THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE 407 



Russian Empire, I may add that the peninsula of Kamschatka 



harbours a near ally of the American bighorn, i.e. Ovis nivicola, 



but, except for the interesting and instructive account of this sheep 



given by Dr. Guillemard in his Cruise of the Marchesa (vol. i. 



p. 214), very little is known of its distribution and 



habits. It probably also exists in the Stanovoi Moun- ^^^^ Sheep 



of Kam- 

 tams, along the coast of the Pacific Ocean, where keen schatka 



sportsmen would find their hunting aspirations amply 

 rewarded. I have lately been told that a species of goat in- 

 habits the same range of hills some two hundred miles north of 

 Vladivostok, with horns approaching in character those of the 

 tahr. 



Coursing with boi'zois, or Russian wolf-hounds, is commonly 

 practised in Russia. There are two clubs in St. Petersburg and 



Moscow, the members of which devote themselves 



Coursing, 

 entirely to that branch of sport, and field-trials take 



place every year in the neighbourhood of both capitals under the 



superintendence of H.I.H. the Grand Duke Nicholas, who awards 



the prizes and cups. The best kennels are owned by Prince Galitzin 



and Count Stroganoff 



Hunting in Russia is practically confined to wolf-hunting, with 



the exception of the Imperial hunt, which maintains a pack of 



foxhounds. But by far the most popular sport is the combined 



operations of foxhounds and borzois after wolves. It is practised 



throughout the whole of Russia, but, owing to the 



"^ , , ^ Hunting. 



absence of bogs and marshes, the central and southern 

 governments of Russia afford better grounds for the purpose than 



