FOUK-FOOTED GAME. 35 



extremely plentiful, and seldom went right 

 away ; but unless you were quick enough to 

 kill them almost as soon as flushed, they 

 slipped behind a tree, and your only other 

 chance was a long shot as they cleared the 

 tops of the willows. Here we all came to 

 time and shot much better ; and had we only 

 found this little paradise earlier in the day, 

 our bag would have been far heavier. 



During the day we saw very few ducks, 

 and except for an otter which Frank chased 

 persistently for a quarter of an hour over the 

 mud flats and through the reed forests, no 

 sign of any four-footed game, although I am 

 convinced these reeds shelter more game than 

 they are usually credited with — one compara- 

 tively small reed bed near Kertch containing 

 at least one pack of wolves, an abundance of 

 foxes, and until a friend of mme killed him, a 

 remarkably fine lynx. In the Caucasus these 

 reed beds are favourite haunts of wild swine 

 D 2 



