THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE 389 



circle on their snow-shoes. If the tracks lead out of it, they make 



another circle till they can determine the exact where- 



. Driving-. 



abouts of the anmials. Beaters are then posted, 



and the guns placed in favourable ground for the elks' passing. 

 During the drive the beaters either remain in their places with the 

 view of heading the elk if they try to break through, and then 

 some half a dozen hunters follow up the tracks inside the ring, 

 driving the animals gradually on to the deadly line ; or the whole 

 army of beaters may move slowly on, while the flanks draw in as 

 they advance. They should never make too much noise, but only 

 break a twig here and there, so as not to scare the beasts, but 

 drive them steadily up to the guns ; otherwise they would start off 

 at a sharp trot, and no shouting would then stop them. It often 

 happens that nothing will induce the elk to quit their abode in the 

 thick brushwood, and it requires a certain amount of knowledge of 

 their ways to place the guns in their usual passes. A drive may 

 last three or four hours, and every hope may be gone, when 

 suddenly a large dark grey body may be seen moving cautiously 

 out of the dense timber. There are strict laws protecting hinds, 

 enforced by a fine of ^10 (100 roubles) for killing each one, but 

 the bulls are mercilessly destroyed without regard to age or size ; 

 hence fine palmated horns are growing very scarce in the neighbour- 

 hood of bio- towns, where numerous shootinQ- clubs exist. 



The open season lasts from the end of August till the 31st of 

 December. In Finland, elk are still to be found in fair numbers, 

 owing to the special laws of the country hitherto forbidding elk-shoot- 

 ing altogether. Lately, however, this prohibition was to have been 



