EDITORIAL GLEANINGS. 117 



" Firstly, a fine property has been secured for that purpose ; there is 

 plenty of water in the river, and Hippopotami and Crocodiles, and other 

 water-loving animals, birds, and fish will undoubtedly thrive splendidly ; 

 indigenous trees or rather shrubs, grass, and reeds abound, and the animals 

 will at once be at home there. 



" Secondly, the valley in which Pretoria now stands was, as I have 

 already pointed out, once the habitat of a great variety of game ; con- 

 sequently it may reasonably be hoped that animals will prosper better there 

 than, for instance, Cape Town,=:= with its climate and pasturage almost 

 foreign to some species ; or than in the London Zoo, with its fogs, cold 

 weather, and new conditions of life. 



" Thirdly, Pretoria, situated as it is, will be able to secure specimens of 

 many rare animals in the Sabi Valley and elsewhere at a comparatively low 

 cost, for there will be no great difficulty about transporting them. 



" Fourthly, it is hoped that an extensive track of at present almost value- 

 less country, either in the districts of Waterberg or Zoutpansberg, or the 

 Sabi Valley, may be secured from the Government in the near future, for 

 the purpose of forming an immense reserve. I feel confident that, once 

 such a grant has been obtained, funds sufficient to enable us to close the 

 territory, and to drive in and secure as much game as possible, will be 

 forthcoming from the many men who wish to see a comprehensive scheme 

 for the preservation of wild animals set on foot." 



Bird Migration in Great Britain and Ireland. — The Third In- 

 terim Report of the Committee appointed to work out the details of the 

 Observations of Migrations of Birds at Lighthouses and Lightships, 

 1880-87, was presented at the recent meeting of the British Association 

 at Bradford, and consists of a " Statement furnished to the Committee by 

 Mr. W. Eagle Clarke, containing a summary of the observations as regards 

 (i.) the Song-Thrush {Turdus musicus), and (ii.) the White Wagtail (Mota- 

 cilla alba)." As regards the extreme value and interest of the publication, 

 the Committee well remark that it *' throws such a light on the natural 

 history, and especially the movements, of those two species as has never 

 been possessed before." 



* " It must, however, in fairness, be remembered that when Van Eiebeek 

 and his Dutch companions landed in Table Bay in April, 1652, they found a 

 great profusion of animal life roaming upon its shores. Hippopotami occu- 

 pied a swamp, it is said, on the present site of Church Square, and ' Harts 

 and Elands' were numerous on the slopes of Table Mountain. The sur- 

 rounding country was ' swarming with Elands, Hartebeests, and Stemboks,' 

 and Lions were numerous and bold ; even as late as June, 1694, nine Cows 

 were killed by Lions within sight of the Castle ; and the animals in Mr. 

 Pihodes's Zoo have hitherto thrived fairly well, although some of the species 

 are but poor representatives of their wild brothers." 



