. Bird-hunting through wild Europe . ride some distance up the riverto reach the ferry we had used last year, which wasthe only one. We therefore halted at a house closeto the extensive ruins of an old Turkish castle, onwhose broken walls and crumbling battlements werethousands of Jackdaws, now the only inhabitants ofwhat at one time must have been an importantstronghold. We were as usual most hospitably received, andregaled with cigarettes, coffee, and raki, while theykilled and got ready a turkey for our dinner, andprepared sundry weird concoctions in the shape ofsweets. Just before the actu
. Bird-hunting through wild Europe . ride some distance up the riverto reach the ferry we had used last year, which wasthe only one. We therefore halted at a house closeto the extensive ruins of an old Turkish castle, onwhose broken walls and crumbling battlements werethousands of Jackdaws, now the only inhabitants ofwhat at one time must have been an importantstronghold. We were as usual most hospitably received, andregaled with cigarettes, coffee, and raki, while theykilled and got ready a turkey for our dinner, andprepared sundry weird concoctions in the shape ofsweets. Just before the actual dinner was servedthey brought us the wings, which had been pulledor broken off and roasted. In the morning we started off again for the ferry,and made for the pine-forest on the opposite side ofthe lagoon to where we camped last year, having inthe meantime picked up our old friends the fisher-men, to whom we had sent word to look outfor us. Our camp was pitched by midday under a pine-tree at the waters edge. From the tent-door we. I (AO < K H H< z THROUGH WILD EUROPE 215 could see the white groups of Pelicans clustered ontheir islands, and swimming about in the Black-headed Gulls were industriously-fishing just in front of us ; while in the shallowswere wading birds of various descriptions withSquacco Herons and occasional Little Egrets, andoverhead were soaring Sea Eagles. These inter-esting glimpses of bird life before us, with thesombre depths of the pine-forests behind, madeit an ideal camping-place for two enthusiasticornithologists. After a hasty meal we were soon under weigh in thedug-out canoes awaiting us, while our men werebusy cutting firewood and getting things snug andshipshape for the night, and preparing a hot dinnerready for our return. On the way we shot a Green-shank, and saw a fine adult Sea Eagle knock over aBlack-headed Gull, which it left behind for us topick up. The three islands used by the Pelicans were covered with nests. B- to
Size: 991px × 2523px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookidcu319240, booksubjectbirds
