THE WILD FAUNA OP THE EMPTBE 



73 



A EEPOET FROM BRITISH EAST AFRICA. 



By Col. J. H. Pattekson, D.S.O. 



' Having just returned from a throe months' safari in British 

 East Africa, it may interest " The Fauna " (as we may, perhaps, 

 for convenience dub our Society) to have a line or two on what I 

 saw while out there. 



' They will be pleased to hear that I consider the game to be 

 as plentiful as it was seven or eight years ago, and some 

 specimens have increased considerably, notably buffalo, eland, 

 oryx, and giraffe, also roan. Wo saw one day in a certain dis- 

 trict 'a herd of fully 500 buffalo, and a fine sight it was. I saw no 

 elephant, but I had news of herds in my neighbourhood more 

 than once. I only saw one lion throughout my journey through 

 the country. I hoard these beasts frequently at night round the 

 camp, and came across fresh kills of both zebra and hartebeeste. 

 While at Port Hall a report was brought in by natives that a 

 lion had killed a rhino close by. This was investigated, and 

 although there were lots of traces of lion on the dead rhino, 

 we came to the conclusion that the rhino was either dead or 

 dying when the lion appeared on the scene. Not far from the 

 same place there was a battle royal between a buffalo and a lion, 

 and both were found dead close together by Mr. Home, the 

 Assistant Collector at Port Hall, who has the buffalo head, a grand 

 specimen, in his possession. I might mention that I counted 

 twenty-one rhino on one occasion from the top of an ant-hill, and 

 while in this locality I had much difficulty in keeping clear of 



these boasts. 



' I saw but little gamo on Likipia. I attribute this to the iact 

 that it is now a Masai Reserve, and the huge herds of cattle owned 

 by this tribe eat up everything, so the game has gone elsewhere. 

 So far as I can judge, the settler has injured the game but little 

 as yet. Of course, as the community increases the game must 

 retreat, as no one can expect a farmer to allow his crops and 

 fences to bo destroyed by wild animals. 



' I consider that the increase in the game has been brought 

 about chiefly by the careful way in which the regulations are 

 adhered to by the sportsmen who visit the country. The latter 

 do good by shooting off the old beasts, splitting up the herds, and 



