WILD ANIMALS. 71 



This table is taken from the returns of the head rangers 

 in the different provinces, who pay a certain sum for every 

 beast and bird of prey killed. Probably many more 

 were killed of which no return was given. This return 

 however, shows a falling off from previous years, and I fancy 

 annually decreases, especially in the larger and wilder 

 animals. 



It seems that Norway and Finland are both richer than 

 Sweden in animals and birds of prey; for, in Norway, 

 between the years 1851 and 1855, the yearly average of 

 bears killed was 203; wolves, 228; lynxes, 115; eagles, 

 about 3000. In Finland, from the end of 1848 to 1850, 

 362 bears, 1995 wolves, 4352 foxes, 201 lynxes, and 191 

 gluttons were returned. 



According to the Swedish " Sporting Magazine" for 1863, 

 the loss sustained from wild animals throughout the whole 

 country in five years, 1856 1860, was as follows : 



rqr. 



336 horses, at 100 rqr. . 33,600 



1556 horned cattle, at 50 rqr. . 77,800 



31,752 sheep and goats, at 3 rqr. . 95,256 



144 pigs, at 8 rqr. . *- 1,152 



29,160 chickens, geese, etc., at 50 6. * 14,580 



1906 reindeer at 6 rqr. . ., . 11,436 



233,824 



And the ' ' vermin money" paid out by the different pro- 

 vinces for wild animals killed amounted to about 110,000 rqr. 

 in the five years. 



Strange as it may appear, the import of game and birds 

 for the table into Sweden is very considerable. 



Until about the year 1852, there was not a railway in 

 Sweden, the principal part of the inland traffic and carriage 

 being carried on by water ; and on account of its numerous 

 lakes and rivers no country in Europe can be better adapted 

 for water carriage than Sweden. In 1852, the first railway 

 was commenced in the middle of Sweden from Koping on 

 the Lake Malar to Hidt. This, however, was never 



