446 SPORT IN EUROPE 



pheasants, a companion in a boat brougrht back two 

 Wild Fowl. 



wild swans and a big parcel of duck. 



The neighbourhood of Philippopolis used to be a fine ground, 



though a considerable portion of the extensive marshes has been 



drained and the forests felled. Snipe, full, jack, and 



,,, , . double, were plentiful, and the woodcock shootino- was 

 Woodcock. '■ 



first-class. Whilst after woodcock near Philippopolis, I 



once shot two large wild cats, which are comparatively rare over the 



Balkan peninsula. 



I never came across a bear in Bulgaria, though very decent skins 



are brought in from time to time. The Balkan bear 

 Bears. ^ * 



is small and mean compared to the Russian. 



Large flocks of bustard are sometimes seen round Sofia, and, 



whilst shooting woodcock at Grublihan, I met a peasant driving in 



half a score of these great birds with a switch. It had 

 Bustard. 



rained hard, and suddenly the temperature had fallen 



so as to freeze all the wing feathers and incapacitate the bustard 



from flight. The man had surprised them and securely tied them 



up, being then able to conduct them like turkeys. It is said that 



this is of frequent occurrence. There is no reason why the bustard 



should not be shot in Bulgaria with a rifle, as is the habit in 



Roumania, but with a gun he is difficult to approach. Some of 



the Bulgarian peasants are keen sportsmen and habitually shoot 



snipe, which is a bird wasting too much powder for most professionals. 



Whilst on the marshes one day, I noticed a native fire from time 



to time, but always along the ground. My curiosity 

 Snipe. 



being finally aroused, I went up to see what he was 



