THE WILD FAUNA OF THE BMPIEE 29 



my predecessor, Mr. Lyttelton, he said that he looked more to 

 receive information from you than to express definite opinions of 

 his own. I confess I am pretty much in the same position, but I 

 admit the circumstances have somewhat altered. 



At that time what Mr. Lyttelton undertook to do was to address 

 the Governors of the different Colonies, and to ask them to submit 

 reports. Those reports have been received, and they have been sent 

 to you for your opinion, and only two days ago I received from you 

 your observations with regard to those reports. I do not think 

 that I should serve any useful purpose if I attempted to go through 

 the different reports in detail, but I may just say this with regard 

 to the general recommendations which you have placed at the end 

 bf the observations which you have been good enough to make, 

 that I think for the most part they are reasonable recommenda- 

 tions which we might act upon, and, at any rate, recommend to 

 the Authorities in the different Colonies. On two points — that is 

 to say, the third and fourth heads, with regard to the sale of 

 various articles — of course we should have to get the opinions of 

 the Authorities on those points. Those points are ' (3) That 

 the sale of hides, horns, &c, of game animals in the British 

 Dominions in Africa and at Aden, should be prohibited. (4) That, 

 the sale of elephant tusks weighing less than 25 lbs. should be 

 prohibited and the tusks confiscated.' But, speaking generally, I 

 have no objection to expressing my general adherence to these 

 recommendations which you have been good enough to make. 

 Now I understand, from (he remarks which have been made, that 

 on the question of game laws I am not asked to say anything — 

 that you are satisfied with the game laws as they exist, and that 

 the main point is with regard to the question of 'reserves. With 

 regard to the question of reserves, I accept the position that when 

 there are reserves they certainly ought to be sacred. (' Hear, 

 hear.') I cannot see any object in having a reserve unless it is so! 

 ('Hear, hear.') But then it follows from that that we must be 

 very careful as to the position in which the reserves are placed. 

 Those Colonies are, many of them, countries in process of develop- 

 ment, and I do not know whether one can lay down that under 

 no circumstances should a reserve which has been made for game 

 not be available for the future increases of population. But so- 

 long as it is a reserve, I agree that it should be so placed that it 

 can be kept sacred for the purposes of the preservation of <?ame. 



I am not quite sure that I appreciate the possibility of a railway 

 running through a reserve. Mr. Buxton mentioned one case-- 

 and, of course, I am speaking without intimate knowledge of the 

 circumstances — in which that happened, and it reminded me of a 

 circumstance which occurred during my time in India. As Lord 

 Curzon has mentioned, I had not heard so much of game there 

 probably as he had, but I remember on one occasion, when we 

 were going to pass through a country where the railway ran 

 through a less inhabited part of the district, we were under some 

 apprehension whether we should get through in safety, because a, 



