“The most valuable reptile in the world”, is how American Professor Archie Carr describes the Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas). Unfortunately, this value is reflected again in the great reptile's alternative common name “the Edible Turtle”. Under the richly ironic scientific name of mydas, this ponderous marine has poured its rich juices into centuries of banquets proffered by the Lord Mayor of London or President of the United States. Genuine turtle soup is still a top status symbol in upper-class diet through most of the civilized world—except South-east Asia.

In reports of this nature it is customary to conclude by acknowledging the help received from other persons or organizations. In this case the procedure is being reversed in order to emphasize the fact that “Operation Oryx” was a combined operation, of which the part played by the field party represented only one facet.

The International Wildlife Conference, held at Arusha in Tanganyika from 5th to 12th September, 1961, has been justly described as the most important gathering of conservationists and ecologists ever held in Africa. Members of the Fauna Preservation Society can take satisfaction from the fact that their Society contributed a very great deal to its success. The Society made a very substantial grant towards the cost of African Special Project, Stage 1, the survey which preceded the conference, and also provided funds to enable twelve Africans to attend the conference and one of the post-conference tours. Furthermore, the Society was well represented at all the sessions of the conference by members of a delegation led by its President, the Marquess of Willingdon. What characterized the Arusha discussions as a whole was a sense of unity of purpose in the common effort to conserve the wildlife of Africa. On some points of detail there was conflict of opinion vigorously expressed. The merits and dangers of the regular cropping or harvesting of wild animals was a notable example. Conference was divided between the advantages in theory and the snags in practice, especially the snag of setting up adequate marketing facilities, but on this debatable point, as in others, it was significant that everyone was united in the importance of game management, an expression in common use throughout the week.

Nature Conservation in Poland is regulated by an Act of 7th April, 1949. This law reflects modern ideas of conservation and was, in fact, developed from two international nature congresses in which Poland took part—Brunnen, 1947, and Fontainebleau, 1948. The act contains a clear statement which can hardly be bettered of the purpose of nature conservation.

The African Special Project, 1960–1963, was launched in June 1960 at the General Assembly of IUCN in Warsaw, in co-operation with UNESCO, FAO (the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization), and CCTA (Commission for Technical Co-operation in Africa south of the Sahara), and with the governments of countries in tropical Africa. The object of ASP is to inform public opinion in Africa through African leaders upon the need for nature conservation based on ecological knowledge. Special attention is being given to the larger mammals which are endangered in many areas.

On ancient Indian maps the mountainous northern frontier is referred to as the Mahalangur-Himal, which may be translated as the mountains of the big monkeys. In view of recent reports one naturally wonders whether the big monkeys referred o t were the large langurs (Semnopithecus), which are known to ascend to the hills to altitudes of 12,000 feet, or to something still larger, which ranges to even higher altitudes.

By translocation is meant the transfer of wild animals from one area to another. The term may be used in the positive sense of introducing animals into an area, for instance to enhance the value of a reserve by re-introducing species that have been exterminated there, or in the negative sense of removing them from conflict with human interests as an alternative to their destruction.

In former times the Mediterranean Monk Seal, Monachus monachus (Hermann), was abundant on the Black Sea and Mediterranean coasts, along the Atlantic seaboard of north-west Africa and around Madeira and the Canary Islands. The following records are especially interesting.

Most of the information in this article refers to the south bank of the Kafue Flats, though much will doubtless be applicable to other areas where lechwe occur. Ansell (1955) refers to the lechwe on the Kafue Flats as “red lechwe”, and it has indeed been customary to apply this term to all lechwe in Northern Rhodesia, except those found on the plains around Lake Bangweulu and in the Chinsali District. The adult males of these latter have specially extensive black colouration, and have been called “black lechwe” (K. l. smithemani). But Ansell (1960) points out that the lechwe of the Kafue Flats are not the same as “red lechwe” from elsewhere, and has still more recently suggested (in litt., 27th August 1960) that the relic population in the Balovale District west of the Zambesi, is not identical with that of the Busanga Swamp. The possible differences in these populations would appear to be in the length and sweep of the horns, and in the extent of black markings on the forelegs of adult males. In this article we refer to all Northern Rhodesian lechwe populations without epithet.

Any news of wild life preservation (or lack of it) in India, as in other parts of South Asia, must be examined against the background of a young democratic and liberal administration which has not sought to restrict the issue of licenses for firearms and which has encouraged rapid development and industrialization. Those outside the sanctuaries have become considerably human population and spread of villages and agriculture, and an equal increase in numbers of domestic cattle and buffaloes with consequent opening up of new areas for grazing.

This report deals with Cervus eldi eldi McClelland, 1842, the Manipur (India) subspecies of a very beautiful deer which is only found in the south-western portion of the Logtak Lake in Manipur—a State of the Indian Union. In recent years it has become very rare, and for its preservation it became evident that more information about its numbers, habits, habitat and so on was needed. This survey, sponsored by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, and approved of by the Indian Board for Wild Life, attempts to supply the required information, and makes recommendations for ensuring the continued survival of this sub-species.