Norwich bulletin., 1916-10-06
THE WAR PRIMER By National Geographic Society

SareIinia-When Europe, at peace l once more, invites the American trav- eler to it's shores one of the few spots whose ruins will not suggest the san guinary struggle which has brought sorrow and desolation to practically all that war-ridden continent is little known Sardinia, the subject of a com munication from Helen Dunstan Society. A part of the writer's de- scriptive article has been issued by the Society as a geography bulletin which says
 Those who have taken the Medi- terranean route have at least had d glimpse of Sardinia from their steam CT Q day out of Naples. The island is in sight for some hours, and, if the steamer passes sufficiently close, bold, rocky coast can be seen on which Roman outlook towers remain similar to those scattered along the south shores of Spain. The tourist seldom includes a trip to Sardinia, in his travels, as neither of his advisers, Thomas Cook nor Baedeker, recoIn- mends it to him. It however, is one of the few foreign fields that has not been overrun and overfed by the tour ist, and in many of the villages a traveller is still regarded as @ guest and as a prey to be bounced upon.
 Some day, when tourists are tired of taking the tours laid out for them by the guide books, perhaps they will break away from the continent and set sail for Sardinia, especially if they are not travelling just to enjoy hotel comforts. One can rent a good auto mobile at Cagliari, and a week spent touring around the island would prob ably leave the plea santest of recol- lections and an experience long to be remembered.
 Sardinia can be reached by an eight hours night voyage from Civi- tavecchia, the port of Rome, to tLe north end of the island. The cro &.ng is quite comfortable. The beauty of the sunrise over the sheer cliffs and the craggy isolated rocks of CoIfo degl Arcanci compensates for getting up at five in the morning.
 As soon as one lands, refresh ing fragrance in the air is noticed-a perfume characteristic of Sardinia not due, certainly, to orange trees, as suggested by the name of the port, there being none in this district, but to the many wild herbs and shrubs all over the island.
 Except for the eucalyptus and pine planted near the stations, there is a noticeable lack of trees along the railway routes. Among the mountains howeveA, which occupy the eastern half of the island and occur to some extent along the western coast there are important forests of oak. ileX, cork, and wild olive. Tn the noun tainous areas of the island are many fertile valleys.
 ''The town of Macomer is the cen ter of region where many fine horses, are bred for the Italian army, as are also the small ponies used in Naples. Cagliari, at the southern end of the island, is the principal seaport of Sardinia, and is often visited for a few hours by tourists taking the weekly steamer from Genoa and Liv- orno to Tunis. The bay of Cagliari is most impressive. On the right and left as you enter are hills, with moun- tains in the distance, while rising up from the lowlands directly opposite the entrance is the city, on rocky hill AGO feet high. The top of this hill is encircled by a massive wall, built by the Pisans in the 18th century. At two of the angles rise the towers of the Lion and the Elephant, but of the tower of the Eagle, which completed the triangle, only the base remains. In the center of these Notifications is the old town. On the slopes of the hill outside the walls is built the mod ern city of 53,000 inhabitants, the largest in Sardinia. The entire pop trlation of the island is estimated at 796,000, 0 density of population of S5 per square mile; that is a much lower figure than in any other part of Italy.
 
 teresting in Cagliari are the rock-cut tonabs on the hillside below the Cas- tello. There are probably of the same period as the uuraghi the famous prehistoric truncated cones 30 feet in diameter at the base and built by the men of the Bronze Age.
 "TEe nuraghf were undoubtedly | fortified habitations. They are usu- 1 ally situated in commanding positions l at the entrance to tablelands, near | the lords of rivers, or on almost in accessible mountain peaks and within 1 signaling distance of one another. I Traces of at least 500 of these remains l have been found.
 | The ancient tombs of the inhdbi- tants of the 'nauraghi' are usually found near them. These are called the tombs of the giants and are 1-2 | feet wide and from 30 to 40 feet long, with a roof of flat slabs or rocks and with the sides made of the slabs or of rough walling. The bodies were prob ably arranged in 8 sitting position. l In front of the tonbs are circles about 40 feet in diameter surrounded by stones: these were, no doubt, used for sacrifices and burial rites.
 ITO get an insight into the life of the inhabitants of this isolated island, l one should visit it's villages. It is in the entire eastern half, with it's noun ta1nous valleys and villa ges, where the real Sards now live. Here one will find them good looking and in good health, generous, hospitable, hon. orable and quite poor. Politeness is carried almost to an extreme Often as one rides through the small will lages the women, children and the old men sitting at the doorsteps rise and wish you a 'buon viaggio'; or if 1t ! happens to be noon, some may wish