164 SHORT STALKS 



On the other hand, the Ibs-hund, or ranging dog, is 

 generally affected in Sweden. His business is to beat a 

 tolerably wide area on each side as his master proceeds 

 through the forest, 1)ut never so far that his bark will be 

 out of hearino-. He is often of a liixhter build, and more 

 calculated for speed than his l)rotlier who works in 

 harness. The loose hound has necessarily a large amount 

 of discretion left to him, for, although he knows very well 

 where his master is, by his trail which he continually 

 crosses and recrosses, he is frequently invisible to the 

 latter for twenty minutes or half an hour at a time. 

 When the dog finds elk, generally, in my experience, an 

 ox, a cow and a calf, his aim must be to hold them 

 by barking round them, but without getting too close ; 

 so as to keep them at bay, until the hunter, attracted 

 by the sound, approaches near enough for a shot. If, 

 as generally happens, the elk break the bay, the dog- 

 endeavours ao'ain to head them and arrest their flioht — 

 an exceedingly difficult thing to do if the animals have 

 suspicions of a two-legged jDursuer ; and, indeed, success in 

 this form of hunting is seldom attained, except after a run 

 which tries the bottom of the staunchest wind. If the 

 hunter possesses that attribute, I promise him some 

 glorious experiences. On the other hand, the finesses 

 of venerie and the intellio-ence of the hound are best 



o 



observed in followincj the gentler method. 



Elk have increased of late years under protective 

 legislation, and large numbers are killed by both t]ie 

 above methods. A writer in the Field gi^■es the official 

 returns, which do not include those surreptitiously taken 

 out of season, at 515 for Norway and 1782 for Sweden 



