THROUGH WILD EUROPE 95 



many English sportsmen, who resort there regularly 

 for the excellent Woodcock shooting and also for 

 an occasional Wild Boar. 



Here, my friend B , the Greek Consul, and 



one or two more, have the Woodcock shooting all 

 to themselves, and very good sport they have some- 

 times. I can well remember his old Transylvanian 

 shooting-cap, very much bashed in and broken at 

 the crown, but with four or five rows of the small 

 pin feathers from the wings of the Woodcock which 

 had fallen to his gun fixed all round the hat. He 

 had an excellent dog, a large English pointer, which 

 was not only worth his weight in gold as a sporting 

 dog, more especially for Woodcock, but was a most 

 faithful friend and companion. Poor old Nero ! I 

 was very sorry to hear of his untimely death after 

 my return home, because I knew well how much 

 he would be missed. He was a very gentlemanly 

 dog and exceedingly dignified in manner, while his 

 exploits, both in love and war, were numerous and 

 sometimes amusing. He was the biggest pointer, 

 I think, I have ever seen ; and his height and 

 strength were of great service in forcing his way 

 through the tangled Albanian coverts after the 

 ' cock,' while in his frequent fights it enabled him to 

 hold his own against great odds. I have often seen 

 him attacked by three or four of the town dogs at 

 once, and he always came out of the ' scrap ' with 



