﻿158 
  THE 
  ZOOLOGIST. 
  

  

  Protectorate 
  of 
  Somaliland. 
  These 
  were 
  all 
  females 
  or 
  immature 
  males. 
  

   It 
  is 
  not 
  surprising 
  that 
  they 
  have 
  now 
  disappeared 
  from 
  that 
  pro- 
  

   tectorate. 
  They 
  are 
  rapidly 
  diminishing 
  in 
  those 
  regions 
  of 
  Abyssinia 
  

   which 
  adjoin 
  it, 
  and, 
  it 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  feared, 
  in 
  the 
  Soudan 
  also. 
  One 
  more 
  

   quotation 
  on 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  subject 
  will 
  be 
  sufficient 
  to 
  account 
  for 
  

   this 
  disappearance. 
  This 
  time 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  French 
  newspaper 
  which 
  cele- 
  

   brates 
  the 
  prowess 
  of 
  a 
  certain 
  count. 
  It 
  is 
  headed, 
  ' 
  Four 
  Elephants 
  

   in 
  Four 
  Minutes,' 
  and, 
  as 
  it 
  was 
  accompanied 
  by 
  a 
  photograph, 
  it 
  was 
  

   easy 
  to 
  see 
  they 
  were 
  all 
  cows 
  or 
  calves. 
  

  

  " 
  By 
  way 
  of 
  indicating 
  the 
  diminution 
  even 
  in 
  recent 
  years, 
  I 
  have 
  

   tried, 
  from 
  such 
  returns 
  as 
  I 
  could 
  get 
  access 
  to, 
  to 
  arrive 
  at 
  the 
  figures 
  

   of 
  the 
  exportation 
  of 
  ivory 
  from 
  various 
  African 
  colonies, 
  and 
  selected 
  

   what 
  appeared 
  to 
  be 
  most 
  important 
  in 
  this 
  respect. 
  It 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  

   that 
  in 
  these 
  cases, 
  at 
  any 
  rate, 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  steady 
  decrease. 
  From 
  the 
  

   Cape 
  we 
  find 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  this 
  export 
  in 
  1889 
  was 
  £2495, 
  in 
  1898 
  it 
  

   was 
  £1086. 
  In 
  British 
  Central 
  Africa 
  the 
  value 
  exported 
  diminished 
  

   from 
  £18,252 
  in 
  1895 
  to 
  £543 
  in 
  1902. 
  From 
  Zanzibar, 
  in 
  1891, 
  

   ivory 
  to 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  £544,818 
  was 
  exported 
  ; 
  seven 
  years 
  later 
  it 
  

   was 
  reduced 
  to 
  £112,914. 
  From 
  the 
  Congo 
  Portuguese 
  territory 
  an 
  

   export 
  of 
  10,982 
  kilog. 
  was 
  soon 
  reduced 
  to 
  1600 
  kilog. 
  From 
  

   German 
  East 
  African 
  possessions 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  exported 
  ivory 
  in 
  1892 
  

   was 
  2,439,000 
  marks 
  ; 
  five 
  years 
  later 
  it 
  was 
  only 
  1,495,000 
  marks. 
  

   Only 
  in 
  the 
  Congo 
  Free 
  State 
  the 
  supply 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  at 
  present 
  main- 
  

   tained, 
  but 
  I 
  fear 
  by 
  methods 
  which 
  will 
  only 
  too 
  surely 
  bring 
  an 
  end. 
  

   There 
  is 
  reason 
  to 
  believe 
  that 
  a 
  feverish 
  pressure 
  is 
  maintained 
  from 
  

   Brussels 
  on 
  the 
  officials, 
  and 
  by 
  them 
  on 
  the 
  unfortunate 
  natives. 
  

   Notwithstanding 
  the 
  international 
  prohibition, 
  scrivelloes 
  — 
  that 
  is, 
  

   small 
  tusks, 
  valuable 
  for 
  billiard-balls 
  — 
  still 
  come 
  into 
  the 
  market. 
  

  

  " 
  But 
  I 
  have 
  said 
  enough 
  of 
  the 
  deplorable 
  prodigalities 
  of 
  the 
  past. 
  

   It 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  hoped 
  that 
  this 
  empire, 
  whatever 
  others 
  may 
  do, 
  has 
  sown 
  

   its 
  wild 
  oats, 
  and 
  will 
  husband 
  its 
  resources 
  for 
  the 
  future. 
  Under 
  the 
  

   instigation 
  of 
  the 
  Foreign 
  Office 
  every 
  British 
  protectorate 
  in 
  Africa 
  

   now 
  has 
  a 
  series 
  of 
  ordinances 
  for 
  the 
  preservation 
  of 
  wild 
  animals 
  and 
  

   birds. 
  They 
  are 
  mainly 
  framed 
  on 
  the 
  same 
  model, 
  but 
  with 
  some 
  

   differences 
  to 
  suit 
  the 
  varying 
  conditions. 
  Certain 
  specified 
  areas 
  are 
  

   declared 
  to 
  be 
  game-reserves. 
  Licences 
  must 
  be 
  taken 
  out 
  for 
  a 
  con- 
  

   siderable 
  payment 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  strangers, 
  and 
  a 
  much 
  lower 
  one 
  for 
  

   public 
  officers 
  or 
  settlers. 
  In 
  most 
  of 
  them 
  certain 
  species 
  of 
  the 
  

   larger 
  game 
  are 
  altogether 
  protected. 
  Of 
  the 
  remaining 
  animals, 
  the 
  

   licence 
  specifies 
  how 
  many 
  of 
  each 
  may 
  be 
  killed. 
  As 
  regards 
  the 
  

   commoner 
  species, 
  they 
  are 
  generally 
  divided 
  into 
  two 
  categories 
  ; 
  of 
  

   the 
  larger 
  and 
  slow-breeding 
  animals, 
  as 
  a 
  rule, 
  only 
  two 
  are 
  allowed 
  

  

  