240 FOREST LANDS OF NORTHERN RUSSIA. 
wolves,coming to avillage, placing themselves in ambuscade, 
send a she-wolf of the herd yelping through the village, 
running at full speed, and returning again with like speed 
and yelping still. ‘The dogs of the village are roused, give 
chase, and when beyond the ambuscade are attacked by 
the herd, killed, and devoured. In the case referred to, 
my son-in-law was informed by a peasant that he had 
heard the yelping, and on going to the village he saw the 
footprints of the dogs and the wolves. The ambuscade 
appeared from the footsteps to have been. at the back of 
the ‘first house in the village; thence they could trace 
by blood drops on the snow the route by which the wolves 
had carried off their prey; and on reaching their rendez- 
vous they found shreds of the skins of the dogs lying 
about like hides in a tan-yard. 
In Western Siberia are reared large herds of horses. To 
these the wolves are very hurtful. In travelling there in 
the summer there may be seen large herds of mares with 
their foals grazing, accompanied by a stallion, who acts as 
paterfamilias; should a wolf make his appearance he 
drives the mares into a circle, with the foals in the centre, 
and the mares looking towards them; and while he rages 
and defies the wolf, they are ready to receive him as a 
square of infantry reccives a charge of cavalry, should he 
venture within reach of their hoofs. 
A statistical report lately addressed to the Minister of 
the Interior estimates the damage done by wolves in 45 
European Governments of Russia during the year 1878 at 
74 millions of roubles. The Government of Samara was 
set down as the greatest sufferer to the extent of 650,000 
roubles ; next came Vologda at 560,000 roubles, and so 
on. The Polish and Baltic provinces and Archangel came 
off best. But competent judges consider this estimate of 
wolfish mischief as much too low. It is calculated on the 
basis of a low average value for all Russia, as if the price 
of an ox or a sheep was about the same everywhere 
throughout the Empire, It also sets the absolute amount 
