WOLF DAYS IN PENNSYLVANIA. 63 



ance of wolves in the North Woods, sa3's : "In the 

 3'ear 18T1 New York State put a bounty on their 

 scalps, and it is a most singuar coincidence that a great 

 and sudden decrease in their numbers took place about 

 that time. WHiat became of them is a great and, to me, 

 inexplicable mystery, for it is known that but few 

 were slain. There is but one direction in which they 

 could have escaped, and that is through Clinton 

 County into lower Canada. In so doing they would 

 have been obliged to pass around the north end of Lake 

 Champlain and cross the river Richelieu and before 

 reaching the extensive forests would have had to 

 travel long distances through tolerably well-settled 

 portions of country. And there is no evidence that 

 tliey made any such journey." Doubtjess more Adi- 

 rondack wolves were killed than were born, and, like 

 the wild pigeons which were similarly affected, they 

 had to come to an end. In other words, the old ones 

 all died out about the same year. In Pennsylvania it 

 was starvation and poisoning that wiped out the 

 wolves. In W^est \'irginia wolves disappeared mys- 

 teriously about the same time as in New Yoi-k and 

 Pennsylvania. In the Adirondacks deer were plentiful 

 at the time the wolves disappeared. In Pennsylvania 

 when the black wolves made their ineffectual break for 

 the North, wild life was at its lowest ebb in the Seven 

 Mountains. The bulk of the original pine and hem- 

 lock was gone, disastrous forest fires were annually 

 laying waste vast areas, hunters and trappers were 

 everywhere. The active measures of the State Forestry 



