92 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 



striking traces of their Eastern origin in certain parts of their 

 costume. 



As it was now evening, almost the whole community had 

 returned from their work, and were to be seen in the main 

 street. Some of the figures were fine, tall, and very beautiful, 

 especially those of the women, whose costume is very comical, 

 and, according to civilized ideas, rather indelicate. Here was 

 a plain proof that all the customs of social life are mere 

 conventions, for with us there is nothing objectionable in 

 women showing their faces unveiled, but it is not customary 

 to see them with only a single skirt reaching no further than 

 the knee, and which has, moreover, an opening on both sides 

 up to the hips & la belle Helene. 



The Schokats, on the other hand, consider it improper to 

 go about with the face exposed, and muffle it in prettily 

 embroidered linen, leaving only a small opening for the eyes. 

 The whole upper part of the body is also covered with similar 

 wraps as far as the hips ; then comes the skirt, which really 

 consists of nothing but two aprons, one hanging in front and 

 one behind, but hardly reaching the knee, while the interval 

 along the thighs is quite bare, for the institution of the shift 

 has not yet penetrated to these villages. Friend Brehm was 

 quite charmed, and bitterly regretted that we could not stop 

 in this village, as it would have been so well worth his while 

 to have studied the customs and costumes of the country of 

 course only in the interests of ethnographical science ! 



We left the village behind us only too quickly, and drew 

 nearer and nearer to the "auen," our road passing through 

 fields and pastures close to a large and very fine Archducal 

 farm. Twilight had begun ; herons were flying from the 

 " auen " to the flats, and the other birds had already gone to 

 roost. 



A few hundred yards from the edge of the woods was a 

 pasture, where a bird about the size of a Merlin was flitting 



