﻿EDITORIAL 
  GLEANINGS. 
  159 
  

  

  to 
  each 
  sportsman, 
  while 
  of 
  the 
  commoner 
  kinds, 
  such 
  as 
  Lesser 
  

   Antelopes, 
  ten 
  may 
  be 
  killed. 
  Heavy 
  fines 
  are 
  enacted 
  for 
  offences 
  

   against 
  these 
  regulations. 
  Heads, 
  horns, 
  and 
  skins 
  are 
  not 
  allowed 
  to 
  

   be 
  exported. 
  Every 
  licence-holder 
  is 
  required 
  to 
  keep 
  a 
  register 
  of 
  the 
  

   animals 
  killed 
  by 
  him, 
  and 
  to 
  submit 
  this 
  to 
  the 
  resident 
  officer 
  at 
  the 
  

   expiration 
  of 
  his 
  licence, 
  or 
  on 
  leaving 
  the 
  territory. 
  Any 
  Elephant's 
  

   tusk 
  weighing 
  less 
  than 
  eleven 
  pounds, 
  if 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  sportsman's 
  

   possession, 
  and 
  all 
  cow-ivory, 
  is 
  confiscated. 
  The 
  use 
  of 
  dynamite 
  or 
  

   poison 
  for 
  the 
  taking 
  of 
  fish 
  is 
  forbidden. 
  Now 
  these 
  regulations 
  are 
  

   all 
  good, 
  and, 
  provided 
  they 
  are 
  effectually 
  enforced, 
  they 
  should 
  go 
  far, 
  

   if 
  not 
  to 
  prevent 
  the 
  diminution 
  of 
  the 
  game, 
  at 
  least 
  to 
  save 
  the 
  

   species 
  from 
  extermination. 
  Of 
  these 
  regulations, 
  by 
  far 
  the 
  most 
  

   important 
  which 
  can 
  be 
  adopted 
  by 
  the 
  executive 
  government 
  of 
  any 
  

   territory 
  as 
  a 
  practical 
  measure 
  for 
  the 
  preservation 
  of 
  species 
  is 
  the 
  

   constitution 
  of 
  an 
  adequate 
  sanctuary. 
  

  

  " 
  Next 
  in 
  importance 
  to 
  the 
  establishment 
  of 
  game-reserves, 
  I 
  con- 
  

   sider 
  the 
  provision 
  which 
  is 
  now 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  all 
  sets 
  of 
  regulations 
  

   for 
  the 
  provinces 
  of 
  Central 
  Africa, 
  but 
  not, 
  I 
  fear, 
  in 
  the 
  South 
  African 
  

   colonies, 
  namely, 
  the 
  obligation 
  upon 
  every 
  person 
  taking 
  out 
  a 
  licence 
  

   to 
  furnish, 
  on 
  its 
  expiration, 
  a 
  return 
  of 
  the 
  game 
  which 
  he 
  has 
  killed, 
  

   specifying 
  the 
  number 
  and 
  sex 
  of 
  each 
  species. 
  This 
  condition 
  should 
  

   be 
  imposed 
  upon 
  all 
  sportsmen 
  without 
  distinction, 
  and 
  is 
  valuable 
  for 
  

   two 
  reasons. 
  One 
  is 
  the 
  moral 
  effect 
  on 
  the 
  careless 
  sportsman, 
  who 
  

   is 
  certain 
  to 
  acquire 
  some 
  sense 
  of 
  responsibility 
  when 
  he 
  bears 
  in 
  mind 
  

   the 
  necessity 
  of 
  setting 
  down 
  in 
  black 
  and 
  white, 
  for 
  official 
  inspection, 
  

   the 
  result 
  of 
  every 
  successful 
  shot. 
  The 
  other 
  reason 
  is 
  that 
  these 
  

   returns 
  may 
  — 
  and, 
  I 
  hope, 
  will 
  — 
  be 
  collected 
  from 
  the 
  various 
  colonies 
  

   and 
  protectorates 
  under 
  the 
  Foreign 
  Office 
  and 
  Colonial 
  Office, 
  and 
  

   issued 
  as 
  a 
  parliamentary 
  paper. 
  In 
  the 
  hands 
  of 
  an 
  intelligent 
  

   naturalist, 
  it 
  will 
  serve 
  as 
  a 
  most 
  valuable 
  comparison 
  from 
  year 
  to 
  

   year 
  of 
  the 
  relative 
  abundance 
  or 
  scarcity 
  of 
  the 
  species. 
  I 
  regret 
  to 
  

   say 
  that 
  to 
  my 
  knowledge 
  these 
  returns 
  are 
  not 
  always 
  demanded 
  from 
  

   sportsmen. 
  When 
  their 
  value 
  is 
  recognized, 
  I 
  am 
  confident 
  that 
  a 
  

   stricter 
  enforcement 
  of 
  the 
  rules 
  will 
  be 
  general. 
  

  

  " 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  officers 
  concerned 
  have 
  hardly 
  realized 
  the 
  importance 
  

   of 
  insisting 
  on 
  these 
  returns 
  ; 
  even 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  omissions 
  vitiate 
  the 
  

   combined 
  total, 
  and 
  naturally 
  lead 
  to 
  laxity 
  in 
  other 
  cases. 
  The 
  real 
  

   sportsman 
  should 
  welcome 
  this 
  rule, 
  while 
  the 
  inexperienced 
  one 
  ought 
  

   to 
  be 
  taught 
  self-restraint. 
  

  

  " 
  I 
  venture 
  also 
  to 
  urge 
  on 
  the 
  authorities 
  that 
  these 
  returns 
  should 
  

   show 
  how 
  many 
  licences 
  have 
  been 
  taken 
  out 
  in 
  each 
  class, 
  and 
  if 
  any 
  

   proceedings 
  have 
  been 
  taken 
  against 
  offenders, 
  and, 
  if 
  so, 
  with 
  what 
  

  

  