ROUMANIA 273 



and pelicans and wild geese and ducks simply swarm, passing their 

 lives there in ease, and rarely disturbed by the sight of a human 

 being. The best shooting grounds, offering as they do no accommo- 

 dation, are rarely visited by strangers, and the few residents are 

 fishermen, who pick up a precarious livelihood and shoot only in 

 the most primitive fashion. They make most useful guides, but as 

 sportsmen they are a failure. For a successful shooting expedition 

 in Dobrutcha, it would, I think, be necessary to have a small col- 

 lapsible boat that could be carried from lake to lake in a 



cart, as well as a tent and camp bed. Custanja, on the Requisites 



for an 

 shores of the Black Sea, would be about the best head- Expedition. 



quarters, for there the sportsman would find good hotel 

 accommodation, and could, moreover engage guides and hire carts. 

 For such shooting three weapons are advisable : a duck gun of large 

 calibre ; a smaller gun for shooting duck and snipe on the wing ; and 

 a rifle for the swans and wild geese. The foreigner would find no 

 difficulty in enjoying this sport, for the marshes are not preserved. 

 He would find autumn the best season. Of the many species of 

 marsh-fowl I make no attempt to treat specifically. 



An excellent headquarters for a shooting expedition in the region 

 of the Lower Danube would be found in Galatz, a night's rail from 

 Bucharest. Small steam-launches can be hired there, and good guides 

 could also be found who, although their knowledge of shooting- 

 amounts to very little, are thoroughly acquainted with the country. 

 Game is, however, so plentiful, that, if the sportsman only goes a 

 fair distance up country, it is impossible not to make good bags. A 

 warning must be offered as to keeping clear of the Russian bank of 



