XXXI 
GAME RESERVES 
3i3 
contain.” Such an idea would be entirely mistaken. 
At certain seasons of the year, at all events, probably 
more than half the total head of game in the Reserve 
can be seen from the train. The small section of the 
Athi plains cut off to the west of the Railway contains the 
only good piece of grazing in the whole Reserve, and the 
game which is concentrated on it is able to drink at the 
upper waters of the Athi. The fact that this good 
strip of grazing runs parallel to the line is productive 
of both good and bad. It is, on the one hand, 
eminently desirable that the animals sheltered in a 
sanctuary should minister as far as possible to the 
pleasure of the public ; and it cannot be denied that 
the glorious vista of animal life seen from the train 
windows yearly affords gratification to thousands of 
those who travel on the Uganda Railway. More¬ 
over, its presence adds materially to the revenue of both 
the railway and the Protectorate. On the other 
hand, the false impression created that a large tract of 
fine grazing and agricultural country is being held up 
in the interests of game is the cause of curious and 
envious eyes being cast on a region that is really most 
undesirable. 
In the Southern Game Reserve are included some 
fair herds of elephant, an increasing number of buffalo, 
plenty of rhinoceros, perhaps fifty Greater Kudu of 
both sexes, a fair amount of eland, and waterbuck, 
and an abundance of Lesser Kudu, giraffe (common), 
Oryx ccdlotis , common zebra, gerenuk, wildebeeste, 
impala, Grants gazelle, Thomson’s gazelle, reedbuck, 
and Coke’s hartebeeste. 
As I have said, the railway line forms the eastern 
boundary of the Reserve, and to the east of the line 
comes a settled area. The farmers in this area con- 
