Abstract
IN many respects the fauna of Ceylon is of unusual interest, and like many another island fauna it runs the risk of gradual encroachments at the hands of 'civilized' man. In order to further the preservation of the native animals and to stimulate a greater interest in them and their habits, the Ceylon Game and Fauna Protection Society has undertaken the publication of a new natural history magazine, Loris, to be issued twice a year (Colombo and London: Times of Ceylon Co., Ltd. 2s. 6d.). That there is need for such propaganda is shown by the history of faunal protection in Ceylon, which A. B. Lushington contributes to the first number. The slaughter of sambhur and deer for the sake of the export of then-hides and horns had reached gigantic proportions and entailed great cruelty, before the Government in 1891 passed ordinances to check the trade and to "prevent the wanton destruction of elephants, buffaloes and other game". Even so the trade continued, and several subsequent enactments have been required to bring about the protection which was desired. The first number of Loris is by no means confined to direct propaganda, for the editors are aware that the stimulation of interest in animal life is a better means to their end than mere denunciation. Accordingly they include sporting articles of a naturalist flavour, accounts of trips in the jungle, and an instructive article on natural history photography and the apparatus it demands, illustrated by excellent photographs of birds and nests.
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Loris: a Journal of Ceylon Wild Life. Nature 140, 720–721 (1937). https://doi.org/10.1038/140720d0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/140720d0