Not many years ago this country wns reared as the sportsm.w's paradise. Not only did the jungles, hill, and river districts swarm with big game, both carnivora and their prey, bu: also per fowl, jungle fowl, spur fowl, black-eoc'e, bush' quail, and numerous other "me birds, literally jostled exch o: h.r Eyea within the last ten years, things hive sadly change, the game is gradually retiring further and further into thef: stnesses of the mountains and the few impenetrable jungles left, far from the haunts of man, The cause of this change is partly to be traced to the extension of the railways. Engine-drivers and railway tabondinetes make short work of any wild animals found near the stations, and the ryots and profess anal trappers account fora good number. These latter are most unmitigated poachers, and if there is a market ab and for- flesh, skins, or feathers, they will sob traps and snares everywhere for the smaller fry, and sit up in the night ov x water holes in the jungles to obtain larger animals, which they Slay regardless of sex or ngo. Tf there should eno market near, thy native trappers and their families eat what they require and waste the rest.
Phere are 1 be found all over India, forest tribes, which mainly depend on the enpture of game for their food. They are confined a8 & rule to jungles under the control of the Forest Department, and in all sue' tracts rates as to the protection of game and fish exist, and are carried out without in any way deprive g the wild man his natural rights, Laws for the pro: tection of crops justify the killing of animals, which ave. a menace to. life or crops, and if the cultivator merely protected is land, no undue, or really appreciable decrease of game would be the Tesult; but as is well' known, ho does not confine himself to this or anything like it, but makes his crops the pretext for killing, so long as it is edible, everything that he can, whether it is injurious to his crops or he f-rest laws, certain local game asweintions, and. the laws few reservations in native States, where the garnels reserved for the native Rulers and their guests, alone stem the tide of indescriminite slaughter of wild animals, game birds, and fish in In The Government proposes to introduce a Dill for the preservation of fish and game in British Tndis. This measure, if carried out, would ensure the careful consideration of licences granted to ryots who appeal for the protection of their crops; it would fall heaviest perhaps on the mere globe-trotter, who comes to the country for a short time expecting the best of everything; and would, in general, enforce obeilience to the existing laws which are too often infringed. Te would be dificult indeed to find yama Taws tha: will satisfy everyone from Peshawar ts Cape Comorin. Much discussion must exsve on the draft of the Will as it at "present stands, and no doubt it. will be some time before such a mess-e can be passed into a law that avit} apply to the whole of British India. It-is not thought that a separate depart ment will be r quired to deal with the matter, and if ift to the di-cretion of existing oiticinls, the interpretation and application of the new law may be entrust-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.