HUNGARY 67 



as well as the Crete goat and Caucasian ibex, have also been 



more recently imported, but the experiment has not yet had a 



fair chance for the results to be in any way conclusive. 



About four hundred thousand hares are annually shot, the big 



shoots being in late autumn. Many hundreds of beaters are 



employed on these occasions, and they cover a great 



, . Hares and 

 area of open land, as well as some woodland, tormmg j^^^j^ji^g^ 



in -their advance three sides of a square, the guns 



marching with the beat on the front line, and the corner posts being 



the hottest. At the end of such a beat, which may last for several 



hours, the two side-lines (beaters only) close up and beat back to the 



stopping front line. It is in this way that often upwards of two 



thousand hares are bagged in the course of a day, and the corner 



post, under the wind, may bag a third, or even a half, of this 



enormous bag. Two men carry poles after each gun, and when each 



pole has the full count of ten hares it is taken back to the carts. 



The photograph on the next page shows the unloading of the cart. 



Rabbits too have increased in some districts out of all bounds, and 



may be said to do more harm than good. Luckily, they are not 



established in many parts of the country. 



Hungary's largest game-bird is the bustard of the plains. In 

 some parts it occurs in great numbers, but it is always ^^^^^^^ 

 difficult of approach. 



Then there are the capercailzie and blackcock. The former gives 

 in the mountainous regions wonderful sport when stalked in early 

 spring in the first moments of dawn, as he is singing his love-song. 



