220 IN THE LAND OF THE BORA. 



— the Himalayan method — is rarely successful in 

 Europe, perhaps because rarely attempted. Still 

 I tried it myself on many occasions in the Velez, 

 but never saw one, though they certainly were 

 about. Nor are bears often shot in the Herzego- 

 vina by tracking. So much of the country is bare 

 rock or forest with rocky subsoil, that no track is 

 left by an animal. Once, as will be hereafter 

 related, I had a chance on the snow. Cases are 

 not wanting where a wandering gunner, intent on 

 other game, has come upon bears. Two such 

 occasions are within my knowledge, on one of 

 which capercailzie, and on the other chamois, 

 were the objects of chase. But these occurrences 

 are so rare that they would by no means justify 

 one in wasting one's time going out for such a 

 purpose. Consequently, nine bears out of ten that 

 are killed here are shot with beaters. The first 

 step is to locate the bear or bears, for they are 

 generally found together. For instance, five were 

 killed in two drives near Ulog in October, 1894, 

 and three in one beat in the Bjelopolje, near 

 Mostar, on May 2 of the same year — two, right and 

 left, by my poor friend Miller. 



As is well known to most sportsmen, the bear 

 spends his winter hybernating in what is called a 

 gaura. In wooded countries this is sometimes a 

 hollow tree, and sometimes a sort of made nest 

 between several tree-trunks. In the Herzegovina 



