European Bison 77 



nine, and in the latter upwards of twenty head tailing victims to this 

 scourge. 



Passing over certain losses attributed to the bad condition of the fodder 

 in some years, we may conclude with a brief reference to the author's 

 views as to the gradual waning of the Lithuanian bison. This he attributes 

 to continuous in-and-in breeding, the slowness of breeding of the cows, and 

 the large percentage of bulls to the latter. So long ago as i8:?o Jarocki 

 recorded that the cows seldom, if ever, calved more than once in three 

 years ; while it has been subsequently ascertained that frequently for many 

 years they remain perfectly sterile, although afterwards they may again 

 breed. So slow is the increase, that among some forty adults, it is by no 

 means uncommon to see not more than four calves, while six is an 

 abiu)rmally large number. Although it is now, unfortunately, impossible 

 to determine what was the original rate of increase of the bison, judging 

 from its American cousin, and other considerations, it was almost certainly 

 higher than this. Moreover, the production of a high percentage of 

 males seems an evident sign of degeneration on the part of the females. 



Habits. — In its general habits, to which some allusion has been made 

 in the preceding paragraphs, the European bison appears to be very similar 

 to the woodland variety of the American species ; both being essentially 

 forest animals. Major Heber Percy states that many of the trees in the 

 Bielowitza forest are magnificent limes ; and he also mentions that the 

 bison are fond of grazing on a coarse aromatic kind of grass known as zubr 

 grass, which communicates its aroma to the animals themselves. Other 

 writers state, however, that they are equally fond oi browsing on the leaves, 

 young shoots, bark, and twigs of trees, those of the ash being their especial 

 favourites. In pursuit of this food they will strip whole trees as high up 

 as they can reach, while saplings are trampled completely down. In winter 

 they are driven to subsist entirely on buds, twigs, bark, and such patches 

 of dry grass and fern as remain. During spring and summer the herds 



