62 BIRD-HUNTING 



Travelling in itself is pleasant enough ; travelling 

 for any specified object adds enormously to the 

 interest. And the search after rare birds is a most 

 fascinating pursuit, inasmuch as it leads one of 

 necessity into the most out-of-the-way and therefore 

 the most interesting places, where the scenery is of 

 the finest, and where the people, if there are any at 

 all, are genuine representatives of their country, 

 unspoilt by the life of cities and by contact with the 

 ubiquitous tourist. The very difficulty of the pursuit 

 adds to the enjoyment of success ; and if there is a 

 suspicion of danger attached to the work it gives 

 fresh zest to the whole. 



At Serajevo one feels on the threshold of Eastern 

 Europe, and of another world ; a world of strange 

 costumes and baggy breeches, and of Oriental ways 

 and customs, far removed from the frock-coated, 

 top-hatted world of the rest of Europe. And yet 

 we are still only in Austria — Austria, that is, to all 

 intents and purposes. For the Treaty of Berlin, 

 which played the game of General Post thirty years 

 ago in this part of Europe, gave the administration of 

 Bosnia, Dalmatia, and Herzegovina into the care of 

 Austria, and this country now practically governs them 

 as if they were her own. She has certainly spent 

 much money on railways and more on fortifications, 

 and her soldiers (in blue tights) are everywhere 

 present. There are banks, public buildings, and a 



