 

 upon Mr. Lyttelton last year when we were in this Office — namely, 

 that time is very much the essence of the whole of this question. 



In the United States and in Canada, public opinion during the 

 last 10 or 15 years has been very thoroughly and enthusiastically 

 enlisted on behalf of the preservation of game. Strict regulations 

 are in force throughout the whole of that large territory, and the 

 liberty-loving people of America have willingly and gladly adapted 

 themselves to those regulations. The result of that has been that 

 game which was in imminent danger of extinction has been pre- 

 served, and that on some parts of that country with which I am 

 acquainted, for instance, in our own Colony of New Brunswick, 

 the moose, which, 50 years ago was said by Thoreau to be in 

 imminent danger of immediate extinction, is to-day existing in 

 larger numbers than ever. In the Yellowstone Park, of course, 

 the great game reserve of the United States, an effort has been 

 made to preserve the buffalo. Unfortunately that effort came at 

 such a, late period in the history of the gradual extinction of the 

 buffalo that to-day there only exists in that reserve a small,, 

 degenerated, and, we fear, a gradually disappearing herd of that 

 animal ; indeed, it is not too much to say that if the Duchess of 

 Bedford, who is here, would speak, she would be able to toll your 

 Lordship that there are more healthy specimens of the American 

 buffalo in Bedfordshire than there probably are in the United 

 States. 



All that points to the fact that, where you have game and a 

 population using firearms in the condition under which they are 

 using them in Africa, it is of vital importance that if action is to 

 be taken to preserve the game it should be taken very soon. Our 

 reports, and information which lias come to us, show that some 

 species have already disappeared, and that others are evidently in 

 imminent danger of extinction ; and, of course, every year those 

 conditions are more emphasised. We venture respectfully to 

 hope that in considering this question you will bear in mind that 

 whatever is to be done should be done quickly, and that if matters 

 are put off too long there is great danger that the whole subject, in 

 the interests of which we are here to-day, may almost, if not quite, 

 have disappeared from our territory. We are quite sure that 

 public opinion some day in South Africa will be really and deeply 

 grateful to any Government and to any official who has had the 



