30 4 BIRD-HUNTING 



the floor, cameras, tripods, guns, rifle, bandoliers 

 of cartridges, tins of arsenic, boxes of caterpillars, 

 et hoc genus omne ; while a Great Bustard and a 

 Bittern looked down from the walls, and a wolf-skin 

 served as a carpet in front of the bed. 



On the 5th of June we started on an exploring 

 expedition after Pelecanus onocrotalus, this time 

 saying nothing about it to the authorities. Rettig 

 was not in good odour with the officials, as there 

 existed some jealousy between him and the 

 naturalist at the museum, and the Government 

 had treated him very badly over the exhibition, 

 for which they had commissioned him to supply 

 a collection of birds and beasts. Not only did 

 he receive no payment, but he was unable to 

 obtain the specimens at its close ; and in one way 

 or another there was a good deal of friction. I 

 had found out, too, that since I had associated 

 myself with him the fishery administration officials 

 were not so cordial, and though they promised their 

 assistance nothing seemed to be forthcoming from 

 them. So we quietly went off one day provided 

 with my written permission from last year which 

 they had promised to renew but had not. 



First of all we hired Andreas again, and his 

 wagon, and drove through Mahmoudie, where I 

 was last year, to a village named Merigol (both 

 Turkish names). From this place we engaged a 



