THROUGH WILD EUROPE 279 



and haul up the line. I believe they take in this 

 way a huge big-headed fish like a Cat-fish, which I 

 have seen in the well-boats which bring live fish 

 up to Budapest. 



This river, too, produces the biggest, fattest, - and 

 juiciest-looking Mayflies I have ever seen. I wish 

 I could have brought some back to introduce into 

 our Trout streams. In spite of all our inquiries at 

 each stopping-place we never got any reliable in- 

 formation about the Pelicans. The fishermen we 

 questioned either professed ignorance or else con- 

 tradicted themselves and one another so hopelessly 

 that their evidence was never worth acting upon. 

 And though I was constantly on the look-out for 

 Pelicans, I never saw more than one passing glimpse 

 of some flying at a great distance off, so far away 

 in fact that even with a powerful glass I was unable 

 to say for certain that they were Pelicans. The 

 size of our boat made it necessary to keep to the 

 deeper channels, and we were obliged to leave all 

 the maze of reed-beds and shallow water which lay 

 between untouched. It was quite possible to have 

 passed a dozen colonies of Pelicans unseen and un- 

 noticed ; and I feel certain that the fishermen were 

 reluctant to give information to one in the official 

 position of an Inspector of Fisheries. The prob- 

 ability is that they didn't want him to be making any 

 stay in their neighbourhood, there being a natural 



