162 BIG GAME SHOOTING 



who understand the people and their peculiarities, and who are 

 thoroughly ' posted ' in the whole business, one cannot go far 

 wrong. After six days' continuous sledging, we bagged four 

 bears out of six promised, a-fair average considering the market 

 value of promises. For this sport we paid at the rate of ten 

 roubles per pood, lodging, beaters and na tchai included, so 

 that our bill only came to 6o/., which I do not think excessive, 

 considering we covered over 400 versts, or about 260 miles. 

 There is no doubt that the man you contract with makes a 

 fine profit over the sledges, but I believe the money paid out 

 is fairly divided among the beaters, and averages about 25 

 copecks a head, equivalent to 6\d. in English money. 



Finding your bear depends mainly on the strict sobriety 

 and untiring vigilance of the men employed as watchers during 

 December and January. 



As soon as the first snow has fallen, the villagers turn out 

 in search of tracks, and when the animal's winter quarters have 

 been approximately discovered, a circle is marked out, within 

 which, unless fresh tracks indicate a move, the bear is certain 

 to be enclosed. This is called ' ringing.' 



Bears, unless wantonly disturbed, will scarcely ever move 

 when they have once comfortably established themselves, 

 though cases are on record where they have been known to 

 sally forth with extraordinary caution in search of food ; but 

 as a rule they remain at home, content with the nourishment 

 said to be derived from sucking their own paws. This being 

 so, it is remarkable to find bears still in excellent condition 

 after many weeks of somnolent starvation. 



Should the watcher get drunk, as is not unfrequently the 

 case in Russia as in other countries, and let the bear escape 

 unperceived, or should he develop a desire to rival Ananias 

 or Ah-Sin a practice not altogether peculiar to the Russian 

 peasant either then the sportsman's lot is not a happy one. 



A very favourable opportunity of securing several bears at 

 no great distance from St. Petersburg having presented itself 

 to me at the beginning of March 1889, I gratefully accepted 



