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deer species; the seasons usually last between two and four months,
depending upon the need to protect the animal, between the months of
August and February. There are bounties on wolves and foxes. Wildcats,
falcons, and hawks are also considered harmful and may be killed at any
time. The polecat--in Europe the _Mustela putorius_, a fetid-smelling
member of the weasel and otter family--is a bloodthirsty, insatiable
hunter that terrorizes poultry. It also may be exterminated.

The many caves in limestone-dominated regions have given rise to various
types of blind fauna. The largest of them are crabs, but most are
insects, including mosquitoes, butterflies, spiders, locusts, and common
flies. Although they are blind, exposure to light is usually fatal to
such species.

Rivers contain several kinds of freshwater fish, the most plentiful of
which are sturgeon, whitefish, and European carp. Mackerel account for
the largest percentage of fish taken from the Black Sea. There are no
sharks or other dangerous fish in these waters, but a rare Black Sea
seal breeds along the rocky coast north of Varna.

Mineral Resources

The country's mountains contain a variety of metallic and nonmetallic
minerals. A few are of good quality, but most of these occur in very
small quantities. Iron and coal, which are basic to a metallurgical
industry, are mined, but neither of them is of the proper variety or
quality nor are they available in adequate quantities to be used
economically.

Largest deposits of iron ore occur in the far western Stara Planina and
the Strandzha mountain range. There are smaller deposits in the vicinity
of Burgas, along the Black Sea coast, and near Sofia to the north and
west of the city. Estimated reserves total in excess of 10 million tons.

Coal has been located in some twenty small deposits. There is an
anthracite basin in the Stara Planina twenty miles north of Sofia and
another in the extreme northwest end of the range. Bituminous coal
occurs in a larger basin in the central Stara Planina, but brown coals
and lignite are much more abundant.

Copper, lead, and zinc are mined in quantities that exceed domestic
requirements. Bulgaria ranks high in the production of them among the
eastern and southeastern European countries and exports small amounts of
them. Among the other metallic ores, Bulgaria has three of the more
important alloying metals--manganese, molybdenum, and chromium--but the
manganese is of