138 BIRD-HUNTING 



and the fashionable world as Ospreys, and fetch 

 very high prices. 



In consequence of this persecution these birds 

 have become exterminated in most countries, and 

 it is only in very remote and out-of-the-way places 

 that they can exist at all. I did not altogether 

 consider Scutari the best place, although I knew 

 that they were to be found there, but my instructions 

 left me no choice in the matter. 



Now Scutari is not an easy place to get at, nor is 

 it, when you do reach it, a very desirable place to 

 live in. I could have gone overland from where I 

 was, but it would have taken me four days over 

 very difficult and dangerous country. There is also 

 a small Italian steamer which runs up the Bojana 

 river, when there is sufficient water, and calls at 

 Scutari. But taking - all things into consideration I 

 determined to go by steamer to Dulcigno, and from 

 there travel by horse. One reason for this was 

 the hope of being able to procure the services of 

 Djouraschkovitch as interpreter, for after my experi- 

 ence of Albanian towns I was not anxious to 

 arrive at one alone and unable to understand the 

 language. 



But engaging Djouraschkovitch was not quite 

 such a simple matter as I had expected. It turned out 

 that he had employment at the Turkish Consulate, 

 and also at the local office — a sort of town hall. 



