72 ' SPORT IN EUROPE 



be confessed that fishing as a sport has yet to be developed in 

 Hungary. 



There is fair hunting to be had in Hungary, though the packs are 



not numerous. Our cHmate is by no means favourable for the sport 



of sports. The season is so short that a hunting man 

 Hunting. 



may consider himself lucky indeed if he gets eight full 



weeks of it in the year. The heat and drought on the one hand do 

 not allow of hunting in earnest until October is on the wane, and once 

 December is with us every hunting day without frost and snow may 

 be accepted with thanks. Before the arrival of Christmas the land is. 

 save in exceptional years, frozen over for good. As regards fox- 

 hunting in particular, the difficulty is to find rideable country and foxes 

 together. The spread of game-preserving is death to the foxes. So 

 that, with all these drawbacks to contend against, only two packs of 

 foxhounds hunt the country. One of these is a society pack at 

 Budapest, which rides over a smooth, sandy country, hunting fox four 

 times a week and stag twice. Por many seasons the field had the 

 honour of the presence of His Majesty the King Francis Joseph and 

 Her Majesty the Queen, both of whom were regular in their attend- 

 ance. To say they knew how to ride after hounds would be stating 

 only what is well known. His Majesty is not only a keen horseman, 

 but is still keener with the gun and rifle. One of his favourite sports 

 is the stalking of capercailzie. He would often, for example, leave 

 Vienna at eleven at night, shoot his birds high up in the Alps at 

 three in the morning, and be back in Vienna for his day duties 

 by seven without a moment's rest. The master of the hounds, Count 



