IN THE LAND OF THE BORA. 101 



Though the bird is only to be found in small 

 numbers, and those very cunning, in the neighbour- 

 hood of towns such as Almissa, there are plenty 

 in the higher hills. Here they have a little 

 immunity from the constant bang-banging that 

 goes on lower down. I have now touched upon 

 the real drawback to Dalmatian shooting. The 

 issue of licences is practically unlimited, and they 

 cost about eighteenpence. This is printed on 

 each : " This licence costs nothing with the 

 exception of the attached stamp — one florin.' y 

 Nor is this all. I was talking to two natives one 

 day, and complaining how this spoilt the shooting. 

 "Now," said I, "I dare say there are fifty licences 

 granted in this little place." "Yes," was the 

 unexpected reply, "and twice as many people 

 shoot without one." Comment is needless. Ante 

 informed me that he goes every October with two 

 companions for a three days' shoot in the Mossor 

 Eange between Almissa and Spalatro. These hills 

 are four thousand feet high. I asked him what 

 their average bag was, and the answer was eighty 

 to ninety jarebica and fifteen to twenty zecovi 

 (hares). He told me that he knew a district north 

 of Duare where there was "a stone-hen in every 

 bush," and a couple of guns could easily bag fifty 

 brace in two days. He then went on to say that 

 there were stags in the Biokovo Mountains, which 

 rise to over five thousand feet behind Makarska, 



