[1] See Geikie’s Text-Book of Geology, 1st edition, p. 867.
WAPITI CALLING.
Reverting to the Schepetowka district, it remains to refer to the occurrence of large erratic blocks of a grey syenitic gneiss (commonly miscalled granite) which are used for road-metal, and likewise as an ornamental building stone at Antoniny. What I take to be the same rock is found in situ at Koretz, where it forms the foundation of an ancient ruined castle belonging to the Count. I was also interested in a rock containing fine blue crystals of Labrador felspar, polished balls of which are displayed at the entrance of Antoniny.
To the northward of Schepetowka the nature of the country undergoes a remarkable change, the soil becoming sandy in place of alluvial, and magnificent forests of Scotch fir replacing the cultivated ground and oak-forests on the south side of the line. In these forests, a short distance from Schepetowka, wild boars are still numerous, although the number of head is believed to have been reduced by the severity of last winter. The huge size attained by the Schepetowka boars is demonstrated by a magnificent specimen—the gift of Count Potocki—exhibited in the Natural History branch of the British Museum at South Kensington.
After continuing for about a dozen or fifteen miles, the pine-forests cease, and we are once more on open cultivated land, which continues all the way to Pilawin; the soil being, however, more sandy and lighter in colour than that of the Antoniny district.
EUROPEAN AND AMERICAN BISON IN THE PILAWIN PARK.
Only one change of horses was made on this journey, and that when only about one-third the distance had been accomplished. Despite the frightful condition of the roads and torrents of rain, the second team covered the sixty odd kilometres at a long swinging trot, which was only broken for short intervals twice during the journey. The last few miles before reaching the Pilawin forests were, however, on a macadamised road—the great military road from Warsaw to Kieff. Turning off from this road to the left some few miles after leaving Koretz, the final stage to Pilawin—about seven kilometres—was almost entirely through magnificent primeval forest. At the turning we were met by an escort of twelve Don Cossacks (whose duty it is to patrol the park), who rode alongside and behind the carriage till our destination was reached at 3.30, the whole eighty kilometres from Schepetowka having thus been covered, despite the heavy rain, in six-and-a-half hours.
