260 BIRD-HUNTING 



finest cabs and the most imposing cabmen I have 

 ever seen. The Roumanians like to compare their 

 capital to Paris on a small scale, but I was very- 

 glad to get away as soon as I could, provided, by 

 the kindness of the Minister of Fisheries, with a letter 

 of introduction to the Administrator of Fisheries at 

 Tulcea. 



Leaving Bucharest by the night train I was at 

 Galatz early the next morning in time to catch the 

 steamer for the little town of Tulcea, which was 

 reached soon after midday. 



There are a good many tiresome formalities to be 

 observed on entering Roumania, where bureaucracy 

 and red-tapeism reign supreme. It is one of the few 

 countries in Europe which insists on travellers being 

 provided with passports, and these have to be viseed 

 and stamped and inspected ad nausea7n. Though I 

 had shown my passport at the frontier, the same 

 formality had to be again gone through at this little 

 place before I could seek ' mine inn.' There are 

 two little inns here which call themselves 'hotels,' 

 but the accommodation is of a very humble charac- 

 ter. Still, the bill is of a corresponding humility ; 

 and the traveller, if not too exacting, can make 

 himself very comfortable as long as he has some- 

 thing to do to occupy his leisure. 



To lose no time I called at once at the office of 

 fisheries, but, as usual, was doomed to waste time 



