HAMLYN'S MENAGERIE MAGAZINE. 
19 
so as to keep the game confined to the area re- 
served; and that steps should be taken with re- 
gard to the regular and careful burning of grass 
at proper seasons for miles, and the green grass 
arising after burns in the unreserved areas causes 
the game to trek for miles in search of 1 it, and in 
this way infection is carried abroad. 
AFRICAN DOGS AS DETECTIVES. 
A very interesting and successful experiment 
was made by the police recently (says the " Som- 
erset Budget") when they availed themselves of 
the police dogs of Cradock in tracing the culprits 
who stole and slaughtered two sheep on the com- 
monage. Taken to the spot where the skins were 
found, one of the dogs was given the scent. She 
set off immediately through the veld, taking her 
followers diverse ways uphill and down dale, 
through dongas and sluits, and then made her 
way for the location, where she sought out a 
certain hut and, as the door was opened, entered 
it. She sniffed all around and smelled at all its 
occupants in vain. She then left the hut and 
walked right round it. Coming into the street, 
she went up to some natives standing talking. 
After smelling one or two she turned her attention 
to a certain native and promptly started barking. 
The native was at once obviously startled and 
called out : "Baas, die hond lieg !" Though this 
evidence is by no means conclusive, it is alleged 
that the police have been afforded a clue that may 
prove useful in tracing the theft. 
The trainer and caretaker in the afternoon 
gave a very interesting exhibition of what the 
dogs can do, and a large number of the public, 
ladies and gentlemen, and a crowd of natives 
from the location attended to witness it. Three 
experiments in all were made. In the first two 
cases the scents were laid in the morning. The 
dogs immediately set aff and sought out the layers 
of the scent, in each case with absolute precision 
and correctness in spite of the fact that hundreds 
of people crossed the trail in the meantime and 
the person in question had to be located out of at 
least ten others. 
A final experiment of an impromptu nature 
was made for the public benefit, when a native 
was asked to leave his spoor and then hide him- 
self in the cemetery, a hundred yards off. He did 
so willingly and ensconced himself behind a tree. 
The bitch was given the initial foot-tread and had 
not the slightest difficulty in discovering him and, 
in her customary manner, locating him with a 
bark. 
The exhibition proved most interesting to all 
present, as also convincing of the acute scent of 
these dogfs. 
We understand they are heavily insured, and 
that no trained pup will be parted with under 
;£,"500. They know their trainer and ignore every- 
one else, and any attempt at a bribe with meat 
or otherwise proves a hopeless failure. 
POLICE DOG EXTORTS CONFESSION. 
A case of theft was reportoed from Avondale 
(says the Bedford paper), and a telephone mes- 
sage was sent to Cradock, for the police dogs. 
Although two days had elapsed, the dog (a bitch) 
took up the scent of a spoor near the slaughter 
place, and eventually fololowed it along the sluit 
for about 700 yards, diverging thence to two kaffir 
huts. Entering one of the huts in which were 
two natives, she placed her paw on one and gave 
tongue. The native was taken to the slaughter 
place, and paraded with four others. The bitch 
again took scent from the spoor, and again in- 
dicated this same native; as she did also a second 
time. The native then confessed, and showed 
the police where the fire-place was. The case 
was before the Magistrate, and a sentence of two 
years' hard labour was imposed. 
POLICE DOG EVIDENCE INADMISSIBLE. 
In the Supreme Court at Grahamstown last 
week Judge-President Graham delivered his de- 
cision in two review cases of stock theft, in which 
the point was raised for the first time of the ad- 
missibility of evidence regarding the movements 
of police dogs. The cases had been argued at 
the request of the Court, which delivered a re- 
served judgment to' the effect that such evidence 
was irrelevant, and inadmissible; but, said his 
Lordship, this decision would not interfere with 
the employment of police dogs to obtain clues, 
which was really the object of police dogs. Such 
evidence, therefore, could not be admitted without 
further legislation, the introduction of which re- 
guired very careful consideration. 
On the ground that the admission of such 
evidence in the cases above referred to had in- 
fluenced the convicting magistrate, both convic- 
tions were quashed. 
SOUTH AFRICAN NEWS. 
By John D. Hamlyn. 
I have received the following cuttings by the 
last mail. They will doubtless interest my readers. 
There was recently shot at Strandfontein, in 
False Bay, a specimen of the sandwich tern 
