﻿EDITORIAL 
  GLEANINGS: 
  155 
  

  

  fled, 
  and 
  altogether 
  formed 
  one 
  vast 
  herd, 
  but 
  the 
  moment 
  I 
  had 
  

   called 
  off 
  my 
  Dogs, 
  and 
  they 
  thought 
  themselves 
  out 
  of 
  danger, 
  each 
  

   different 
  species 
  composed 
  a 
  separate 
  band, 
  and 
  kept 
  at 
  a 
  certain 
  dis- 
  

   tance 
  from 
  each 
  other. 
  Had 
  it 
  not 
  been 
  for 
  my 
  Dogs, 
  T 
  could 
  have 
  

   shot 
  numbers 
  of 
  them 
  from 
  my 
  waggons, 
  for 
  they 
  were 
  very 
  tame, 
  and 
  

   seemed 
  pleased 
  to 
  gaze 
  on 
  us.' 
  

  

  " 
  He 
  also 
  notices 
  the 
  Blue 
  Buck, 
  which 
  has 
  now 
  passed 
  for 
  ever, 
  

   and 
  immense 
  herds 
  of 
  Buffaloes 
  and 
  Elephants, 
  ' 
  so 
  amazingly 
  nume- 
  

   rous 
  that 
  we 
  thought 
  it 
  inadvisable 
  to 
  dispute 
  their 
  passage 
  — 
  my 
  

   camp, 
  animals, 
  and 
  carriages 
  would 
  have 
  been 
  pulverized 
  in 
  a 
  moment.' 
  

   Even 
  at 
  that 
  period 
  the 
  unnecessary 
  slaughter 
  of 
  wild 
  animals 
  had 
  

   excited 
  attention. 
  The 
  Swede, 
  Sparrman, 
  wrote, 
  in 
  1786, 
  of 
  'sports- 
  

   men 
  who 
  merely 
  for 
  the 
  pleasure 
  of 
  shooting 
  are 
  guilty 
  of 
  wasting 
  the 
  

   treasures 
  of 
  nature 
  in 
  a 
  most 
  unjustifiable 
  manner, 
  and 
  thus 
  spoil 
  

   their 
  own 
  sport 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  that 
  of 
  others. 
  For 
  when,' 
  he 
  says, 
  ' 
  they 
  

   make 
  a 
  hunting 
  expedition, 
  they 
  seldom 
  or 
  ever 
  return 
  from 
  the 
  

   pursuit 
  of 
  a 
  herd 
  of 
  game 
  before 
  they 
  have 
  made 
  great 
  havoc 
  among 
  

   them, 
  though 
  the 
  carcases 
  are 
  afterwards 
  left 
  to 
  rot 
  on 
  the 
  ground.' 
  

  

  ' 
  ; 
  It 
  was, 
  however, 
  well 
  into 
  the 
  nineteenth 
  century 
  before 
  the 
  

   worst 
  slaughter 
  began. 
  From 
  year 
  to 
  year 
  improved 
  communications, 
  

   the 
  repute 
  of 
  those 
  who 
  had 
  gone 
  before, 
  and 
  better 
  weapons, 
  tempted 
  

   fresh 
  adventurers 
  into 
  the 
  wilderness. 
  Gordon 
  Camming 
  was 
  one 
  of 
  

   the 
  pioneers. 
  In 
  my 
  youth 
  I 
  regarded 
  him 
  as 
  a 
  hero, 
  as 
  did 
  many 
  

   others. 
  I 
  have 
  somewhat 
  altered 
  my 
  opinion. 
  Here 
  are 
  specimens 
  of 
  

   his 
  practice 
  taken 
  at 
  random 
  : 
  — 
  ' 
  In 
  the 
  evening 
  I 
  shot 
  a 
  lovely 
  Fawn 
  

   and 
  a 
  big 
  Pallah. 
  I 
  wounded 
  a 
  White 
  Rhinoceros, 
  but 
  did 
  not 
  follow 
  

   it, 
  and 
  in 
  returning 
  to 
  camp 
  started 
  an 
  Ostrich 
  off 
  her 
  nest. 
  It 
  con- 
  

   tained 
  twenty 
  eggs, 
  which 
  I 
  directed 
  the 
  Bechuanas 
  to 
  bring 
  to 
  camp. 
  

   As 
  we 
  held 
  up 
  the 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  I 
  killed 
  a 
  very 
  fine 
  old 
  Black 
  

   Rhinoceros, 
  and, 
  cutting 
  off 
  his 
  horns, 
  rode 
  home 
  (that 
  is, 
  leaving 
  to 
  

   waste 
  meat 
  enough 
  to 
  feed 
  a 
  village). 
  In 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  day 
  I 
  saw 
  

   the 
  fresh 
  spoor 
  of 
  about 
  twenty 
  varieties 
  of 
  large 
  game, 
  and 
  most 
  of 
  

   the 
  animals 
  themselves, 
  namely, 
  Elephant, 
  Black, 
  White, 
  and 
  Long- 
  

   horned 
  Rhinoceros, 
  Hippopotamus, 
  Camel-Leopard, 
  Buffalo, 
  Wilde- 
  

   beest, 
  Zebra, 
  Waterbuck, 
  Sassayly, 
  Koodoo, 
  Pallah, 
  Springbuck, 
  Boar, 
  

   Dinker, 
  Steinbuck, 
  Lion. 
  Besides 
  the 
  game 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  noted, 
  the 
  

   following 
  are 
  not 
  uncommon 
  : 
  Eland, 
  Oryx, 
  Roan, 
  Sable, 
  Antelope, 
  

   Hartebeest, 
  Klipspringer, 
  and 
  others.' 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  above 
  list, 
  of 
  course, 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  exhausts 
  the 
  fauna 
  of 
  

   South 
  Africa, 
  probably 
  at 
  that 
  time 
  the 
  richest 
  of 
  the 
  world. 
  At 
  least 
  

   forty 
  species 
  of 
  great 
  game 
  may 
  be 
  found 
  recorded. 
  In 
  recording 
  the 
  

   death 
  of 
  his 
  fiftieth 
  bull 
  Elephant, 
  he 
  adds 
  the 
  words, 
  ' 
  not 
  to 
  mention 
  

  

  