WOLVES IN SNOW TIME. 



143 



still periodically occur from wolves, and other minor 

 carnivorae. For instance, in Russia these losses cannot 

 be placed much under 1000 per annum. Then again 

 in Hungary, where extensive forests still exist 



"The Wiener Allgemeine Zeitung of Feb. 10, 1891, publishes 

 intelligence from Szolnok (Hungary) of the depredations of 

 a pack of wolves on the estate of Baron Woclisner, in 

 Szandau, which had attacked and killed over 20 peasants, 

 the unfortunate men having been entirely devoured, with the 

 exception of their feet and boots." * 



The winter of 1890 91 was one of the severest known 

 in Central Europe for many years, and no doubt the 

 cold and want of food drove these animals to desper- 

 ation, for only a fortnight afterwards the London 

 papers record a further loss of 4 lives in Hungary. In 

 one of these cases two clergymen of the Greek Church 

 at Temesvar were the victims they were out driving 

 in a sledge driven by a coachman with two horses, 

 when they were pursued by a pack of wolves, and 

 though the coachman drove at a furious pace, the 

 wolves overtook the sledge and jumping up upon the 

 back of it, they dragged the priests off, and devoured 

 them; the coachman and horses however, managed to 

 escape with their lives. Next day two watchmen who 

 were on duty on the outskirts of the city were also 

 killed, presumably by the same pack, f Even in 

 France these animals are still occasionally troublesome, 

 and from official returns it appears that in 1887 two 

 persons were attacked by them. A reward is still of- 

 fered by the French government for their destruction, 

 and it seems 900 were killed in 1885, 760 in 1886, and 



* See the London Times of Feb. nth, 1891, Renter's telegram, 

 j St. James's Gazette of Feb. 2$th, 1891. 



