S32 
THE TEOPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[Nov. ], 1902. 
Government Agent be requested to kindly submit 
the proposal for the opinion of the Game Pro- 
tection Society's Committee." 
The Honorary Secretary read out the Proclama- 
tion by Government of June 30ih, 1902, relative 
to the export of horns of sambur and spotted 
deer and proposed that the Game Protection Society 
desires to record its thanks and full appreciation 
of the act of Government in issuing the said 
Proclamation. 
The Honorary Secretary submitted particulars of 
a case of hunting by coolies in Maturatta in Crown 
forest and his letter to the Hon. the Colonial 
Secretary on that subject. It wa.s resolved ; — 
«' That no further action was adviseable in the 
particular case reported."' 
A vote of thanks to the Chair terminated the 
meeting. 
Before the business of the meeting had commenced 
Mr. P B Shand inquired whether the admission 
of the Press reporters was in order, as they were 
in Committee and it was unusual to discuss matters 
of a private nature before the said representatives. 
The Honorary Secretary expressed his desire that 
the meeting should be reported, as there would 
be several matters comins' forward, which it would 
be desireable to make public through the medium 
of the press. 
Mr. C H Bagot expressed his regret that Hapu- 
tale was not represented at the meeting and the 
Honorary Secretary stated that he had called the 
attention of Messrs. J R Barkley and W Ormiston 
to} the meetint? by post cards in addition to the usua 
notice in the newspapers. "With regard to the 
first subject under discussionby the rule prohibiticg 
shooting in . the Hill Reserves above 4,000 feet 
the Honorary Secretary gave a sketch of the history 
of the subject from the date of its origin terminat- 
ing it with the letter from the Hon, the Colonial 
Secretary of June 13th, 1902. That letter being 
the immediate cause of the present meeting. The 
facts of the case are briefly these. Some two years 
ago the shooting of sambur in the Hills round 
about Nuwara Eliya by Tamil coolies and other 
pouching rascals had become so prevalent that the 
C G P S appealed to Government to put a stop 
to it, in the interests of sports-men generally. 
Hence the rule was made. It was, however, too 
comprehensive in its scope, and some objections to 
it were raised by certain members ot the Society 
resident in Uva. On October 17th, 1901 at a 
treueral meetirg of the Society attended by re- 
presentatives from Haputale, the matter was 
thoroughly discussed, and a resolution in the form 
of an amendment was carried unanimously as fol- 
lows ; — 
"That where registered packs of hounds are 
kept the killing of sambur be confined to stalking 
with the rifle at any elevation and to killing with 
the knife and hound." 
TheHony. Secretary on October SOth laid the 
matter befcre Government forwarding copy of the 
resolutions passed at the meeting and on Novem- 
ber 20th received a reply which entirely failed to 
help matters on at all. On April 2nd, 1902 at a 
General Meeting of Society the subject was again 
brought up and again a resolution was ])assed 
emphasising the amendment passed at the pre- 
ceding meeting. 
The Hony. Secretary drew the attention of 
Government to the proceedings of the two 
meetings and received a reply dated June 
13bh im, 
"Requesting him to forwar(l a draft of the 
license, which would mett the wishes of the G P 
Society as some difficulty was expeiienced in com- 
prehending its precise wishes. 
The above retrospect brings the question up to 
the proceedings of the meeting now under review, 
and the following draft of a license with amended 
conditions was submitted by the Hony. Secretary 
as meeting the wishes of the Hony. Secretary of 
the Haputale branch in accordance with the 
proceedings of the two general meetings of October 
17th and April 2nd. 
Conditions of License referred to : — 
I. Shooting at night and netting are prohibited. 
II. This license is not transferable andean 
only be used by the person named in it. 
III. Hunting by men in gangs carrying sticks 
or guns wich or without dogs is prohibited. 
IV. "Shooting elk and spotted deer 
within the Hill Reserves above 4,000 feet is 
prohibited except with the permission of Go- 
vernment in writing. The only modes of 
killing elk and spotted deer allowed within such 
reserves is hunting with dogs to the knife or stalk- 
ing with the rifle." 
This form of license being unanimously adopted 
by the meeting. The Hon. Secretary was request- 
ed to forward a copy to Government for approval. 
The Hon, Secretary then brought up the ques. 
tion of the retention of the two game watchers 
employed in the Meda and Kadawala Korales of 
the Sabaragamuwa District, stating that he was 
dissatisfied with the lack of information from 
the Ratemahatmaya of those Korales with 
regard to what had been done by them. 
He (the Hon. Secretary) submitted that the 
country, wherein these watchers were em- 
ployed, was not in any sense a sporting country 
and he was doubtful whether the G. P, 
Society benefited in any way by their employ- 
ment and remarked that they would be far more 
useful in the Province of Uva as it was very 
desireable that the game as it overflowed the 
boundaries of the Yala Sanctuary should receive 
immediate protection. The Hon. Secietary also 
mentioned that when passing through the very 
centre of the country supposed to be patrolled 
by these watchers he received numerous offers 
from the villagers to get up deer drives and this 
was in the close season. The Ratemahatmaya, 
however, of the Korales referred to, has reported 
to tlie Hon. Secretary that mucli good has been 
and is being done by the watchers, Hence the 
resolution wliich was carried at the meeting. 
In introducing the subject of hunting by coolies 
in Maturata District during the close season of 
this year the Hon. Secretary explained that he had 
received a complaint from Mr Thorpe, of Ellamulla 
estate, requesting the services of one of the game 
watchers of the Society to assist him in detecting 
a gang in the act of hunting. There appeals 
to have been some mismanagement for instead of 
waiting until the gang was actually engaged in 
pursuing or attempting to capture sambur, they 
were seized in the Crown forest and their guns 
and dogs taken from them. The Hon. Secretary, 
pointed out thac the charges of the guns which 
were drawn and examined, consisted of bullets, 
slugs and heavy charges of powder and that the 
men had undoubtedly entered the forest with the 
object of killing sambur. 
Proceedings, however, were not instituted owing 
to their not being detected in the act of shooting 
at, or killing sambur, 
