BULGARIA 447 



shooting' at, antl tuuiid that he was, Hkc niyscH. alter snij)e. He could 



see them, however, sittinij-, declaring' that he first caus^ht sight of 



their eyes. His vision must have been extraordinary, and I scarcely 



believed him until I saw^ him kill one. The only other places I would 



mention are Tirnovo and Sarambey for partridges. At one time 



they swarmed round both these towns, but were so much shot down 



that they were specially protected a few years ago. The general 



'enforcinor of the new game laws has also had a beneficial effect, 



and Bulgaria may safely be expected ere long to be one of the 



best free sporting countries in Europe. Round 



, . Partridges. 



Sarambey the partridges are found both in the 



vineyards and maize fields, which also shelter quantities of hares, 



and all the plain is covered with quail in the autumn. The peasantry 



in Bulgaria are rough, but good-natured. They are, however, so 



well-to-do and independent that it is not always easy to get a man 



to carry lunch, cartridges and game, which, when it comes to a 



dozen partridges and three or four hares, is a weighty consideration. 



In reviewing the sporting capabilities of the Balkans, it may be 



said that the districts which would most surely repay a visit are 



Koprishtitza, the Rilo, and the Albanian coast. The 



11 11 -11 r 1 Best Sporting 



latter has always been celebrated, but it is still little p^j^^-j-gg 



shot over. The two former are almost virgin ground. 



The only fishing worth mentioning is at Rilo and in the Albanian 



lakes. 



