WOLF DAYS IN PENNSYLVANIA. 91 



lations only two dogs could be turned loose on one 

 wolf. Among the Russian dogs was one which had 

 won the gold medals in a wolf-killing contest at St. 

 Petersburg, offered by the Czar, and his owner claimed 

 that he could kill any American wolf. But the Russian 

 dogs failed, so did the Scotch dogs. One of the latter 

 quit fighting for a moment and its ow^ner pulled a 

 revolver and shot the dog dead, saying he would not 

 have a dog which would quit fighting."' A letter from 

 California states that Russian wolf-hounds are a fail- 

 ure on ranches where they have been installed for 

 the purpose of killing coyotes and wolves, and do as 

 much damage to live stock as the wolves. The writer 

 of this article is a lover of the Russian wolf-hound, 

 and has bred the dogs since 190G. But he believes the 

 race will have to be strengthened by actual contact 

 with wolves, or it will deteriorate into a mere showy 

 house-pet. In 1908 he obtained two coyotes and a 

 Bosnian wolf for a chase at ^IcElhattan, Clinton 

 County. The wolf-hounds did not seem inclined to 

 course the animals, so the chase was never held. The 

 coyotes are now in the Reading Zoo, and the wolf was 

 sold to a traveling showman. According to the news- 

 papers this animal broke out of the wagon 

 somewhere near Rochester, N. Y.. bit a cow which 

 was pasturing peacefully by the road side, and 

 also frightened a little girl. The Russian wolf- 

 hound is a beautiful and intelligent animal, and has 

 been justly called the "aristocrat of the dog kingdom." 

 Perhaps a cross between this breed and the Irish wolf- 



