THROUGH THE PLEISTOCENE 
13 
to the lives of the natives, and they had to be taken off the 
protected list and classed as vermin, to be shot in any num¬ 
bers at any time; and only the great demand for ivory 
prevented the necessity of following the same course with 
regard to the elephant; while recently in British East 
Africa the increase of the zebras, and the harm they did to 
the crops of the settlers, rendered it necessary to remove a 
large measure of the protection formerly accorded them, 
and in some cases actually to encourage their slaughter; 
and increase in settlement may necessitate further changes. 
But, speaking generally, much wisdom and foresight, highly 
creditable to both Government and people, have been 
shown in dealing with and preserving East African game 
while at the same time safeguarding the interests of the 
settlers. 
On our train the locomotive was fitted with a comfort¬ 
able seat across the cow-catcher, and on this, except at meal¬ 
time, I spent most of the hours of daylight, usually in com¬ 
pany with Selous, and often with Governor Jackson, to 
whom the territory and the game were alike familiar. The 
first afternoon we did not see many wild animals, but birds 
abounded, and the scenery was both beautiful and interest¬ 
ing. A black-and-white hornbill, feeding on the track, rose 
so late that we nearly caught it with our hands; guinea-fowl 
and francolin, and occasionally bustard, rose near by; bril¬ 
liant rollers, sun-birds, bee-eaters, and weaver-birds flew 
beside us, or sat unmoved among the trees as the train 
passed. In the dusk we nearly ran over a hyena; a year 
or two previously the train actually did run over a lioness 
one night, and the conductor brought in her head in triumph. 
In fact, there have been continual mishaps such as could 
