IV 



THE QUEST OF THE PELICAN : MONTENEGRO 



With the assistance of the law student before 

 referred to, M. Saverias Djouraschkovitch, I began 

 to make preparations for my search. The first thing 

 was to find somebody who knew the country and 

 the best localities for birds, and I presently engaged 

 a certain Nikola, who had been recommended to me 

 as a great chasseur, for four crowns a day (Austrian 

 currency seems to be in general use here). 



On the ioth of April I began operations by a visit 

 to the mouth of a river about twenty miles off, where 

 I was told Pelicans were generally to be seen. 



A pack-horse was engaged to carry cameras and 

 my sleeping-bag and rugs, while Nikola, Djourasch- 

 kovitch, and I walked. Nikola carried my small 

 collecting gun, of which he had taken possession as 

 a matter of course, and a fine Hobby having been 

 seen in a tree soon after we had passed the town, I 

 sent him after it to see what he could do. After 

 missing it twice he came back without the bird. As 

 a chasseur Nikola was certainly a failure, for he was 



a bad shot both with my gun and his own, a 



72 



