Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1876-11-10
Woiyo, In Russia.


\ most curious AM interesting pamphlet
has lately been published aj 81. Petershurgh
- an appendix 10 the government official
/ yaIer, the Pnyitelstbenri Nicstuick. 1t
/ consists OF statistics Of the amour. 1f damage
l done hy wolves In Russia with remarks on
/ the habitat Of these destructive ava mas and
On the means for destroying them. The
amount Of property destroyed by wolves, ae-
co;ding to the data given, = something aI
pailiDg.
In tie year 1872, for example, IN one
/ government, that OF Nologda, comprising an
area Of 81 ,0UJ square yersts, they killed
/ li.000 head oi large cattle and $1,000 head
If small in the k4zan government. in o
| SPACE Of only So 600 square vcrsts. they
/ killed ) coo large and 26,eo0 small, of an
aggregate value % % eco ruSlcs, the 2opu-
lation Of this government being OILY Lib
0oO In the =. Petersburg government the
losses are smaller. but even there, in the
same year. property wasdestroyei by wolves
to the extent OF 6l,0o0 rub.es. And these
figures are taken at very moderate estimates
taking only 50 rubles all round for the
large cattle, and four rabies ior small cattle,
such as sheep and calves.
In 10 Russian government, exclusive Of
the Baltic provinces and Poland, : IL 900
head of cattle were destroyed in one year,
making loss to the country of over 500,
0J0 rub.es, or more than a million sterling
Russia Is thinly populated country. and
| perhaps the above loss appears even more
striking when considered in reference %
area. Putting aside eight ont Of the forty
five governments, the loss on the remaining
thirty-eight amounts to three c0pecks on
every deciatine of >. acres. The report
assures Us that the figures are for several
reason, rather under than oyeI-stated. It
contains much that is interesting as regards
the natural history of the wolf, illustrated
by anecdotcs,-as, for example, to show the
strength Of these beasts, it relates that one
fell into trap and lost its right fore foot
on three legs 1t ran out the wood and seized
q sucking, pig tied BY hunters to the rear Of
their sledge, received bullet through the
| leg, and, nevertheless, ran twenty yersts
further, and was killed running. The
amount wolves will eat Is enormous. In
two or three hours a pair viii eat the half
Of horse weighing $50 kilO-rammcs, they
themselves weighing not more than 30 kill
grammes. \ dangerous popularity Is their
trick OF appearing to be dead. a peasant
found wolt apparently dead on the ground,
beat him with cadgel and took him home
on his sledge for the sake Of his skin. la
the night he heard noise, and fOun1 the
animal on the table. ltjumped a, his throat,
and his wife. who rushed for help, found
him dead on her return.
The report states that the number Of
/ wolves in the country cannot be less OOOO,
and that they eat OF fea;hered game alone
200 900 600 head. ln 1873 no less than 200
people were destroyed by wolves, and many
and various are the means suggested for sup
pressing these injurious animals, ssch as
forming regular hunts, giving premiums for
every one killed, poisoning them, &c. \
| comparison is instituted between the losses
oceasioncd by cattle plaques and hres as
against those caused by wolves, and, extra0r-
dinary as it may seem, the proportion OF
| daunge done BY wolves as compared with
cattle plaques is as 200 to 2i0, and it must
| further be taken into consideration that
while the epidemic may leave the peasant
/ the skin of the cow, the wolf carries away
his prev irreelaimably. And even in
contest with the deyOuring element for the
supremacy in destruction, the wolf Is hardly
| left behind.
When we consider that the above figures
relate only to one species Of wild beast, and
/ that the peasants of Russia are exposed to
losses Of a ike nature from bears, foxes, &C.,
the aggregated damage one BY wild teests
/ in that country cannot be looked upon Ctner-
wise than as a most serious calamity.