172 BIG GAME SHOOTING 



and, turned by a hideous din, shouts, noises, and whooping, 

 the scattered herd reappeared, galloping wildly by us on either 

 side. ' Le voila,' said M. Campione, and there could be no 

 mistake this time ; for, facing as I was, the forest was clearer, 

 and I could see him distinctly, a grand beast, his tail jerking up 

 over his back in anger, about sixty yards from me, giving me a 

 perfect side shot, of which I made the most, rolling him over 

 with a bullet behind the shoulder. The death holloa was given 

 by M. Campione, and by-and-bye appeared quite an army of 

 chasseurs and beaters. I at once set to work, after all con- 

 gratulations, carefully to cut the skin low down on the shoulders 

 so as to get plenty of neck, the appearance of so many good 

 heads being entirely ruined by not having sufficient neck 

 to set them up with. This bull was one which had become 

 well known, and I was told that several applications had 

 been made to St. Petersburg that the chasseurs might shoot 

 him, as he was dangerous, and had injured, if not killed, several 

 people. He was much larger than any American bison I have 

 shot or seen ; his hair was finer, longer, and not so curly ; his 

 colour was a shade lighter, and his horns do not curve at the 

 same angle as those of B. americanus. I noticed a strong 

 aromatic smell about both bull and cow, which they get from a 

 peculiar grass that grows in the forest called zubr grass. I was 

 informed the aurochs are very fond of it. I picked some of it 

 and found that it resembled ribbon grass, but the blade was all 

 green, and had the same strange aromatic smell which I noticed 

 in the aurochs. The height of the bull at the shoulder was about 

 six feet, but he gave me the idea of being a leggier beast than 

 the bison of America. I saw no difference between him and 

 B. americanus which could not be accounted for by climate 

 and habitat. The differences between European reindeer and 

 American barrenland and wood caribou are certainly greater, 

 and the differences between European elk and American moose 

 are quite as great. I explained to General de Ceumern that I 

 had only permission to take the head and skin of the bull, and 



