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WILD ANIMALS. 



The wolf of Asia lias a reddisli fulvous colour, and is found in 

 Arabia, Syria, certain parts of China, and throughout the ■whole 

 of India, being most abundant in the Deccan and central provinces. 

 The Indian species are described aa being usually- rather silent 

 beasts, barking only occasionally just like pariah dogs, but seldom 

 heard howling after their prey like the European animals. They, 

 however, have a most fearful record, being classed next to the 

 tiger in their destruction of human life and property, their victims 

 being generally helfiLess-girls and young children. "We append 

 herewith ail extract from the Indian Grovernment returns, which, 

 at a glance, will show the human and cattle tribute levied by the 

 various animals and by snakes in the Presidencies and Provinces 

 collectively of Bengal, Assam, North-West Provinces and Oudh, 

 Punjab, Central Provinces, British Burma, Ajmere and Mhairwara, 

 Berar, Mysore and Coorg, Madras and Bombay : — 



Number of persons and cattle killed in British India by wild 

 beasts and venomous snakes during the years 1875-81, and the 

 results of the measures adopted with a view to their extermi- 

 nation : — 



The slaughter of predatory wild beasts now being encouraged by 

 the Indian Government seems to produce but little effect, foi* the 

 analysis of the returns shows a but very slight annual diminution 

 in the number of lives lost, except noticeably in the caSe of the 

 wolf In 1875, 1061 people were killed by these brutes, but in 

 1881 only 256. 



With regard to the returns of deaths by snake^bites it is 



