Coursing is a favourite amusement with the Tatars, who, contrary toour practice, take out for thispurpose as manydogs as theycan muster, and ensure the destruction of poor puss, by surroundingand besettingher on all sides, like some ferociousanimal, until she ishuntedbyone greyhound into the mouth of another. As soon as they have picked up their prize they immediately cut its throat, as they are forbidden to eat "flesh x with the blood thereof/" I have seen them refuse to partake of game at our table, because they suspected that it had not undergone this operation. The hares of the Crimea are very large, generally weighing nine or ten, and often thirteen or fourteen pounds. Their fur becomes somewhat more grey in winter, but never white, as in the north of Russia, and Poland. The wild rabbit does not exist in the peninsula.
The most remarkable animal of the Crimea is the jerboa, which is an inhabitant of the open plains. During my residence at Karagoss, two English gentlemen observed one of these little creatures runningandjumpingon the Stepp, near our garden. They followed with a determination to catch it ; but after chasing it in many directions for about an hour, one of them returned home for adog to assist them, while the other remained in order to keep thejerboa in sight. Even with this additional force, they renewed the chase without success ; for after keeping both man and dog at a distance for halfan hour longer, it at last ran into cover, among the stacksand strawon the toke, or threshing-floor. Whenever pressed, it sprang, by the help of its tail, to the distance of five or six yards. My son once brought one homewhichhad been caught by a greyhound, but he believes that the dog had surprised it while sleeping.
Ofthe larger animals, the wild boar, and a small species of deer, are found on the wooded mountains, and are sometimes brought to market by the Bulgarian settlers. Wolves also are occasionallyheard of, and do considerable mischief among the flocks of sheep, but they are by no means so numerous as on the northern Stepps. Notwithstanding our vicinity to the spot from which the pheasant is said to have derived its origin and its name, that bird is never seen in the Crimea. Partridges and quails are sufficiently plentiful, and the bustard is not uncommon on the Stepp. There are also said to be five distinct species of snipes. Three birds, remarkable for their beautiful plumage, but all, I believe, occasionally found in England, frequent the garden at Karagoss : the hoopoe, the roller, and the bee-eater. The latter appears to be abird ofpassage, arriving early in the spring, x2 and committing great depredations among the hives, ifnot well watched and destroyed.
The Tatars and Greeks have no knowledge ofthe art of shooting flying, and always express the greatest wonder when they see it practised.
The Tatars make considerable exertions to destroy the locusts, when a flight of those creatures, as sometimes happens, visits the Crimea.
The villagers are called out by districts, and from five hundred to one thousand men are encamped upon the parts of the Stepp which are infested by them. In the instance which occurred during my residence, this system continued for several weeks, and much hay, which lay ready to be carried home, was used for the purpose ofburning the locusts. This was done by making trenches, depositing the hay therein, setting fire to it, and sweeping the locusts into destruction.
The annoyance of flies and fleas begins with the first mild weather, and does not cease till the recurrence of frost. The usual method of destroying the latter, is by setting a dish full of water by the side of a lighted candle. In this manner we have sometimes caught three, four, and five hundred in the course ofa single night.
There are several beautiful species of insects which my children have collected in the garden and fields, particularly a large blue beetle, the covering of which possesses the brightest possible hue and polish. The fire-fly also enlivens the darkness of our summer nights.
Many bees are kept in the Crimea, and the honey of the peninsula is in considerable repute, being much preferred to that of Russia. No less than five hundred hives were formerly kept by one individual at Karagoss, and during myresidence, aGreek of Imarette was possessed of three hundred. The Tatars are extremely fond of honey, which they eat, when they can obtain it, in great quantities with their pastry, but they are not themselves permitted to keep bees, when the proprietor of the estate on which they live has a bee garden.