THE WILD FAUNA OF THE EMPIEE 



59 



any Kfcally sound reason for believing that the tsetse fly would 

 thereby become eradicated ? It seems to me more than possible 

 that the desired end might not be attained, and a great asset lost 

 to the country without any compensating advantage. Moreover, 

 out of several species of tsetse, do all act as transmitters of the 

 germ of sleeping sickness, or is it, as in the case of the mosquito, 

 that one or more kinds are noxious, and the others harmless ? 



As for the disease transmitted by the fly to domestic animals, 

 but to which game is immune — much as the native is in his own 

 district to the attacks of malaria, from which a European is apt to 

 suffer- -is it absolutely known that the latter forms the host? It 

 must be admitted that certain prima facia evidence points to 

 this being the case, but then are all species of game hosts, and if 

 not, which ? 



Then, given that a certain species, or several species, harbour 

 the bacilli, are these bacilli continuously resident in the blood of 

 the individuals irrespective of the presence of the fly ? Or would 

 the fact thai, fly had disappeared, from a district render, after 

 a certain lapse of time, the older animals, or, failing them, the 

 younger generation, ' clean,' so that a fly subsequently introduced, 

 otherwise than in company with, a germ-laden animal, would, 

 after biting them, not become a transmitter of disease ? 



It would appear only reasonable that these questions should be 

 gone into more closely than they have been hitherto, before notice 

 is taken officially of what may perhaps be idle and self-interested 

 clamour. 



There is sometimes a general looseness apparent in the discus- 

 sion of all such, questions by a certain class of up-country 

 dweller in our various possessions, which, good fellow though he 

 may be otherwise, betrays a lack of reasoning power, and a singular- 

 want of close observation in proportion to his opportunities. 



The arguments against reserves which I have touched upon are 

 those which are most commonly used, and albeit opponents 

 of the system do not perhaps display much ingenuity or 

 originality, the objections have a specious sound, and, when 

 backed up by clamour, are perhaps capable of only too easily 

 leading astray the opinions of those having no actual personal 

 knowledge of conditions obtaining on the spot. 



So far as my own experience goes, I am convinced that these 

 complaints seldom, if ever, express the real desires and feelings of 

 those making use of them. 



I have not touched at all upon the native question as bearing 

 upon game reserves, important though it is, as it would require 

 an article to itself, and, moreover, native manners and customs 

 vary so much in our different possessions that regulations made 

 in. one would probably be inapposite in another. It is sincerely 

 to be hoped that all sportsmen and lovers of Nature will continue 

 to stand firmly together in strenuously opposing all reactionary 

 policy regarding that rich heritage of wild life which is still ours 

 to do what wo will with. 

 15/11/06. 



