8 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



the way of the beasts they were to slay. Twenty paces from this 

 stand was an opening in the fence, through which the animals 

 were driven. There could be surely no great skill required in 

 shooting at a driven herd from so short a distance, but merely 

 the brutal enjoyment of killing a large number of animals — a 

 trait which unfortunately is not yet extinct, as the massacres of 

 modern times in North America and South Africa have shown. At 

 the period referred to, on a great hunting day, forty-two head 

 have been killed, of which the Queen alone killed twenty, and 

 found time (it is said) to read a novel whilst waiting for the 

 beaters to come up ! 



Statistics as to the number of Bison then existing are of a 

 doubtful character. In 1829, 711 head were reported, including 

 633 adult animals; in 1830, 772; in 1831, 657; in 1853, 1543; 

 in 1857, 1898; in 1866, according to a Government report, from 

 1500 to 2000, but according to the foresters, only 500; in 1882, 

 600; in 1886, 433; in 1889, 380; and in 1892, 491. The 

 noticeable diminution of numbers, notwithstanding the large 

 amount expended on their preservation, is due to untrustworthy 

 management, the forest grant being unjustifiably appropriated, 

 and poachers allowed to take what they liked. The responsible 

 "woodwards" invented all sorts of diseases and epidemics to 

 account for the disappearance of the game. 



This tract of forest has now for some years belonged to 

 the Apanage Department, and the numbers no longer decrease. 

 A purely military guard has superseded the foresters.* After 

 many experiments, mostly with negative results, any young 

 motherless Bison, Elk, and Red-deer that are found are now 

 brought up on cow's milk. For calves of from one to two 

 months old this is mixed with an equal quantity of warm water, 

 which is gradually diminished. After four months they take to 

 bruised oats. As the milk easily turns sour, and is then said to 

 cause intestinal inflammation, eight or ten teaspoonfuls of infused 

 tea are added to each half-litre. The latest proteges of the super- 

 intendent, a fine strong bull Bison and four cows, were sent to 

 Pless as a present in February, 1893. 



From Bialowicza, as well as from the Caucasus, living 



* 'Zoologische Garten,' vii. p* 350; ' Neue Deutsche Jagd-Zeitung,' vi» 

 p. 134; x. p. 278; xiii. p. 186; 'Deutsche Jiiger-Zeitung,' xx. p. 123; xxi. 

 p. 127. 



