;-NRLF 
 
 SB 51 E1S 
 
THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 PRESENTED BY 
 
 PROF. CHARLES A. KOFOID AND 
 MRS. PRUDENCE W. KOFOID 
 

 
 
 ' 
 
NOTES 
 
 SPOET AND ORNITHOLOGY. 
 
LONDON. GURNEY 4 JACKSON. I, PATLRNOSTtR ROW 
 
NOTES 
 
 ON 
 
 SPOET AND ORNITHOLOGY 
 
 BY 
 
 HIS IMPERIAL AND ROYAL HIGHNESS THE LATE CROWN PRINCE 
 
 RUDOLF OF AUSTRIA. 
 
 J3" 
 TRANSLATED, WITH THE AUTHOR'S PERMISSION, 
 
 BY 
 
 C. G. DANFORD. 
 
 LONDON: 
 GURNEY AND JACKSON, 1 PATERNOSTER ROW. 
 
 (SUCCESSOES TO MR. VAN VOORST.) 
 
 1889. 
 
PRJNTED BY TAYLOR AND FRANCIS, 
 RED LION COURT, FLEET STREET. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 THE appearance of the present volume in the German 
 original excited on many sides the wish that its contents 
 should be rendered accessible to a wider circle of readers 
 by an English translation. This was due not only 
 to the personality of the Author and the interest in 
 Natural History pursuits which is so generally taken 
 in this country, but also to the fact that the pages 
 of the volume abound in original observations related 
 with singular freshness and attractiveness. 
 
 Impressed with the value of the work, Mr. Danford 
 resolved to prepare a translation for publication, if His 
 Imperial and Royal Highness were pleased to grant the 
 required permission. Mr. Danford was willing to under- 
 take this as a labour of love; and no one could have 
 been better qualified for the task, both on account of 
 his acquaintance with the language of the original and 
 
 M3G8441 
 
vi PREFACE. 
 
 the numerous technical sporting and scientific terms, 
 and his familiarity with many of the localities visited 
 by the Author. 
 
 The translation was commenced last year immediately 
 after the permission had been graciously given ; but 
 what was begun as a pleasant task, had to be completed 
 in sorrow. Thus the volume in its present form has to 
 go forth not merely as a vehicle of delightful instruction, 
 but as a regretful tribute to the memory of a man who 
 by his genuine devotion to Nature and by his readiness 
 to impart his experiences to others, had succeeded in 
 establishing a sympathetic bond with the more humble 
 workers in the field of Ornithology. 
 
 ALBERT GUNTHER. 
 British Museum, Nat. Hist, 
 August 4, 1889. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE: Page 
 
 FIRST DAY 1 
 
 SECOND DAY 6 
 
 THIED DAY 31 
 
 FOURTH DAY 51 
 
 FIFTH DAY 70 
 
 SIXTH DAY 94 
 
 SEVENTH DAY - ... 107 
 
 EIGHTH DAY 127 
 
 NINTH DAY 145 
 
 TENTH DAY 157 
 
 ELEVENTH DAY 175 
 
 TWELFTH DAY . . 190 
 
 THIRTEENTH DAY 206 
 
 FOURTEENTH DAY 215 
 
 FIFTEENTH DAY 225 
 
 EXTRACTS FROM l A JOURNEY IN THE EAST '-.... 229 
 
 SKETCHES OF SPORT IN HUNGARY 391 
 
 BEAR-SHOOTING IN TRANSYLVANIA 399 
 
 MISCELLANEOUS NOTES ON ORNITHOLOGY . . . 409 
 
viii CONTENTS. 
 
 ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES IN SPAIN : Page 
 
 I. THE BEARDED VULTURE . . . . . . 455 
 
 II. THE GRIFFON VULTURE 462 
 
 III. THE CINEREOUS VULTURE 473 
 
 IV. THE EGYPTIAN VULTURE 476 
 
 V. THE " STEIN " EAGLE AND SPANISH IMPERIAL 
 
 EAGLE 487 
 
 VI. BONELLI'S EAGLE AND THE OSPREY ... 495 
 
 ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES FROM THE EAST .... 503 
 ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES FROM JANUARY IST TO APRIL 
 
 30TH, 1882 535 
 
 ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES FROM MAY IST TO 31 ST, 1882 . 546 
 
 BONELLI'S EAGLE IN BOHEMIA ........ 557 
 
 ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES IN TRANSYLVANIA . . . 559 
 
 A FEW AUTUMN NOTES 573 
 
 NOTES ON THE HYBRID GROUSE . 579 
 
 FURTHER NOTES ON THE HYBRID GROUSE 585 
 
 NOTES ON BIRDS OF PREY 599 
 
 NOTES FROM THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF VIENNA : 
 
 I. NOVEMBER 1883 603 
 
 II. FEBRUARY 1884 609 
 
 III. DECEMBER 1885 614 
 
 NOTES FROM THE SOUTH 617 
 
FIFTEEN DAYS 
 
 ON 
 
 THE DANUBE 
 
 FIRST DAY. 
 
 EAKLY in the month of April 1878 I determined to under- 
 take a shooting-expedition to those districts of the Lower 
 Danube which lie within the boundaries of the Monarchy. 
 This was not the first time that I had thought of exploring 
 these beautiful tracts of country so little known to travellers, 
 and of rambling through them, gun in hand, studying their 
 ornithology. 
 
 Years ago Zelebor had extended his collecting journeys 
 for the State Natural-History Museum to these localities ; 
 and the well-known naturalist Hodek makes a yearly spring 
 trip down the Danube to Southern Hungary, Slavonia, and 
 often as far as the Dobrudscha, to work mines so extremely 
 productive to the ornithologist and the sportsman. For 
 though they lie within such easy reach of capitals like 
 Vienna and Pest, these wilds offer to the lover of nature 
 the most marvellous scenery, and to the naturalist a fresh 
 field and ample materials for his studies. 
 
 B 
 
2 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 Whenever of late years Hodek returned from his travels 
 and told me of his labours and wonderful successes, his 
 tale sounded in my ears like a siren's song, and I felt 
 irresistibly drawn towards these dark forests with their 
 oaks centuries old and their rich fauna pent within these 
 last refuges by the obliterating civilization of mankind. For 
 the past two years I had intended to visit them myself, 
 but had always lacked time and opportunity; for, near 
 as they are to the heart of Central Europe, a prolonged 
 excursion to these districts involves many difficulties. One 
 may either run quickly down to them in a fast steamer 
 or reach certain points by rail; but in either case there 
 remain great obstacles to be overcome before one can 
 penetrate into the best sporting . localities. In order to 
 really enjoy the journey, and accomplish true scientific 
 work, one must fit out a regular expedition ; and this is 
 the main reason why these tracts have been so little explored 
 by sportsmen and naturalists. For while most of the 
 scientific Societies, Clubs, Unions, or whatever they are 
 called, equip great expeditions and send them to other 
 quarters of the world whenever they have the means to do 
 so, parts of our own country near at hand are still in many 
 respects shrouded in a veil of mystery. 
 
 At last the long -sought opportunity presented itself. 
 Brehm came to Vienna at the end of March, and I think 
 there is no necessity for describing at greater length the 
 man who was the most important personage of our party. 
 The object of his visit was to deliver some lectures, and 
 at the same time to devote himself with all his energy 
 to the solution of the question whether the " Stein " * and 
 Golden Eagles were to be considered separate species or 
 not. I had furnished him with as much material for this 
 
 * A form of the Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) mot recognized by 
 English ornithologists. 
 
FIRST DAY. 3 
 
 investigation as I possibly could, and had enjoyed the 
 pleasure of passing almost every afternoon in his society. 
 We had a great deal of talk about the eagles, especially 
 of the difficulties attendant on their study and pursuit, and 
 of their greatly decreasing numbers. 
 
 At this very time Hodek, who had also assisted us in 
 procuring skins of the " Stein " Eagle, had just received 
 his first and very favourable report from the districts of the 
 Lower Danube. So, again, there arose the exciting question 
 of whether I could or could not manage to visit those 
 localities down the river where the eagles and the great 
 vultures nest, and where so many splendid sporting adven- 
 tures might be expected. 
 
 The answer was not difficult; for I had only to look at 
 Brehm, with his broad shoulders and face tanned by exposure 
 a man who shunned neither harassing mental desk-work 
 nor the troubles and fatigues of natural-history studies and 
 explorations in the most widely separated parts of the world. 
 Such a favourable opportunity of making an expedition 
 of this sort, with such a companion, was quite enough to 
 decide me ; while there was, moreover, another ornithologist 
 staying in Vienna Eugen von Homeyer, universally known 
 among scientific men as the President of the Ornithological 
 Society of Berlin. 
 
 Homeyer, who was a celebrated authority on eagles, had 
 long been trying to solve the problem of the " Stein " and 
 Golden Eagles, and had been invited by Brehm to Vienna to 
 help in working out the materials. He too was attracted by 
 the idea of a trip to those splendid hunting-grounds, and 
 resolved to accompany us. 
 
 An excursion which we made a few days before Easter 
 to the "auw alder" * of the Danube, near Vienna, in order 
 
 * Both "alien" and "auwalder" are indifferently used in the text to 
 denote the marshy low-lying woods of the Danube. 
 
 B2 
 
4 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 to form a rapid idea of the birds of this part of the country, 
 confirmed our determination of proceeding down the river 
 towards the south. 
 
 Spring had already come in its full glory : the migratory 
 birds had all arrived at their old nesting-places, and the most 
 charming and attractive season for the ornithologist was just . 
 beginning. 
 
 The preliminaries of the Expedition had now to be 
 arranged, and as a first step Hodek set off from Vienna 
 to make some preparations in the Apatin district. I then 
 requested permission to shoot from the proprietors of the 
 estates which we were about to visit ; and my uncle, the 
 Archduke Albrecht, on whose territory we intended spending 
 the first few days, kindly invited me to make use of his 
 woods, and both Count Otto Chotek and his brother, Count 
 Rudolf, did the same. 
 
 A vessel had now to be secured, fitted with all that 
 was necessary, and sent off to wait for us at Pest ; Easter 
 Monday, the 22nd of April, being fixed as the time for our 
 departure. 
 
 A few days before leaving, I telegraphed to my brother- 
 in-law Leopold, at Munich, to beg him to join the expe- 
 dition, and he duly arrived at Vienna on the morning of 
 the 22nd. 
 
 I was much bent on having him with us on this trip ; for 
 being, as he was, a capital shot and a thorough sportsman 
 from top to toe, such as one now but seldom meets with, this 
 excursion was the very thing for him. We were also accom- 
 panied by Count Bombelles, another excellent sportsman. 
 
 Eight o'clock in the evening was the hour fixed for 
 starting ; and many were the hearty wishes for good luck 
 which our more or less sporting friends shouted after us 
 as the engine snorted and whistled, and bore us off to the 
 beautiful land of Hungary. 
 
FIRST DAY. 5 
 
 We all five sat in one compartment, chatting about the 
 sport and the delightful days that were in store for us ; 
 and my brother-in-law and Brehm also imbibed beer, in 
 order that they might sleep soundly and accumulate a store 
 of energy for the hard work that was to come. 
 
 We were all soon asleep, and slept the sleep of the just 
 until the immediate surroundings of Pest presented them- 
 selves before our drowsy eyes. 
 
SECOND DAY. 
 
 OUR train arrived at the Pest Station somewhere between 
 five and six o'clock in the morning, and we at once left 
 the carriage and drove through the town to the quay. It 
 was a beautiful warm April morning, and the snn was gilding 
 with its brightest beams the old castle of Ofen and the 
 venerable Bloxberg, with their sloping gardens and grey 
 walls of fortification running down in all directions. The 
 fair Danube, as the Hungarian in his national songs so 
 rightly calls it, flowed silent and majestic under the splendid 
 suspension-bridge ; and the flourishing, busy, commercial 
 city of Pest formed a striking contrast to all the hoary and 
 historic rocks, walls, and buildings of the Ofen side, while 
 the Pest quay, with its lively bustle and many boats, 
 some crossing over and others lying quietly by the bank, 
 gave the whole scene that bright cheerful look which makes 
 it always a pleasure to revisit this beautiful town. 
 
 Our steamer lay at anchor just below the great suspension- 
 bridge, and we were much pleased with its general outward 
 appearance, for it was a fine stately craft. 
 
 The Danube Steam Navigation Company had very oblig- 
 ingly placed at our disposal this vessel, which bears my 
 name, and is said to be the fastest of all their boats. Its 
 interior arrangements were also excellent, and the way in 
 which the space was apportioned left nothing to be desired. 
 A large dining-room, in which a writing-table was placed, 
 and a little smoking-room near it, which we used for storing 
 our bird-skins, together with the whole of the lower deck, 
 formed our " Casino," while some small cabins near the 
 
 
SECOND DAY. 7 
 
 paddle-boxes were occupied by Bombelles, the two natu- 
 ralists, and Bohuslavek, one of my secretaries. 
 
 My brother-in-law and I established ourselves in a large 
 apartment under the saloon, which probably usually served 
 as a domicile for the passengers. There a curtain and a 
 temporary partition gave each of us a separate cabin. A 
 spaca with several tables was provided for Hodek's laboratory, 
 under an awning of sail-cloth, on the forward part of the 
 lower deck ; and below it were cabins for himself and his son, 
 in which they also did the finer work, while all the other 
 vacant space of the vessel was .occupied by the servants. 
 
 The elder Hodek was awaiting us at the landing-place, 
 having come to meet us with most cheering news from 
 Apatin ; the younger had already joined us in Vienna. 
 
 After we had settled ourselves on the steamer, and all the 
 luggage from the railway had been safely stowed on board, a 
 few telegrams were despatched and we got under weigh, all 
 of us standing on deck, for it was a great moment the 
 expedition had begun I 
 
 As a good omen for the ornithologists, a Black Kite sailed 
 low over the suspension-bridge along the Ofen bank towards 
 the Bloxberg, being the first bird which could be inserted in 
 the ornithological note-books under the heading " seen." 
 
 The steamer now bagan to work through the various 
 vessels and smaller boats, and it was not until she had 
 reached the centre of the river that she went down stream 
 at full speed. 
 
 Before describing the further incidents of the first day, 
 I must inflict upon the patient reader a catalogue of the 
 inmates of the vessel. 
 
 In addition to the above-mentioned persons, our own people 
 on board were : My valet, a former keeper from the Upper 
 Austrian Alps, my three jligers, my footman, Leopold's 
 jtiger, Bombelles's valet and his jager. Besides these there 
 
8 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 were the Captain (an exceedingly skilful officer of the 
 Merchant Navy, to whom we all owe our warmest thanks), 
 his Lieutenant and crew, also the chef and his assistants. 
 
 To complete the list of our travelling-party, I must 
 mention three individuals who have for long done me ex- 
 cellent service on my numerous shooting expeditions. The 
 first was " Blak," my jet-black pointer, though he really does 
 not at all deserve this title, as it is only on the rarest occa- 
 sions that he points either partridges or hares ; but he is, on 
 the other hand, a very good retriever, pursues and catches 
 all wounded game from deer down to rabbits, is very quick 
 after vermin, shows great attachment and cleverness, and, 
 from constant intercourse with mankind, is, as far as his 
 canine intelligence permits, refined and ennobled to quite an 
 extraordinary degree. In consequence of the great attention 
 he bestows on the entire bird-world, and from his lively 
 participation in all ornithological pursuits, Brehm always 
 called my old Blak " the ornithological dog," and this name 
 stuck to him during the whole journey. 
 
 The second of the band was my red setter, " Castor," a very 
 good water-dog, of whom there is not much to be said, for he 
 is fonder of sleep and good feeding than of over-exerting 
 himself in noble hunting feats. 
 
 My perfectly tame Eagle-Owl, the third of this trio, was 
 a very remarkable domestic creature, and a hero in his 
 way, for over him I have already shot many eagles, whose 
 bold attacks he has proudly awaited with perfect courage. 
 This Owl was an ornament to the vessel, and devoured the 
 bodies of many of the skinned birds, while the quiet and 
 cnange of air did him a great deal of good ; but that 
 was all, for we never had an opportunity of using him in 
 shooting. 
 
 Returning to our men, I ought to mention how strange a 
 medley of people from the most different countries there 
 
SECOND DAY. 9 
 
 was on board our vessel. Bavaria, Pomerania, Anhalt- 
 Dessau, Upper Austria, Lower Austria, Bohemia, Galizia, 
 the Dalmatian Islands, various parts of Hungary, and 
 perhaps other countries also, were represented in this little 
 space. I forgot to ask the chef's people and the crew about 
 their birthplaces, or we might have collected more localities. 
 
 But to revert to our special theme. The steamer had 
 made its turn skilfully : Ofen was gliding by us on the 
 right, the Bloxberg, with its romantic precipices, followed, 
 and the plain between it and the wooded mountains of Ofen 
 came into view. 
 
 On the left bank the splendid quay of Pest had already 
 long passed by, the houses had become smaller, and the 
 region of the market-gardens began. To these succeeded 
 straw huts, and at last the town terminated in sand. This 
 is a characteristic peculiarity of all Hungarian villages, 
 market towns, and cities ; they all end in sand, instead of 
 being surrounded by a zone of gardens, country-houses, and 
 promenades. 
 
 Beyond the Bloxberg the Danube got wider and wider, 
 and high crumbling banks began alternating with wet 
 meadows, while on the left side large villages appeared on the 
 horizon. A broad plain stretched towards the south-east, the 
 mountains of Waitzen melted more and more into the blue 
 morning mists, and the outlines of the Csomad w r ood and the 
 Mogyorod hills grew more indistinct, and soon vanished from 
 our sight. 1 waved them a parting greeting ; for they are 
 good old friends, and close behind them lies beautiful Godollo. 
 On the right bank there was still a continuous background 
 of wooded mountains, sometimes approaching the river and 
 sometimes receding from it. 
 
 Now on our right appeared the little village of Promontor, 
 situated on the ridge of a hill which sloped steeply down to 
 the water's edge ; arid soon afterwards came the large island 
 
10 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 of Csepel, on which are several important villages. This part 
 of the country is on the whole rather monotonous, but still 
 there is a certain repose in its outlines which gives grandeur 
 to the scenery. 
 
 A soft west wind was blowing refreshingly over the water, 
 already warmed by the sun ; above us, the clear blue cloud- 
 less sky stretched its broad arch ; and to our left the great 
 Hungarian plains faded off into the far distance, beyond the 
 ran ge of our vision. 
 
 Up to this point the banks were bare, treeless, and generally 
 crumbling, and in places where they were a few yards high 
 we saw many Sand-Martins, with their nests in rows of small 
 holes close together ; but, on the whole, there was but little 
 life on the Danube. 
 
 Some Rooks and Hooded Crows flew from bank to bank, 
 .while Mallards and Teal were swimming about the flooded 
 meadows and flying over the vessel, either singly or in flocks ; 
 and on a tongue of land projecting between the main stream 
 and part of the submerged country I recollect having seen 
 about twenty of these birds all drakes. The females were 
 probably breeding ; so it seems that this sensible bird prefers 
 to leave its better half busy with such household matters while 
 it wanders about the neighbourhood with its fellows. Wo 
 also saw Lapwings, with their eccentric flight, tumbling about 
 everywhere over the wet meadows. 
 
 The further south we went the more the tree-growth in- 
 creased. At first it was sparse, but afterwards became 
 luxuriant and had even an " au 'Mike character. The 
 villages near the river got scarcer, and as they decreased 
 the banks grew proportionally more lonely and uncivilized. 
 At first we saw only a few very small islands covered with 
 thick " auen," though later on they became more numerous, 
 and along both sides of the stream ran a very narrow but 
 luxuriantly green belt of wood. 
 
SECOND DAY. 11 
 
 During the first half-hour we had not paid much attention 
 to the scenery ; for hardly had we left Pest behind us when 
 we had to satisfy our hungry stomachs, which had been quite 
 out of employment since we left Vienna. But having fortified 
 ourselves with a good breakfast, and lighted our first cigars, 
 we began a careful observance of all the birds which showed 
 themselves along the banks. At first they seemed very 
 scarce, and it was not until we got among the " auen " that 
 we saw the Grey Herons and Cormorants flying from their 
 breeding-places for their morning fishing ; while Magpies 
 were fluttering about the trees by the river-side, Jackdaws 
 flying cawing over the vessel, and on a dead tree near the 
 left bank was sitting a pensive Roller with the sun shining on 
 its splendid plumage. In front of the steamer I suddenly 
 noticed three beautifully coloured ducks, which unfortunately 
 would not allow us to come within a fair range, but rose 
 shyly and cautiously, like all the ducks, and ignored with 
 dignified calm the couple of shots fired at them. They had 
 now to be entered in the note-books, but no one was quite 
 sure to which of the many species of duck they belonged. 
 However, we put them down as Shovellers ; and this, I 
 believe, they really were. 
 
 Yesterday when in Vienna I remembered that, some years 
 ago, Count Johann Zichy had kindly invited me to visit his 
 celebrated heron-island, Adony ; and as this seemed just 
 the time to avail ourselves of his courtesy, and to make 
 use of this spot for a brief shooting interlude in our journey, 
 I asked permission to carry out our designs. I had long 
 known the island by name, and had always heard of the 
 great numbers of herons breeding on it, so was firmly con- 
 vinced that we should find it rich in species ; but in this last 
 matter we were somewhat disappointed. 
 
 After a run of nearly three hours we came to a large 
 island, thickly wooded with tall silver poplars. None of us 
 
12 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 knew Adony, and even the Captain did not seem to be 
 quite clear about it ; but as for some time past we had seen 
 more and more herons and cormorants flying up and 
 down stream, we knew that the colony could not be much 
 further off. On nearing the island, we observed herons on 
 the tops of the trees, while some coming from a distance were 
 disappearing among the dense foliage. We also saw crows 
 wheeling about, and were greeted by the noisy chattering of 
 many birds, and therefore knew that we were near a great 
 breeding-place, but were not quite sure whether it was 
 Adony ; so the only thing to do was to land, for the keepers, 
 attracted by the shots, would certainly be kind enough to 
 inform us where we were. 
 
 We therefore gave the order "Let go the anchor!" for 
 things were conducted with military precision on board the 
 peaceful steamer of the Danube Steam Navigation Company. 
 The boats were then cleared away, and in a few minutes we 
 were clambering up the crumbling bank. 
 
 The first nest was close to the river-side, about halfway up 
 a tree, and from it protruded the forked tail of a Black Kite. 
 We had already marked this nest from the steamer, but 
 before we could reach it its occupant had vanished ; for the 
 kite had observed our faultless naval manoauvres with 
 evident interest, and hardly had we set foot on shore when 
 it saved itself from the too-intrusive strangers by flight. 
 
 We now separated in various directions, each of us having 
 his gun loaded, and bent on shooting as many interesting 
 birds as he could. 
 
 A few paces from the bank stood a large old oak, with 
 a Grey Heron's nest on its topmost branches. I crept up, 
 and a few gentle taps on the trunk of the tree frightened out a 
 fine heron, which flew away with quickly-flapping wings. A 
 shot brought it to the ground, and at this, the first signal, 
 the whole wood became alive : Grey Herons swung them- 
 
SECOND DAY. 13 
 
 selves off the trees, and circled over them with hoarse cries. 
 A few Night-Herons joined them, at first fluttering through 
 the branches with owl-like flight, then soaring up higher 
 and higher till they swept round with almost imperceptible 
 movements of their wings, looking nearly pure white against 
 the dark blue sky ; while Rooks, Hooded Crows, Black Kites, 
 and various small birds flew about in alarmed confusion. 
 
 The island is rather large and the scenery, thanks to the 
 luxuriance of the vegetation, may be called very pretty. Its 
 upper part consists of a wood of very high silver poplars 
 mixed with a few solitary oaks, and along the river-side I 
 also found some gnarled old willows, while the undergrowth 
 is formed partly of dense bush and partly of high grass and 
 nettles. 
 
 Almost through the middle of this wood ran a small 
 dried-up arm of the river, with pools of water standing in 
 some of its deeper parts and a thick growth of reeds and all 
 sorts of water-plants surrounding the damper spots. 
 
 We found a good many nests, but unfortunately all 
 occupied by Grey Herons except two, in which Night- 
 Herons were breeding. Former descriptions had led me 
 to conceive quite a wrong idea of this heronry, and I had 
 made certain of finding many more birds and a greater 
 variety of species. 
 
 The colonies in the a auen " below Vienna are almost 
 as well stocked with Grey Herons, though there are no 
 Night-Herons, Adony being in that respect ahead of our 
 woods ; but in character the two districts are alike, for in 
 both the marvellous luxuriance of the foliage, the dense 
 undergrowth, and the high silver poplars are almost iden- 
 tical ; and the " auen " of Adony resemble much more those 
 of Lower Austria than those either at Draueck or still further 
 down the river near the junction of the Theiss. 
 
 At our first shots a keeper came hurrying up, who told us 
 
14 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 that \ve \vere on Count Zichy's ground and on the island 
 of Adony. Count Johann Zichy, with two other keepers, 
 followed him a few minutes later. The Count had but just 
 heard of our arrival, and had hastened to receive us in 
 the very kindest manner, and to show us round the island 
 himself. 
 
 We stole about the heronry in all directions, our shots rang 
 merrily through the wood, and were duly responded to by 
 the renewed screams of its terrified inhabitants. 
 
 At first it was easy work, for the birds hardly understood 
 what was going on, but when some had been already killed 
 the others got sliver and shyer, and were very cautious in 
 coming back to the trees from their aerial heights, so, after 
 shooting some Grey ones, I turned my whole attention to the 
 Night-Herons. 
 
 1 had never come across this bird before, and according to 
 my pre-conceived ideas would never have looked for it among 
 the lofty " au " woods, for I had imagined that low willows 
 standing among pools of water, thick reeds, and high sedge 
 would be its true breeding-places. I was therefore much 
 astonished at seeing the Night-Herons perched on the tallest 
 silver poplars, evidently still busy building their nests. 
 Whenever I tried to get near them, both pairs of birds were 
 always on the same trees, and when frightened off invariably 
 made short circuits round the same places ; but when I dis- 
 covered these spots, which were some distance from the bank, 
 the whole colony was in such commotion that it was 
 impossible to exactly determine which of the many nests 
 belonged to the Night-Herons. 
 
 After having been separated for about an hour, which 
 time we had all spent in diligent search, we chanced to find 
 ourselves on a footpath which ran through the entire length 
 of the island. Here I first met Leopold, who was making 
 vain attempts to shoot down a dead heron that was hanging 
 
SECOND DAY. 15 
 
 in a tree. Bombelles and Homeyer also appeared, butBrehui 
 was missing. He had killed a Grey Heron when we began 
 shooting, and as this species, which he already knew so well, 
 had no longer any special interest for him, he had gone off 
 to observe the " small stuff'" as he always called it, and had 
 taken a line of his own in an opposite direction. We 
 thought it better not to wait for him long, so went off on 
 another ramble through the wood ; and as we were walking 
 under the trees where I had made my first unsuccessful 
 attempts at stalking the Night-Herons, one of these birds 
 flew high over us, and Bombelles knocked it down with a 
 good shot. It was a female, rather small, and not in very 
 fine plumage. I now determined to kill a Night-Heron 
 myself, and therefore looked out for the second pair, which I 
 soon found, near the half-dried arm of the river already 
 alluded to. 
 
 They were circling round some trees, on whose tops they 
 now and then settled, and as they seemed much warier than 
 the Grey Herons it was no use attempting to get near them 
 in the ordinary way, so, on reaching the trees which we 
 thought they frequented, I sent Hodek and my jiiger a 
 certain distance back, and not until I had done this did one 
 of the birds descend, and, slowly folding its wings, try to alight 
 on a tree near me. My first shot merely wounded it, and it 
 was only on receiving the second that it dropped into a thick 
 silver poplar, and slowly fluttered down the trunk of the 
 tree. 
 
 Luckily it was a very fine specimen an old male with its 
 throat, breast, and underparts pure white, its back a beautiful 
 silver-grey, its head black, ornamented with splendid long 
 crest-feathers, and its beak and legs, when it was freshly 
 killed, had a peculiar reddish tint which, according to Hodek, 
 is a sign of great age. Some hours later they had become 
 perceptibly paler, and now, alas ! there is no longer the slightest 
 
16 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 trace of the red colour to be seen. I was much delighted at 
 adding such a splendid bird to our collection on the first day's 
 shooting, for this Night-Heron was one of the gems of the 
 spoils which we brought home. 
 
 Immediately after having been so fortunate as to shoot 
 this long-desired bird, I knocked down another Grey Heron 
 from one of the nests close by, and then waded back across 
 the channel to join the other sportsmen. By the advice of 
 Count Zichy, we now determined to leave the herons, as 
 they had become very shy and suspicious, and to pay a 
 murderous visit to a breeding-place of Cormorants, at no 
 great distance, while both the Hodeks, guided by one of the 
 keepers, went back to the vessel with the slain herons, in 
 order that the birds might not lie too long in the hot sun. 
 
 We at first struck into the above-mentioned footpath, and 
 soon reached a luxuriantly green thicket, where the high 
 wood of the heronry gradually disappeared, the trees kept 
 getting smaller and the undergrowth denser. Our way then 
 led us past a nursery-garden, and across a little meadow to 
 the bank of a large arm of the Danube, which bounded one 
 side of the island. There Sand-Martins darted about the 
 steep, crumbling banks, and Mallards rose noisily from the 
 water. The thickets now grew more straggling, and we 
 came to a pasture only studded with a few young trees, most 
 of them chestnuts. This pasture was bordered by fields, and 
 beyond them was a low wood, with a clump of very high 
 elms at its further extremity. These were the trees occupied 
 by the Cormorants' nests, above which we could see the heavy 
 forms of the birds looking like black spots. 
 
 As we walked over these fields along the water's edge, a 
 wonderful picture presented itself. On one side was the high 
 rich green wood of the heronry, girt with a seemingly 
 impenetrable fringe of dense thickets ; above it circled the 
 frightened herons, some of them flying so high up that, with 
 
SECOND DAY. 17 
 
 their breasts lit up by the sun, they looked like bright stars, 
 while others were slowly wheeling about not far above the 
 trees, and stretching out their long necks to examine the 
 ground below. 
 
 When the strong gusts of wind that precede a downpour 
 of rain turned up the leaves, the trees shone like silver, the 
 meadows displayed their freshest green, the reeds in the river 
 bent, rustling to the wind, and the little wavelets went 
 dancing over the water. Beyond the opposite bank stretched 
 the broad plains, partly in sunlight and partly shadowed by 
 the swiftly passing clouds. To our front was a bushy wood, 
 the dead leafless elms, and a little arm of the river covered 
 with fresh green sedge ; and on our left the bank of the island, 
 the main stream, and further off the grey-green woods. 
 The east was clear, with a deep blue sky only broken by 
 white clouds gleaming in the warmest light of the midday 
 sun ; but in the south-west towered up a wall of black clouds, 
 from which the wind seemed to detach larger and smaller 
 ball-like masses and roll them towards us. 
 
 Some heavy drops of rain fell as we were hurrying along 
 to the colony of Cormorants, for we had to make haste, 
 Apatin, the goal of our day's journey, being still a very long 
 way off, and the hours had flown quickly by on this interesting 
 island of Adony. However, we thought it would be a pity 
 to leave this colony quite undisturbed, not knowing whether 
 we should come across another breeding-place of these 
 birds during our trip. The trees on w r hich they had built 
 were very tall, and although I already knew a good deal 
 about this species, having often observed and killed it at 
 the nest, I had never before seen their dwellings placed at 
 such a height. 
 
 There were four or five of these trees, on each of which we 
 found some seven or eight Cormorants' nests, and among 
 them those of a few Hooded Crows ; and though the birds 
 
 c 
 
IB FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 were all very tame, and did not move until we had fired an 
 almost simultaneous volley, the incredible height of the trees 
 unfortunately told, for only one of the birds, hit by my 
 brother-in-law, sank slowly down towards the fields, and fell 
 dead among the reeds of the above-mentioned channel. The 
 other sportsmen therefore changed their rather too light shot 
 for heavier, and 1 took up my rifle, the surest help in such 
 cases. 
 
 We now hid ourselves as well as we could in the thick 
 leafy wood behind the nesting-trees, to wait for the Cor- 
 morants to come down again. Assembled in a large flock, 
 the frightened birds flew about, high above the wood, and 
 were from time to time joined by others who were hastening 
 home from their fishing. The circles they were describing 
 now grew smaller and smaller, and we could hear the quick 
 beats of their heavy pinions more distinctly, when suddenly 
 there was a great rush, and above us sounded the grunting 
 cry which the Cormorant invariably utters on returning to 
 its nest, while the nervous flapping of the wings, by which 
 the awkward fellow continually strives to keep his balance 
 during the troublesome business of climbing up to the edge 
 of his nest, was clearly audible. In a few moments our shots 
 rang out again, and were immediately followed by the thuds 
 of the slain Cormorants as they fell to the ground. 
 
 The poor creatures were really incredibly incautious, for 
 we repeated this manoeuvre several times, until they at length 
 found the matter was too serious, and flew round us in ever 
 widening circuits. 
 
 At one of the last volleys a hard-hit bird had flown into the 
 dark wood behind us, and was sinking with staggering flight 
 lower and lower among the trees. I at once went to look for 
 it, but unfortunately my trouble was all in vain, the under- 
 growth of nettles and high grasses being too thick, while my 
 efforts were also impeded by the pools which had to be waded. 
 
SECOND DAY. 19 
 
 Thanks to this wounded Cormorant I had pushed a good way 
 into this low leafy wood, when I was attracted by a very 
 amorous Cuckoo which was fluttering from tree to tree, and 
 continually retreating further into the depth of the wood. The 
 sprightly bird was so comical that I could not help watching 
 it for some time, for it sounded its monotonous call in all sorts 
 of tones, and at the same time put itself into the most extra- 
 ordinary positions. I could easily have killed it had not my 
 attention been distracted by a hawk, which I at first took to 
 be a Hobby ; but when I at last got a clear view of it as it 
 sat on a dead branch, I saw that it was a Kestrel, and, though 
 my shot brought it down, I was again unfortunate in not 
 being able to find it among the high grass. I now suddenly 
 found myself in a more open place where the low wood ended, 
 and I saw before me a patch of high trees, most of them elms ; 
 and as the light was shining through the bushes and the 
 foliage of their lower branches, it seemed as if I had reached 
 the southern end of the island. 
 
 On the higher trees I found some herons' nests, but their 
 inmates were flying about, screaming loudly, for a bold Spotted 
 Eagle had swooped majestically through the wood, at just 
 the height of the nests, and terribly alarmed the anxious 
 parents. Never having come across a Spotted Eagle before, 
 I was much interested at being within the range of its distri- 
 bution, for I had not expected to meet with it before getting 
 a good way further south. 
 
 No one who knows the " Stein " Eagle well, and keeps it 
 in his mind's eye as the type of the true eagles, will ever 
 confound the Spotted Eagle, or other members of its genus, 
 with any other class of raptorial birds. 
 
 When the eagle flew past me without moving its wings, 
 and with a gliding flight, apparently slow yet swift as an 
 arrow, I was really as much overcome with delight as if I 
 had met with an old friend again after a long absence, for 
 
 c2 
 
20 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 since December of the past year, when I had killed my last 
 " Stein " Eagle, I had not seen a single bird of this kind in 
 the open, but only in the Zoological Gardens of London, 
 Dublin, and Berlin, where I made pilgrimages, out of the 
 suffocating foggy town air, to see these noble creatures, and 
 to refresh myself after the turmoil of the world by recalling 
 the happiest of my sporting reminiscences. 
 
 The long-suffering reader must not be too indignant at 
 such romantic digressions, for such dangers may always be 
 expected when I touch on the subject of the pursuit of eagles. 
 How willingly would I even then have ignored the whole 
 plan of our journey, and have quietly waited under the 
 herons' nests to see whether the eagle would not come back, 
 to make a closer inspection of their contents, but a glance at 
 my watch compelled me to return to the rest of the party. 
 
 We now took the slain Cormorants with us and walked 
 quickly homewards. The clouds had cleared off again, and 
 the woods, refreshed by the rain, were still more splendidly 
 green and fragrant, while the birds were warbling their 
 songs, and many species flew past, which had to be entered 
 in our note-books. We also heard the clear call of the 
 Pheasant sounding among the bushes, and a poor Wryneck 
 fell a victim to Homeyer's zeal in the interests of science. 
 As we were returning to the heronry we found Brelim 
 leaning against a tree. He had just finished his observations, 
 filled many blank pages in his note-book, and had also brought 
 with him some specimens for measuring and skinning. 
 While 'walking through the heronry with our guns at the 
 ready, a Night-Heron suddenly rose in front of me, and a 
 lucky shot brought it down. On nearing the place where 
 our boat lay by the bank, my brother-in-law and I paid 
 another visit to the kite's nest ; but again its churlish pro- 
 prietor quitted it too soon, and circled over the Danube in a 
 great state of alarm. I wanted to have a close look at the 
 
SECOND DAY. 21 
 
 nest, so walked up to the steep crumbling bank, where I 
 heard a splashing in the water, and, quickly turning round, 
 saw a Cormorant flying out just below me. I gave it both 
 barrels, but the shot, being rather too light for its thick green 
 mail of feathers, was not immediately fatal, and not until it 
 had reached the middle of the stream did the hard-hit bird 
 take a sweep round, and then fall like a stone into the water, 
 making it spurt up, and was forthwith borne down stream by 
 the light wavelets, in quite a poetic fashion. I now hastened 
 to join my brother-in-law, and we rowed back in the boat 
 together, the other sportsmen following along the footpath 
 more slowly. 
 
 While waiting for them we amused ourselves by frightening 
 the Rooks and Hooded Crows out of their nests, and by killing 
 a specimen of each species, and on their arrival loaded the 
 boat with our spoil, and took leave of the exceedingly kind 
 proprietor of the island. 
 
 We then pushed off from the bank, and soon gained the 
 deck of our steamer. The anchor was weighed, and we set 
 off again down stream on our way to fresh achievements. 
 
 Thanks to the kindly courtesy of Count Zichy, our first 
 shooting excursion had turned out a success, for we had made 
 a pretty good bag, and were now able to describe a beautiful 
 heronry, and a colony of Cormorants, among the scenes of 
 our journey. 
 
 At first we followed the bank of the island, the herons 
 circling high above the steamer, seemingly desirous of 
 satisfying themselves that the troublesome strangers had 
 really quitted their domains. 
 
 Soon after leaving Adony behind us, we passed some very 
 small thickly-wooded islands, then the " auen " vanished from 
 both sides of the river, and another monotonous district lay 
 spread before us. High crumbling banks alternating with 
 low flat shores, where the river lost itself as it were in mea- 
 
22 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 dows, gnarled willows, marshes, more sand steppes, low hills, 
 isolated villages on the plains, with their brilliant white church- 
 spires visible from afar, countless floating mills, numerous 
 little islands, partly decked with tall trees, and endless droves 
 of pigs, horses, and cattle all picture in a few words the 
 character of this part of the country which we rapidly ran 
 past, and which really offered few details that were pleasing 
 to the eye, though when viewed as a whole it had in it some- 
 thing undeniably grand. It might not, however, have inter- 
 ested many people, and my judgment may be no criterion, 
 for I have such an admiration for Hungarian scenery in its 
 many various aspects that I am blind to all its monotony. 
 
 We had, moreover, but little time for looking at our 
 surroundings, for after luncheon, which, thank goodness, was 
 served as soon as we left Adony, we had a good deal of work 
 to do. 
 
 I must yet mention one other incident, as it helped to make 
 our day's voyage more notable. About half an hour after we 
 had left Adony, I was smoking a cigarette on deck, and 
 quietly looking at the play of the ripples, when I suddenly 
 observed a black object floating slowly down beside our steamer, 
 and on closer scrutiny saw that it was a dead Cormorant, the 
 same which I had seen fall into the water while I was stand- 
 ing on the bank of the island. I at once gave the order to 
 stop : a boat was lowered, and in a few minutes the bird lay 
 beside his comrades in a shady corner of the vessel. 
 
 "When we had changed our things and lunched, we sat 
 comfortably on deck smoking Homeyer's cigars for him in 
 a most friendly way for his were always the very best. 
 
 Life on board ship is most delightful, and it is by far the 
 pleasantest way of travelling. One is at home and has 
 everything that one wants ; the pace is good, and the land- 
 scape changes like the scenery of a theatre ; and not until one 
 travels in this way does one understand that fanatical 
 
SECOND DAY. 23 
 
 enthusiasm for a sailor's life, to which 1 myself openly 
 confess. 
 
 Our siesta did not last long ; for the indefatigable Brehm 
 reminded us of work, and Homeyer and I followed him to 
 the fore part of the vessel. All the birds we had killed were 
 measured, and their dimensions and colours entered in 
 accurately kept books. Then our diaries had to be written 
 up, and the notes \vhich we had collected interchanged. 
 Hodek took possession of the spoils to prepare them with the 
 help of his son. The three Night Herons were skinned for 
 the collection, but only the crests of the eight Grey Herons 
 and the eight Cormorants were kept ; while the Hooded 
 Crow, Rook, Wryneck, Reed- Warblers, and Grasshopper- 
 Warblers, which had all been brought back, chiefly for the 
 sake of their measurements, were partly disposed of, feathers 
 and all, by my Eagle-Owl, and partly found their way to the 
 skinning table. 
 
 When our w r ork was quite finished, we paced the deck, 
 watching the changing landscapes. The further south we 
 went the more the character of the country altered ; and in 
 order that the reader may have an idea of the region to 
 which he must fancy himself transported, I will name some 
 of the villages we passed, and which may be found in any map 
 of Hungary. I remember that we ran by a good many of 
 them, most of which lay on the right bank, for there the 
 immediate neighbourhood of the river was not made impass- 
 able by a belt of " auen " or by marshes, but a low chain of 
 hills descended to the water's edge in slopes both gentle and 
 abrupt, and sometimes even in precipitous walls of earth. 
 First we came to Duna-Pentele, then to Duna-Fb'ldvar and 
 Paks. As well as we could see from a distance, all these 
 villages were of the true Hungarian type. Long rows of low 
 straw-thatched houses, broad streets full of horse-troughs, 
 high draw-wells, vegetable gardens trailing off into the sand, 
 
24 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 with a few detached plants, the incessant barking of dogs, 
 the clang of cattle-bells, and the wild cries of herdsmen, are 
 the features of scenes that the traveller everywhere meets 
 with throughout the domains belonging to the Crown of 
 St. Stephen. There is in them, however, a thoroughly 
 characteristic individuality which exercises a powerful attrac- 
 tion on everyone who has spent much of his life in this part 
 of the country, and which fills him with a violent home sick- 
 ness when he finds himself amidst the stereotyped uniformity 
 of Western Europe. We also saw villages clinging to steep 
 vine-clad hills, with their houses in terraces one above another, 
 while their churches stood either on the ridges or at the base 
 of the hills. 
 
 The left bank of the river presented a monotonous picture, 
 for at first there was nothing to be seen but willows, patches 
 of sand, and a few very unimportant woods, and it was not 
 until we had passed Duna-Foldvar that we came to a rather 
 large swamp, followed by a fine and much flooded " au.*' 
 
 A good way below Paks we were told that we were just 
 passing the town of Kalocsa, the residence of Archbishop 
 Haynald ; but unfortunately we could not see the place, as it 
 lay pretty far inland. 
 
 Up to this point the Danube flows in one great channel 
 and is not yet split up into various branches. A great many 
 small, but only a few large, islands rise from the middle of 
 the stream, most of them being adorned with beautiful 
 "auen," just like those on the island of Adony and near 
 Vienna. There was, however, no wild primeval growth of 
 forest, and we began to think that the river would be like 
 this all the way down, but we were to become better informed 
 during the course of the afternoon. The true great " auen " 
 of Southern Hungary begin immediately below Kalocsa, 
 where the river divides itself into several channels and forms 
 large thickly wooded islands. 
 
SECOND DAY. 25 
 
 Here, too, the character of the right bank differs from that 
 of the left, for on the former there are still no " auen " to be 
 seen, while on the latter a broad belt of woods already stretches 
 along the river ; and it is only in a few places, where the 
 marshes run down to the bank and leave narrow gaps, that one 
 gets an open view of the wide plain. 
 
 On the right the country near the river is also flat, but the 
 banks are steep. Further off one sees a fairly important 
 chain of hills and low mountains : these are the heights round 
 Fiinfkirchen the spurs of the Pannonian range, as the 
 ancients called it. At Szegszard, where the Sarviz canal joins 
 the Danube, the " auen " first begin to enclose the stream 
 on both sides, but only for a short distance, for above Duna- 
 Szekcso one sees them only on the left bank, while on the 
 right hills covered with vineyards slope steeply to the river. 
 
 The time spent in passing between the wooded banks was 
 truly delightful. On both sides the grey-green trees of the 
 " auen " were reflected in the gently flowing stream, and a 
 network of large and small channels led like avenues into the 
 green wilderness. The woods were of uniform height, and 
 above them there only rose the dead tops of a few ancient 
 oaks, while the heavy foliage of their marginal branches hung 
 low over the water and sometimes even touched it. Great 
 quantities of driftwood driven out of the arms of the river 
 were floating about the main stream, and the fallen tree-trunks, 
 which at this height of the water only showed their upper 
 surfaces, might easily have been mistaken for crocodiles by 
 excited imaginations. All this made up a scene so extra- 
 ordinary and so unlike anything else in Europe, that we were 
 perfectly astounded, and stood at the bow of the vessel 
 surveying it with wonderment ; and I was just thinking 
 whether I had ever seen anything like it before, and how far 
 one could compare it with the beautiful " auen " of Lower Aus- 
 tria, when Brehm, who was also lost in admiration, suddenly 
 
26 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 called out, " That is the Ob, exactly like the Ob ! " I had got 
 it at last it was only to be likened to the descriptions I had 
 read in books of travel of rivers and primeval forests in other 
 parts of the world, and this was confirmed by the living book 
 of travels called " Brehm." 
 
 Anyone who fancies that the " auen " of Southern Hungary 
 are pretty pleasant places is much mistaken, for a deep 
 solemnity tinged with melancholy pervades the whole 
 scene, and the large unbroken lines of the broad stream and 
 the monotonous dark green woods produce a gloomy impres- 
 sion, such as one feels when a cloudless sky of uniform tone 
 stretches over a still sea or the loftiest regions of a mighty 
 mountain-range ; for where the infinite calm of such a 
 picture is broken by no third colour, one feels oppressed by 
 the vastness of nature and the absence of all enlivening 
 variety. Never during the journey did I feel this so strongly 
 as on this first afternoon, and never again did the tone of the 
 sky so thoroughly harmonize with the character of the country 
 and create such unity and repose. The whole afternoon and 
 evening we lingered on deck, partly to admire the landscape 
 and partly to observe the birds, for there was plenty of life 
 round about us. Herons flew lazily from bank to bank, 
 ducks of various kinds swam about the main stream and 
 were still more numerous in the side channels, while the 
 Black Kite, that most abundant of all the raptorial birds of 
 Southern Hungary, showed itself everywhere above the trees, 
 not to mention Crows and Starlings, so common throughout 
 these districts. 
 
 We noticed hardly any hawks, the few seen being invari- 
 ably the graceful Kestrels; but where the steep friable treeless 
 banks fell down to the stream, Sand-Martins were breeding 
 in great numbers, and I frequently observed Stonechats. 
 
 Somewhat above Duna-Szekcso the " auen " disappear 
 from the right bank, while on the left they cover the whole 
 
SECOND DAY. 27 
 
 of the large island of Mohacs in their full luxuriance. On 
 the former side of the river we also saw steep hills which 
 were separated from the Danube by a narrow strip of level 
 country, which got broader and broader as we approached 
 Mohacs itself. 
 
 Before reaching this town the Captain had told me that he 
 was very sorry not to be able to get to Apatin by the evening, 
 for it would be impossible to do so as night would overtake 
 us while still two hours above that place. 
 
 To this we had to submit, though by so doing the first 
 hours of the morning would be lost for shooting. It was not, 
 however, in the least the Captain's fault, for, thanks to the 
 splendid engines of our steamer, we had already covered 
 quite an incredibly long distance in a very short time, and if 
 Adony had not detained us so long we should have arrived 
 at Apatin in the afternoon. 
 
 So far as size goes Mohacs is quite a large town, but its 
 character is that of a true Hungarian village, though a few 
 two-storied houses rise proudly in the square near the landing- 
 place of the Danube steamers. We ran by it without stopping, 
 so as to lose no time, passing the crowd of boat-mills just 
 below, which indicate the neighbourhood of a large settlement. 
 The name of Mohacs recalls a gloomy incident in the annals 
 of Hungary which is still a matter of common talk, and every 
 Hungarian who travels down the Danube looks with sorrow 
 on the blood-steeped marsh where so many brave Magyars, 
 headed by their king, perished so heroically. 
 
 Immediately below this village a very beautiful and pictur- 
 esque scene opened out before us. 
 
 To the right we saw an extensive plain bounded on the 
 south by a chain of heights, from which rose a conical pointed 
 hill. This hill we now beheld for the first time, but it was to 
 prove a true friend whose acquaintance we were to make 
 from various directions during the next few days. On the 
 
28 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 left stretched meadows and pastures, which, however, already 
 belonged to the district of the "auen," for behind them ran a 
 long belt of woods. 
 
 Evening was coming on, the cattle were returning to the 
 villages, and the sun was setting over the hills and soon 
 vanished behind them. Overhead was a cloudless sky, and 
 the impressive silence was only broken by the tinkling bells 
 of the herds and the scream of the Lapwing. We were able 
 to travel on until nearly eight o'clock, so long did the light 
 last ; but we had still to cover a good stretch of the way 
 before the Captain could reach the spot where he intended to 
 pass the night. 
 
 We soon left behind us the treeless banks and reached the 
 place where the Bega channel separates itself from the main 
 stream, the island thus formed being covered with beautiful 
 woods, with which we were to become more familiar in a few 
 days. 
 
 From this point we had again to pass through " au " woods 
 equally luxuriant on both banks. Here the sun went down 
 in the true Hungarian manner, not at all as it does in Western 
 lands, and only those who have seen the splendid sunset 
 effects of Hungary can form any idea of them. In the west 
 was a glowing semicircle of brilliant red, the trees swayed 
 slowly in the evening breeze, the summits of the hills were 
 gilded by the last rays of the setting sun, and the scarlet of 
 the sky was mirrored in the quivering waters of the river. 
 In the east the leaden darkness was separated from the light 
 of the departing day by a belt of orange, and was broken by 
 a few bright isolated stars, while the low-lying woods and 
 swamps wrapped in blue vapours and feathery mists assumed 
 ghostly indefinite shapes as they gradually melted into each 
 other. The whole scene formed a marvellous picture of a 
 truly oriental splendour, which, seen in the deep silence of 
 
SECOND DAY. 29 
 
 this splendid evening, could not fail to make a lasting impres- 
 sion on any lover of nature. 
 
 From the marsh came the strange cry of the Lapwing, 
 which, like that of the Snipe, sounds weird and boding at 
 nightfall, and the sportsman is involuntarily reminded of the 
 Walpurgisnacht and of old hunters' tales. The ducks dropped 
 quacking into the dry channels, and one after another the 
 herons flew from the forests towards the recesses of the 
 inland marshes, all taking the same line, while on the banks 
 the Sand-Martins had been replaced by bats, and crows were 
 flying leisurely to their roosting-places. 
 
 This wonderful picture lasted for but a short time, for again 
 the " auen " on the right disappeared and were succeeded 
 by a narrow line of hills running immediately above the 
 river. Beyond and behind these heights we saw, as well as 
 the gathering night would let us, level country, and near the 
 river-bank, close under them, a church, while the barking of 
 dogs and the shouts of the home returning herdsmen showed 
 that there was a village hard by. On the left side of the 
 river we observed a continuous stretch of wood only occa- 
 sionally broken by marshes. 
 
 During the whole evening we had been standing on deck 
 admiring this most enjoyable scenery, and had meanwhile 
 also made a good many ornithological observations. The 
 Captain now came to say that in a few minutes we should be 
 at anchor ; and as night had already shrouded every tiling in 
 its dark uniformity, we decided on sitting down to dinner, 
 and after finishing our coffee, cigars, and sporting stories, we 
 worked a little more at our notes and diaries. The vessel had 
 long been at anchor, and on deck everything was perfectly 
 quiet ; I did not look out again, and it was so dark that I 
 should have seen but little if I had done so. I must therefore 
 confess to neither exactly knowing where we spent the night 
 nor what the place looked like, but from what the Captain said 
 
30 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 I fancy that we were as far down as the village of Voros- 
 marth. About ten o'clock we all stole off to bed, overcome 
 by thoroughly well-earned sleep, and the gentle lapping of 
 the wavelets and the fresh night-air coming in through the 
 cabin windows made our slumbers soft. 
 
THIRD DAY. 
 
 THE sun was sinning brightly into my cabin when I awoke, 
 and a lively bustle was going on both on the deck overhead 
 and on shore near the vessel, and, on my asking where we 
 were, I learned to my no small astonishment that we had 
 already been lying some minutes at the pier of Apatin. 
 
 I had therefore slept soundly through our departure at 
 daybreak from the place where we had passed the night, and 
 during the entire passage to Apatin. My brother-in-law had 
 also done the same. So, hastily dressing, we hurried on 
 deck. 
 
 It was the 24th of April, and a splendid morning ; the sun 
 had already attained its full strength, above us stretched the 
 cloudless deep blue sky, and for the first time we felt that we 
 had reached \varmer and more southerly regions. 
 
 There was plenty of work in progress both on board our 
 vessel and on the pier, and Hodek had gone ashore to 
 launch and attach to the steamer his large rowing-boat, which 
 can also be used with sails. 
 
 The * Vienna,' for so his craft was named, had come down 
 to Apatin in advance, and was henceforth to remain with us. 
 Several " csikeln " * as they usually call the canoe-like 
 punts used in Southern Hungary were also brought off and 
 stowed away, some in the l Vienna,' some on board the 
 steamer, while others were made fast to her. 
 
 * Flat-bottomed crafts pointed at both ends and worked by a single- 
 bladed paddle with a cross handle. They are chiefly used on the Danube 
 between Pest and the Iron Gates. 
 
32 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 Apatin itself lies on the left side of the Danube, in 
 a perfectly flat but pleasant district. There are several 
 enormous " au " woods, much intersected with arms of the 
 river, on the right bank opposite the village, above and below 
 which are meadows and pastures generally studded with 
 detached willow-bushes. 
 
 The village itself does not lie quite by the river, but is 
 connected with the landing-stage by an embankment, the 
 ground on both sides of which is subject to inundations and 
 was now quite under water. Apatin is a very large place, 
 but, being composed of one-storied houses, is quite Hungarian- 
 looking. While we were still busy with our preparations for 
 setting out, a crowd of people assembled at the landing-place 
 who greeted us with cheers and fired off salutes, while a band 
 struck up " Gott erhalte," * for here the population consists 
 almost exclusively of Germans descendants of the Swabian 
 immigrants who in the last century were employed to colonize 
 the sparsely-peopled districts of Southern Hungary. 
 
 As soon as Hodek's crew had come on board we got under 
 weigh, followed by the cheers of the inhabitants ; but before 
 I proceed to detail the events of the day, I must say a few 
 words about these men, for we are all much indebted to their 
 skill and pluckiness. 
 
 The whole crew were Swabians of Apatin, who for years 
 have accompanied Hodek on his journeys, and whom he has 
 thoroughly trained in all sorts of work. They are as skilful 
 in skinning as in rowing, in climbing up the trees for nests as 
 in finding them, and in all other occupations useful on such 
 expeditions. The leader of this little band is a certain 
 Ferencz, who, in spite of his Hungarian name, is a true 
 Swabian. He is coxswain of the ' Vienna ' and the best 
 educated and cleverest of the crew. All the others are 
 
 * The Austrian National Anthem. 
 
THIRD DAY. 33 
 
 worthy, able fellows, chiefly fishermen by profession, who, 
 from the trips which they have made in Hodek's company, 
 have attained a certain practical knowledge of ornithology. 
 One of them merits a short description, as he often con- 
 tributed to our amusement. I never saw such a wretched 
 stunted being as this poor climber of Apatin ; and when one 
 looked at him, springing merrily about the topmost branches 
 of the trees, one" could not help thinking that he must be 
 closely related to the chimpanzee. His face beardless but for 
 a few bristles, his flat coal-black hair, thin arms and legs, 
 and distorted figure, which was mere skin and bone, made 
 him look most remarkable, and to all this was added an 
 intelligence which was in the lowest stage of development 
 and just verged on idiotcy. His sole enjoyment was the 
 perpetual smoking of a little clay pipe, and he laughed inces- 
 santly, but never spoke, obeying all orders blindly ; yet we all 
 liked him, for he was the cleverest climber. 
 
 But to return to our subject. After leaving Apatin we 
 ran up-stream again to the best shooting-ground. The 
 passage might be called pretty, for on the left bank was a 
 marshy tract intersected by arms of the river, where low 
 willow-bushes reached close down to the water's edge. On 
 the boggy meadows there were a good many birds. Lap- 
 wings tumbled about, Ducks rose from the pools, Grey 
 Herons flew leisurely over the marshes, and we here saw the 
 first Purple Herons. Marsh-Harriers were also dancing over 
 the meadows, and a pretty fair number of smaller birds, such 
 as Wild Pigeons, Crows, Starlings, &c., passed over our 
 vessel. On the right we saw splendid " au " woods running 
 down to the bank, and it was only where the numerous arms 
 of the river joined the main stream that we obtained glimpses 
 into these dark green labyrinths. 
 
 A good many Kites were flying about over the woods ; 
 we often saw four or five together, all merrily going through 
 
 D 
 
34 FIFTEEN DATS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 their aerial evolutions, and a Peregrine also crossed the river 
 not far from us. This noble bird of prey, so seldom met with 
 in western lands, was all. the more interesting to us as I had 
 shot one in the Lower Austrian " auen " when Brehm and I 
 were there a few days ago. We were already a good bit 
 above Apatin, when to our great delight there appeared far 
 away above the lofty woods the first pair of Sea-Eagles, 
 quietly flying towards the interior of the woods, their huge 
 forms being plainly visible against the sky in spite of the 
 great distance. The field-glass was at once put in requisition, 
 and a veritable fever of excitement was caused by the sight 
 of these great birds of prey, and the thoughts of what might 
 happen during the ensuing hours. 
 
 We now soon sighted an opening in the woods, where an 
 arm of the river branched off to the right and formed a broad 
 passage into the heart of the " auen." Here Hodek told us 
 that we were at the proper place, and the Captain gave the 
 order to anchor above this channel. 
 
 The ' Vienna ' was cast off, and we rowed to the bank to 
 get the " csikeln " in order. There, among the bushes, we 
 found a miserable dilapidated fishing-hut, out of which crawled 
 some wild sunburnt people, who looked at us with amaze- 
 ment. A numerous family of pigs lay sunning themselves 
 at the entrance of this human habitation, and when Brehm 
 saw them he rapturously called out, " Ah, my favourite 
 beasts \" and on account of that exclamation he was chaffed 
 whenever we encountered a herd of swine. 
 
 As soon as all was ready, and the steamer had anchored, 
 we got into the < Vienna ' and entered this arm of the Danube, 
 Hodek's men following, distributed among the " csikeln." 
 
 It must not be imagined that this was a small branch of the 
 Danube, for it was, on the contrary, a broad and rather rapid 
 stream about the size of our larger rivers. It takes a wide 
 bend through the wood, and joins the main stream far below 
 
THIRD DAY. 35 
 
 Apatin, and is the great artery round which is grouped the 
 network of the innumerable smaller channels of the great 
 Bellye and Draueck " auen." 
 
 We now began a most beautiful passage, the air on the 
 water being pleasantly cool, for a gentle breeze counteracted 
 the heat of the morning sun, and as we swung down the quick 
 stream the most charming pictures of silent woodland solitude 
 unfolded themselves before us. 
 
 First we passed through low willow copses, where the dense 
 foliage trailed in the water, and where it was almost impos- 
 sible to see into the bushes. We could hear the enlivening 
 notes, uttered by all sorts of birds, while, frightened by the 
 noise of the oars, Cuckoos, Orioles, Turtle-Doves, and various 
 other children of the woods fluttered up out of the thickets, 
 into which they again immediately vanished. 
 
 After a time the scene changed, and to our right appeared 
 tall woods, here and there diversified by little meadows and 
 low copses, while old oaks and black poplars pushed their 
 gnarled branches out of the immense sea of rustling silver 
 poplars, and wild fruit-trees showed their blossom-laden 
 crowns. 
 
 At one spot we even saw a road, if one might so call it, 
 which ran a little way along the bank. There must have 
 been a market going on in one of the villages outside the 
 woods, for a string of carts full of gaily-dressed men and 
 women were struggling along this miry track. 
 
 From an ornithological point of view this passage offered 
 but little of interest, though numbers of the birds already noted 
 showed themselves, and here, as everywhere else on the Danube, 
 the Grey Herons played an important part, for various repre- 
 sentatives of this species were standing, stiff and patient, 
 watching for fish in the shallows by the banks, while Common 
 Mallards flapped up quacking in front of us. 
 
 After we had been rather more than half an hour on the 
 
 D2 
 
36 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 way, the channel took a wide bend and changed its direction. 
 At first it had led us westwards almost at right angles to the 
 main stream, but now it turned to the sou'-sou'-west, and we 
 could see it flowing straight before us like a broad avenue, 
 both its banks being covered with imposing woods of a grander 
 and gloomier character than those which we had at first 
 encountered. 
 
 The ' Vienna 9 loaded with men, and its attendant swarm of 
 low " csikeln " that hardly rose above the surface of the 
 water, formed a striking picture as they glided so quietly 
 through this silent lonely scene. 
 
 In the distance to the right we saw quite a colony of fisher- 
 men, whose curiously built huts had a look of the South Sea 
 Islands, being made of long thick reeds and shaped like in- 
 verted funnels, a very low door serving as an entrance into 
 these peculiar structures. 
 
 After a few more strokes of the oars Hodek ordered his 
 men to land at this fishing colony, whither the Archduke 
 Albrecht's Land-Steward had come from Mohacs on purpose to 
 receive us. 
 
 Herr Eampelt, formerly an officer in the army, is a par- 
 ticularly agreeable, well-informed man, and to his great 
 courtesy we are indebted for much pleasure and many in- 
 teresting experiences. Other members of the admirable 
 Archducal forestry-staff also came to offer their services ; and 
 as for the fishermen, they stood up in their " csikeln " by the 
 bank gazing at us in amazement, while some wolf-dogs 
 sprang yelping towards us. 
 
 Now followed a short consultation, the " csikeln " were 
 distributed, every one chose his special district, a guide, a 
 paddler, and a climber were allotted to each, and we separated 
 with many a hearty wish for good luck, this spot being fixed 
 upon as the rendezvous for the evening, when we had 
 finished shooting. We were all somewhat excited at parting, 
 
THIRD DAY. 37 
 
 for to each of us there involuntarily presented itself the question, 
 Shall we kill any eagles, and with the best of luck how many 
 shall we bring back to this place after hours of hard work ? 
 
 A boat and a couple of " csikeln " were assigned to me. 
 My jager Beck and I got into the former, which was rowed 
 by two men, while Hodek and his man Ferencz followed in 
 the latter. We had hardly left the rest of the party, and 
 gone a little way down the broad stream, when a huge Sea- 
 Eagle flew slowly over the wood within rifle-shot of my boat, 
 and I, who am so very superstitious when out shooting, ac- 
 cepted this as a good omen and a propitious sign from St. 
 Hubert, who has always favoured me so greatly in my pursuit 
 of eagles. As we were merrily hurrying down-stream I 
 suddenly perceived on our left a small break in the loamy 
 crumbling bank through which the water was rushing into a 
 narrow channel. " Here," said my boatmen, " we must 
 enter ; " and I confess that at first I watched the manoeuvre 
 with some anxiety ; however, the turn was made, and the 
 water carried us into the deeply cut channel. Eowing was 
 quite impossible, for on both sides there were but a few inches 
 between boat and bank, while on either hand were loamy 
 walls several feet high. Here I noticed, imbedded in the 
 ooze and mud, a huge tree which had probably lain buried in 
 this place for many many years. Above us closed the branches 
 of the bushes which grew in wild luxuriance on both sides; 
 and I cannot remember having ever seen anything like it, 
 for the whole defile had quite a character of its own. Yet, 
 interesting as it was, we felt relieved on getting well out of 
 it, since even with both arms it was difficult to guard one's 
 face from rough contact with the low drooping boughs. 
 Suddenly both the banks came to an end as if they had been 
 cut off, and all trace of dry land vanished, for we had reached 
 the district of the yearly inundations and the very wilderness 
 itself. 
 
38 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 I should be glad if my pen could give the reader even a 
 slight idea of the marvellous scenes which here stamped them- 
 selves so indelibly on my memory. The landscape was the 
 more interesting from the picturesqueness of the vegetation, 
 for open expanses of water alternated with great forests of 
 reeds, half submerged thickets, and clumps of tall silver 
 poplars, oaks, willows, and elms ; fallen stems lay with their 
 highest parts out of the water, and dead oaks, black poplars, 
 and wild fruit-trees stood isolated among the rustling reed- 
 beds. All was flooded, and a gentle breeze played over the 
 ripples and the rich verdure in which this exuberant vege- 
 tation was decked. Little Grebes, Ducks, and Moorhens 
 flapped up in front of us. The latter are the characteristic 
 birds of all these " auen," and their incessant cries, mingled 
 with the croaking of countless frogs, made a deafening noise. 
 Here I everywhere found Marsh-Harriers, Hooded Crows, 
 Cuckoos, Wood-Pigeons, and Stock-Doves, and also some of 
 their nests j but it was not until we had penetrated a long 
 way into this wilderness that I saw two majestic Sea-Eagles 
 flying low over the water, and observed one of them settle on 
 a dead tree not far off, its yellowish plumage glistening in the 
 sun. After half an hour's rowing we gradually came into a 
 drier district, some patches of unsubmerged wood appeared, 
 and on one of them I saw from afar the first Sea-Eagle's 
 eyrie, situated upon a tall, very thin, and branchless black 
 poplar. It was a huge strong structure, and any one who 
 had never seen an eagle's nest before would have thought it 
 incredibly large. 
 
 Stepping cautiously into the " csikel," which Ferencz was 
 working, Hodek and I approached the tree, our boat remain- 
 ing behind hidden in the sedge, for we had to cross an open 
 sheet of water, succeeded by a tract of thick reeds, before we 
 got to the narrow tongue of land on which the nest stood. 
 
 Propelled by quiet strokes of the paddle the " csikel " 
 
THIRD DAY. 39 
 
 glided through the bending reeds. I had got iny gun ready 
 to shoot, for Ferencz whispered that the eagle was on its 
 nest ; but I was in such a fever of excitement that I scarcely 
 dared to breathe or to look at the tree, for it is an anxious 
 moment for any sportsman when he nears for the first time 
 that great structure, the pirate stronghold of a mighty eagle. 
 Ferencz most skilfully guided the craft under the tree to 
 a spot where I could get a good open shot. There he stopped, 
 and begged me to be prepared to fire, as he was going to 
 frighten the eagle off the nest by clapping his hands. How- 
 ever, thank goodness, nothing moved, for the eagle was not at 
 home, and it w r as only the head of the rather large young 
 one which he had seen and mistaken for the old bird. 
 
 I was glad that the eagle was not there, for shooting out 
 of a shaky " csikel " is always a very uncertain business, and 
 I could really hardly see for excitement. 
 
 We now had to land quickly and to wait for the eagle at 
 its dwelling, the depth of the water allowing us to come 
 quite close to the dry land, so that we only had to wade a few 
 steps. 
 
 Hodek ordered the two men to conceal themselves with 
 the " csikeln " at different points, in case of having to follow 
 up a hard-hit eagle, and when both crafts had quietly vanished 
 into the thick reeds, he and I hid ourselves as well as we 
 could. 
 
 The tree with the nest was on a longish strip of land, 
 nowhere more than twenty yards wide, and though not 
 now under water, the rnuddiness of the ground showed that 
 the floods had but recently left this more elevated spot. Here 
 stood huge ancient oaks with their thick foliage and dead 
 twisted upper branches, and there were also a few gigantic 
 silver poplars, but the only black poplar was the one on which 
 the nest was placed, and its peculiar form made it conspicuous 
 among all the other trees. 
 
40 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 Wild vines and hops had wound themselves round the 
 trunks of the trees, and the ground was covered by a mixture 
 of high rank grass, sedge, and other aquatic plants. Looking 
 towards the direction from which we had come, I had a view 
 of the inundated district, with its reed-beds, thickets, clumps 
 of wood, open sheets of water, and all the wild medley of this 
 remarkable locality. In the opposite direction I could see a 
 narrow reed-covered channel with a wood of lofty trees behind 
 it, which, so far as I could make out, rose from dry ground. 
 A few paces from the nest were some of the enormous oaks 
 centuries old, whose broad trunks we selected as our hiding- 
 places, while a few leafy boughs laid above us were to serve 
 as a screen. As a place for shooting from, this spot left much 
 to be desired, for the broad branches of the trees covered us 
 like a tent. How long I crouched there I know not, but I 
 found the time pass pretty quickly, surrounded as we were by 
 merry life. 
 
 The Wood-Pigeons and Stock-Doves fluttered about the 
 oak trees, and cooed so peacefully, while, urged by their 
 amatory feelings, the cock birds mounted high into the blue 
 ether, and dropped whirring down to the dead tree-tops of 
 the opposite wood. Crows and Jackdaws flew to and fro, and 
 a joyous crowd of songsters were warbling their most melo- 
 dious ditties, though unhappily the monotonous cries of the 
 Coots, Ducks, and green-footed Moorhens, as well as the 
 perpetual croaking of the frogs, almost drowned their melody. 
 These creatures are the regular pests of the " auen," but 
 how agreeable they are compared to those arch-torments of 
 the sportsman the bloodthirsty mosquitoes which swarm in 
 these woo^ls ! Hardly were we quietly settled in our hiding- 
 place when a humming began round us, and the wretched 
 insects commenced their fiercest attacks on my face and hands ; 
 and what would it be like in the evening, when the exhala- 
 tions rose from the moist ground and floated in ghostly 
 
THIRD DAY. 41 
 
 fashion over the steaming surface of the water ! These re- 
 flections were not pleasant ; but still an eagle was worth all 
 that, and any one who really wants to shoot nohle game must 
 shun neither troubles nor discomforts. 
 
 The hoarse cry of the young Sea-Eagle now indicated that 
 it was about the hour at which the pampered young gentle- 
 man was accustomed to be fed, and he was giving us accurate 
 notice of the fact. 
 
 Hodek, who had just looked round, whispered to me, " He 
 is coming ! " I heard a whiz above me, and a great shadow 
 swept over the ground; but by the time I had got my gun up 
 it was already too late, and I merely saw the eagle glide into 
 the nest with folded wings. I had not credited the mighty 
 bird with such great activity and quickness, and had fancied 
 the matter easier than it really was. 
 
 After a few moments we heard the cracking of bones and 
 the cries of the young bird ; but whether the bones were those 
 of a fish or of some other creature we unfortunately could 
 not say, owing to the surprising speed at which the eagle had 
 come. 
 
 I now slipped quietly out of my ambush ready to fire, and 
 stationed myself at a spot where I could get a comparatively 
 open shot, while Hodek crept warily to the other side of the 
 nesting-tree and tapped its stem with his hunting-knife. 
 
 He had hardly touched the bark when I heard the bustle 
 of the eagle as it flew out ; but a leafy branch prevented my 
 observing the bird at the first moment of its flight, and I did 
 not see it until it was a few yards from the nest. It was 
 struck by my first shot and fell halfway to the ground, and at 
 the second drooped its head and legs and sailed like a para- 
 chute over the water behind us, to a flooded patch of wood. 
 
 Shortly after it had vanished from our sight among the 
 branches we heard something heavy fall into the water, and 
 Hodek hastening up found the eagle already in Ferencz's 
 
42 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 " csikel," the bird having dropped within a few yards 
 of it. 
 
 It was a most unpleasant time that I spent alone under the 
 nest waiting for Hodek, and, short as it was, seemed to me like 
 long hours. My hands trembled with excitement as I held my 
 gun, and, harassed by the most uncomfortable thoughts, I 
 kept asking myself why I had not killed the eagle outright, 
 and whether the fall on the water had not been an illusion. 
 Fortunately Hodek soon put an end to these distressing 
 moments by hurrying to me holding up the eagle. It was a 
 very old powerful bird, with the pale plumage and light 
 yellow beak and feet indicative of great age ; but, to our 
 astonishment, it was not the faithful mother but the father 
 which I had bagged. 
 
 Induced by this circumstance to persevere, we determined 
 to wait two hours longer for the female, and, hiding the dead 
 Sea-Eagle in the shade of a tree, we again crept into our 
 ambush. 
 
 Our hopes and expectations had risen, and the time passed 
 still more quickly and pleasantly, relieved as I was of my 
 most feverish excitement and of my distressing doubts about 
 the success of the matter. 
 
 The cheerful bustle of the bird-world again began around 
 us, and I had the pleasure of thoroughly studying the Moor- 
 hens as they crept slowly out of their places of concealment 
 and swam about, a few yards from me, diving and playfully 
 pursuing one another. 
 
 We several times heard the shrill cry of the Sea-Eagle, 
 but all remained quiet at the nest ; so as it was already past 
 noon, and Hodek thought that we ought to pay a visit to the 
 second Sea-Eagle's nest, we whistled sharply, and in a few 
 minutes both our " csikeln " came up. 
 
 Having laid the slain eagle in my craft, we pushed off 
 from the land and penetrated into the thick reeds, circum- 
 
THIRD DAT. 43 
 
 navigated the wood behind us, crossed an open sheet of water, 
 and soon reached a large patch of trees. 
 
 Ferencz whispered to me that this was the abode of the 
 second pair of eagles, and with my gun ready I approached 
 the edge of the wood. The tree on which the nest was built 
 did not stand quite on the margin of the clump, but a few yards 
 within it, where there was a group of huge black poplars 
 still higher than the one at the previously described nesting- 
 place. To our horror we noticed that everything was under 
 water; so I went in the " csikel " right under the nest, which 
 was much smaller than the first, and was placed in the upper part 
 of a leafy black poplar, being pretty well screened by branches. 
 
 The eagle was not at home, and as we were discussing the 
 possibility of concealing ourselves under the very unfavour- 
 able circumstances, the pair of birds, already disturbed by our 
 presence, were sailing about over the tree-trops, screaming 
 loudlv. For a moment all seemed to be lost, for thev mounted 
 
 V * 
 
 in ever-widening circles up to the highest regions, closely 
 following all our movements. All at once we remarked a large 
 old oak lying prone, with only some parts of it projecting above 
 the surface of the water. To this tree we got the " csikel '' 
 as near as we could, and, with my gun on my back, I crept 
 along on all fours to its driest part. It was not a very com- 
 fortable seat, and it required some exertion to maintain my 
 position on the sloping surface. Moreover ants and insects 
 of all kinds were using the place as a refuge from the rising 
 waters, and showed very plainly how unwelcome my visit 
 was to them. 
 
 Hodek had gone off some distance with the crafts, and 
 when the eagles noticed this they sank towards the nest ; but 
 my position was unfortunately too evident, for the shy birds 
 again rose high in the air, sounding their cries of alarm. I now 
 quickly called for the " csikeln," and getting into one of them 
 looked about for another place ; and a hundred yards from the 
 
44 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 nest, and therefore quite out of shot-range, we discovered at 
 the foot of a tree a small dry spot just large enough to serve 
 as a hiding-place for two people if they crouched close to- 
 gether. Here Hodek and I sat down covered with leafy 
 branches, while Ferencz hurried away with the " csikeln" to 
 conceal himself a good way off. Our island was close to the 
 edge of the wood, so that we had a clear outlook over the 
 open water on one side, while a few hundred paces behind it 
 stood a group of trees, most of them dead. 
 
 The gun was now placed beside me ready for use, and a 
 cartridge inserted in the rifle, which would here have to play 
 the chief part ; and then there began a very interesting time for 
 the observer, but a very trying one for the enthusiastic sports- 
 man, for through the twigs we frequently saw the eagles, 
 which had become very suspicious, and constantly heard their 
 shrill cries of anxiety. 
 
 Both birds flew majestically over our heads, now sailing 
 slowly along and now darting from one end of the wood to the 
 other. Often they sank so low that I could plainly see their 
 yellow feet shining in the sun, and the way in which their 
 great powerfully-beaked heads were bent downwards, while 
 sometimes they mounted to such a height that they looked like 
 mere black dots in the sky ; but they never ceased sounding 
 their ominous cries, and though the pangs of hunger kept the 
 young eagles calling to their parents, the old birds never 
 came near the nest until another hour had elapsed. 
 
 At last they ceased to show their mistrust by shrill notes 
 of alarm, and dropping into another part of the woods vanished 
 from our sight. They had quieted down and gone off after 
 plunder, their usual business, and our hopes, which had already 
 fallen very low, began to rise again a little. A quarter of an 
 hour of perfect quiet had elapsed, when I suddenly heard the 
 piercing screams of the eagles, now here and now there, but 
 already pretty close to me, while I sometimes saw them pass 
 
THIRD DAY. 45 
 
 like shadows over the tree-tops and again disappear into the 
 depths of the foliage. 
 
 At length I heard the heavy thud of the feet and the rush 
 of the flapping wings, such as one always hears when an 
 eagle perches hard by. The sound did not come from the 
 nest, but from quite the opposite direction, and, looking 
 cautiously out, I saw behind me a huge Sea-Eagle on the top 
 of a dead tree at the other side of the water. 
 
 I quickly grasped my rifle, but before I could aim the 
 eagle stooped several times, lowered its head, and, slowly 
 extending its wings, flew off the branch. 
 
 It was coming in a direct line to our hiding-place, but just 
 before reaching the wood it rose a little and hovered like a 
 hawk over the nest, turning its head from side to side, and 
 this it doubtless did in order to first thoroughly examine the 
 nest and its surroundings and to see whether all was in its old 
 condition. All of a sudden it contracted its wings and flew 
 straight to the top of a dead tree close to the nest and about 
 a hundred paces from my position. 
 
 There sat the eagle facing us, bolt upright, and recon- 
 noitring in all directions. I quietly raised the rifle, fired, and 
 the ball passing fair through its breast, knocked the bird off 
 the tree, the dull sound of its fall on the water following 
 the echoes of the shot. 
 
 Hardly had I begun to wade to the dead bird, carrying my 
 empty rifle, when the female came flying low over my head. 
 How easily I could also have bagged this second eagle had 
 the gun been in my hand ! 
 
 For to-day all was over at this nest, as the bird had seen us 
 lift up its slain mate, and was now fully alive to the wiles of 
 man, and a few minutes afterwards we saw it circling round 
 at a great height, uttering its cries of alarm. I therefore 
 immediately left the place to pay a parting visit to the first 
 nest. There my jager, who had been waiting all the time in 
 
46 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 the boat, which was concealed among the reeds, told us that, 
 shortly after we had left, the eagle had flown back laden with 
 food for the well-grown young for he declared that there 
 were at least two, though we had before only made out one ; 
 so I at once hastened to my ambush, determined to devote 
 another hour to this nest. 
 
 The Moorhens and all the small birds were now still 
 livelier than in the noontide hours, and there was an inces- 
 sant flapping going on in the water around me. A Mallard 
 had her nest quite close to our hiding-place, and at first she 
 sat immovable, but afterwards got up and began to swim 
 about the reeds and hunt for insects, keeping all the while a 
 strict watch on her nest. Every Moorhen which dared to 
 come too near was vigorously chased away, and after each 
 short absence she came back to reinspect her dwelling. The 
 concert, too, in these woods during the latter part of the 
 afternoon was very remarkable the screams of the young 
 eagles, the cooings of the pigeons, the cawing of the crows, 
 the quacking of the ducks, the whistling of the Moorhens, 
 and the croaking of the frogs, all made up a Babel of sound 
 which, accompanied by the melodious notes of the Nightin- 
 gales and Blackcaps, the songs of the Finches, and the short 
 warbles of the Willow-Wrens, gave the wilderness a strange 
 and very enchanting character. 
 
 The afternoon was drawing to a close, the sun sank towards 
 the west, the shadows grew longer and longer, but still the 
 eagle did not come ; so we had to leave the place, as time 
 was pressing, and we were a good long way from the steamer. 
 We therefore called up the " csikeln," and began our home- 
 ward route, and I felt proud at leaving this ground with two 
 Sea-Eagles in my boat a bag which falls to the lot of but 
 few sportsmen in the whole course of their shooting ex- 
 periences. 
 
 A beautiful picture presented itself as the last rays of the 
 
THIRD DAY. 47 
 
 sun gilded the dead branches of the ancient oaks and the leafy 
 clumps of wood ; a gentle evening air was breathing through 
 the rustling brakes and reed-beds, and before us lay the broad 
 oily sheets of water only broken by the rings made by the 
 rising fish and the diving of ducks and Moorhens. Crows 
 were settling on the trees preparing for their night's rest, the 
 songs of the smaller birds had gradually ceased, and just a few 
 warbling sounds rose from sedge and bush, while light vapours 
 hung over the water and the mosquitoes tormented us with 
 all their might. Some Marsh-Harriers glided over the 
 thickets with their reeling flight, in search of their evening 
 meal of Moorhens; and would that they had devoured all 
 those noisy ear-torturing brutes ! An Osprey also passed 
 slowly over a clump of trees near our boat, and though it was 
 rather too far off I relied on the powers of my gun and fired 
 both barrels at this beautiful light-flying eagle, and it dropped 
 into a thicket of reeds and bushes, rather hard hit. Ferencz 
 hurried up in his " csikel ; " but all his searching was fruitless, 
 which I greatly regretted, as I had never killed an Osprey, and 
 this smallish finely-coloured eagle, with its Lapwing-like 
 flight, is an attraction to all sportsmen ; we were, however, to 
 form a closer acquaintance with it two days later. 
 
 We went back the same way that we had come in the 
 morning, and on reaching the picturesque but not over agree- 
 able passage between the banks of earth near the junction of 
 the channel with the main arm of the river I saw fresh tracks 
 of Red Deer in the soft loam, evidently made by some very 
 heavy animals. 
 
 A few more strokes of the oars brought us into the broad 
 stream, \vhere the men had to pull lustily to get up to the 
 fishing-colony now visible in the distance, and on reaching it 
 we found all the sportsmen already assembled round their 
 spoils. Three Sea-Eagles, one Mallard, one White-eyed Duck, 
 a Tawny Owl, and a variety of small birds shot by Brehm for 
 
48 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 scientific purposes decorated the place. My two Sea-Eagles 
 were at once laid beside them, and we had the rare good for- 
 tune of standing by a row of five eagles. My brother-in-law 
 had killed two very large ones, and severely wounded another. 
 He had also brought for the menagerie which we were going 
 to form on deck three young eagles from the nest, tolerably 
 large, but still in down. 
 
 The third bird, also a grand specimen, had been bagged 
 by Homeyer ; but Brehrn and Bombelles had been unlucky at 
 the nests, especially the latter, who had made the acquaintance 
 of a very suspicious eagle, which the keepers said Baron 
 Schloissnigg had some weeks ago fired at with small shot 
 while it was at its nest. This probably occurred during the 
 Woodcock-shooting. All the eagles we had killed were 
 very old birds, having the fully-mature pale brownish-yellow 
 plumage and light yellow beak and feet indicative of great 
 age. 
 
 While the men were busy putting our booty and effects on 
 board the 'Vienna,' Brehm lured a Cuckoo, which was calling 
 near us, in the most scientific way, and so deceived the poor 
 fellow that it allowed itself to be enticed out of the wood to 
 the fishermen's huts, where it circled over the heads of the 
 large assemblage of people, and I fired a shot which brought 
 it dead to the ground. 
 
 After this short interlude we took leave of the Land 
 Steward, and embarked on board the * Vienna,' again followed 
 by the " csikeln." 
 
 We now went rapidly down-stream through the most 
 splendid forests ; right and left were thick woods of willows 
 and silver poplars with low drooping branches, and from time 
 to time we got slight glimpses into these " auen " at the junc- 
 tions of the channels. Purple and Grey Herons often flew over 
 our heads, and a whole flock of marsh-birds, variously deter- 
 mined by us as Ibises, Purple Herons or Night-Herons, were 
 
THIRD DAY. 49 
 
 winging their way to some other ground. Evening was far 
 advanced, the night was struggling with the last vestiges of 
 day, and bats were flitting restlessly along the banks. It was 
 a lovely passage ; the woods exhaled their perfumes, and 
 the very perceptible sunset chill of these regions, which gives 
 such colds and fevers to the imprudent, had mellowed to a 
 soft night air. 
 
 After a very quick run of an hour and a half, the woods to 
 our left grew thinner and more open, and in front of us 
 appeared a tract of country only studded with a few trees. 
 In the distance shone the lights of our steamer : a few more 
 good strokes of the oars brought us alongside the accommo- 
 dation-ladder, and we were soon standing on the deck of our 
 comfortable dwelling. 
 
 The steamer had, after we had left it in the morning, 
 returned to Apatin to take in coals and provisions, and then 
 continued its journey a long way further down the river to 
 the point where the broad arm of the Danube joins the main 
 stream above the Hullo Marsh, and therefore not far from 
 Draueck. Here the vessel turned into the arm, and went a 
 little way up-stream to a fishing-colony at the edge of a great 
 " au " wood on the right bank, and there anchored to wait 
 for us, for this was the spot where we were to take up our 
 quarters for the night. 
 
 Immediately after our arrival the much-desired dinner was 
 served, and some food was welcome, for the whole day long 
 since breakfast we had eaten nothing but some pieces of milk- 
 bread which had been put into the game-bag : this, however, 
 was but a short day compared with those which were to 
 follow. 
 
 The prudent Brehm had conceived the splendid idea of 
 bargaining for crayfish at one of the fisher-colonies, for the 
 crayfish of the Danube has a very good flavour, and also 
 
50 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 differs somewhat in its outward appearance from the brook 
 crayfish. 
 
 Dinner being over, the measurements were at once taken, 
 notes exchanged, and every one recounted their adventures. 
 The various tales of what took place at the nests were almost 
 identical ; and as no special experiences happened to any of 
 the sportsmen, I have no compunctions in omitting a sum- 
 mary of these accounts and almost entirely confining myself 
 to my own doings. 
 
 After our work was finished, and the spoils made over to 
 Hodek for preservation, we all betook ourselves to our well- 
 earned rest. 
 
FOURTH DAY. 
 
 DAY was breaking on the morning of the 25th of April, and 
 the first glimmer of light was shining through the cloud- 
 drifts over the silent woods still enveloped in the darkness 
 of the night, while a wall of black clouds towering on the 
 western horizon was the only too certain warning of an 
 approaching change of weather. 
 
 My brother-in-law and I were the first on deck, and were 
 waiting for breakfast, our example being soon followed by 
 Brehin and Homeyer. 
 
 Borubelles had set offin a "csikel " still earlier in the morning, 
 for he was going back all the way up-stream to the nests 
 which I had visited yesterday, intent upon shooting the hen- 
 bird of the first, which had been quite undisturbed. 
 
 After breakfast Hodek settled what we were to do, and each 
 of us had a separate district allotted to him. Leopold was to 
 go to a Sea-Eagle's nest not far from the steamer, and the 
 two " Savants," as we always called them, were detailed for a 
 distant but interesting excursion. They were to travel down 
 the arm of the river to its junction with the main stream, 
 where begins the wide and really gigantic Hullo Marsh, 
 which I shall fully describe elsewhere. At its southern ex- 
 tremity is Draueck, that point of such special geographical 
 interest where the majestic Drave commits its waters to the 
 Danube. Just at the spot where the two rivers meet, the 
 marsh ends in a small wood, generally flooded, and which 
 bears the name of Szrebernicza. There stood the Sea-Eagle's 
 nest that had been assigned to the Savants. 
 
 Hardly had my two friends examined the position of this 
 
 E2 
 
52 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 locality on the map, when they began to talk of it as a district 
 splendidly adapted for ornithological researches, and to form 
 high scientific expectations in connexion with this trip. The 
 more they dreamed of these prospects, the smaller were my 
 hopes of seeing these gentlemen return laden with an eagle, 
 for the sporting proclivities of the true naturalist, however 
 great they may be, always give way whenever a question 
 of scientific interest arises. 
 
 Breakfast was soon despatched, and we separated with 
 hearty wishes for good luck. I got into a boat with Hodek 
 and my jager, three "csikeln" followed us, and we started 
 on our expedition. 
 
 We began by rowing slowly up-stream for about a quarter 
 of an hour, till we got to a high wood chiefly composed of 
 willows ; vt&ee we put into the bank, and I seated myself in a 
 " csikel " paddled by the sturdy Ferencz. Hodek and my jager 
 settled themselves in the two others, and, taking the boat 
 along with us, we pushed into the wood at a flooded spot only 
 a few yards broad. Here a narrow strip of dry ground run- 
 ning along the edge of the trees divided the arm of the river 
 from the interior of the wood, which was so completely under 
 water that we could easily pass between the tall stems this 
 sort of inundated forest, devoid of bushes or undergrowths, 
 having a very singular look. A little way further on the high 
 trees became scarcer, being replaced by thickets, and the 
 difficulties of the already unpleasant navigation were increased 
 by the drift-wood which was floating about. However, light 
 soon shone through the bushes, and we reached an open sheet 
 of water about a thousand yards long by a few hundred 
 broad, and bounded on the left by bushes with only a few 
 high trees rising among them, and on the right by a very 
 singular and lofty forest, while to the front the view was also 
 closed by woods. I fancy that in the height of summer, when 
 the floods recede, this open is transformed either into one of 
 
FOURTH DAY. 53 
 
 those dry channels so common in the " auen " or into a moist 
 and verdant forest glade. 
 
 Our " csikeln " glided silently but swiftly over the smooth 
 waters, the clouds hung low, the air, saturated with the exhala- 
 tions of the rich vegetation, was oppressive, and the prevailing 
 tones of dull green gave a melancholy aspect to the scene. 
 
 There was little bird-life to be seen around us, but the 
 insects, especially the troublesome mosquitoes, drawn out 
 by the damp warmth of the weather, were buzzing about 
 everywhere, while innumerable frogs were throwing up air- 
 bubbles and protruding their heads above the water. 
 
 A brilliantly white Egret passed slowly over me, and was 
 at once entered in my note-book, as it was the first which I 
 had seen on this journey, nor had I met with any since last 
 year, when I found them in the marshes of Lake Butrinto 
 in Albania. 
 
 A few more vigorous strokes of the paddles brought us to 
 the end of the open water, where, turning to the right, we 
 entered a splendid wood of high trees. Of all the " an " 
 woods which I have ever seen this was unquestionably the 
 most beautiful and the most interesting, being the very acme 
 of the unfettered virgin growth of nature. Tall willows were 
 its characteristic trees, and some huge black and silver poplars 
 with dead branches stood out among them. In many places 
 there was no undergrowth, in others thick bushes grew ram- 
 pantly. Old trees, overcome by the weight of years and 
 choked by the younger ones, were bent and twisted into the 
 most gnarled shapes; others, blackened by lightning, stood like 
 ruins, half overthrown ; stems that had been hurled down by 
 storms lay firmly imbedded in the ground and partly sub- 
 merged, their decayed bark serving as a fruitful soil for 
 younger generations, for high grasses and whole trees were 
 growing from the dead bodies of their predecessors, while 
 other trunks, uprooted by the floods, were drifting about 
 
54 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 with flourishing islands forming themselves on their broad 
 upper surfaces. 
 
 Hodek had already told me of the floating islands of this 
 wood. I have now seen them, and am greatly delighted at 
 having explored this true primeval forest, on which no axe or 
 hatchet has ever been laid by man. Our way was often 
 blocked by quantities of drift-wood as well as by these float- 
 ing islands, and we were often in immediate danger of a 
 ducking, for we had much difficulty in forcing the " csikeln " 
 through the stems and branches ; but where the obstacles 
 were altogether too great, we could only progress by making 
 a long detour, and in spite of the extraordinary dexterity of 
 the paddlers, their task was a very hard one. 
 
 Slowly we neared a little opening, in the midst of which 
 stood an old rotten willow, and seldom have I seen so remark- 
 able a tree. Its twisted trunk only rose a couple of yards 
 above the water, and was quite branchless and leafless, and 
 also blackened by lightning and split down the middle ; 
 while at its upper end was a large hole leading into the hollow 
 stem. This willow served as a fit abode for the gloomy 
 Eagle-Owl, the king of its race. I glided on in the " csikel " 
 until I got under the tree, and Hodek also hurried up in his 
 craft, and with a blow of his hunting-knife frightened the 
 great night-bird out of its retreat. Unfortunately, 1 had 
 posted myself too near, and the cunning owl flew away so 
 covered by the tree that I could not see it until it was a good 
 way off, and both my shots were ineffective ; for though it 
 drooped in its flight and dropped a few feathers, yet it never- 
 theless vanished into the depths of the wood. I was quite in 
 despair, for it was the first time that I had seen a wild Eagle- 
 Owl, and the sight of it made me still more eager to shoot one 
 of these powerful fellows, who are certainly among our finest 
 raptorial creatures. 
 
 It is a splendid primitive sort of bird, with a spectral weird 
 
FOURTH DAY. 55 
 
 look suggestive of all the old hunting-tales, the " Walpurgis- 
 nacht " and long by-gone days, and has perhaps suffered more 
 from the inroads of civilization than even the Eagle, for it 
 demands perfect quiet, and vast wildernesses are its true home. 
 
 There I sat in my " csikel " -with my empty gun, the pic- 
 ture of misery ; but Hodek assured me that when the Eagle- 
 Owl is clean missed, it soon comes back to its nest, and that 
 even when it is wounded, but is still strong enough to drag 
 itself back to its retreat, it does so that it may die in its own 
 dwelling, surrounded by its belongings, he having seen instances 
 of both cases in the course of his many years' experience. 
 
 For this ray of hope I was very thankful, and though I did 
 not set much faith on the result, I determined to return to the 
 nest in a few hours. As we were leaving the place, in de- 
 pressed spirits, a beautiful Osprey flew over us and settled on 
 a high black poplar, whose dead top was decorated with an 
 old abandoned Sea-Eagle's nest. Ducks were getting up 
 everywhere among the stems of the trees, and a lively bustle 
 was going on amongst the crowd of Moorhens. Our object 
 now was to get out of this wood as quickly as we could, in 
 order to pay a visit to a Sea-Eagle, so we directed that the 
 boat, which had remained by the open water, should be 
 hidden in the thickets and kept in waiting for us. 
 
 We then advanced in an opposite direction through another 
 flooded thicket, and soon reached an open arm of the river 
 with dense copses running along its right bank and on its left 
 a high wood, most of which was under water. 
 
 After paddling about a quarter of an hour, Hodek announced 
 that we must be close to the first eagle's nest, so we put into 
 the left bank at a place where most of the high wood was free 
 of water, and entered a grove composed of silver poplars, black 
 poplars, and a few oaks, where there was little undergrowth 
 and but few pools, a state of matters which much facilitated 
 our progress. 
 
56 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 We began by walking a little way straight along the dry 
 bank of the arm, and then, accompanied only by Hodek, I 
 turned into the wood, and wading through some largish pools 
 gained an opening, where I already saw from afar a huge 
 eagle's nest situated among the upper branches of a tall black 
 poplar. To the left of this tree was an open channel, mostly 
 covered with sedge, and on its further side ran a long stretch 
 of bush varied with high solitary trees. 
 
 On some drier and more elevated patches of ground quite 
 close to the nest were some lower trees, under one of w r hich I 
 hid myself while Hodek went below the nest to drive out the 
 eagle should it chance to be sitting therein ; but in vain he 
 hammered at the stem, the bird was not at home ; so we 
 stayed quietly in our ambush, which, lying as it did among 
 pools of water, only afforded us very damp and wretched 
 accommodation. 
 
 The wood in the immediate neighbourhood of the nest had, 
 as one might say, narrowed to a thin strip, so that from our 
 position we could easily see through it, and even get an open 
 view as far as the bushes on the other side of the channel. 
 This wood was not at all like that above described, being far 
 less wild, and not so like a primeval forest. There was also 
 plenty of life in it, for a number of songsters charmed us with 
 their early morning carols ; and again the lively Moorhens 
 kept uttering their incessant cries among the rushes of the 
 channel, while ducks were flying to and fro and splashing 
 noisily into the water close beside us. 
 
 We had hardly been sitting a quarter of an hour under the 
 nest, when the young eagles began to cry lustily for food, and 
 were answered by both the old ones quite near our hiding- 
 place. We next saw the shadows of the huge creatures gliding 
 over the ground, but did not get a clear view of the birds 
 themselves until they were above the low bushes of the oppo- 
 site bank ; and there we observed three eagles, evidently a 
 
FOURTH DAY. 57 
 
 pair who were trying to drive away an intruder from their 
 territory. It was a splendid sight to see the three great 
 birds pursuing each other in low circles over the bushes and 
 then mounting into higher regions and swooping down in 
 playful fashion, all the while sounding their loud cries. I was 
 delighted at this sign of their perfect feeling of security and 
 absence of suspicion, as it showed me that the owners of the 
 nest had not the slightest inkling of our presence. In a few 
 minutes the three eagles disappeared in different directions, 
 doubtless going about their usual business of seeking food for 
 their young ones. 
 
 Another half-hour of perfect quiet passed by, giving me 
 time to make a thorough study of my surroundings, and of 
 the lively interesting habits of the marsh- and water-birds, 
 and the various songsters which were flying about. A pair of 
 Pygmy Eagles passed very low over our heads, and had I 
 not been waiting for the Sea-Eagle I could easily have shot 
 them right and left. These small but particularly rare and 
 interesting eagles were carefully entered in my note-book, as 
 I knew that their appearance would be of great interest, 
 especially to Homeyer, who was much occupied with the 
 Pygmy Eagle, and hoped great things of our journey in con- 
 nexion with this bird. 
 
 The fact that they were a paired couple, one perfectly dark 
 and the other quite light-coloured, formed another argu- 
 ment against the separation of the Booted from the Pygmy 
 Eagle a question in which we were much interested, and 
 which has so long been a matter of dispute. 
 
 The cries of the hungry young Sea-Eagles kept getting 
 louder, and the moment when the old birds would return to 
 the nest with plunder seemed to be approaching. Suddenly 
 I saw an eagle above the bushes on the other side of the 
 channel, but still a long way off. It darted straight towards 
 the nest, took a sweep round the high wood, and a few seconds 
 
68 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 afterwards its broad shadow was gliding over our heads. 
 There was unhappily no chance of a safe shot at the bird as it 
 went into the nest, although there was an opening in the 
 branches just above me which allowed of my seeing that it 
 was carrying a pretty large fish in its claws. 
 
 Directly we heard the noise made by the huge bird as it 
 folded its wings and hopped inside from the edge of the nest 
 I crept out of our ambush, stepped quietly to the opposite 
 side of the tree to look for a place where I could get a per- 
 fectly open shot, and as soon as I had been lucky enough 
 to find one I sent Hodek to tap the stem. 
 
 The eagle was so busy feeding its young that it did not hear 
 our steps as we splashed through a deep water-hole, and it 
 was only after the trunk of the tree had been repeatedly struck 
 that I distinctly heard movements in the nest. The boughs 
 bent, some small twigs fell from its edge, and with a loud 
 bustle the great Sea-Eagle slowly spread its wings, and glided 
 quickly through the topmost branches of the trees in a slanting 
 direction close past me. I had for an instant a clear sight of 
 it between the two trees, and, availing myself of that moment, I 
 fired, and the bird, contracting its wings, crashed through the 
 twigs and foliage and fell with a sharp thud to the ground. 
 
 In a few strides we got up to it, and dragged it into our 
 hiding-place. It was another very fine specimen, with the 
 pale-yellowish plumage, bleached beak, and wax-coloured feet, 
 which plainly showed great age. 
 
 As the other bird had not witnessed the death of its spouse, 
 Hodek advised me to repair to my ambush, and wait for it at 
 least an hour ; nor was it long before the very large powerful 
 female appeared on the outskirts of the wood, flying slowly 
 up low over, the water. 
 
 The Ducks and Moorhens which had been scared by the 
 shot were still fluttering about and making a great noise. 
 This seemed to rouse the suspicions of the eagle, for it took 
 
FOURTH DAY. 59 
 
 some great sweeps round the wood, screaming the while; and 
 we passed an anxious hour, as not for an instant did the wary 
 bird quit our neighbourhood, though it never allowed the cries 
 of its young to attract it within a fair range. 
 
 At one time we saw it circling high above us, at another it 
 flew low over the bushes, then showed itself among the tree- 
 stems only a few yards above the ground, and sometimes 
 perched on the isolated trees along the bank or in the middle 
 of the wood, but never came close to the nest. 
 
 I waited perhaps more than an hour without stirring in the 
 least, and attentively followed every movement of the noble 
 bird, for it was a beautiful sight to watch the intense anxiety, 
 excitement, and mistrust of this shy robber, who, without 
 having really detected our presence, was nevertheless suspi- 
 cious of some great danger. At times it vanished for a little 
 while in the upper parts of the wood, and came back regularly 
 attended by two other Sea-Eagles, who, having no idea of the 
 cause of its alarm, playfully followed it about. 
 
 After about an hour had passed, Hodek thought that it was 
 evidently quite useless to wait for the return of this wary bird, 
 and we therefore resolved to visit another Sea-Eagle's nest in 
 the woods straight in front of us about a mile further on. 
 The way to this second nest was somewhat difficult and 
 fatiguing, for at every step our progress was impeded by dense 
 underwood, and by the broad pools, which had to be waded, 
 while in many places we had to hack out a path with our 
 hunting-knives ; however, after a somewhat long tramp, Hodek 
 imagined that we must be near the nest. Here the wood was 
 broader, and extended so far to the left that it quite shut out 
 the view towards the other cover, while to the right it was 
 still bounded by the broad arm of the river, along the opposite 
 bank of which ran an unbroken stretch of willow-thickets, 
 with a high wood of the same trees in the background. 
 
 The tree on > which this nest was placed stood close to the 
 
60 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 channel, and even drooped over its crumbling bank, which 
 was here several yards high. 
 
 The nest appeared to have been just built, the many green 
 branches at its edge showing that it was not long since the 
 eagle had put the finishing touches to its abode. We ap- 
 proached it cautiously until we were under the tree, where I 
 became anxious about the outcome of the affair, for on the 
 side next the wood there was not the smallest opening from 
 which I could get a good shot, while if the bird were to fly out 
 across the water, the bushy branches of the tree on which the 
 nest was placed would prevent my having any better chance 
 of killing it. 
 
 Hodek at once feared that here the eagle would be in its 
 nest, so I posted myself in the best place I could find, ready to 
 shoot ; but though he repeatedly tapped the trunk of the tree, 
 all was quiet. His practised eye had nevertheless recognized 
 the probability that, in spite of all this evidence to the con- 
 trary, the mighty owner of the nest might still be in it, yet it 
 was not until he had clapped his hands for some time and had 
 thrown up bits of stick that the eagle suddenly rose. 
 
 The sharp cracking of the branches, the spreading of its 
 wings, and its flight towards the water, all took place in an 
 instant, and quickly as I put up my gun, the best moment was 
 already lost, and only a few twigs and leaves fell to the dis- 
 charge of both my barrels. 
 
 Terrified and scared by the unseen danger (for we were 
 well concealed), the huge bird flew high and low over the 
 trees and bushes of the opposite bank, and at its cries of alarm 
 the male appeared, soon followed by the remaining eagle 
 from the previous nest ; and all three birds now cautiously 
 cruised round us in wide circles. We had quickly cowered 
 down behind a great tree, and had covered ourselves with 
 some branches, for, annoyed as I was at this my first failure in 
 eagle-shooting, there was still a ray of hope that as the eagle 
 
FOURTH DAY. 61 
 
 had not seen us it would return ; and \ve were not wrong, for 
 after a few minutes the female which had just been missed 
 separated itself from the other two birds, and flying straight 
 towards the nest settled on the withered top of a black poplar 
 about sixty yards from our ambush. Though the distance 
 was rather great, I trusted to my good gun and fired ; but 
 just as the shot left the barrel the eagle saw us and dropped 
 down among the branches of the tall tree, so that the charge 
 passed some yards behind the bird, and the pellets only rattled 
 against the bough on which it had been sitting. 
 
 Depressed by the many mishaps I had to-day encountered, 
 first at the owl's nest, and now with this pair of Sea-Eagles, 
 I wanted to leave the place, but Hodek begged me to wait a 
 little longer, and we spent another perfectly blank half-hour, 
 while the eagles circled round the wood and its immediate 
 neighbourhood, unceasingly uttering their shrill cries of alarm 
 and perpetually examining our hiding-place, for they had at 
 last discovered the danger, and there was no longer the slightest 
 chance of their coming near us for the next few hours. 
 
 Hodek now advised me to return to the " csikeln " and to 
 make a fresh visit to the Eagle-Owl's nest ; so I left this 
 place much disheartened and abashed by my many failures. 
 The wearisome way through the thick underwood back to the 
 first eagle's nest now seemed doubly long and disagreeable, 
 and on our trying to curtail it by a short cut to the bank, we 
 went quite astray, and it was not until we had searched about 
 for some time that we reached the first nest, and thence got 
 back to our " csikeln," where I was ashamed at being obliged 
 to tell what had happened to our men, who, having heard so 
 many shots, had expected to see us return with several 
 eagles. 
 
 Quickly getting into our crafts, we went back along the 
 route by which we had so lately come ; but it was in a dif- 
 ferent frame of mind from that of this morning that we pene- 
 
62 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 trated into the virgin forest, where stood the nest of the Eagle- 
 Owl. I now carefully slipped up in my " csikel " to the oppo- 
 site side of the old dead willow, and tried, hy getting into a 
 more favourable position, to secure a better result than that of 
 some hours ago. 
 
 Again Hodek went to the trunk of the tree, but all his 
 attempts to drive out the owl were fruitless ; the bird had 
 been too hard hit, and was probably lying dead in some safe 
 hiding-place near its dwelling. 
 
 Quite undecided what to do next, we were waiting round 
 the nest in our " csikeln," when my jager, who had been 
 called up, recommended a search through the thickets for the 
 wounded owl ; so we at once separated, to range through 
 the wood in various directions. 
 
 This was in itself a difficult enough plan to carry out, but 
 the numerous islands, already described, often made it quite 
 impossible to get forward, and we were in constant dread of 
 losing our bearings and going entirely astray. 
 
 However, in a roundabout fashion we went through a great 
 deal of this wild intricate wood, often getting altogether stuck 
 among the boughs of the thick bushes, and between the 
 floating tree-sterns or the narrow alleys of the old willows, 
 and only by perpetual labour with the paddles, and often with 
 the hands, could we work our crafts slowly forward. It was 
 troublesome and bootless toil, for we neither got a glimpse 
 of the wounded owl nor of the male on which Hodek had set 
 much store ; but we were nevertheless repaid by a splendid 
 insight into this, the very densest part of the virgin forest. 
 
 On our way back to the nest I observed a good many 
 water-fowl, for the ducks which breed here, in great numbers, 
 often flapped up noisily, while some couples of the first wild 
 geese we had seen during this trip rose in alarm a long- 
 way off. 
 
 I now resolved to inspect the Sea-Eagle's nest which I had 
 
FOURTH DAY. 63 
 
 noticed early in the morning, where an Osprey seemed to 
 have taken up its abode, but our futile attempts to drive out the 
 possible occupant of the nest showed that our hopes were 
 ill-founded. 
 
 After a number of shooting misadventures, a keen sports- 
 man seizes the smallest prospect afforded him of retrieving 
 his failures by a success of some kind ; so I even thought of 
 the wild geese, and wanted to try to get near them, but 
 Hodek thought this would be a perfectly useless attempt. 
 
 On getting back to the old willow, the abandoned dwelling 
 of the Eagle-Owl, we determined to take the nest, a trouble- 
 some but remunerative task ; so I made Ferencz bring my 
 craft up to the trunk of a fallen old willow that was only 
 partly submerged, for I was obliged to get out, as the men 
 required two " csikeln " as a first step towards climbing the 
 tree, and this prostrate stem was for far and wide the only 
 island. I then tried to crawl slowly up its slanting and 
 rather slippery surface, and after some trouble and the 
 frequent prospect of a cold bath I fortunately succeeded in 
 so doing, and seated myself on the gnarled branches furthest 
 from the water to watch the taking of the nest. 
 
 Ferencz, who was a particularly clever climber, swung 
 himself from the edge of the " csikel " up the stem of the tree 
 with the assistance of the climbing-irons. The upper part of 
 the old willow was so broad that he could move quite easily 
 along its slanting surface, and on reaching the hole which 
 served as the entrance to the nest he felt cautiously inside, 
 and first carefully pulled out the newly-killed bodies of four 
 Moorhens, which the owl had probably brought this very 
 day as food for the young. The bodies were quite intact, 
 but, curiously enough, all the heads were gone. We then 
 called out to him to throw down some of the materials of the 
 nest into a sack, and out came a mass consisting of feathers, 
 twigs, bones of defunct creatures, and quantities of maggots 
 
64 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 and vermin. Finally, he lowered into my " csikel " one by 
 one the four young birds, which were rather small and 
 covered with light grey down. 
 
 When the taking of the nest was happily accomplished, I 
 got Ferencz to fetch me from my very unpleasant position, and 
 we began to retrace our way to the boat on the open water. 
 
 Some hours still remained at our disposal, and as it would 
 have been too early to return to the steamer, we determined 
 to go back again to the Sea-Eagle's nests, although a storm 
 was threatening in the west. This time we hurried straight 
 up to the second nest in the " csikel/' and halted below it, 
 intending to drive out the bird by clapping our hands should 
 it chance to have returned. 
 
 Had I done this on the first occasion I should have bagged 
 it, for the outlook towards the nest was much more open from 
 the water ; but now the eagle was not at home, so we at once 
 sent back the crafts and, betaking ourselves to our former 
 ambush, sacrificed another hour. 
 
 At times I heard the eagles screaming, and occasionally 
 saw them gliding over the low wood a long way off, but they 
 had now become quite shy. 
 
 During the time so spent I had leisure to observe the Moor- 
 hens, and even a very beautifully coloured Hen-Harrier, as 
 it passed along the arm of the river with its wavering flight. 
 Meanwhile a pretty strong wind had risen, the sultry air had 
 become still more oppressive, the sky had grown very dark, 
 and the mosquitoes, with all the other heralds of bad weather, 
 had made their appearance. At first light grey storm-clouds 
 towered up, followed by heavy black rainy masses, which 
 spread themselves more and more over the heavens. The 
 gusts of wind then kept increasing in violence, bending the 
 trees, and some thunder-claps plainly announced the bursting 
 of the storm. 
 
 In a few minutes the rain descended in torrents, and we 
 
FOURTH DAY. 65 
 
 were forced to leave our hiding-place. Our time, too, was 
 pretty nearly exhausted, and we had to think of returning. 
 
 Great drops were falling from the trees, and all the bushes 
 were loaded with water, so one can easily imagine how much 
 more disagreeable was the return journey through the deep 
 mud and wet undergrowth. As fast as we could work 
 through it we hurried along to our " csikeln," which had 
 come a good bit of the way to meet us, and, wet to the skin, 
 stepped into them and began our homeward route. In my 
 craft lay a Sea-Eagle and the young owls, a scanty booty 
 considering the many splendid chances I had been favoured 
 with during the day. 
 
 We went back to our boat by the same way, and after 
 paddling along the first channel, and through the narrow places 
 among the bushes, we got along much faster across the broad 
 sheet of open water. I preferred travelling in my " csikel " 
 rather than in the slow heavy boat, although the wind had 
 raised high waves, and my men advised me not to do so. 
 
 The storm was already over, the heavens had emptied 
 themselves in waterspouts, and a fine rain was falling instead 
 of the heavy torrents. The black clouds also gradually dis- 
 appeared towards the east, the whole sky grew clearer, and 
 the wind fell, while the rain had driven off the swarms of 
 troublesome mosquitoes, and a pure delightfully cool spring 
 air had replaced the heavy fatiguing atmosphere which had 
 hitherto prevailed. 
 
 Thanks to the vigorous strokes of the very adroit Ferencz, 
 we glided over the open water towards the wood far in 
 advance of the other boats, but had then to proceed rather 
 more slowly and carefully through the thick bushes and the 
 wood of 'tall trees. However, by following this morning's 
 route we soon reached the narrow lane of water which 
 opened into the main branch of the river where our steamer 
 lay. 
 
 F 
 
66 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 The current now bore us rapidly down-stream, we soon saw 
 the steamer in the distance, and a few more strokes of the 
 paddle brought us up to her side. The other " csikeln " 
 speedily followed, but the boat with Hodek and my jager 
 was far behind. 
 
 Now came the ticklish moment of getting up the accom- 
 modation ladder out of the low rocking craft. This, too, was 
 happily accomplished without an involuntary bath, and in a 
 few seconds I reached the deck, out of spirits at the many 
 mishaps of the day, and wet to the skin. My brother-in-law 
 was already sitting comfortably in the saloon with Brehm 
 and Homeyer, and before him lay a large Eagle-Owl. He 
 had to-day gone after a Sea-Eagle, which proved unusually 
 shy and would not let him get a shot. As for the owl he 
 had never thought of it, but had bagged it by accident, 
 for he had found this nocturnal robber sitting asleep on one of 
 the lower branches of the same tree on which stood the 
 eagle's nest, and brought it down with an easy shot, thus 
 adding a beautiful specimen to our collection. 
 
 I was ashamed at having to relate to these gentlemen my 
 experiences at the owl's nest ; but I found that Brehm and 
 Homeyer were also not in the most rosy spirits, and that I 
 had made no mistake this morning, for they had been 
 intent on various ornithological studies in the Hullo Marsh, 
 and had thus managed to miss the eagle altogether. Brehm, 
 in particular, spoke with the warmest enthusiasm of the 
 beautiful things he had seen this day, of the splendid 
 views at Draueck, and of the enormous size of the swamp. 
 He was also very desirous that we should, in passing it, 
 devote a morning to this marsh, but considered that it would 
 be better to do so on the return journey, as it was rather too 
 early for the various species of herons and gulls, and that 
 there would be no great improvement in the state of affairs 
 
FOURTH DAY. 67 
 
 before the time of our going home. He had found the 
 entire marsh well stocked with birds. 
 
 We had arranged with Bombelles that we would pick him 
 up, and that he was to wait for us at the fishing-colony, our 
 starting point of yesterday ; so as soon as my men were safe 
 on board I gave the order to start. 
 
 We made rather slow progress against the swift current of 
 this arm of the river, but after an hour's run, during which 
 we lunched and took the preliminary measurements of the 
 slain birds, we reached the rendezvous with Bombelles, and 
 somewhere between five and six in the afternoon got to the 
 place where we were to pass the night. 
 
 As we approached the colony, Bombelles stepped out of a 
 fisherman's hut, perfectly drenched and empty-handed. He 
 had found the second nest of the previous day quite deserted, 
 but at the first succeeded in getting a shot, hitting the 
 eagle rather hard. He had, however, by an unlucky acci- 
 dent, loaded with shot so small that it had not strength 
 enough to kill the powerful bird outright. 
 
 From this nest he had brought with him the young eagles, 
 which were already fairly large and showed the first traces 
 of feathers. 
 
 There were still some hours of daylight before us; the 
 weather had cleared, the rain had been followed by a beautiful 
 evening, the ruddy gold rays of the setting sun were piercing 
 through the torn clouds, and a wondrous glow lit up the 
 whole sky. 
 
 Brehm, Homeyer, and I therefore decided not to lose the 
 time, but to make a little excursion into the flooded wilder- 
 ness, where I had yesterday killed the two eagles, though 
 merely for the sake of observing the ways and habits of the 
 Moorhens and the other waterfowl. So we got into a pair- 
 oared boat, in which there was room for all three of us, and 
 
 F2 
 
68 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 slowly penetrated into the thickets by the now familiar way, 
 often stopping to observe the Moorhens as they were 
 swimming about. 
 
 Frightened Wild Ducks were everywhere getting up 
 in front of us, and we saw a pair of Wild Geese flying over 
 the reeds at no great distance. Missel-Thrushes and Moor- 
 hens fluttered about the bushy clumps of wood, a few 
 Warblers were singing their sweetest songs among the trees, 
 while Crows and Pigeons were sitting on the dead branches 
 of the old oaks with their heads under their wings preparing 
 for sleep. 
 
 Some Marsh-Harriers too were cruising about in search of 
 prey ; and Grey and Purple Herons were flying from the 
 " auen " to the plains, high in the air. The shadows grew 
 longer and longer, the last rays of the sun vanished behind 
 the western woods, and the first stars shone out in the few 
 patches of cloudless sky. 
 
 We had intended to push on as far as the eagles' nests, for 
 I wished to show the two gentlemen where they were ; but 
 we turned back at the urgent entreaties of our boatmen, who 
 had a well-grounded fear of missing, in the darkness, the very 
 narrow and intricate passage through the reeds and bushes. 
 While going quickly back by the same route I killed a Coot 
 which swam confidingly round our boat, and slightly wounded 
 a duck and a heron which rose in front of us, but unluckily 
 too far off. 
 
 Brehm was greatly interested in observing the various 
 species of bats, and was much struck by one which was 
 particularly small, but as night was falling it was unfortu- 
 nately no longer possible to kill a specimen. 
 
 We soon reached the broad arm of the Danube again, and 
 were glad when we had got through the thick bushes all 
 right, for this passage was still more disagreeable by night 
 than by day. 
 
FOURTH DAY. 69 
 
 A few more vigorous strokes of the oars brought us back 
 to the steamer, and as it was already rather late we hastened 
 to dine in order that W T C might snatch a few hours from 
 the night for exchanging notes, making final measure- 
 ments of the birds killed, and writing up our diaries 
 accurately. About ten o'clock all was quiet on board, and 
 every one was recruiting himself for the morrow, as it was to 
 be a somewhat stiff day. 
 
FIFTH DAY. 
 
 IT was about five o'clock in the morning when we left our 
 cabins and went on deck. The sun was shining with its full 
 vigour, warm and enlivening, the sky was cloudless, and the 
 air combined the refreshing savour of spring with the 
 coolness due to the rain of yesterday. How different one 
 feels when the atmosphere is pure and invigorating, and not 
 saturated with the fever-generating exhalations and heavy 
 vapours of the marshes ! "We had now learnt to value every 
 fresh clear morning in these districts, where the oppressive 
 debilitating air which generally prevails exercises such an 
 unpleasant effect on any one who lives either in the Alps or 
 the lower mountains, the hilly country, or even on the 
 elevated plains. 
 
 Breakfast was quickly disposed of, our shooting-gear was 
 packed, and we set out towards fresh adventures in high 
 spirits, for this promised to be an exceedingly interesting and 
 delightful day, as we were to quit the " auen " and shoot 
 through a wood lying pretty far inland. 
 
 Leaving the steamer, we all got into one boat and rowed 
 along a canal-like arm of the river, which branched off from 
 the right bank a little way above the fishing-settlement, and 
 soon reached a bridge which sprang from high embankments 
 and spanned the arm. There we stopped and went ashore, Herr 
 Eampelt receiving us and accompanying us to the well-horsed 
 private carriages which were standing on the embankment, 
 and which had been put at our disposal for the entire day. 
 
 Without mentioning it as anything exceptional, this great 
 kindness and also the whole arrangements for the day showed 
 
FIFTH DAY. 71 
 
 how largely the administration of the estate and all its 
 officials are imbued with the extremely noble and hospitable 
 spirit of its proprietor. 
 
 Our drive now began. In the first carriage went the 
 Land Steward, to show the way. My brother-in-law and 
 I followed him, and behind us stretched a whole caravan 
 of vehicles, for we had taken a good many men with us, 
 all of whom we certainly required for our sport. 
 
 The road at first ran straight along the embankment, and 
 was somewhat rough and fatiguing ; but in Slavonia, a 
 few days later, we should assuredly have called it a high- 
 way. Here the stately and partly-flooded woods that at first 
 rose on either hand gradually disappeared on the right, and 
 were replaced by stubbed-up clearings and marshy pastures ; 
 for we had reached the outskirts of the forests, and my 
 great desire of seeing what the outer surroundings of these 
 Hungarian "auen" looked like was now gratified. 
 
 I found that the character of this district strongly reminded 
 me of the northern fringe of our splendid Lower Austrian 
 "auen" at Stadll-Enzersdorf and Miihllenten ; for the 
 connected forests tailed off in willow woods, succeeded by 
 almost stagnant watercourses, damp pastures, copses well 
 stocked with singing birds and ornamented with a few 
 high trees, and finally by detached patches of beautiful 
 oak woods with a bushy undergrowth. Our way led through 
 the whole of this park-like country, from the "auen" them- 
 selves to their outermost borders, and the further we got 
 into the region of the inland woods the more animated and 
 rich in species was the world of small birds and the more did 
 the entries in our note-books resemble hieroglyphics ; for the 
 increasing roughness of this very Hungarian road allowed of 
 nothing better. 
 
 The true " auen " of the islands and wildernesses are 
 poor in small birds ; for though they harbour many stately 
 
72 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 representatives of the feathered tribe, they are nevertheless 
 but sparingly stocked with those species which give life to 
 the scene, such as the many different kinds of warblers 
 and finches. 
 
 Our road now wound through the most charming woods, 
 and I was particularly struck by a little grove of gigantic oaks 
 with a thick undergrowth. It was exceedingly lovely, and 
 the merry notes of its countless songsters rang out splendidly ; 
 but as soon as we had left it we found ourselves quite in the 
 open, for we had reached the plains. To our right were 
 fields and marshes ; to our left a little stream was bearing its 
 modest waters to the Danube between deeply cut banks, and 
 beyond it lay another stretch of flat land. Far before us we 
 saw a chain of heights, with their blue-grey outlines floating 
 indistinctly in the haze ; and at a considerable distance to our 
 right front I again got a glimpse of another side of that well- 
 defined peak which I had observed two days ago from the 
 deck of our vessel. 
 
 Everywhere Wild Ducks were flying over the marsh, 
 countless flocks of Lapwings were whirling their gay plumage 
 in the air, and at each step we saw Marsh-Harriers and 
 Black Kites ; while Hooded Crows, Magpies, Sparrows, 
 Larks, Buntings, Wagtails, and various other birds en- 
 livened the scene. Jackdaws, too, were nesting in great 
 numbers, both in some high oaks which stood at intervals 
 along the roadside, and in a little wood of the same trees 
 near a farmhouse. 
 
 The road now brought us to another brook ; and this little 
 fellow, mimicking the Danube, bore . on both its banks a 
 narrow belt of " auen," consisting of a few willows. Purple 
 and Grey Herons were flying up and down it, and a splendid 
 Osprey sailed along over the water ; and while we were 
 delightedly watching this lively bird of prey catching fish, it 
 was quickly followed by another, and soon afterwards by a 
 
FIFTH DAY. 73 
 
 third this being evidently a particularly good spot for 
 fishing. 
 
 After a while we came to swampy flooded meadows, where 
 our road again ran along a high embankment. There great 
 numbers of Coots were swimming about on both sides, 
 although there were no reeds to give them cover ; while 
 Herons stood pensively in the water, and both Black and 
 Common Terns were busy fishing. Starlings and Wagtails, 
 too, were running about among the herds of cattle and 
 horses which were grazing on the banks, and a White Stork 
 was heavily winging its way towards the neighbouring 
 village. 
 
 A little way in front of us we saw a steep unbroken rise of 
 uniform height the first elevation of the surface of the 
 country above the level of the Danube. On the brow of this 
 slope stood a ' large village of the true Hungarian and some- 
 what primitive type ; and when we got up to it the road led 
 us past its outskirts into a long straight avenue of acacias. 
 
 There we observed a large forest about a thousand yards 
 ahead of us ; and on my asking whether this was the " Kes- 
 kendi erdo," the coachman, a true Magyar, only answered 
 with a silent nod. So this was the celebrated Keskend 
 Wood, which was to be our shooting-ground of to-day. 
 Black Storks were flying from it to the fields, and they were 
 the first that I had ever seen. This large bird, when it is on 
 the wing, and its colours are lost in the distance, cannot be 
 distinguished from the Common Stork. There were also 
 some Bustards standing in the fields of young corn ; while 
 Cuckoos and Kestrels, frightened by the carriages, flew from 
 tree to tree in the acacia avenue, and a beautiful Hobby had 
 the impudence to seize and carry off a poor Wagtail quite 
 close to us. 
 
 In a few minutes we reached the edge of the wood, our 
 road conducting us into a long broad ride, which extended 
 
74 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 literally further than the eye could reach. Eight and left 
 rose wonderfully well-kept oak woods, of uniform height, and 
 with a rather thick undergrowth ; for we were now in an 
 admirably forested wood belonging to the State, which 
 resembled neither the "auen" nor the wild stunted oak 
 woods of other parts of Hungary, but chiefly reminded me 
 of some of the deciduous forests in Bohemia. 
 
 The scenery of this district could not be called either grand 
 or picturesque, though the fresh luxuriant verdure threw 
 a certain pleasant tone over the whole landscape. I have 
 such a general dislike for straight lines, as being the palpable 
 evidences of the all-levelling hand of man, that even a 
 splendid rich green forest, when parcelled out by the regular 
 and perfectly straight avenues devised by skilled foresters, 
 loses all charm for me ; and, on the same principle, I hold all 
 cut-and-dried shooting, where the guns stand in straight 
 rides, to be a thorough abomination. 
 
 I can understand that calculating officials, who try to get 
 as much wood and game out of Nature as they can, think 
 such forests and such shooting the most delightful ; but, as a 
 modest traveller and lover of Nature, I find them anything 
 but attractive. I therefore found it difficult to join in the 
 praise and admiration bestowed oh this Keskend Wood 
 the so-called gem of the State forests ; for I was still far too 
 full of the splendid " auen" of Apatin. 
 
 But why be absorbed in such useless reflections ? " Hie 
 Rhodus hie salta," thought I, and concealed my disappoint- 
 ment. But great was my astonishment at finding that, 
 although the whole of the enormous forest was cultivated in 
 this manner, it was nevertheless inhabited by such unques- 
 tionably shy birds as the Osprey, the Short-toed Eagle, and 
 the pensive Black Stork. This further confirmed what I had 
 so often noticed in Middle Hungary, viz. that in that country 
 all game, and even the wariest birds of prey, permit the 
 
FIFTH DAY. 75 
 
 approach of man with almost incredible confidence. This 
 Paradisiacal state of things reminds one much of the East, 
 and may be accounted for by the absence of all keenness for 
 sport in the Hungarian nation ; for even the gamekeepers 
 (where there are any) never keep down the vermin, hardly 
 any value being set on the preservation of small game. 
 
 We drove a good way further down this straight avenue, 
 where some Kites flew past overhead, and we were welcomed 
 by the merry songs of all the larger and smaller inhabitants 
 of an inland forest ; and after a while we turned into another 
 divergent but equally straight ride. 
 
 The character of the forest remained the same on our left ; 
 but on the right it dwindled to a young plantation, thickly 
 interspersed with firs. This cover seemed to be just the very 
 place for Roe, Foxes, Wild Cats, and even Red Deer, 
 and strongly reminded me of a little forest on the Valko 
 ground, near beautiful Godollo, which alone among its 
 wild companions has been subjected to the training of man. 
 Here, as well as there, the woods which are thus tended 
 seem to be well stocked with Woodcock, both in spring and 
 autumn. 
 
 We drove along this second avenue for a good quarter of 
 an hour until we came to a meadow laid out in a perfect 
 circle, with a little pavilion-like shooting-lodge in its centre, 
 from which we had an extensive view of the avenues which 
 radiated from it. Here some keepers, headed by a forester, 
 were awaiting us, and we came to a halt, for we had reached 
 the place where we all were to separate in various directions. 
 
 As there was only one pair of Short-toed Eagles nesting in 
 the entire wood, and Hodek had repeatedly said that he 
 thought we should have more trouble in obtaining this bird 
 of prey for the completion of our collection of Eagles than 
 any of the others, we determined on no account to shoot 
 at anything else until a Short-toed Eagle had been bagged. 
 
76 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 I therefore drove down a broad avenue, towards the 
 nest alluded to, in a country cart, accompanied by the 
 forester. 
 
 After a few minutes we stopped, and continued our way on 
 foot by a cross ride. When we had gone a few hundred 
 yards the forester begged me to enter the wood on my right 
 with my gun ready ; and under the skilful direction of my 
 guide I was cautiouslv creeping through the luxuriant foliage 
 of this young cover, when I suddenly saw the heavy form of 
 a Short-toed Eagle 011 the top of a dead tree. 
 
 The beautifully marked bird of prey, with its dazzling 
 white breast, coffee-brown back, and thick Buzzard-like head 
 armed with a powerful beak, was at that moment diligently 
 occupied in preening its feathers, and had not observed us, but 
 was looking carelessly about. I leant against a young oak, 
 and had time enough to get a thorough impression of the sin- 
 gular appearance of this highly interesting raptorial bird. At 
 the very first sight it strikes the observer as peculiar ; for 
 there is something quite distinctive in its appearance, which 
 neither reminds one of the larger nor of the smaller Eagles, 
 but much more of the Buzzards and even somewhat of the 
 Owls. It does not, however, resemble these latter groups of 
 raptorial birds in so decided a manner as to admit of a precise 
 definition of their common characteristics. Its size is the 
 principal reason why the Short-toed Eagle seems such a new 
 and strange sort of type ; for it cannot possibly remind one 
 of our larger eagles, such as the Rock, Golden, Imperial, or 
 Sea ; and it is equally unlike the Osprey, Spotted and Pygmy 
 Eagles, or the Buzzard, Harriers, Goshawk, and the large 
 Falcons. It strikes one as much bigger and more powerful 
 than these latter birds, and as occupying a perfectly iso- 
 lated position in the European fauna a fact demanding the 
 thorough investigation of ornithologists. 
 
 I approached the nest with great care, intending to study 
 the minutest details of the movements and character of this 
 
FIFTH DAY. 77 
 
 bird ; but the forester entreated me to fire at it, and I 
 unfortunately followed his advice. We had, however, mis- 
 calculated the distance ; and the eagle flew off, perfectly 
 uninjured. Somewhat depressed by this failure, I crept 
 under the nest, which was placed on the middle branches of 
 a young oak thickly entwined with ivy, and was remarkably 
 small compared with the size of the bird. 
 
 In a few moments I saw the pair of Eagles circling aloft, 
 playfully pursued by some Black Kites and Hooded Crows. 
 Their beautiful plumage was brilliantly relieved against the 
 sky, and I had a good opportunity of watching their flight, 
 which was unquestionably not the easy gliding motion which 
 characterizes all the eagles, but an unmistakable buzzard- 
 like flapping of the wings, so often repeated that this so- 
 called eagle ought not to be allowed to retain the honourable 
 but undeserved position assigned to it by the earlier natu- 
 ralists. Some plucky Hooded Crows swooped at the circling 
 couple in the most impertinent way ; and the female, anxious 
 about her brood, shot down to the wood like an arrow. I 
 never saw a bird of prey alight on its nest in such a singular 
 manner ; for, instead of first settling on the edge of the 
 structure, the Short-toed Eagle clung outside it like a 
 Swift, and remained some seconds in that position. 
 
 I am ashamed at having to confess that my ornithological 
 zeal entirely vanished at this moment, and, overpowered by 
 my sporting ardour, I fired, instead of waiting for the further 
 development of this interesting observation. Shot dead, the 
 beautiful bird fell to the ground ; and, to my great delight, 
 I found that I had killed an old and very finely plumaged 
 female. A broad head like an owl, large bright yellow 
 eyes, a snow-white breast, lengthy powerful blue -grey legs 
 covered with a snake-like skin, long broad wings, and a 
 wide, moderately sized tail are the principal characteristics 
 of the Short-toed Eagle. 
 In my humble opinion, this bird does not deserve its 
 
78 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 name, for it is no eagle ; and I quite agree with my 
 friend Brehm that, despite all the earlier naturalists, it 
 must be separated from the eagle group, and it seems to 
 me that the name of " Snake-Buzzard," applied to it by 
 him, is far more correct. 
 
 The patient reader will, with perfect justice, smile at my 
 here entering the lists against the first of all ornithologists ; 
 but why not try ? 
 
 My idea is that one should not be in such a hurry to place 
 the " Schlangen Alder "* (I retain the name in this work, 
 because it is the only one universally known) in the Buzzard 
 group as Brehm is ; and I think that it would be much more 
 to the point to separate it from the Buzzards as well as from 
 the Eagles, and to assign to it a special place just before the 
 former. In Europe this bird is the only representative 
 of its kind ; but it may perhaps be possible to find, among 
 the numerous and not so thoroughly known raptorial birds 
 of the other quarters of the globe, one or two which have 
 similar characteristics and may be placed in the same genus 
 as the Short-toed Eagle. 
 
 But enough of this gruesome game ! No longer will I 
 tax my reader's patience with theoretical controversies, but 
 hasten back to the greenwood under the eagle's nest. 
 
 Laden with my splendid spoil I returned to the cart, 
 in order to pay my first visit to the Black Storks in a 
 neighbouring part of the forest, also intersected with rides. 
 When the eagle had been packed among hay and straw 
 in the high, long, and very uncomfortable country cart, 
 we set off, and in a few minutes again left our vehicle and 
 pushed into the wood. 
 
 Among the low saplings rose some tall isolated and 
 excessively old trees, all of them oaks. On one of these 
 stood the simple and very small nest of a Black Stork. 
 
 * Snake-Eagle. 
 
FIFTH DAY. 79 
 
 This was the first time I had ever had a chance of closely 
 inspecting this bird, which has been so hardly dealt with 
 by civilization, and has now become so very scarce. 
 
 We, who were accustomed to the poor fauna of the Central- 
 European forested woods, which generally consists of un- 
 important birds, could not help wondering at seeing this 
 huge and very handsomely coloured marsh-bird in the midst 
 of dense deciduous woods. I had always thought of the 
 Black Stork as congregated in colonies on the silver poplars of 
 the " auen," and as resembling the Common Heron in habits 
 and customs ; but I was much mistaken, for the inland 
 woods are its true habitat, and each pair breeds apart from 
 the others on the lower branches of old oaks. This beautiful 
 and, I might say, almost exotic-looking bird is a great 
 ornament to the lonely forest solitudes, with which it com- 
 pletely harmonizes. One sees from afar its tall form, pure 
 white breast, dark sheeny-green back and neck, purple-red 
 bill, and similarly coloured legs, supported on one of which, 
 and holding the other high up, the female stands on the 
 nest, while the male generally takes up his position on a 
 thick branch close by. 
 
 They do not look much about them, and in districts where 
 they are not disturbed betray not the slightest interest even 
 at the approach of man ; and I know of no other of our 
 European birds in whose whole being the idea of ennui 
 is so completely personified as in the Black Stork. 
 
 I found three nests pretty near each other, and from the 
 first I shot the female as it flew off a splendid specimen. At 
 the report of my gun all the others rose and circled round, 
 with their long outstretched necks. Some Black Kites were 
 also playing about over the tops of the trees, and I brought 
 down one which was bold enough to come very near me. 
 
 There was nothing more to do for the present in this part 
 of the wood, for the storks had much resented this dis- 
 
80 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 turbance ; so I hastened back to the cart, that I might turn 
 my attention to an Osprey' s nest, situated quite close to the 
 abode of the Short-toed Eagle, before betaking myself to a 
 more distant part of the forest. Unfortunately I did not 
 find the Osprey at home, and the male Short-toed Eagle was 
 still shyly wheeling about in the highest regions. 
 
 While driving further on I met my brother-in-law re- 
 turning from an Osprey's nest, where he had, at short 
 intervals, fired two ineffectual shots at the female, which 
 kept returning ; and as he was now hurrying off in rather 
 bad spirits to visit another pair of the same birds, I gave 
 directions that I should be driven to the spot where he had 
 iust been shooting. 
 
 The large, strongly built nest of the Osprey was placed 
 high amongst the topmost dead branches of a huge oak. 
 After carefully selecting a good position, I gave the order 
 to tap the stem, and found, to my great delight, that the 
 Eagle had allowed itself to be a third time surprised within 
 less than half an hour, for it came gliding over the tops 
 of the trees with an easy sailing flight, and a lucky shot 
 brought it down. It was my first Osprey ; and I had at last 
 attained my ardent wish, and had shot one of these bold 
 robbers, whose strikingly fine plumage, strong scaly legs, 
 powerful hooked beak, and lively habits certainly rank them 
 as among the most ornamental of the European eagles. 
 
 There were now some more storks' nests to go to ; so we 
 turned out of the ride and penetrated into the depths of the 
 forest, driving along an abominable road. There a roe, with 
 a fine head, bounded past the horses : my rifle was lying 
 near me, and at the forester's suggestion I quickly slipped a 
 cartridge into the chamber. The buck stood still for a 
 moment and looked about him confidingly, after the manner 
 of all Hungarian game, and so gave me time to send a ball 
 through his shoulder. The sounding thud of the fatal bullet 
 
FIFTH DAY. 81 
 
 was followed by the usual spring, and after a few more 
 bounds the buck rolled over dead. 
 
 I got up to him in a moment, and with the forester's help 
 dragged him into the cart, where he found a place near the 
 Eagle and the Black Stork 
 
 Continuing our way in a slanting direction through a 
 coppice, we soon came to a more open place, where there 
 were a good many large old trees crowned with dead 
 branches, and on one of them I noticed a big nest, which I 
 thought must belong to an Osprey. The forester had not 
 seen it before ; and, while we were still sitting together in 
 the cart and discussing this new find, a pair of Ospreys 
 came flying gracefully overhead. I quickly covered one 
 of them, fired, and the bird fell dead, but unluckily hung in 
 the top of a young beech, and as all our attempts to get 
 down our booty by shaking the tre,e were unavailing, there 
 was nothing left but to fell it ; and this our driver attended 
 to in the most scientific manner, after he had tied up his 
 horses. I was highly delighted at this lucky incident ; for 
 we had found the nest, pulled up the horses at a sharp trot, 
 seen the eagle, and shot it all in less than a minute. 
 
 As the next Black Stork's nest was close by, I proceeded 
 to it on foot. We found the long-legged bird at home, and a 
 few blows on the stem of the tree sufficed to drive it out ; 
 but I unfortunately missed, for the thickness of the foliage 
 allowed too little space for shooting. Time was pressing ; so 
 I quickly returned to the cart, where the driver had mean- 
 while felled the tree, and now brought me the large finely 
 plumaged Osprey. 
 
 We still kept on through the thick wood, and soon came to 
 a broad ride, and, after driving a little way down it, again 
 halted, and plunged on foot into the depths of a young cover 
 varied with a few high trees. 
 
 Here there were reported to be several nf?ts of the 
 
 G 
 
82 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 melancholy Black Storks within a small radius. I care- 
 fully approached the first ; and when I had got under the 
 tree I told the forester to frighten out the bird. But all his 
 efforts to do so were vain ; so, slinging my gun, I left the 
 place, and had hardly got forty paces from the nest when I 
 saw the lazy bird sitting quietly on its eggs. 
 
 On seeing us it slowly rose, and a shot buried it within its 
 dwelling. A few moments afterwards a large male came 
 flying pretty high above the trees, and a snap shot luckily 
 winged it so that it fell, crashing through the branches, and 
 plumped down close beside us. 
 
 The neighbouring nests were empty, for the parent birds, 
 frightened by the shots and concerned about their broods, 
 were circling anxiously round. I therefore left the place, 
 and, returning to the cart, we drove along another broad ride 
 to the spot where I had killed my first stork about an hour ago. 
 
 As we rattled over the turf at a fast trot, one of these 
 great marsh-birds flew over the cart. I fired and hit it, but 
 unfortunately not hard enough to kill the tough fellow, and, 
 though it sank slowly down to the wood, we soon lost sight 
 of it. 
 
 A short drive brought us close to the nests which I had 
 previously visited. Here we frightened a Black Stork out of 
 its dwelling, and it fell dead at my first shot ; but remained 
 so tightly jammed between the branches of a young beech 
 that we again had to cut down the tree, and at this disturb- 
 ance all the other storks left their nests and cruised about 
 overhead out of range. 
 
 The forester now suggested that we should visit a rather 
 distant part of the wood, for though he only knew of a kite's 
 nest there, he thought the drive would well repay me, as the 
 way to it passed through the densest part of the forest, and 
 there would be a good chance of seeing roe, or even red 
 deer. 
 
FIFTH DAY. 83 
 
 We got into the cart and began by driving along several 
 rides, and after about a quarter of an hour turned into the 
 heart of the woods by a terribly rough forest-track, rankly 
 overgrown with branches. Everywhere the covers were of 
 the same type, the various sections only differing in the 
 age of the trees. 
 
 Suddenly I observed a roebuck lying in a thick coppice, 
 not more than thirty yards away. We at once pulled up ; I 
 loaded the rifle and aimed, but it missed fire the first, second, 
 and even third time ; for I had got an attack of buck-fever, 
 and had entirely forgotten that the rifle was still locked. In 
 my excitement I took up the gun which was lying beside me 
 and fired at the roe, which staggered off hard hit, and 
 tumbled over dead at the second barrel. 
 
 Never in the course of my rather extensive shooting 
 experiences had it happened to me to stop in a trap in front of 
 game usually so shy, to load a rifle, change the cartridges 
 three times, and after some minutes kill a buck which was 
 still lying down and looking at us quite unconcernedly. 
 That was a state of things which really made one think of 
 Paradise. 
 
 After hauling the roe a large brocket with remarkably 
 long horns into the heavily loaded cart we continued our 
 drive, and presently saw a herd of Red Deer close to us, 
 which made a most beautiful picture. The deer of this part 
 of Hungary are all unusually large, much bigger and stronger 
 than in the woods round Godollo, which is saying a good 
 deal, while altogether the Hungarian Red Deer differ from 
 those of the other civilized countries of Europe ; for the quiet 
 and the extraordinary good feeding have produced quite a 
 peculiar and characteristic race, the many essential differences 
 of which cannot fail to attract the attention of every careful 
 observer. 
 
 As soon as we got near the deer, I stopped the cart, and 
 
 G2 
 
84 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 counted eight or ten stags and several hinds lying in the 
 shade of the trees some of the former being exceptionally 
 large, so far as one could judge from their horns, which were 
 by no means fully developed. 
 
 After I had thoroughly examined them with the glass we 
 drove on, and our forest-track soon came to an end, for we had 
 reached a broad ride, at the extremity of which we could see 
 the shooting-lodge, though it was still a long way off. Here, 
 on a leafy tree at the edge of the ride, was the Black Kite's 
 nest, with the forked tail of this fine bird of prey protruding 
 far beyond it. The slightest clap of the hands sent it off the 
 nest, and a shot brought it dead to the ground. 
 
 After this short episode we drove on to the shooting-lodge, 
 and on urging my driver to make haste, he put his little 
 Hungarian horses to the gallop, and we flew lightly and 
 quickly over the turf. In a few minutes I had reached the 
 shooting-lodge, where my companions, who were already 
 assembled there, were not a little surprised at the sight of my 
 heavily-laden cart ; and it certainly was a varied collection 
 which lay within that small space in the still repose of death, 
 for two Roe, one Short-toed Eagle, two Ospreys, and three 
 Black Storks were taken out of the cart. I at once sent the 
 climber into the wood to bring down the Black Stork which 
 I had killed and left lying in the nest ; and in about an 
 hour he returned with the bird. 
 
 My brother-in-law had killed a small roe, and owing to a 
 violent attack of buck-fever had missed a very large one. 
 It had been an unfortunate day for him altogether, as he had 
 only brought back one Black Stork and a Common Buzzard 
 from all the nests which had been allotted to him, the 
 desperately bad luck which had pursued him at the two 
 Ospreys' nests having been the worst part of all. 
 
 Homeyer had returned with one Black Stork, while Bom- 
 belles and Brehm had experienced many misfortunes at the 
 
FIFTH DAY. 85 
 
 larger nests. The former had also missed a fine roe, and the 
 latter brought as his bag four small birds which he had shot 
 for scientific purposes. 
 
 As soon as our spoils had been committed to Hodek's 
 careful hands for packing, we sat down to an ample, excellent, 
 and refreshing lunch, which Herr Rampelt, with his kind 
 consideration for our wants, had ordered to be specially 
 prepared for us. Our large table stood in a shady place near 
 the shooting-lodge, and round us was ranged the caravan of 
 unharnessed carriages. The horses were grazing, and the 
 peasants and drivers, as well as our own retainers, were resting 
 under the trees. The w r hole scene had a very singular ap- 
 pearance, and but for the sharp contrast formed by the well- 
 covered table in the centre our camping-ground might have 
 been taken for the resting-place of a band of gipsies. It had 
 grown very hot and oppressive, the insects were swarming 
 round us most unpleasantly, heavy clouds were piling them- 
 selves up in the west, and far away we heard the low rumbling 
 of the thunder. This made us look anxiously at the sky, for 
 the prospect of a heavy storm was extremely disagreeable, as 
 a good many miles lay between us and our steamer. 
 
 After tasting the various truly delicious wines grown on 
 my uncle's Hungarian estates, we ordered the carts to be 
 got ready, and started again in the best of spirits for another 
 little ramble through the woods. Bombelles was to combine 
 a visit to a Black Stork's nest with a short stalk after roe; 
 Homeyer wished to remain a little longer at the shooting- 
 lodge to put his notes in order ; while my brother-in-law, 
 Brehm, and I took a couple of carts, and drove off in the 
 same direction, intending to make a joint inspection of some 
 nests. 
 
 The first part of our way lay through a long ride, where 
 we passed a deserted Osprey's nest. In these afternoon hours 
 there was plenty of life in the woods. Black Kites and 
 
86 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 smaller hawks, storks, and many ordinary forest birds flew 
 past us, and even a Spotted Eagle rose from the top of a tree 
 at no great distance. Brehm had already observed one of 
 these birds in the morning, and the forester told us that this 
 beautiful eagle is pretty often seen in the Keskend forest, 
 though it rarely breeds in it. 
 
 After a short drive we halted and cautiously entered the 
 wood, and first came across a Black Stork's nest, where my 
 brother-in-law brought down the long-legged bird with his 
 shot-gun. Then we stole noiselessly on towards a huge 
 oak, on the top of which stood the great nest of an Osprey ; 
 but as the cunning bird was unfortunately absent, Leopold 
 determined to hide in a thicket and await its return. Mean- 
 while Brehm and I followed a little footpath, which soon 
 brought us to a Black Stork's nest, which was placed on the 
 lowest boughs of an ancient oak. We saw the red beak of 
 the beautiful wader protruding from the nest, so my com- 
 panion got ready to shoot, and his murderous weapon 
 immediately brought down the bird, which flew from its 
 dwelling at the first noise. 
 
 Quickly leaving the place we plunged deeper into this 
 wood, which was undoubtedly the most beautiful and least 
 cultivated part of the entire forest, for here the dense under- 
 growth, only broken by a few isolated oaks, gave a wild 
 primitive look to the scene. 
 
 After a short search we found another stork's nest, which 
 even the forester did not know of ; but the bird, made wary 
 by the shots, flew away too soon, and, being a long way off, I 
 failed to kill it. 
 
 A few paces further on I discovered a smaller nest, belonging 
 to some species of hawk, and from it a bird about the size of 
 a Buzzard glided out with a quick owl-like flight, and at 
 once disappeared among the bushes. My first barrel wounded 
 it, and it sank towards the ground, but all our efforts to find 
 
FIFTH DAY. 87 
 
 it were unhappily fruitless. A pair of Black Kites, still busy 
 nest-building, were cruising about over the trees, the songs of 
 the Orioles and the cooing of the Turtle-Doves resounded on 
 every side, and the choicest of our feathered songsters were 
 tuning their lovely pipes among the bushes. 
 
 A fortunate wind had driven the storm southwards ; again 
 the deep blue sky shone overhead, and if the mosquitoes had 
 not been so savage and the heat so oppressive we should have 
 heartily enjoyed this beautiful afternoon. While thus occupied 
 in observing and in searching for nests, Brehm and I had 
 penetrated a long way into the wood, when a glance at the 
 time compelled us to hurry back, and, streaming with perspira- 
 tion, we reached the ambush where Leopold was still waiting 
 for the unaccommodating Osprey.' Accompanied by him, 
 we continued our homeward route, taking, however, this 
 opportunity of visiting a neighbouring Black Stork's nest, 
 where I missed the bird as it flew off. 
 
 A few hundred yards further on we saw six or seven of these 
 splendid waders, standing motionless on the lower branches 
 of some oaks at the edge of a high wood opposite a young 
 plantation. I imagine that these were birds which had been 
 scared from their nests, and had chanced to meet at this favour- 
 able point of outlook, where they were now waiting to see what 
 was going to happen. We crept cautiously up. The storks 
 were standing like leaden soldiers, near each other, and just at 
 the same height from the ground. My brother-in-law put up 
 his rifle, and, after a long careful aim, fired, and the bullet strik- 
 ing one of the long-legged fellows in the side, brought him to 
 the ground. I was also ready to shoot, and hardly had Leopold 
 achieved his masterly shot when I let drive both barrels at 
 the birds as they flapped away, and a hard-hit stork separated 
 itself from its comrades, and, taking a great circular sweep, 
 dropped in the high wood. We hurried off towards the 
 place where we had lost sight of it, and were lucky enough 
 
88 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 to find it after a short search. Heavily laden with four 
 Black Storks, we now returned to our carts, and drove off to 
 the shooting-lodge as fast as possible. There we found 
 Bombelles and Homeyer waiting for us with great impatience, 
 for it was already high time to start on our long drive to the 
 " auen " at Mohacs. Neither of them had shot anything, 
 the former having only wounded a roe. After packing our 
 spoils and drinking a few more glasses of the capital 
 Giesshiibler water our faithful companion on all expeditions 
 we got into the carriages in which we had driven to Keskend 
 in the morning. 
 
 A long ride running through young covers brought us to 
 the northernmost end of this great forest, which was fringed by 
 rich green meadows, while some patches of wood adorned 
 with high trees formed the transition stage between it and 
 the bare flat land. 
 
 We now proceeded in a northerly direction, along a very 
 good driving-road. On our right we saw the open country 
 descending to the " auen " of the Danube in terraces of 
 meadows, fields, and marshes. On our left we could still 
 discern the dark outlines of a few large and distant woods, 
 all divided from each other by open country. In one of 
 them the Imperial Eagle is said to breed pretty often : at 
 least so the keepers told me ; but I put but slight faith in this 
 assertion, as we never found the nest of this beautiful eagle 
 until we had got much further south. 
 
 The flattish undulating ground in front of us stretched up 
 to a rather distant barren ridge which ran down to the bank 
 of the Danube in a slanting direction. In the south rose a 
 somewhat important chain of heights ; and to the east were 
 other mountains, among which the conical hill so often men- 
 tioned now showed itself at no great distance. 
 
 From this point the whole landscape was undeniably 
 beautiful, and being on such a large scale offered much 
 
FIFTH DAY. 89 
 
 variety, while the extent of the view gave it a very imposing 
 character. 
 
 The road continued to run between miserable acacias 
 intended to form an avenue, and all sorts of birds utilized 
 these solitary elevated points as perches. I had taken my 
 gun with me in the carriage, and while driving along my 
 brother-in-law and I killed, in the first two hours, four 
 Kestrels, one Corn-Bunting, and four splendid Rollers. The 
 incredible tameness of all these birds was most remarkable, 
 for we stopped the carriage within a few yards of them, and 
 shot them sitting. After a very long drive we reached the 
 above-mentioned chain of heights, which forms a singularly 
 long narrow ridge sloping abruptly on both sides. Where 
 these declivities were not mere perpendicular walls of earth 
 they were planted with vines, while some villages, and many 
 orchards in full bloom, formed the only other ornaments of 
 this barren line of hills. 
 
 Our road led us pretty steeply up one side of this ridge 
 and rather more gently down the other, running all the time 
 through the broad street of a large but. truly wretched village, 
 and at the base of the northern slope it passed along an 
 embankment bordered on both sides by extensive marshes, 
 which at one place reached up to the houses. To our great 
 astonishment we here noticed some women washing clothes 
 in the loathsome stinking marsh- water, attired in a somewhat 
 Adamitic simplicity of costume, and quite oblivious even of 
 such childish ideas of decency as generally prevail in these 
 districts. 
 
 Marsh, Hen, and Montagu's Harriers were skimming over 
 the swamps, great numbers of Rooks, Hooded Crows, and 
 Jackdaws were nesting in the high elms along the roadside, 
 and we here shot three Hooded Crows and one Jackdaw from 
 the carriage. 
 
 A beautiful plain now opened to our view, which was 
 
90 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 bounded on the north by the chain of hills which runs from 
 behind Mohacs down to the Danube, on the west by the 
 spurs of the Pannonian mountains, on the east by the woods 
 of the Danube, and on the south by the heights which we had 
 just crossed. Marshes, meadows, fields, some clumps of wood, 
 and a few villages filled up the interior of this little plain, 
 which sloped towards the Danube in gentle undulations. 
 
 The more distant view that presented itself from the road 
 was of the true Hungarian type, having a wide horizon and 
 being on a grand scale, but its nearer details were monotonous 
 and uninteresting. 
 
 We had been steadily bowling along for nearly t\vo hours 
 and a half, when we reached a cheerful-looking country house 
 situated in front of a large garden, the whole having the 
 clean smart look of one of the summer villas one so often sees 
 in the beautiful outskirts of Vienna or on the shores of the 
 Upper Austrian lakes, and not at all the appearance of the 
 small Hungarian country residences. A number of fine horses 
 all well harnessed were here awaiting us, for we had arrived 
 at Herr Rampelt's abode, where we were to have a relay. 
 
 In a few minutes we were off again. The afternoon had 
 come to a close, and the sultry day was succeeded by a 
 very chilly evening, for the air had been thoroughly cooled 
 by several storms which had threatened to come up, but which 
 had all passed away to the south and there burst. A uniform 
 grey mantle of clouds gradually spread over the sky, and it 
 seemed as if heavy rain was coming. 
 
 Our road now conducted us close to a little wood of high 
 trees. There the Land Steward begged us to halt and pay a 
 hurried visit to a pair of Ravens which had chosen it as their 
 nesting-place. I hardly believed my ears when I heard that 
 this shy bird was breeding in such a miserable little wood, 
 close to a road in the open plain, and far away from any large 
 forest, so feeling somewhat incredulous I walked about two 
 
FIFTH DAY. 91 
 
 hundred yards into the wood. Herr Rampelt himself did 
 not precisely know where the nest was ; and while I was 
 looking about for it, I suddenly observed a fine Raven 
 roosting on a dead branch of a tall elm, with its head under 
 its wing, although it was still quite light, and cautiously 
 creeping within a fair range, shot down the powerful bird. 
 
 I was quite amazed at having really killed, close to a village 
 and a high road in Southern Hungary, a bird which I had 
 seen in the loneliest cliffs of our Alps, in the desolate oak- 
 forests of Central Hungary during snow and storm, on the 
 barren peak of the Santi Deka mountain near Corfu, among 
 the precipices of the Dalmatian hills, and on the desolate 
 Karst everywhere far from human habitations. 
 
 I turned back to the carriages with my spoil ; but Brehm 
 did not seem to be so much impressed by the Haven, as he 
 had seen this bird even sitting on the houses in the villages 
 of Siberia. 
 
 This unimportant little wood, as I was further informed, 
 harbours many Woodcock in spring, and is tenanted by some 
 Wild Cats throughout the year. 
 
 We now resumed our journey, and instead of keeping to 
 the northerly direction we had hitherto followed, we gradually 
 inclined towards the north-east, and soon leaving the main 
 road turned off into a very rough track which led to the 
 " auen " already visible in the distance. 
 
 In a little while we came to a miserable village straggling 
 along the banks of a marshy stream. Its clay-built, straw- 
 thatched dwellings hardly deserved the name of houses, and 
 our progress along the broad street which ran through them 
 was impeded by horse-troughs and great heaps of dirt and 
 manure, while shaggy wolf-dogs sprang barking at the 
 carriages, and wretchedly-clad children were running about. 
 This was a village of Schokats, Catholic Servians who long ago 
 migrated from Turkey, and who, curiously enough, still show 
 
92 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 striking traces of their Eastern origin in certain parts of their 
 costume. 
 
 As it was now evening, almost the whole community had 
 returned from their work, and were to be seen in the main 
 street. Some of the figures were fine, tall, and very beautiful, 
 especially those of the women, whose costume is very comical, 
 and, according to civilized ideas, rather indelicate. Here was 
 a plain proof that all the customs of social life are mere 
 conventions, for with us there is nothing objectionable in 
 women showing their faces unveiled, but it is not customary 
 to see them with only a single skirt reaching no further than 
 the knee, and which has, moreover, an opening on both sides 
 up to the hips & la belle Helene. 
 
 The Schokats, on the other hand, consider it improper to 
 go about with the face exposed, and muffle it in prettily 
 embroidered linen, leaving only a small opening for the eyes. 
 The whole upper part of the body is also covered with similar 
 wraps as far as the hips ; then comes the skirt, which really 
 consists of nothing but two aprons, one hanging in front and 
 one behind, but hardly reaching the knee, while the interval 
 along the thighs is quite bare, for the institution of the shift 
 has not yet penetrated to these villages. Friend Brehm was 
 quite charmed, and bitterly regretted that we could not stop 
 in this village, as it would have been so well worth his while 
 to have studied the customs and costumes of the country of 
 course only in the interests of ethnographical science ! 
 
 We left the village behind us only too quickly, and drew 
 nearer and nearer to the "auen," our road passing through 
 fields and pastures close to a large and very fine Archducal 
 farm. Twilight had begun ; herons were flying from the 
 " auen " to the flats, and the other birds had already gone to 
 roost. 
 
 A few hundred yards from the edge of the woods was a 
 pasture, where a bird about the size of a Merlin was flitting 
 
FIFTH DAY. 93 
 
 merrily about. In the darkness of the gathering night we 
 all took it to be the much-desired Red-footed or Evening 
 Falcon ; so I jumped out of the carriage, fired at it, and 
 missed with both barrels, whereupon the foolish creature flew 
 past much nearer, and I killed it with a lucky shot ; but on 
 proudly hurrying to my spoil, which I imagined to be of such 
 interest, I found, instead of a noble falcon, only a common 
 Nightjar ! 
 
 Somewhat disappointed, we drove on again, and soon reached 
 a high embankment extending along the right side of the 
 Bega Canal. Steep as its slope was, we had to drive up it, 
 and our road now ran a little way along this dyke. Towards 
 the plain on our right were old willows at the base of the 
 embankment, and on the opposite side of the canal rose 
 splendid woods. We then crossed a bridge to a large island 
 formed by an arm of the Danube, falsely called a canal, and to 
 which channel the Hungarians give the name of Bega Duna. 
 
 A road running along another embankment, which stretches 
 diagonally through the island, now conducted us among very 
 beautiful " auen ;" and after a while we got to a wretched 
 hut, round which crouched some exceedingly wild-looking 
 fellows with their dogs, and in a few minutes more we arrived 
 at our vessel, after a four hours' drive. 
 
 It had meanwhile got quite dark, for the sky was covered 
 with heavy clouds, and not a star gladdened us with its silent 
 splendour. 
 
 On reaching the deck we hastened into the snug saloon 
 and had dinner served, and there is no dwelling on shore 
 which seems so home-like and comfortable after a hard day 
 as a pretty saloon on board-ship. 
 
 Dinner being over, numerous measurements were taken, 
 diaries written up, and notes exchanged, over black coffee 
 and one of Homeyer's cigars, and by ten o'clock all the 
 inmates of the steamer were fast asleep. 
 
SIXTH DAY. 
 
 THE first rosy flush of the dawning day was visible in the 
 far east when we assembled on deck, for there was no time 
 to be lost to-day, as we should have to leave off shooting at 
 noon, and continue our journey towards the south. 
 
 Breakfast was quickly despatched, and now we had to hurry 
 out of the warm comfortable cabin into the very wet disagree- 
 able weather. The sky was obscured with heavy clouds, and 
 the steady rain which had been incessantly falling all the 
 morning had already softened the ground to a considerable 
 depth, and perceptibly lowered the temperature. 
 
 Each of us had his shooting district assigned to him in the 
 usual way, except Bombelles, who had a good deal of business 
 to attend to, and was therefore obliged to remain on board. 
 
 The two Savants were to betake themselves to a distant 
 locality, where the nests of a Sea-Eagle and some smaller 
 raptorial birds were awaiting them ; while my brother-in-law 
 and I had both determined to shoot through the large island 
 formed by the Bega Canal, each of us having a Sea-Eagle's 
 nest to visit, and some others tenanted by smaller birds. 
 
 The Savants set off somewhat in advance, as they had further 
 to go; but my brother-in-law and I soon followed them, and 
 drove along the embankment described yesterday for about 
 ten minutes, and then, getting out of the carriage, separated 
 and entered the lofty woods at different points. 
 
 These " auen " are quite unlike those of the Apatin district, 
 for, being more cultivated and better forested, they have lost 
 the primitive character of a virgin forest, and very much 
 
SIXTH DAY. 95 
 
 resemble the island of Adony and certain parts of the Lower 
 Austrian " auen." 
 
 A narrow muddy path, which ran through high willow 
 woods and low copses, led me at first to a forest-glade. Some 
 small arms of the river wound about through the island, and 
 there were still a few pools of water (the last vestiges of the 
 spring inundations); but most of the channels and flooded 
 places were provided with well-built boats, a plain proof that 
 we were further north and nearer human habitations. 
 
 This glade ran in a long unbroken stretch right through 
 the island up to the so-called Bega Canal, on both sides of 
 which rose high woods, chiefly consisting of willows and silver 
 poplars, while a little nursery-garden, and the woodsmen who 
 were at work in various places, showed that they are scien- 
 tifically handled by the staff of foresters. 
 
 We walked quickly across the glade in a slanting direction, 
 and before entering the wood on our right the resident 
 forester, a very skilful woodsman, who had formerly served 
 many years on the Archducal estates in Silesia, begged me to 
 leave Hodek's climber and my jager behind ; so, accompanied 
 by him alone, I went along a narrow footpath into the wood, 
 which was covered with thick undergrowth, and in about ten 
 minutes the forester announced that we were close to the 
 eyrie of the Sea-Eagle. 
 
 The huge nest was constructed of large branches and 
 placed on a tall black poplar, which stood in the middle of a 
 little open, only surrounded by willows. It was raining 
 harder than ever, so that I was in hopes the eagle would 
 be on the nest protecting its young ones from the wet. I 
 therefore chose a good place where the branches were open, 
 and posted myself ready to shoot. 
 
 Thb eagle was so remarkably tame that neither repeated 
 blows with the hunting-knife on the tree nor even loud 
 shouts drove it from its retreat ; so the forester came back, 
 
96 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 saying that the bird could not be there. But some sort of 
 happy inspiration led me to ask him to make yet another 
 attempt by throwing up bits of stick; and I was right, for the 
 boughs at the edge of the nest suddenly moved, and the 
 eagle rose with a great bustle, extended its wings, and 
 dashed out. 
 
 My first shot brought it dead to the ground, the branches 
 crashing under the weight of its heavy body, and the dull 
 thud of its fall echoing loudly. I hurried up to it, and found 
 to my great joy an enormous female Sea-Eagle lying at my 
 feet one of the largest killed during the whole trip, and un- 
 doubtedly the biggest I had ever shot. 
 
 As no anxious cries announced that the male w r as near, I 
 had good hopes of its return from some marauding expedi- 
 tion; so I crouched down behind the trunk of a fallen tree 
 near the nest, a very damp and uncomfortable seat, for the 
 sedge was several feet high and dripping wet. 
 
 The woods round about me were not grand or wildly 
 romantic like those of Apatin, but pretty and pleasant like 
 the " auen " of the Prater or those close to Vienna. They 
 were also well stocked with Warblers, Starlings, Orioles, 
 Turtle-Doves, and other small birds. Songs of all sorts 
 sounded in our ears ; Woodpeckers tapped diligently at the 
 trees, Black Kites circled overhead, little birds darted about 
 among the lower branches, tree-frogs lustily croaked their 
 monotonous ditties, and as the rain gradually ceased the 
 insects sallied out of their hiding-places and tormented us 
 with their stings. 
 
 After about half an hour of patient waiting I suddenly 
 heard a rushing sound near me, and saw a particularly small 
 but beautiful Sea-Eagle flying past under the nest only a few 
 yards above the ground; but it went by so quickly, that near 
 as I was I could not get a sure shot. 
 
 Behind me I quite distinctly heard its- feet strike a branch 
 
SIXTH DAY. 97 
 
 heavily, and the folding of its great wings; so I cautiously 
 looked round, and saw the bird sitting on a dead branch a 
 hundred paces off. Seizing my rifle, I aimed and fired, and 
 the eagle spread its wings and flew aw r ay low over the ground, 
 disappearing among the bushes. I had got the shot off so 
 well, and the bird had flown so very low, that both the 
 forester and I made sure that the ball had hit it ; but though 
 we carefully searched near the nest, all our trouble was in 
 vain. 
 
 I now returned to my attendants, and as they had never 
 seen the eagle leave the wood after the shot, our opinions 
 were confirmed ; so we sent them off to look again. While 
 under the nest, I had heard two shots from my brother-in-law, 
 about a mile away. This seemed to me a bad sign, but I was 
 soon reassured when the sharp crack of his Werder rifle rang 
 through the wood about half an hour afterwards. 
 
 As soon as all my men had gone off to search, and even 
 the climber was rummaging about, the forester and I walked 
 along the meadows by the edge of the wood to the Bega Canal. 
 A few hundred yards down it I found a Black Stork's nest on 
 an old oak near the edge of the cover. The long-legged bird 
 had built on the lower branches of the tree, and I could see 
 its red bill protruding over the edge of the nest ; so I posted 
 myself in a good position close to the wood and sent the 
 forester to the stem of the tree ; but his attempts to frighten 
 it off by making a noise were ineffectual, nor have I ever 
 seen any of our larger woodland birds so confiding and 
 tame. 
 
 As all our efforts were fruitless, I fired my first barrel at 
 the long bill of the stork, and unfortunately only with too 
 good an aim, for it hung down broken, and the bird, quite 
 disfigured and bewildered, flew out straight over my head, the 
 second barrel bringing it to the ground. 
 
 A few minutes afterwards the male came cruising high 
 
 H 
 
98 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 above us, but in vain we waited to see whether it would 
 descend, for it never came any nearer. 
 
 Keeping along the path by the outskirts of the wood, we 
 soon came to the dwelling-place of some Schokat shepherds, 
 who, in company with their sheep, pigs, and dogs, were 
 leading a miserable existence in wretched straw huts sur- 
 rounded by mire and filth. 
 
 As we approached, three or four of these wild fellows, 
 startled by the barking of their dogs, sprang out of the 
 huts. They were indeed almost savages, for their tattered 
 clothes but scantily covered their brown bodies, and their 
 black hair clogged with grease hung far below their shoulders. 
 Each of them had an axe-headed stick in his hand and a 
 knife stuck in his belt ; and one might really have fancied 
 one's self transported from one's own country into the region 
 of Khartoum, or somewhere still further south. 
 
 They seemed to know the forester, for they at once took off 
 their hats to him, and when he told them who I was, they 
 came to kiss my hand. My guide said that they would be 
 the best men to employ for finding the nests of the birds of 
 prey, as they wandered about the woods the whole day, occu- 
 pying themselves while tending their flocks by finding the 
 nests of the larger birds and taking those of the smaller, and 
 eating the eggs. 
 
 They wanted to go with us, but the forester sent them back, 
 and we continued our walk along the meadow, which was 
 here bounded on one side by lofty woods and on the other by 
 the Bega Canal. 
 
 This channel, wrongly called a canal, is an ordinary arm 
 of the Danube, quite unregulated. It flows between high 
 crumbling banks, and is in most places thickly covered with 
 sedge and well stocked with Sand-Martins and Wild Ducks. 
 
 We had still a few hundred yards to go before turning 
 again to the right into the wood, where a narrow footpath led 
 
SIXTH DAY. 99 
 
 us past a marshy little glade, much frequented as a breeding- 
 place by Mallards and Moorhens. 
 
 At the end of this glade was a tolerably large nest on a 
 high oak, and the forester said that he had never managed 
 to make out what bird it belonged to, but at first sight the 
 whole fabric looked to me like the abode of a Common 
 Buzzard. 
 
 The first tap on the stem of the tree frightened out a little 
 Hobby, which I hit pretty hard with my first barrel, but un- 
 luckily failed to find in the thick, almost impenetrable under- 
 wood. It seemed to me incredible that a construction of this 
 size could belong to so small a bird, and the forester also 
 thought that the hawk which he had seen here before was 
 much bigger. I therefore resolved to conceal myself under 
 the nest, and sent him back to the meadow. 
 
 After a while a Peregrine flew high overhead, and I hoped 
 that this rare bird of prey would prove to be the owner of the 
 nest, but it soon vanished ; and a few minutes later a good- 
 sized hawk, about as big as a Common Buzzard, came flying 
 through the trees, close to the ground, but so fast that I had 
 no time to identify it. Before it could settle in the nest, I 
 wounded it with my first barrel, and it sank slowly down 
 among the trunks of the trees, where I lost sight of it in 
 a thicket ; and though we searched most carefully tuft by 
 tuft, the high sedgy grass baffled all our efforts to find it. 
 This mishap I much regretted, as it would have been highly 
 interesting to have discovered the species to which this large 
 hawk belonged, and what had induced the little Hobby 
 to take possession of its nest, a fact I can in no way 
 account for. 
 
 As well as I could make out during the few moments before 
 I fired my second shot, it was a Pygmy Eagle ; but of this I 
 cannot be certain, as I have so seldom met with this rare 
 species, and am therefore very imperfectly acquainted with it. 
 
100 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 After this unsuccessful attempt we retraced our steps to the 
 huts of the herdsmen. A few yards in front of them was a 
 nest of one of the smaller hawks, hut all our attempts to 
 drive the bird out of it failed ; the forester therefore advised 
 me to wait a little while at it, as he had also never been able 
 to identify its owner. 
 
 I crouched down in the dense dripping wet bushes, for, 
 damp and unpleasant though my position was, I had still an 
 hour to spare, and intended to devote a quarter of it to this 
 nest. "While so employed I observed a pair of Black Kites 
 circling close above me, and evidently much annoyed at my 
 presence, as they had begun building their nest a few 
 paces off. 
 
 It had gradually left off raining, and though short but 
 heavy showers occasionally passed over us, the clouds had 
 broken up. There were some patches of blue sky, and the sun 
 itself appeared for a minute now and again. 
 
 After waiting about half an hour the affair grew too tedious, 
 and I felt convinced that the little hawk was quietly sitting 
 in its nest; and as all these raptorial birds of Southern Hun- 
 gary, being hardly ever disturbed, are unusually tame, I had 
 good grounds for coming to this conclusion. 
 
 I therefore quickly fired my first barrel into the middle of 
 the nest, knocking the flimsy structure all to bits, and a bird 
 flew out hard hit, but had still strength enough to fly a good 
 way off into the thickets, so that I lost sight of it ; and as all 
 search in that impenetrable undergrowth would have been 
 useless, I returned to the forester, and we continued our 
 homeward route. 
 
 From my men I heard that not only had their efforts to 
 find the Sea-Eagle been unrewarded, but that while the 
 climber was taking the nest the angry bird had come up low 
 over the ground, and swooped several times close above the 
 head of our Apatin German. My jager assured me that I 
 
SIXTH DAY. 101 
 
 could easily have shot it, so closely and steadily did it 
 hover like a hawk over the nest, screaming loudly. 
 
 The two young ones were already a good size, but still 
 covered with down. We rolled them carefully in mv plaid, 
 put the dead eagle beside them, and were going onwards 
 when my jager begged me to visit a buzzard's nest which he 
 had discovered a little way off. 
 
 I found this very common inhabitant of all the Lower 
 Austrian woods in its nest, and though I had so often killed it 
 in the most varied localities, it was the first time that we had 
 met with it in the " auen " during this trip; for in the forests 
 of Apatin we had not seen a single individual of this species, 
 either nesting or even flying about. Directly the stem of 
 the tree was lightly tapped, the bird left its nest and fell to 
 my first shot. 
 
 Time was now pressing, as we were to begin our onward 
 journey before noon ; so we hurried back, and in about half 
 an hour I reached the deck of the steamer, with my Sea-Eagle, 
 Black Stork, Common Buzzard, and the two live young 
 Sea-Eagles. 
 
 My brother-in-law, who had got back before me, had also 
 killed a remarkably large Sea-Eagle. 
 
 My conjecture had been well grounded, for the first two 
 gun-shots which I had heard had not done the least damage 
 to the eagle, which my brother-in-law had found at its nest ; 
 bat about half an hour afterwards the bird had returned, and 
 as it was settling on the edge of its eyrie Leopold's un- 
 erring rifle brought it down. He had also visited the nests of 
 a Goshawk and of some Kites, at which, however, he had not 
 met with any further success. 
 
 The two Savants had again been unlucky with their Sea- 
 Eagles, and returned with only one Goshawk, which Homeyer 
 had shot, and with some small birds killed for scientific 
 purposes. 
 
102 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 When we were all on board we took leave of the Land- 
 Steward and the somewhat numerous staff of foresters; 
 and I must here acknowledge with many thanks the kindly 
 care in arranging and facilitating our troublesome shooting 
 excursions which was so largely displayed by all the Arch- 
 ducal officials during our several days' stay in this neigh- 
 bourhood. 
 
 In order to give the reader some idea of the wealth of 
 raptorial birds in these Archducal forests, I will here enume- 
 rate the nests which the keepers said they knew of. Most of 
 these we visited, only omitting a few which were too far off 
 our beat. When such a number were found in such dense 
 and almost impassable woods, how many must there still have 
 been in these immense wildernesses that the keepers could 
 not possibly have known anything about ! 
 
 Those well known were : Twelve Sea-Eagles', one Short- 
 toed Eagle's, three Ospreys', one Eagle-Owl's, eight or nine 
 Ravens', twenty to thirty Black Storks', and some twenty nests 
 belonging to smaller hawks. What a number of feathered 
 vermin on one and the same estate ! And in what part of 
 Central Europe so near such a large town as Pest does there 
 exist a similar refuge for such uncommonly shy birds of 
 prey? 
 
 The Archducal estates are, however, the most northerly 
 points on the Danube where the large eagles breed, and the 
 " auen " of the Bega Canal are the very nearest woods to 
 Pest where the Sea-Eagle can be found nesting ; but from 
 what I know of the character of these districts and of their 
 advancing civilization, I think I may safely predict that ten 
 or twenty years hence no Sea-Eagles will be found there, 
 while in the wilds round Apatin they will long be able to 
 carry on their predatory pursuits quite unmolested. 
 
 The weather had cleared during the morning, so we had 
 every reason to look forward to a pleasant and interesting 
 
SIXTH DAY. 103 
 
 journey ; and as soon as we bad lunched, measured the slain 
 birds, and finished our interchange of notes, we went on deck 
 and there remained almost throughout the rest of the passage. 
 
 First we ran through the now pretty familiar stretch of 
 the river from the woods below Mohacs down to Apatin. In 
 the early part of the afternoon the sultriness \vas rather op- 
 pressive, the great heat indicating the approach of another 
 storm, while heavy clouds were towering up in the west, and we 
 already heard, though indistinctly, the rumbling of the thunder. 
 
 Passing by Apatin without stopping, we went on towards 
 Draueck ; the intermediate " auen," whose inner parts we now 
 had a pretty fair knowledge of, but which we had not yet seen 
 from the main stream, affording some wonderfully picturesque 
 views, especially the last woods just before the Hullo marsh. 
 The narrow belt of trees which divides this huge swamp from 
 the Danube, and through which we could occasionally get a 
 good glimpse of the mountains to the west and of broad 
 sheets of water, also interested us much ; and we determined 
 to devote an entire morning to this marsh on our way back 
 from Slavonia in a week's time. 
 
 About five o'clock in the afternoon we reached Draueck, 
 one of the grandest and most beautiful spots I have ever 
 seen ; for the dark lofty " au " woods that run along both 
 banks are entirely composed of high trees, and have a 
 strikingly imposing character. Here the Drave, an exceed- 
 ingly large stream, comes in at right angles to join the Danube, 
 and the united streams flow onward in a direct continuation 
 of the course of the former river. 
 
 We also had the good fortune to see an exceedingly beau- 
 tiful natural spectacle just at the junction of the rivers, for the 
 long-expected storm now bprst with full force. A furious 
 gale roared through the woods, hurling the branches from the 
 trees, the waves where the two streams met were lashed by 
 the wind, and rose high up against the steamer, the thunder 
 
104 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 pealed loudly, and the lightning flashed in all directions, 
 while away, beyond the arm of the river, we could already see 
 the rounded summits of the Slavonian mountains partly enve- 
 loped in clouds, and partly lit up hy the sun, which was just 
 vanishing. 
 
 The two huge streams and their "auen" have here a Missis- 
 sippi-like character, and one can hardly imagine that the 
 mighty rivers of America can he more beautiful and imposing. 
 Heavy logs of driftwood, driven out of the dense woods of the 
 Drave, were here floating about in multitudes, for the many 
 interlacing channels of the extensive network of water be- 
 longing to the forests of both rivers all converge at this one 
 point. We were able to remain a long time on deck, for the 
 storm had burst with full fury before the rain came down ; 
 but suddenly the heavens opened their flood-gates, and a 
 torrent of rain fell like a waterspout, driving us into the 
 cabin. 
 
 As well as we could make out during the next hour, enor- 
 mous " auen " still ran along the left side of the river, while the 
 right consisted partly of a chain of hills and partly of crumbling 
 banks, now and then varied by smaller woods and meadows. 
 There were not many settlements, only a few bare-looking 
 villages on the right bank, while the left, which was com- 
 pletely wooded and broken up by channels, had a very wild 
 appearance and no trace of human habitations except some 
 fishing-colonies. Dalya was the first largish village which 
 we observed on the right, and later came Alt Vukovar, but 
 beyond this there were only a few unimportant places. 
 
 The right or Slavonian side had a rather uniform monoto- 
 nous look, but though its vine-clad slopes were only from 
 time to time varied by stony cliffs and detached masses of 
 rock, and offered but few scenic beauties 3 it was altogether 
 of a new type, and unlike those barren banks which we had 
 seen above and below Mohacs. 
 
SIXTH DAY. 105 
 
 As evening advanced, the "auen" disappeared more and 
 more, even from the left side of the river, and low banks with 
 occasional meadows and pastures came into view, while before 
 us lay the sea-like expanse of the great Hungarian plain. 
 
 During this part of the journey we saw but little of orni- 
 thological interest ; the Black Kites, and the Purple and 
 Grey Herons so often mentioned, with two or three kinds of 
 Ducks, a few Terns, and other equally common birds flew 
 over our vessel. We also noticed more Cormorants fishing 
 than we had met with on the whole stretch of the river, either 
 above or below Adony. 
 
 Towards evening the storm had altogether passed over, and 
 though the thunder was still rolling in the east, the clouds 
 in the west broke up, the disk of the sun showed itself 
 just before it vanished behind the range of the Slavonian 
 heights, and we saw a splendid effect. To our right the hills 
 were lit up with the most brilliant red, like the Alpine glow 
 of our Lower Austrian mountains, on our left the gilded 
 foliage of the few isolated little " au " woods was quivering 
 in the last evening breeze, while the clouds assumed a purple- 
 red splendour, and mirrored their colours in the waters of the 
 Danube. 
 
 The sun sank slowly in a blaze of light, the ruddy glow 
 lingering long above the western hills. Night was falling, 
 the birds were flying to their roosting-places, and only the 
 storks and herons were winging their way towards the inland 
 marshes to begin their nocturnal hunts. 
 
 Although we had, thanks to the extraordinary speed of our 
 steamer, traversed such a great stretch of the river in so short 
 a time, it would nevertheless have been impossible to reach 
 Cere vie by the evening ; so we were obliged to anchor, and pass 
 the night at the little village of Gombos. Just before it had 
 got quite dark we had seen far away, in a southerly direction, 
 the heights of the Fruska-Gora mountains, so celebrated for 
 
106 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 their natural beauties, and to which we were to devote the 
 next few days. The whole run from the " auen " at Mohacs had 
 been very interesting and we had enjoyed many beautiful 
 views, the hours that we had spent on deck, field-glass in hand, 
 having flown so quickly that it was already pretty late when 
 we sat down to dinner. 
 
 Brehm had long promised that while we were on board the 
 vessel he w r ould some day repeat his very interesting lecture 
 on the primeval forests of Africa, which I had unfortunately 
 been prevented from hearing when he had delivered it before 
 a large audience in Vienna ; and after the glorious days spent 
 in the woods of Apatin we were all in the right mood to listen 
 to it with enthusiasm. Brehm spoke a long time with his 
 usual fluency, and in that peculiar style of his which never 
 fatigues either himself or his hearers ; while we followed his 
 words with the most rapt attention, for he has a gift of speech 
 such as I have never before met with among scientific men, 
 and an especially wonderful talent of recalling striking 
 impressions and observations of Nature and of making others 
 realize them. 
 
 It was already rather late when we separated and retired to 
 rest in our cabins. Interesting and probably very toilsome 
 days lay before us. 
 
[ 107 J 
 
 SEVENTH DAY. 
 
 NEXT morning, Sunday, April 28th, we were awakened pretty 
 early by the sun striking into our cabins, and, dressing hastily, 
 we all hurried on deck. It was a splendid day. The sun 
 was already pouring its hot rays upon the earth, the dark 
 blue of a true southern sky spread over us, and not a cloud 
 troubled the pure air. A refreshing east wind was blowing 
 over the river, and our steamer was hurrying along at full 
 speed between the steep hills of the Slavonian side and the 
 low-lying Hungarian plains. On our left the Danube formed 
 a good many wooded islands, and on the banks we observed a 
 few patches of " auen," between which a succession of marshes 
 and meadows ran down to the river's edge. 
 
 The Captain assured us that we should get to Cerevic in 
 about an hour, so we breakfasted and then sat on deck, com- 
 fortably smoking our first cigars and enjoying the refreshing 
 influence of this glorious morning. 
 
 There was a lively bustle in the villages situated on the 
 hillsides to the right, bells were ringing, crowds of gaily- 
 dressed people were moving about the vineyards and streets, 
 and there was a firing of salutes, for the members of the 
 Orthodox Greek Church were holiday-making on the second 
 day of their Easter feast. On the Hungarian side, inhabited 
 partly by Germans and partly by Catholic and Calvanistic 
 Hungarians, all was as quiet as on an ordinary Sunday morn- 
 ing ; but the beauty of the day had set the bird-world in full 
 activity, and we saw numbers of Herons and Lapwings flying 
 about the marshes of the left bank, while many majestic birds 
 
108 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 of prey passed leisurely over our steamer, but all unfortunately 
 out of shot. 
 
 To our very great delight we observed a " Stein " Eagle 
 sailing through the blue ether with a quiet and imposing 
 flight. It was the only one we had seen ; and a pair of 
 Imperial Eagles, which soon followed it, were also the first of 
 their species which we had met with on this journey. We 
 were charmed at finding that we had at last got within the 
 range of these eastern eagles, and their bright plumage 
 glancing in the sun seemed like a brilliant promise of splendid 
 sporting adventures. Later on Sea-Eagles repeatedly flew 
 over us, both singly and in parties of three or four. Some of 
 them were powerful old birds, with the pale yellowish 
 plumage, and some young ones, one or two years old, in the 
 dark immature dress. 
 
 Though the Apatin " auen " would seem very rich in 
 eagles to any one coming from the forests of Central Europe, 
 one might really say that they are but sparsely peopled with 
 raptorial birds in comparison with the Danubian districts of 
 Slavonia. 
 
 It was interesting to note that the eagles from the Slavonian 
 mountains on the right bank were thronging to the low-lying 
 Hungarian plains on the left, all taking exactly the same line ; 
 for they seem to have established their regular hunting- 
 grounds in the woods and marshes of that district, while their 
 dwellings were placed in the wild heights of the Fruska-Gora. 
 
 The Captain had kept his word, for in a hour's time a 
 picturesquely situated village opened to our view, and on our 
 asking if this was Cerevic, he replied in the affirmative. Some 
 rather extensive " auen " run along the left bank of the river 
 opposite the village, and before coming to the place itself one 
 passes close to some large thickly wooded islands. On the right 
 side are crumbling banks and abrupt walls of earth, and above 
 them rises a chain of steep hills with bare rounded tops. 
 
SEVENTH DAY. 109 
 
 V 
 
 Cere vie lies partly at the foot of these hills, and is partly 
 built upon them in terraces, the houses situated among the 
 fissures and earthy cliffs, and the two churches standing on 
 the slope, having a very picturesque appearance. The high 
 ridges behind the village are stony, quite treeless, and planted 
 with vines, while yellow soil, which, when lit up by the sun, 
 glows with true oriental richness of colour, forms the back- 
 ground of the picture. 
 
 We put in to the pier of the village, where the large gaily- 
 dressed crowd which had assembled by the bank received us 
 in the heartiest manner, and Count Rudolf Chotek, one of the 
 proprietors of the greater part of the Fruska-Gora mountains 
 and all the adjoining lands, hastened on board to welcome us, 
 almost before the steamer had reached her moorings. He 
 and his brother Otto are the joint lords of all these estates. 
 Count Rudolf has, however, the larger share of their manage- 
 ment, and spends almost the entire year in this part of the 
 country. 
 
 Let me begin by saying that Count Rudolf, who accom- 
 panied us on our shooting-expeditions during our whole stay 
 in Cere vie, made all the arrangements for our excursions, 
 and exerted himself to further our sport in the most assiduous 
 and amiable way, is one of the kindest and most thoughtful 
 of hosts one could possibly meet with, and we all owe him our 
 warmest thanks. 
 
 After a short greeting he told us what kinds of birds of 
 prey the woods contained, and pressed us to spend a few days 
 here. He spoke of huge Cinereous Vultures, Sea-Eagles, 
 Imperial Eagles, and of all the lesser hawks, of Eagle-Owls, 
 Black Storks, and many other birds which inhabited his 
 domains. We were to make a shooting-excursion into the 
 Fruska-Gora this very day, but, unfortunately, as it was Sunday 
 and a great Greek festival, we could not set out before eleven 
 o'clock. At nine my brother-in-law, Bombelles, Count Chotek, 
 
110 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 and I went to the Catholic church to hear Mass. The church 
 is very plain, and may really be said to be rather poor and 
 neglected. A lean and hungry-looking priest said low mass 
 and preached the Gospel in Servian. The Catholic commu- 
 nity is very small, for, with the exception of a few families, 
 the whole population belongs to the Orthodox Greek Church. 
 
 After service we went back to our vessel for lunch. During 
 our absence the two Savants had observed many large birds of 
 prey flying pretty low towards the Hungarian plains, and 
 quite undisturbed by the noise and bustle, the firing of 
 cannon, and the ringing of bells. Sea-Eagles, Imperial 
 Eagles, and, according to Hodek, also a Griffon Vulture had 
 been seen,' and a White Stork, which was nesting on one of 
 the houses of the village, had come repeatedly to the steamer 
 and flown round it in amazement. As Hodek had no per- 
 sonal knowledge of the Fruska-Gora, and was well aware that 
 we should be quite safe in the hands of Count Chotek and his 
 splendid staff of foresters, he asked for a few days' leave of 
 absence, and leaving the t Vienna ' behind him, and abandon- 
 ing all his work to his son, disappeared before we quitted the 
 vessel. He intended to betake himself to the district of 
 Tittel and there look for nests in the Kovil and Sacer forests, 
 which both belong to the Hungarian Crown, and we were to 
 follow him a few days later. 
 
 After breakfast we got ready for our very interesting 
 shooting-excursion into the mountain valleys. The popula- 
 tion of Cerevic meanwhile stood about the bank, looking with 
 amazement at our remarkable vessel ; and the steamer had 
 indeed assumed a very quaint character, for the deck abounded 
 with all sorts of weapons guns, rifles, and boxes of ammuni- 
 tion, the forward part of the upper deck being tenanted by a 
 regular menagerie, consisting of young Sea-Eagles, young 
 Eagle- Owls, Tawny Owls, my Eagle- Owl, and the two dogs. 
 Upon it there was also a large operating-table, where the men 
 
SEVENTH DAY. Ill 
 
 were working at the skins under the supervision of Hodek 
 junior, while the already finished specimens were drying in the 
 sun. The blood of the slain birds, moreover, and the feathers, 
 bones, and dirt of the whole menagerie gave our floating 
 home anything but a clean appearance. 
 
 At length the wished-for hour arrived, and we left the 
 steamer and got into the carts which Count Chotek had 
 ordered to the bank. Great was the astonishment of the 
 natives when they suddenly saw the costume of a Styrian 
 sportsman the chamois leather and the bare knees so totally 
 unknown in these districts ; for on learning that the slopes 
 of the Fruska-Gora were pretty steep and difficult, I had 
 changed my ordinary shooting-suit for the attire of an Alpine 
 hunter, undoubtedly the most comfortable dress that exists. 
 
 Count Chotek and Bombelles drove in the first vehicle, 
 followed by my brother-in-law and myself, the two Savants, 
 and lastly by the Count's Land-Steward a capital sportsman 
 and some other members of the Count's shooting staff. The 
 light carts were all drawn by pony-like home-bred horses, 
 whose extraordinary qualities we learnt to thoroughly admire 
 and appreciate during the next few hours, and still more so 
 in the following days. 
 
 At first the way wound through several streets of this 
 tolerably extensive village, which lies upon a steep slope, 
 down which the water runs and reduces the streets to the pri- 
 mitive condition of a swamp. Here we progressed but slowly 
 and roughly ; so how would it be when we got into the 
 interior of the country occupied our thoughts at the beginning 
 of this expedition. 
 
 Hardly were we out of the village when the road passed 
 between vine-clad hills and stony slopes. No civilized town- 
 bred horse could have surmounted the ascents which the Sla- 
 vonian ponies were playfully pulling us up. In a quarter of 
 an hour we had reached the crest of this bare chain of heights, 
 
112 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 and before us lay a narrow plateau decked with fields and a 
 few trees, while beyond it rose the high, splendidly wooded 
 summits of the Fruska-Gora mountains stretching in long 
 lines from east to west. It was a wonderful view. Behind 
 
 V 
 
 us was the steep slope with the terraced village of Cerevic, 
 looking picturesque from above ; below it the broad Danube, 
 bordered on one side by rich meadows and vine-clad hills, 
 and on the other by the low-lying Hungarian plains, on which 
 were shining solitary villages lit up by the sun, while in the 
 distance the curved horizon melted into the dark blue sky as 
 it does at; sea. To our right and left we could see the blue 
 line of the river winding along, with its fringe of hills and 
 " au " woods, and far away to the east the scene was bounded 
 by the hill on which rose the finely situated fortress of Peter- 
 wardein. Still, the most beautiful part of this extraordinarily 
 grand panorama was undoubtedly the range of the Fruska- 
 Gora itself, for from this point we already saw a maze of wild 
 valleys and hillsides, all clothed with the most magnificent 
 deciduous woods. 
 
 After spending about half an hour in driving across the 
 bare plateau and through deep hollows, we reached a valley 
 with a little stream winding along it, where the beginning of 
 a lovely woodland glade opened to our view, for we had got 
 to the fringe of the forests. 
 
 A road reduced to a frightful condition by the recent rains 
 led us over a little brook, across pools of water, up steep 
 slopes, and through deep hollows, towards the interior of the 
 woods, and the further up the valley we went the more lovely 
 and charming grew the surrounding landscape. Right and 
 left steep wooded slopes, high hilltops covered with the most 
 superb beech woods, and now and then varied by copses, 
 rampantly overgrown clearings, and small marshy glades, 
 were the principal characteristics of this strikingly beautiful 
 district. The style of the whole scene chiefly reminded me ot 
 
SEVENTH DAY. 11. 3 
 
 
 
 the wooded valleys of the Wiener Wald and the neighbourhood 
 of Purkersdorf and Hainbach. The glades, woods, streams, 
 and steep slopes were very much the same, only here in the 
 Fruska-Gora the mountain-ridges were much higher and more 
 imposing than they are in the Wiener Wald, 
 
 When we had driven a little way we came to a wire fence, 
 which ran right across the glade and up the slopes on both 
 sides. Here we passed through a gate, and Count Chotek 
 told us that he had made this fence to assist in preventing the 
 Roe and Red Deer from straying into the vineyards and fields, 
 for this was the principal pass towards the peasants' holdings, 
 as the woods here advanced more into the open country 
 than at any other part. The further we went along the 
 bottom of the valley the more silent and lonely the country 
 became, and not the slightest sign of a house or the least 
 trace of attention to the roads or the management of the 
 woods indicated the neighbourhood of human settlements. I 
 have never come across a more uninhabited woodland solitude 
 even in the most remote valleys of our Alps. 
 
 We soon arrived at a charmingly situated little shooting- 
 lodge, with a stag's head over the gate, the well laid-out 
 gardens in front of the house showing that it must often be 
 occupied by the owners of the shooting, while some small huts 
 belonging to the keepers and the woodmen gave a little ad- 
 ditional life to the scene. This is the place where the Count 
 and his guests pass a few days during the rutting-season of 
 the stags, using it as a starting-point for their shooting ex- 
 peditions. It contained only one simply furnished room, with 
 two beds, a kitchen, and some accommodation for servants. 
 The Count proudly directed our attention to a Griffon Vulture 
 which was stuffed and placed in the gentlemen's apartment. 
 This bird is very rare in the Fruska-Gora, and he had killed 
 it with the rifle some years ago when returning from deer- 
 stalking. Lower down the Danube this vulture is common 
 
 I 
 
114 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 enough, and it there breeds almost exclusively in the cliffs near 
 villages, and usually avoids lonely wooded mountains. Brehm 
 confirmed this statement of the Count's, and was much sur- 
 prised at seeing the bird and at hearing that it had been 
 killed in these woods ; he also gave it as his opinion that the 
 Griffon Vulture never builds its nest on trees, but some hours 
 later we were to have ample proof that Brehm was for once 
 wrong. We left the house in a few minutes and were all 
 despatched in totally different directions. My brother-in-law 
 drove off into the woods to the left in a little country cart; 
 Bombelles and the two Savants also vanished among the thick 
 cover by various routes; while Count Chotek and I continued 
 our drive along the stream up the valley already described, 
 the road often crossing the little brook, and leading us through 
 the woods and small marshy glades of this mountain glen, 
 which kept getting narrower and narrower. 
 
 The deeper we penetrated into it the higher grew the sur- 
 rounding summits and the steeper the slopes, and as we were 
 passing along a hillside where there was a long and very 
 broad clearing covered with thick bushes, I suddenly caught 
 sight of a huge black bird of prey flying majestically over one 
 of the heights. I was just thinking that it was too large for 
 an eagle, and its flight was also strange to me, when Count 
 Chotek called out that it was a Cinereous Vulture. It was 
 the first that I had ever seen in a wild state, and its gigantic 
 pinions, with their primaries standing apart like the fingers 
 of an outstretched hand, its cuneate tail, its long neck doubled 
 back among the feathers of its neck-ruffle, and the way in 
 which it sailed through the blue ether, without the slightest 
 visible movement of its wings, made this heavy bird, which 
 seems so disgusting near at hand, look splendid in the distance. 
 A few moments afterwards I saw another, and again another, 
 while wherever one looked one noticed either a young Sea- 
 Eagle flying heavily over the tree-tops, a " Stein " Eagle 
 
SEVENTH DAY. 115' 
 
 playing with Imperial Eagles high in the air, or Cinereous 
 Vultures winging their way from the lonely forest valleys in 
 search of plunder. Such a wealth of large raptorial birds it 
 would surely be hard to find elsewhere ! 
 
 Among these mighty birds of prey a Black Stork was 
 circling towards the interior of the woods with long out- 
 stretched neck, and astonishing it was to see this marsh-bird 
 in those silent mountain glens so far from all large swamps. 
 The group of smaller hawks was represented by Common 
 Kites, a Peregrine, and a few of the lesser falcons. 
 
 On a meadow close to the road we saw the skeleton of a 
 horse, and in the thick cover which bordered the track was 
 an old wolf decoy-hut built of boards and faggots. I had a 
 good look at this spot, where many of the larger wild beasts 
 had doubtless been killed, for it reminded me of my splendid 
 hunts after eagles in the woods round Godollo, and I at once 
 thought whether we could not try the same plan here. 
 
 Driving a few hundred yards further through meadows 
 and bushy woods we reached the end of the valley, at a spot 
 where smaller woodland glens enclosed by steep hillsides ran 
 into the mountains in various directions. Here we halted, 
 and the Count begged me to get out and to follow the forester 
 along a footpath which conducted us into the depths of an 
 exceedingly fine wood of high beeches. Then we climbed up 
 an uncommonly steep slope by the side of a narrow little 
 watercourse, and I was thankful that I had got on mountain- 
 boots such as we use in Upper Austria, for they did me re- 
 markably good service in the Fruska-Gora both on this and 
 the subsequent days. 
 
 First we came to the nest of a Common Kite, and the 
 forester asked me if I wished to shoot the bird, but I preferred 
 paying my first visit to a Black Stork, which was breeding- 
 close by. The nest of this great wader was placed on a high 
 leafy oak which grew from the bottom of a steep wooded 
 
116 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 valley. I crept cautiously up to it, and from the slope on 
 which I stood had a good view into it. 
 
 The Black Stork was standing on one leg within its dwelling 
 and took not the slightest notice of my approach. My shot 
 dropped it dead into the nest; so I called up Hodek's climber, 
 whom we had taken with us, but he was unsuccessful in all 
 his attempts to get up the trunk of the tree, for the recent 
 rain had made it very slippery, and it was not until the 
 following day that a wretched half-crippled peasant of Cerevic 
 brought down the bird. 
 
 When I got back Count Chotek told me that if I had come 
 down a few minutes before I could have easily shot a "Stein" 
 Eagle, which had flown quite low over the cart. The Count 
 and my jager had seen it settle down on a meadow a few 
 hundred yards away in the direction of the above-mentioned 
 decoy-hut ; so I stealthily crept along under the crumbling 
 bank of the brook, thinking that the bird would be sitting on 
 the skeleton of the horse, but as I slowly crawled out of the 
 hollow within good shot of the skeleton, the eagle rose in 
 front of me from the opposite side of the stream, where it had 
 probably been drinking and bathing. It was already about a 
 hundred paces away, and the shot which I let drive at it had 
 no effect. 
 
 We now set out again, first driving back some distance 
 along the valley, then turning to our left into a wretched 
 forest-track, and keeping on in the same direction across a 
 long clearing for nearly an hour and a half. The way was 
 steep, and so rough in the dry parts that one could hardly 
 keep one's seat in the cart, while in the shaded places pits 
 and almost bottomless pools had been formed in the deep 
 loamy soil. 
 
 The endurance and cleverness of the horses were amazing, 
 for the drivers, who, according to the custom of the country, 
 had got down to lighten the loads, had been left far behind, 
 
SEVENTH DAY. 117 
 
 as they could not keep up with these untiring Slavonian 
 animals, while the reins remained tied to the box ; so that 
 these intelligent ponies followed the road so familiar to them 
 entirely without guidance, and on reaching the crest of the 
 hill stood still and waited for their drivers to come up. 
 
 Sometimes we saw vultures and various eagles circling 
 high up, and I fired a ball at a Sea-Eagle which flew past 
 within about two hundred yards. The bullet must have 
 almost grazed the great bird, for it gave a turn over, and my 
 companion congratulated me with joyful exclamations on my 
 successful shot ; however, it rose again and flew on un- 
 injured. In the same way I also missed a Cinereous Vulture. 
 During the last mile the road was incredibly steep, and I 
 should never have imagined that one could get up such hills 
 with a vehicle ; there was also a good chance of rolling pretty 
 far down into a valley, either to the right or left, if matters 
 went wrong. 
 
 When we had got on to the ridge we had a wonderful view, 
 in various directions, over the wide preserves of woods, 
 mountains, and lonely glens. Cinereous Vultures were sweep- 
 ing mute and noiseless over the trees below us, and seen from 
 above this bird looks even much grander than when soaring 
 overhead. 
 
 Our road now led us along the very narrow and perfectly 
 flat crest of the mountain, where, after proceeding a few 
 hundred yards, we halted, as the forester said that we were 
 quite close to the first Cinereous Vulture's nest. At Count 
 Chotek's suggestion, I slung my rifle on my shoulder and 
 gave my gun to the forester, as the Cinereous Vulture was 
 said to be so tough that shot had no effect whatever on its 
 thick doublet of feathers, and my only chance of succeeding 
 would be with ball. 
 
 I must confess that my heart beat pretty fast as I ascended 
 a very steep slope to the first nest of this, the largest of our 
 
118 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 European birds of prey. For how difficult is it for any one 
 living in the middle of our continent to get a shot at such a 
 raptorial bird ! and how few are even the thorough sports- 
 men who have, in the whole course of their existence, ever 
 met with this creature, compared to those who only know it 
 from hearsay ! 
 
 The nest of the Cinereous Vulture was placed at the top of 
 a huge oak, which stood on a slope so steep that one could see 
 right into the gigantic structure from a distance of about a 
 hundred paces. The abode of this bird has a very different 
 appearance to that of the eagle, as its exterior is chiefly formed 
 of clay, dirty mud, and quite large boughs of oak, and is more 
 compactly built, and of course much larger, while the light 
 grey colour of the mud makes it visible among the branches 
 a long way off. 
 
 It augured ill for the immediate success of my sport that at 
 the first steps I took along the slope I saw the two vultures 
 cruising over the hillside at no great distance. They had 
 probably just fed their young, and were off' again in search of 
 plunder; so I sat down, well concealed, at a spot where I could 
 get the best view of the edge of the nest, and, laying the shot- 
 gun beside me loaded and cocked, awaited their coming, while 
 the forester wished me good luck, and walked back to send 
 away the cart and hide himself a long way aff. 
 
 Trembling with excitement, I patiently waited to see what 
 would happen. Several times I saw the vultures flying 
 among the tree-tops in the deep woodland glen below me ; and 
 this bird is so extremely imposing in its flight that in com- 
 parison with it the great Sea and " Stein " Eagles suffer, if 
 one may so say, just as much as the Buzzard and Kite do 
 when compared with them. 
 
 I had not been sitting long in my hiding-place when there 
 was a great noise among the bushes near me, and a large 
 stag emerging from the cover, a few yards in front of me, 
 
SEVENTH DAY. 119 
 
 went leisurely feeding along until he was close to the tree 
 with the nest. The wind was blowing down the valley, and 
 when he got in a direct line with me he raised his head, 
 looked in my direction, and plunged down the slope in a few 
 bounds. Soon afterwards my constancy in the pursuit of the 
 Cinereous Vultures was put to a severe test, for a large Sea- 
 Eagle flew past low down among the branches of the trees, 
 between the nesting-tree and my ambush, and only about 
 thirty yards otF. A few moments later it was followed by 
 another Sea-Eagle, and in some ten minutes more a splendid 
 " Stein " Eagle passed close by me in the same direction. 
 How easily I could have killed two, perhaps even three, of 
 these grand birds, for the shot-gun was lying cocked at my 
 side; but to-day I was determined to resist all temptations 
 and to bring home a Cinereous Vulture. 
 
 I had not to wait much longer, for suddenly there was a 
 loud rushing sound near me, such as I had never heard at 
 any eagle's nest, and at first I did not know w T hat to make of 
 it ; but it was immediately followed by the appearance of 
 both the vultures on a tree near the nest, through the 
 branches of which they, with difficulty, worked themselves 
 with their broad wings. 
 
 The disgusting creatures held their necks at full stretch, 
 their flesh-coloured legs hung loosely down, and they rapidly 
 flapped their arched contracted wings, seeking a support to 
 perch on. The female settled herself at once on the edge of 
 the nest, the male on an adjacent tree. 
 
 The dark forest, the grand sweeps of the mountain valleys, 
 and my first meeting with the mighty owners of this gigantic 
 structure, all contributed to put me into such an uncontrollable 
 state of excitement, that before I aimed I knew that it was 
 all over as regarded this nest. The rifle shook like a reed in 
 my hands, and in vain I tried to keep the sight steady on the 
 breast of the vulture, which was still standing upright on the 
 
120 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 edge of its dwelling. I fired, both vultures flew down into 
 the valley unhurt, and I long heard the beating of their 
 wings as they rushed through the air. 
 
 In a state of utter despondency I remained quietly crouch- 
 ing in my hiding-place, for I wanted to see whether the 
 vultures w r ould not return. Then I heard steps behind me. 
 It was the forester, who had hurried up on hearing the shot, 
 and while I was telling him of the miserable result of it, the 
 female bird again appeared near the nest, and was coming 
 straight towards me, but on seeing us turned off in another 
 direction. The forester now begged me to go to the second 
 nest ; so we quickly climbed up the steep slope, walked a good 
 way on the ridge of the mountain, and then, after going a 
 few hundred yards along a narrow footpath, which wound 
 down the opposite side of the hill, found ourselves at the 
 nest. 
 
 This second nest was placed in a more awkward position 
 than the first, as the slope, being less steep, did not allow one 
 to see so well into it. I loaded my gun, for I had resolved 
 to rely on its powers and to abandon the rifle. On getting 
 within a few paces of the nest, a vulture flew off one of the 
 neighbouring oaks with a great bustle. Thinking that it was 
 the- owner of the nest, I was looking out for a good hiding- 
 place, and preparing to pass a quiet half-hour, when a 
 Slavonian woodman, a true Serb, with whom I managed to 
 communicate by the help of the Bohemian language, besought 
 me to keep my gun ready, as he thought the hen bird was in 
 the nest ; and he was right, for after a few blows with a stick 
 on the trunk of the tree, the vulture dropped off the edge of 
 its abode with a noisy bustle. There were branches above me, 
 and I did not \vish to make another doubtful shot, though I 
 could distinguish the form of the great bird through the 
 foliage. With outstretched head it looked carefully round, 
 and then, gradually expanding its wings, gave itself a strong 
 
SEVENTH DAY. 121 
 
 upward jerk from the branch and flew away down the valley, 
 making a great deal of noise and vanishing among the trees, 
 for it took but little notice of the two shots which I let drive 
 at it, though a few feathers fell, and the Slavonian woodman 
 thought that it was hard hit in the side. I waited vainly for 
 another half-hour, and was quite disheartened by this mishap ; 
 for I had now bungled both the pairs of vultures which had 
 been sho'wn to me, and I did not know whether I should have 
 any further chance of killing one to-day. However, the great 
 good fortune which always favours me out shooting helped 
 me over the difficulty later on in the afternoon. 
 
 While sitting at the first nest I had noticed that a young 
 " Stein'' Eagle, and often also a young Sea-Eagle, kept 
 stooping at a certain heavily foliaged oak in the middle of a 
 beech wood; and as the forester had already told me that the 
 eagles detested the vultures, and were in the habit of tor- 
 menting them at every opportunity, I had a lucky inspiration, 
 and resolved to make a final effort and go to the place at which 
 I had seen the eagles so constantly swooping. The Servian 
 woodman, who had noted this even before I did, had gone 
 off to the spot without saying anything, and now came back 
 with the news that he had, from a distance, seen a light- 
 coloured head projecting from the nest, and thought that it 
 must be that of an eagle; but the ornithological knowledge 
 of all these people being so very defective, my hopes of again 
 encountering a vulture revived, and I hurried off to the 
 place along a spur of the mountain-ridge. On reaching an 
 open spot, where I had a wonderful view, I saw in the 
 distance seven Cinereous Vultures rise into the air and fly 
 one after another straight towards the place where we were 
 standing. 
 
 I made ready to shoot without concealing myself, and as 
 the first vulture passed over my head within twenty to 
 twenty-five yards I fired both barrels, and certainly hit it, 
 
122 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 for some feathers dropped, but again the shot rattled off it 
 without taking effect, and for a moment I thought with 
 horror that my cartridges could only be loaded with powder, 
 as such a thing had never happened to me before. The other 
 six vultures were not the least frightened by the shots, and 
 came sweeping over me one after another; but I had lost all 
 desire to shoot at these huge birds, and let them fly quietly 
 past. 
 
 We now hastened up a steep slope to the nest, and as it 
 was not quite so strongly constructed as the one above 
 described, I really thought for a moment that we should here 
 find a noble " Stein " Eagle, nor was it until the tree had been 
 repeatedly struck that the heavy form of a Cinereous Vulture 
 emerged from the nest. Luckily I had chosen a good look- 
 out, and gave it my first barrel loaded with B.B. full in the 
 breast, and as it crashed down through the branches hard hit 
 the second shot broke its wing. 
 
 Now, thought I, that is at last enough for this bird; but, 
 no, it caught hold of a branch, and as it stood upright with 
 its broken wing hanging down, its bare neck and head full of 
 wounds and covered with blood, and its beak wide agape, it 
 presented a striking picture. Another shot was required to 
 bring it quite down to the ground, and a good many blows 
 with a thick stick to give it its final quietus. 
 
 I hurried up to my spoil, pleased and proud at having at 
 last succeeded in killing a Cinereous Vulture ; but my en- 
 thusiasm was promptly checked when I got close to the dead 
 bird, for such an insupportable stench of carrion surrounded 
 the body of the disgusting creature, that I was compelled to 
 retire several paces. How often had I previously laughed at 
 Brehm when he protested that not for all the wealth of the 
 world would he ever again skin one of these vultures with 
 his own hands ! 
 
 This ignoble bird, with its very weak claws, never livrs 
 
SEVENTH DAY. 123 
 
 upon what it kills itself, but only upon the most disgust- 
 ing carrion. During the day they fly many miles away 
 over the plains of the Save into the adjacent country of Servia, 
 as well as into the Bosnian mountain-gorges, to devour the 
 numerous carcasses which are there lying about. Every one 
 of the vultures which we killed had its crop still stuffed with 
 the most unsavoury remains of carrion, and their beaks gave 
 out a stench which would have been quite enough to make 
 any one faint who was afflicted with weak nerves. On what 
 exciting battle-fields and on how many Turk and Russian 
 corpses may not these vultures have sat during the last 
 campaign ! for, thanks to its splendid powers of flight, there 
 is no bird which makes such incredibly long journeys as 
 the vulture. The thoughts of such things made the 
 slain creature seem still more repulsive, and even the case- 
 hardened woodman carried the heavy bird on his back with 
 loathing. 
 
 To shorten the way we crept slowly down the steep hillside, 
 and - through a glen thickly overgrown with bushes, wild 
 vines, and hops, and then up another still more abrupt slope, 
 the poor woodman panting under his burden, while even we 
 made but poor progress. Before getting to the carts I met 
 Leopold, who was obliged to return from his shooting-ground 
 by the same route. At his feet lay a very large vulture, for 
 my brother-in-law had been luckier than I, for on approaching 
 the nest he had seen the bird sitting on a bare branch, and 
 getting within good rifle-shot had brought it down with a 
 well-directed ball. His spoil, which stank much worse than 
 the vulture I had killed, disgusted him so much that he would 
 have nothing more to do with Cinereous Vultures, so re- 
 pulsive did he find the bird when dead which had seemed so 
 beautiful and imposing when soaring aloft. 
 
 Evening was now coming on, and Count Chotek urged us to 
 begin our homeward journey as soon as possible, as it would 
 
124 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 not be pleasant to be driving down the steep hills just as it 
 was getting dark. The sky was clear again, for the threatening 
 clouds which had come up in the afternoon had all been dis- 
 persed by a strongish east wind, and though a storm was 
 still rumbling in the far south, there seemed to be every pros- 
 pect that we were at the beginning of a series of fine days. 
 
 The drive home through the loneliest districts of the thick 
 luxuriant mountain woods, by the sides of rushing brooks 
 and across pretty glades, lasted at least two hours, and had a 
 great fascination for us, for we felt ourselves in our true 
 element in 'this wild primitive country, far from all traces 
 of civilization. The Fruska-Gora is really a wonderfully 
 striking wilderness, and when gazing on its silent mountain- 
 valleys we almost forgot the splendid impressions made by 
 the Apatin "auen." As we were passing the shooting-lodge, 
 after a long drive, it began to get dark, the shadows deepened, 
 bats were flitting around, roe and red deer were moving 
 warily about the glades, and love-lorn owls were calling to 
 their mates from the high trees. 
 
 Among the small birds I saw little of ornithological interest 
 during the entire day. Here, as everywhere else, the beech 
 woods are but sparingly stocked with songsters, and the 
 commonest notes were those of the Blackcap, Chaffinch, and 
 Oriole, while I often heard the monotonous call of the Cuckoo. 
 As it grew later even the Wood-Pigeons were silent, and we 
 soon heard nothing but the buzzing of the insects and the 
 chirping of the grasshoppers. 
 
 The darker it became the more slowly we advanced, and 
 just as we got clear of the woods, and began the drive across 
 the plateau and through the vineyards, the most tiresome and 
 perhaps very worst part of the whole road, the trap in which 
 we were sitting broke down. All the way back it had been a 
 matter of astonishment to me that every one of these country 
 carts had not gone to pieces long ago; but it was just the fact 
 
SEVENTH DAY. 125 
 
 that they had no springs, and consisted of a simple wooden 
 framework bound together with ropes, that saved them from 
 destruction. Count Chotek now kindly offered us his cart, 
 and seated himself in one of those which were following. 
 
 It was a splendid cloudless night, and countless stars were 
 shining in the heavens. Behind us lay the summits of the 
 Fruska-Gora enveloped in the blue mists of evening, and 
 before us, towards the Hungarian plains, everything was 
 indistinctly blended together. We reached Cerevic after a 
 wearisome and apparently endless drive, and blessed the 
 moment when we stepped on board. Delightful as these 
 regions are, the getting about in them is miserable, and we 
 were more tired from the incessant shaking than if we had 
 walked twice as many hours. Just before arriving at the 
 place where our vessel lay, we met Brehm and Homeyer, 
 who had but that moment returned from the nests. I 
 shouted out to them a long way off to ask what they had 
 shot, and to our great, and Count Chotek's still greater, 
 astonishment, Homeyer quickly answered that he had bagged 
 a Griffon Vulture. Brehm and his friend had both visited 
 the same nest, and had clambered up towards it in the full 
 expectation of seeing a Cinereous Vulture; but on nearing 
 the place a great Griffon Vulture whizzed out of it, and 
 Homeyer had luckily brought it down with shot. He was 
 justly proud of this rare booty, which was so highly interesting 
 to all of us, especially as only a few hours ago this very bird 
 had been pointed out to us by Count Chotek as being a rare 
 inhabitant of these mountains. Brehm was quite undeceived, 
 and had to admit that he was wrong, for the nest of the 
 Griffon Vulture was simply situated on an oak tree, in a place 
 where for far and wide no rocks were to be found. 
 
 The Griffon Vulture is characterized by its coffee-brown 
 plumage, yellowish neck-ruffle, white head and neck, and 
 broad rounded tail, and is, on the whole, only slightly smaller 
 
126 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 than its nearest relative, the Cinereous Vulture. The light 
 colouring of the former is more richly gradated, but the 
 mixture of deep black and dark brown, the pointed tail, and 
 the somewhat larger size of the latter bird give it altogether 
 a more imposing appearance. 
 
 Well satisfied, we stepped on to the deck of our steamer 
 again, and our crew gazed with amazement at the huge birds 
 which some of the people were with difficulty lugging up. 
 We found Bombelles already on board. The keepers had 
 been mistaken, for the nest which they had believed to be 
 that of a Cinereous Vulture, and from which Prince Hohenlohe 
 had shot one of these birds only a few years before, was 
 now inhabited by Sea-Eagles. Bombelles had got some very 
 difficult shots at the eagles as they flew towards the nest, 
 but thought that he had wounded one of them in the wing ; 
 and some days later his conjecture was verified, for a 
 Slavonian peasant found a badly wounded eagle sitting in a 
 stream, and brought it on deck alive. 
 
 At first we did not know where to put our vultures, for 
 their horrible stench poisoned the whole vessel. My cabin 
 window was open, and above it, on the upper deck, lay the 
 dead birds, yet in the short space of five minutes the whole 
 place was completely permeated with the stench of carrion. 
 
 After dinner Brehm and I took their measurements, but 
 without a cigar in one's mouth one really could not go near 
 the birds ; and the taking of their exact dimensions was an 
 act of great self-sacrifice, for whenever they were moved, 
 especially when the stiffened wings were pulled apart, gases 
 escaped which compelled the bystanders to retire invo- 
 luntarily a few paces. By young Hodek's advice they were 
 put at the extreme point of the bow, and left there all night, 
 while we, tired by the toils of the day's shooting, vanished 
 into our sleeping-quarters one by one shortly after dinner, 
 and complete quiet soon reigned on board the steamer. 
 
[ 127 ] 
 
 EIGHTH DAY. 
 
 LEAVING our cabins very early in the morning, we break- 
 fasted quickly, and then hastened to quit the vessel. Before 
 we got back last evening the Captain had been obliged to 
 vacate his moorings at the pier, where he was in the way of 
 the other Lloyd steamers, and to proceed a little distance up- 
 stream behind the village and there anchor. This was also 
 far pleasanter for us, as our surroundings were now much 
 quieter and less frequented by people. A gangway had been 
 constructed to facilitate communication between the shore 
 and the vessel, close to which was a meadow, from which we 
 had to walk a short distance along a footpath before getting 
 to the road near the outermost houses of the village, where 
 our traps were henceforth always to wait for us. 
 
 To-day we set out at different times, every one doing just as 
 he felt disposed. My brother-in-law and I were the most 
 diligent of the party, so far as the noble chase was concerned, 
 for we left the steamer even far too soon, and had to walk 
 about the bank waiting for the carts, the excuse for their 
 lateness being the Greek festival of yesterday. It was a 
 splendid day, but even in the early morning the heat was 
 oppressive, and we thought with some misgivings of how it 
 would torment us in the noontide hours. 
 
 Brehm and Homeyer intended to separate on this occasion, 
 and to pursue their researches in different directions. The 
 former had yesterday descried with his practised eye a fine 
 picturesque mass of rocks at the top of a wooded hill a long 
 way off. There he had observed a great many eagles and 
 vultures sunning themselves and .diligently preening their 
 
128 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 feathers after feeding. He had therefore begged Count 
 Chotek to get a little hiding-place of boughs hastily rigged 
 up as well as was possible, and to have a kid exposed as a 
 bait for the birds of prey. He expected great results from 
 this enterprise, and we were all curious to see how he would 
 succeed. 
 
 Homeyer intended to devote the whole day to the smaller 
 species of birds, and at the same time to rest a little. He 
 meant to stroll about the vineyards and outlying hills close to 
 our steamer, while Bombelles wished to return to the nest 
 which had been supposed to belong to a vulture and to try 
 his luck afresh. 
 
 My brother-in-law and I, each in his own cart, drove off 
 one behind the other in the same direction. At first our way 
 led us up-stream, along what was called a highroad, but 
 which was really a badly ballasted rough construction, no 
 better than a country by-road. On this south bank of the 
 Danube the .slopes descending towards the river on our right 
 were formed by some meadows, and the hillsides rising on 
 our left were decked with vineyards and a few fruit-trees in 
 splendid bloom. By the roadside I noticed numbers of 
 Greenfinches, Corn-Buntings, Wagtails, Red-backed Shrikes, 
 and various Warblers, and on the meadows also some Green 
 Woodpeckers and Wrynecks. 
 
 After a good half-hour's drive we reached a village, where 
 on our left a deep valley bounded by treeless slopes led 
 towards the interior of the country. There we separated, my 
 brother-in-law going a good way further on before turning 
 into the next valley, while I passed through the village and 
 drove on towards the Fruska-Gora by a very rough road, 
 which ran by the side of a little mountain-brook, and con- 
 ducted me to the very verge of the woods. I passed through 
 a charming district of meadows, vineyards, isolated little 
 patches of rock, and steep loamy slopes covered with almond 
 
EIGHTH DAY. 129 
 
 and fruit trees of all sorts, and in about half an hour more 
 had left the bare outer hills behind me, and had penetrated 
 into the mountain valleys. 
 
 At first we went straight along the beautiful glades of a 
 wooded glen, then turned to the right and began the ascent 
 of a hill as steep as that of yesterday; but after we had gone 
 about a mile the ascent got too abrupt for even the Slavonian 
 horses, for they panted more and more and kept stopping 
 every moment. The rougher the way became, the louder 
 creaked the cart in every joint, and at last some of its com- 
 ponent parts literally came to pieces. To have waited till the 
 vehicle was put in order again, and all its breakages bound 
 together with ropes in the usual way, would have been too 
 tedious for me, for I did not want to lose a moment. I there- 
 fore determined to walk the whole way, only accompanied by 
 my jiiger and the very expert forester of the place. 
 
 We now began a thoroughly good tramp, taking two hours 
 arid a half to cover a distance which the forester had estimated 
 at three hours ; but the thoughts of the eagles which awaited 
 me hastened my steps, and we climbed quickly up the steep 
 hillsides. The way was exceedingly beautiful, and took us 
 through the most wonderful beech woods covered with thick 
 undergrowth, and occasionally varied by a few huge isolated 
 oaks adorned with dead branches. At a sharp pace we went 
 on up and down hill, across marshy woodland glades, which 
 vividly reminded me of the higher parts of the Wiener Wald 
 and even of some of our Alpine localities, over swift little 
 mountain-streams, and through narrow forest valleys, but only 
 now and then got a clear view of the splendid wooded moun- 
 tains lying below us. Though I looked carefully about, I saw 
 nothing of ornithological interest. There were Orioles, 
 Cuckoos, and a few Hoopoes at the bottom of the valley; 
 higher up the sole inhabitants of the woods were Chaffinches, 
 Yellow Hammers, and the commonest song-birds. A Common 
 
 K 
 
130 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 Kite, too, dropped off an oak and flew lightly past me, and 
 some smaller hawks were circling above us. In the morning 
 all the eagles and vultures seem to go off to more remote 
 districts in search of plunder, for to my great astonishment I 
 did not see one of them. 
 
 At last light shimmered through the stems of the trees, for 
 we were nearing the crest of the mountain, and on gaining it 
 the forester told me that we were now on the highest water- 
 shed of the Fruska-Gora. A broad road here runs right along 
 the almost uniformly level ridge of the mountains, and is 
 known as " Prince Eugene's road ;" for the hero of the Turkish 
 war is said to have gone by this route in order to conceal his 
 troops on the march to Karlowitz. 
 
 In the soft mud of the road I noticed the tracks of two 
 large wolves, so very fresh that they could not have been 
 made more than two or three hours ago. These footprints 
 ran close together in the direction we were following, and the 
 beasts had gone a good mile before they appeared to have 
 sprung into the wood. The forester informed me that 
 wolves were unfortunately very common in these mountains, 
 and did much damage among the deer and roe. It cer- 
 tainly seemed to me that the difficulties of pursuing them 
 here almost verged on the impossible, and I could easily 
 understand that the Count's keepers very seldom succeeded in 
 shooting them. 
 
 The view we now had from a small open glade was mar- 
 vellous ; seldom have I ever seen a more superb panorama," 
 and this morning has made an indelible impression on my 
 memory. From where we stood we could overlook both sides 
 of the network of the wooded valleys, heights, and summits of 
 the Fruska-Gora, as they descended in terraces to the plains 
 on either hand. To the north the broad line of the Danube, 
 broken by many islands, wound along both east and west, 
 following the narrow strip of treeless plain. On its further 
 
EIGHTH DAY. 131 
 
 bank we saw the splendid Hungarian " auen," and beyond 
 them the vast low-lying plains, curving like the sea and 
 finally vanishing from our sight, lost among the clouds 
 and sky. 
 
 We could look over Southern Hungary as over a map. 
 There blue-looking marshes alternated with green strips of 
 cultivation and golden sandy heaths, while the villages stood 
 out like white dots. To the south the narrow plain of the 
 Save lay at our feet, and through it flowed the broad river in 
 its many windings. In the south-east rose the grand Servian 
 hills with their countless peaks and summits, and to the 
 south-west we saw through the blue haze the marvellously 
 fine Alpine heights of Bosnia, those lofty mountains of the 
 Balkan peninsula which are so rich in natural beauties, and 
 whose picturesque forms make them so exceptionally striking. 
 
 That part of the country forcibly recalled to my recollec- 
 tion the still more imposing heights of Albania, Montenegro, 
 and Dalmatia, and I stayed a long time at this spot enjoying 
 the magnificent scene, while the forester told me the names 
 of each separate hill, and showed me the position of the 
 Servian town of Sabac, and where Belgrade, the capital of that 
 principality, lay; for the hill which rises near that city has a 
 very decided shape and is visible a long way off. He also 
 told me that from this point the thunder of the cannon during 
 the Turko-Servian war had been distinctly heard. 
 
 Having rested, we proceeded on our way to the nest of a 
 so-calle.d Golden Eagle, keeping steadily along the mountain- 
 ridge between thick bushes for some time, until the forester 
 said that we must again turn towards the north side. Not 
 knowing what the jagers here call Golden Eagle, I imagined 
 that it was Aquila chrysaetus, and was very eager to observe 
 at its nest a bird which I had only known in its winter- 
 quarters. 
 
 A narrow footpath running along steep slopes covered with 
 
 K9 
 2 
 
132 FIFTEEN J)AYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 high trees now brought us into a lonely forest glen, where a 
 large eagle's nest stood on a very low oak and in a most 
 charming situation. 1 crept up below it, but on trying to 
 drive out the bird found that it was not at home, so I sat 
 down in the hut, which had been specially arranged before- 
 hand, but which, having been too artistically built, had 
 probably scared the eagles. 
 
 In about half an hour both the birds came up and circled 
 round, with anxious cries, for they had detected my presence. 
 I thought of waiting to see whether they would not quiet 
 down, but they were too thoroughly alarmed to allow of my 
 hoping that they would come within shot. On one of them I 
 could distinctly distinguish the mark of the Imperial Eagle, 
 and now saw that all the birds which the keepers here 
 called Golden Eagles were not Aquila clirysaetus but Aquila 
 imperialis^ which seems to be pretty common in this 
 district. 
 
 As this was the first time that I had visited the nest of this 
 southern bird, which is unquestionably the most beautiful of all 
 the large eagles, I was much vexed at having to leave it, and 
 only did so after fully convincing myself that it would be 
 useless to take any further trouble. 
 
 Again I hastened up the hillside to the ridge, where the 
 carts had meanwhile arrived, the drivers having repaired the 
 damages, and we now made a fresh attempt at driving down 
 the steep slopes of this wretched road. After spending another 
 hour in rattling about in all directions along the ridge and 
 over the tops of the most magnificent wooded hflls, the 
 forester told the driver to stop. 
 
 A footpath which followed a continuous level now led me 
 into a damp wood of fine large beeches and oaks, with an 
 undergrowth of rank grass and hawthorn bushes. Here the 
 little brooks and rivulets which ran down to the valley 
 prattled merrily among the stones, and through the trees we 
 
EIGHTH DAY. 133 
 
 caught occasional glimpses of the Hungarian plains and the 
 deep wooded valley below us. 
 
 On the topmost branches of a huge beech stood a Sea- 
 Eagle's nest, the only one which I had myself seen in these 
 mountains, for it is quite a rare occurrence for a Sea-Eagle 
 to retire from the woods of the Danube into the heights of 
 the Fruska-Gora, and I cannot understand what could have 
 induced the two or three pairs which I and my companions 
 found nesting in these hills to have left the splendid " auen " 
 and their hunting-grounds on the river. The Danube and 
 its forests offer the Sea-Eagle all that it needs, and even the 
 eagles which breed in the mountains fly down to the river 
 whenever they want to fetch food for their young. 
 
 The eagle was not in its nest, but unfortunately it came 
 flying up before I could get well concealed, and circled round, 
 uttering cries of alarm. As the ambush which the keepers 
 had previously constructed was rather out of shot-range, I 
 requested the forester to stay in it, and crept right up under 
 the nesting-tree, where, as neither bushes nor tree-stems 
 afforded any hiding-place, I lay down between two large 
 stones, and covered myself with my earth-coloured Tyrolese 
 cloak. 
 
 I had been thus lying on my back for about half an hour, 
 when the female Sea-Eagle, a very old and powerful bird, 
 sailed up, the loud flapping of its wings above my head 
 making me aware of its arrival ; but as it disappeared 
 into the nest with the usual rapidity, it was quite impossible 
 for me to succeed in getting a good shot. The forester, 
 whom I had beckoned to come up, now gave several knocks 
 on the trunk of the tree ; but the crafty bird, instead of leaving 
 the nest on my side, flew out towards the hillside in just 
 the opposite direction. The thick branches prevented my 
 getting a certain shot, and I was also unlucky enough to 
 catch my gun in my cloak, so that the first barrel went off 
 
134 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 before I could aim, and when I fired the second, the bird was 
 already too far off. 
 
 Attracted by the noise the male eagle also appeared, and 
 the pair now circled overhead screaming loudly. My previous 
 experiences had made me well acquainted with this ominous 
 cry, for the shrill clear scream of the Sea-Eagle is always an 
 unfavourable sign to the sportsman. 
 
 A Common Kite now joined the eagles, and went through its 
 evolutions above them ; and as I saw that there was no further 
 hope, I walked off, feeling very dejected. On the way back 
 to the carts we came across two smaller nests, which the 
 forester said were occupied by Common Kites. He had him- 
 self several times seen these birds sitting on them, and the 
 slightness and looseness of their construction seemed to me 
 evident proof that they were only tenanted by that species. 
 
 The first nest was empty, its owner having probably been 
 frightened off by the shots, as there were only a few trees 
 between it and the great eyrie of the eagle. At the second 
 
 had the tree repeatedly struck, but nothing stirred, and the 
 forester advised me to leave the place and pay a visit to 
 another Cinereous Vulture ; but, led by some fortunate in- 
 spiration, I shot at the nest, and, sure enough, a hawk about 
 the size of a Common Buzzard flew out of it, hard hit. 
 No sooner had I fired than the forester, who was also much 
 amazed, called out " That is not the Kite that always used to 
 be here ! " I, too, had seen the brilliant white breast and light 
 brown back of the bird, so quickly gave it my second barrel, 
 and it fell slanting to the ground. I hurried up and found, 
 only a few yards off among the bushes, a beautifully plumaged 
 male Pygmy Eagle ; and was much delighted thereat, for it is 
 undoubtedly more difficult to shoot a Pygmy Eagle in this 
 district than a considerable number of Sea-Eagles. 
 
 This very rare and finely marked little eagle has long in- 
 terested me, and it was especially surprising to find it for the 
 
EIGHTH DAY. 135 
 
 second time in an inhabited nest of the Common Kite. On 
 the first occasion of my doing so the nest was in a beech tree 
 in the Wiener Wald, near Weidlingen, and here was the bird 
 again in a perfectly similar nest on the same sort of tree in 
 the Fruska-Gora mountains. I already counted on the pleasure 
 of detailing my observations and presenting the specimen to 
 Homeyer, who was particularly anxious to take home this 
 species of eagle, which he had never observed at its nest or 
 even seen in the flesh. 
 
 I now hurried back to the carts, and we continued our 
 wanderings, driving up and down steep slopes and over shady 
 wooded summits until we got to the conical top of a hill 
 thinly covered with oaks. Here we halted, and, accompanied 
 only by the forester, I walked along the west side of the hill 
 and then climbed slowly up a slope covered with sun-scorched 
 grass. Some hundreds of feet below us lay a small damp 
 glade, through which wound a noisy little brook, and on the 
 opposite side of this open rose a high and very abrupt hill- 
 side wooded with beeches and young oaks. Halfway up it 
 a tall enormous pear-tree stood out prominently, and this 
 tree, which must have been hundreds of years old, bore on its 
 dead upper branches the great nest of a Cinereous Vulture* 
 From our position on the opposite slope we could, with the 
 glass, see the huge bird perfectly and follow all its movements 
 as it lay flat in the nest, drooping its head as if tired by the 
 heat. We now sat down for a moment's rest ; for the midday 
 hours were so insupportably hot that we already felt somewhat 
 fatigued. 
 
 In a little while the vulture raised its head, looked back 
 attentively, left its nest, and passed quickly out of the valley 
 low over the brook. We had hardly lost sight of it when a 
 second and much larger bird, evidently the female, flew from 
 the opposite direction straight to the nest, settled on its edge 
 and hopped clumsily in to sit on the eggs. 
 
136 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 Thereupon we got up, hurried down the slope, crossed the 
 glade, began to ascend the opposite hill, and in about half an 
 hour reached the great pear-tree, which stood on such a steep 
 incline that from a hundred yards above it one could see 
 straight into the nest. There was a small open covered with 
 hawthorn bushes on one side of the tree, and on the other we 
 noticed, at a few paces from the nest, a glade through which 
 flowed a babbling little brook. As we had neither seen nor 
 heard the bird fly off, we were sure that it must be in its 
 dwelling, so I looked about for a good place from which to fire 
 at it with the rifle in case it rose at the first noise. 
 
 I must have stood motionless, with my gun up, for at least 
 ten minutes; for breaking sticks, shouting, hammering the 
 tree with the hunting-knife, and throwing up bits of wood 
 were all ineffectual the lazy bird would not stir. 
 
 I was shaking with excitement to such a degree that I was 
 obliged to come to some decision as soon as possible ; for being 
 on the watch so incessantly had made me quite incapable of 
 firing a straight shot ; so by the forester's advice I hastened 
 up the slope to see if I could not look into the nest from above, 
 and, rightly enough, found a place from which I could plainly 
 see the bald grey-blue head, large round back, and the point 
 of the tail. I sat down in order to get my wind again, and 
 followed all the movements of the bird with the glass. The 
 vulture must have been quite gorged, for it was evidently 
 indifferent to all that went on around it, and every effort that 
 we made to rouse it from its lethargy had no effect. There it 
 lay, with its head thrown back on its shoulders, and its beak 
 held straight down and gaping. It was probably distressed 
 by the burning heat of the sun, and only shook its head from 
 time to time to keep off the insects which were swarming 
 round the stinking nest. Relying on the steadiness of mv 
 hand, I resolved to risk a shot at the small mark of the vul- 
 ture's head. The rifle cracked, the mud at the edge of the 
 
EIGHTH DAY. 137 
 
 nest flew up into the branches, and the vulture slowly rose 
 without showing any great signs of alarm, shook out its wings, 
 and flew deliberately down the hillside. 
 
 Vexed at my mishap, I wanted to hurry away from the 
 place, as I thought I should not get another chance for several 
 hours, but the forester besought me to remain and to seat 
 myself nearer the nest. I did as he wished, and even before I 
 could conceal myself in my newly selected place, I heard the 
 grunting croaking cry of the vulture. It is an extraordinary 
 noise, unlike the call of any other bird of prey, and in the even- 
 ing this hoarse croak of the Cinereous Vulture, accompanied 
 by the dull heavy beats of its wings, sounds very strange. 
 I had hardly looked up when there was a rush over my head, 
 and the enormous female vulture was standing erect on the 
 edge of the nest. I took a quick aim, but just at the instant 
 that I pulled, it crept into its nest and the ball passed over it. 
 A loud bustle among the branches instantly followed, and 
 again the great bird flew off and circled slowly round me. 
 
 The forester, taking an accurate view of the situation, now 
 said that the vulture must have an egg which was on the 
 point of hatching, and begged me not to leave the nest, con- 
 soling me with the idea that the bird would come back in a 
 few minutes ; so I sat down just where I was, close to a thorny 
 bush in the open, without any cover, and directed him to 
 leave the place and walk carelessly past the nest towards our 
 carts. 
 
 Meanwhile the male had also come up, and both the vul- 
 tures circled, croaking, round us ; but before the forester 
 had gone a couple of hundred paces one of them again 
 drew in its wings and flew to the tree as fast as its heavy 
 build would allow. It settled on a thick branch near the nest, 
 but noticed my position, and no sooner had it seen me than it 
 at once spread its pinions and vanished among the branches 
 of the nearest tree before I could get another shot. I now hit 
 
138 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 upon a lucky plan, on the success of which I pride myself 
 to this day ; for I slung my rifle on my back, loaded my gun 
 with heavy shot, and quitting the place noisily to attract the 
 attention of the vultures, I went down towards the valley. 
 
 My stratagem succeeded from the very first, for the birds 
 followed all my movements from above, and when they saw 
 me near the brook set up .a satisfied croaking, made a few 
 sweeps round the hill-top, and disappeared in different direc- 
 tions, probably in order to examine the neighbourhood. 
 
 This moment I utilized in getting back again along the 
 little glade to the tree, and, lying down under it, covered my- 
 self with branches as well as I could and remained quietly on 
 my back with my gun ready pointed. A distressing quarter 
 of an hour now went by, and I was already beginning to 
 doubt whether, tired as I was and tormented by the bites of 
 ants and mosquitoes, I could hold out any longer in this 
 trying position, when I heard the croaking of the vultures, 
 and the pair flew rapidly over my head, followed by a bold 
 " Stein " Eagle. 
 
 I now had an opportunity of enjoying the interesting spec- 
 tacle of this noble eagle chasing one of these great heavy 
 birds through the air and swooping down under it close to the 
 nest. The vulture, alarmed for the safety of its eggs, and also 
 very frightened at the prospect of an aerial encounter with 
 the far smaller but more active eagle, now shot straight down 
 the slope, took a circuit round the nest, and, stretching out its 
 long neck, looked directly at the place where I had formerly 
 sat, but did not pay the slightest attention to the open spot 
 where I had been recently standing. It then made a second 
 sweep round, and as it plunged close over my head to get 
 into the nest I gave it both barrels. I saw some feathers fall, 
 and noticed a convulsive twitch of the wings and a sinking of 
 the bare head ; but I again feared that the shot had rebounded 
 from the strong feathers without taking effect, for it flew 
 
EIGHTH DAY. L39 
 
 steadily on in a wide sweep, and passing close by me to the 
 right disappeared in the wood at my back. 
 
 Some moments of suspense had passed, when I suddenly 
 heard on the hillside, a few hundred yards above me, a loud 
 disturbance like the noise of a stag rolling down through the 
 bushes. I did not know what this could be, and never for an 
 instant thought of the vulture ; but fancying that a wolf had 
 got hold of a deer, I hurried down to the valley to ask 
 the forester about it. I met him coming along breathless, 
 for he had heard the sharp cracking of the branches half a 
 mile away, and said to me, with a satisfied look, that he 
 thought it was caused by the falling vulture. 
 
 We now climbed up the hill again to the place whence the 
 noise had appeared to come. Just above the nest the slope 
 of the hill was almost perpendicular, and we had some diffi- 
 culty in forcing our way through the thick copses of hazel ; 
 but on reaching a point several hundred yards above my 
 former ambush, we saw in one of them the vulture jammed 
 between two young beeches, with its wings stretched out 
 and quite dead. We hurried up to it in a pleasant state of 
 excitement, and by dint of hard work dragged it down the 
 rough hillside to our carts, which were standing by the brook 
 just at the very edge of the forest, about half a mile away. 
 
 We had been shooting to-day a long distance from Cere vie, 
 in a district where the mountain-woods run pretty far back 
 into the interior of the country, and a broad belt of bare stony 
 outlying hills divides the true Fruska-Gora from the Danube. 
 Towards these hills we now drove through a charming valley 
 diversified with stony slopes, meadows, pastures, vineyards, 
 walnut-trees, and blossoming orchards. 
 
 In about half an hour we came in sight of a village pictu- 
 resquely situated on the crest of the height. Flags were 
 flying on the church-towers, and merry music sounding in 
 the streets, for there was a sort of country fair going on after 
 
140 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 the Easter holidays. Our road should have led us under 
 this village, but we suddenly saw that all further communica- 
 tion had been cut off by the stream, and instead of a road 
 there remained nothing but large stones and broken banks. 
 There we stood, not knowing what to do ; but at last we dis- 
 covered a dreadful-looking ascent, almost impracticable for 
 vehicles, which wound up the slope to the village. There was 
 nothing left but to follow this ; so we all got out, and with our 
 united strength helped the horses by pushing behind the 
 carts. Halfway up the hill my trap broke down again, thus 
 necessitating tedious and troublesome repairs with ropes and 
 string. 
 
 While the driver and some peasants who had run up were 
 busy putting our splendid equipage in order, I employed the 
 time in making a few ornithological notes. In the distance I 
 noticed a " Stein " Eagle cruising near the ground, probably 
 pursuing small birds in the vineyards, while some Ravens 
 were flying about croaking, and above the summits of the 
 Fruska-Gora I saw several Cinereous Vultures. Among the 
 lesser birds I observed little that was interesting. Cuckoos 
 darted about the fruit-trees, Larks were singing as they 
 mounted into the air, and on the pastures were hopping 
 numberless Hoopoes, one of which came boldly within a few 
 paces, and I shot it for the Savants. Corn-Buntings, Yellow 
 Hammers, Goldfinches, Grasshopper and a few other Warblers 
 twittered their songs from the wild rose-bushes, and myriads 
 of Red-backed Shrikes were sitting on the tops of the thickets 
 turning their white breasts towards us and merrily twitching 
 their tails. 
 
 In a quarter of an hour or thereabouts our conveyances 
 were set going again, and 9ur troubles began afresh ; but at 
 last we got to the village, where I was interested in seeing its 
 inhabitants. Black-haired Slavonians, as strong as trees, were 
 standing about the streets in the beautiful costume of their 
 
EIGHTH DAY. 141 
 
 country, and a ring of peasant girls in their gay dresses were 
 dancing the national dance called "Kolo" in the square 
 in front of the church, a harshly sounding bagpipe being the 
 sole musical accompaniment to this wild and singular perform- 
 ance, which somewhat reminded one of the dances of the 
 South-Sea islanders. The people had heard of my arrival in 
 this part of the country, and, recognizing me by my Styrian 
 attire, which they evidently regarded with the greatest 
 astonishment, greeted me in the heartiest manner, and the 
 whole population followed our traps far beyond the village 
 an easy thing to do, for with our tired horses we could only 
 crawl along this miserable road at a walk. 
 
 After a long drive up and down hill over the little out- 
 lying heights, we caught sight of the Danube just beyond 
 them ; and I must confess to being rather glad to see it, re- 
 minding me, as it did, of the steamer and of a good hot dinner. 
 We now soon got on to the main road at the river's edge, and 
 as our tired horses would no longer trot we galloped along 
 down- stream, with the water on our left and a succession of 
 
 v 
 
 steep hills on our right, reaching Cerevic in an hour. During 
 the last part of the drive I noticed a good many birds, for 
 herons and ducks of all sorts were flying over the river, while 
 close to the road were Red-backed Shrikes and a great variety 
 of small birds. Near the meadow by which our steamer lay 
 I saw on the solitary telegraph-wire which the posts carried a 
 gaily-coloured little bird, which subsequently turned out to 
 be a somewhat peculiar variety of the Whinchat; but taking 
 it, at first sight, for a Stonechat I jumped out and quickly 
 shot it. 
 
 A x few minutes after this last incident we arrived on board 
 the steamer all right. There my companions were already 
 assembled, and were awaiting my rather tardy return with 
 lively expectations. I produced a pretty good effect on the 
 sportsmen by the huge Cinereous Vulture, but the Pygmy 
 
142 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 Eagle evoked the surprise and delight of my friend Homeyer. 
 To my great astonishment Brehm had not yet arrived, the 
 rocks which he had baited with his kid seeming to have had 
 uncommon attractions for him. Bombelles had been lucky 
 enough to bring home a Sea-Eagle, singularly small but very 
 interesting in colour. I had never before seen a bird of this 
 species in similar plumage, for it was in the intermediate 
 stage between the brown-grey immature dress and the pale 
 yellow of the adult, .and one might even have called it 
 mottled. The beak was still black, the feet light flaxen- 
 yellow, the back had a pronounced brownish colour, and the 
 breast was already light yellow. My brother-in-law had 
 likewise brought back another very interesting bird, and by 
 so doing had added a new species of eagle to our collection ; 
 for to our universal admiration a very large female Imperial 
 Eagle was lying on the deck with a bullet-hole through the 
 centre of its breast. Leopold had also killed it at a nest in the 
 Fruska-Gora. While at a Cinereous Vulture's nest his experi- 
 ences had been similar to mine of to-day, for the great bird 
 would not leave its dwelling, and though he had often seen 
 its head protruding, he had thought it unsportsmanlike to 
 attempt so uncertain a shot at so small a mark, and, after 
 fruitless efforts, had left the place. He had a further bit of 
 bad luck at a Short-toed Eagle's nest to which he had been 
 taken, and where he had unfortunately wounded the bird and 
 had failed to find it. This was the second and last inhabited 
 nest of the Short-toed Eagle which we came across during 
 the whole trip. 
 
 Homeyer had remained faithful to his scientific studies, for 
 he had devoted his whole attention to the small birds, and had 
 come back with a beautifully coloured Oriole, a Turtle-Dove, 
 and a variety of other smaller birds. We could \vait no 
 longer for Brehm, for time was pressing, and it was already 
 late in the afternoon; so we had a hasty dinner, and then my 
 
EIGHTH DAY. 143 
 
 brother-in-law and I at once set off again and drove to the 
 shooting-lodge in the Fruska-Gora along the now familiar road. 
 The other gentlemen stayed on board to rest, only Brehm 
 being absent ; and for his arrival, as I have already said, we 
 unfortunately could not wait, so for to-day we remained in 
 ignorance of his achievements. 
 
 It was a glorious afternoon, and the view from the high 
 plateau of the outlying mountains, lit up by the evening sun, 
 was a splendid sight. We arrived at the shooting-lodge 
 without any mishap or interesting experiences, and Count 
 Chotek, who had kindly accompanied us thither, now sug- 
 gested that we should still try a stalk after roe. 
 
 To my brother-in-law was assigned a meadow lying in 
 front of the lodge, so, accompanied by the forester, he 
 climbed up the hill through a dark beech wood, while my 
 route led me along charming glades and streams to a large 
 clearing. The sun was sinking, the shadows lengthening, 
 and the last remnants of the daylight were struggling 
 with the gathering night, the birds had all ceased to sing, 
 the crickets had begun to chirp, the bats were flitting 
 around us, and the head forester was just recommending 
 me to turn back, when I saw a roebuck standing in a little 
 meadow at the edge of a beech wood some way off. I stalked 
 up pretty close, and tried to aim as well as I could, though 
 it was already rather dark. The rifle cracked, and the roe 
 took a short sweep round, and then vanished into the depths 
 of the wood ; but though I thought it was slightly wounded, 
 the search made for it the next day by the keepers proved a 
 complete failure. 
 
 I now hastened down to the valley, where I met my 
 brother-in-law, who had seen no roe, but had been lucky 
 enough to kill with a good rifle-shot a fox which was out 
 mouse-hunting. As it had now got quite dark w r e returned 
 to the shooting-lodge together, where our very kind host, 
 
14-t FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 Count Chotek, stayed with us until he had seen that we were 
 comfortably housed, and then left us and went back to 
 Cere vie. 
 
 We now had supper served, our cook being Bombelles' 
 valet, a worthy Dalmatian, who had been lent to us by his 
 master, and who displayed a truly delightful skill. Our meal 
 being over, both we and the jagers retired to rest, fatigued 
 with the day's exertions, and perfect silence reigned in the 
 shooting*lodge. 
 
 The windows were low, the house had but one ordinary 
 door, the surrounding fence was not high, and the remoteness 
 of the district suggested all sorts of ideas of wandering robber 
 bands both to my brother-in-law and myself. Southern 
 Hungary and, still more, Slavonia where it borders on Bosnia 
 and Servia are in this respect by no means safe, and it would 
 be hard to find a mountain-region offering greater facilities 
 to such rascals than the Fruska-Gora. 
 
 We had taken my black pointer into the room for our 
 protection, and he slept on one of the two wolf-skins which 
 decorated the chamber, and which had been taken from 
 animals killed in these mountains. My brother-in-law also 
 placed his gun beside his bed and laid out some cartridges ; 
 but unfortunately all these precautions were made in vain, 
 for a little adventure with robbers would have been very 
 entertaining, and before going to sleep we really longed for 
 the possibility of such an occurrence. 
 
[ 145 ] 
 
 NINTH DAY. 
 
 WE were not allowed to enjoy our rest long, for about three 
 o'clock our men awoke us, and, quickly disposing of break- 
 fast, we went out into the very cool night air. Above us 
 stretched a sky splendidly strewn with stars, and we could 
 see the dark outlines of the mountain-tops floating before 
 us in spectral forms. 
 
 We had quitted our dwelling thus early in order to carry 
 out a plan of my own, for I had begged Count Chotek to 
 have a freshly killed horse exposed in front of the wolf-decoy 
 hut near the meadow; and as the distance from that old 
 dilapidated ambush was too great for shot, I had further 
 requested him to have a new screen of boughs built somewhat 
 nearer the bait. We drove part of the way along the valley 
 in carts, and then followed a steep path fringed with bushes, 
 which brought us to the well-known spot ; and by the time we 
 reached it the day was breaking in the east, the stars were 
 vanishing faster and faster, and the sun soon rose grandly 
 above the mountain-peaks. 
 
 We had sent all the jagers away, and my brother-in-law 
 and I were now crouching close together with our guns 
 ready, and had been sitting in this fashion for about half an 
 hour, when we suddenly saw a brown-coloured eagle passing 
 over the opposite wood. It perched not far from the hut, 
 and at first seemed to be looking at the carcass. Shortly 
 afterwards a second eagle of a similar colour came and 
 circled a few times round the place, and the first arrival now 
 rose slowly and lazily from its perch, and both flew straight 
 
146 FIFTEEN UAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 to the dead horse, while we watched the noble birds in the 
 greatest state of excitement, even holding in our breath. 
 
 From several years' experience I knew all about shooting 
 from a decoy -hut, and in winter I had killed many eagles as 
 they sat on the back of a dead deer or horse, and being aware 
 how shy these lordly birds of prey are, and how cautiously 
 they always approach a decoy-hut, it seemed to me that our 
 wretched place of concealment, which only consisted of a few 
 leafy branches, was very insufficient. 
 
 Nevertheless the eagles settled themselves near the dead 
 horse, one of them close to it, the other only four or five 
 yards from our ambush. We had agreed that Leopold should 
 shoot at all sorts of eagles except Imperial, as I had not 
 killed one of that species; so, as we both took these dark- 
 coloured birds for young Imperial Eagles, I quickly put up 
 my gun. This movement seemed to have been observed by 
 the bird, for it slowly got up and flapped away close to the 
 ground, and on my firing both barrels it dropped on the 
 opposite side of the meadow hard hit. I quickly hurried out, 
 and the eagle rose again ; but a third shot brought it down 
 into the middle of the adjacent stream, and on pulling it out 
 I saw, to my no small disappointment, that, instead of an 
 Imperial, I had killed a dark-plumaged Sea-Eagle about two 
 years old; so I slipped back into the ambush, and again we 
 waited patiently for coming events. 
 
 Two hours passed thus, but far and wide nothing showed 
 itself in our neighbourhood ; the heat, too, had already 
 become quite unbearable, and numberless flies, attracted by 
 the body of the slain bird, were buzzing about us in this 
 confined space. By the time it was nine o'clock the amuse- 
 ment became rather tedious, and as we also thought that our 
 chances during the ensuing hot hours before midday would 
 be but poor, we determined to leave our hiding-place, and 
 returning by the same path reached our vehicles in about a 
 
NINTH DAY. 147 
 
 quarter of an hour. There we found Count Chotek himself 
 awaiting us, for he had very kindly come back from Cerevic 
 to talk over the plans for the rest of the day. 
 
 My jager informed me that, while we were patiently 
 watching in our ambush, fourteen Eagles, " Stein," Imperial, 
 and Sea, in every variety of plumage, had passed close by 
 him, all taking the same direction towards the plains, and 
 that several had even rested a few minutes on some isolated 
 trees within fair rifle-shot. 
 
 By Count Chotek's advice we now returned to Cerevic to 
 
 make an excursion further up-stream, and after a pretty long 
 
 and warm drive over the high plateau and the steep hills, 
 
 reached our steamer. There we found the other three 
 
 gentlemen on deck, for they had taken a rest this morning 
 
 and were waiting for us. Among them was Brehm, who 
 
 looked very unwell, and from his dejected expression I could 
 
 tell, before I got near him, that he must have yesterday met 
 
 with some very disappointing experiences ; and I was right, 
 
 for he had a series of interesting adventures to relate. He 
 
 had passed the whole day at the rocks near the dead kid, and 
 
 both vultures find eagles of various kinds had flown past 
 
 him, but his hiding-place had been too evident to permit of 
 
 their settling. Only one large Sea-Eagle had alighted near 
 
 the lure ; this bird he had fired at, and it flew down towards 
 
 the valley badly wounded. He sent the keeper who was with 
 
 him after it, and the man managed to come up with the 
 
 injured bird and to give it a finishing shot; but when he was 
 
 going to lift it from the ground, they both observed another 
 
 Sea-Eagle circling high overhead. As soon as this bird saw 
 
 the keeper pick up its slain comrade it folded its wings and 
 
 swooped down like an arrow, and the keeper, whose attention 
 
 was attracted by the noisy flappings of its heavy wings, 
 
 looked up and saw the eagle only a few feet above his head, 
 
 with its claws ready extended for attack. The charge was so 
 
 L2 
 
148 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 furious, and the bird was so close, that the keeper, although a 
 perfectly courageous man, was obliged to spring behind the 
 trunk of an adjacent beech tree to guard himself against a 
 fresh assault. I had often heard of such madly daring and 
 dangerous attacks having been made by the parent eagles 
 close to their nests ; but quite out in the open wood, and only 
 near the body of a dead companion, it was quite a new 
 phenomenon both to Brehm and myself, and a very in- 
 teresting one. 
 
 Brehm further told us that after this episode he had waited 
 a good many hours in his hiding-place, until at last there 
 came a " Stein " Eagle, a big powerful bird, at which he was 
 induced to fire as it sat on a rock rather too far away, and 
 though it flew off hard hit, all attempts to find it were 
 ineffectual. This was a great pity, not only for Brehm, but 
 for all of us, for if he had killed the bird we should have 
 brought home with us all the species of Austrian eagles ; as 
 it was, there remained a palpable blank in our collection, for 
 we did not find a nest of this shy species anywhere. It would, 
 moreover, have been a matter of great interest for the two 
 Savants to have secured just at this moment a freshly-killed 
 " Stein " Eagle, in order ^o have taken its measurements, 
 and to have made use of it for the monograph on the 
 " Stein " and Golden Eagles which they were now writing. 
 
 This was the cause of our finding Brehm in such a de- 
 jected frame of mind, a state of depression greatly aggravated 
 by a bad headache from which he was suffering, and which 
 compelled him to pass the entire day quietly in his cabin, all 
 he had been able to do having been to take a little morning 
 stroll through the vineyards, where he had bagged a beautiful 
 Rock-Thrush, another new addition to our collection. 
 
 As soon as the steamer had got under weigh we had 
 luncheon served, for Count Chotek wished us to make a short 
 voyage up-stream, first to pay a visit to the nests along the 
 
NINTH DAY. 149 
 
 riverside, and then to a chain of hills running in a westerly 
 direction, and which were really the spurs and outlying 
 heights of the Fruska-Gora. We had put Homeyer ashore, 
 for he had planned a ramble through the " auen " opposite 
 Cerevic in order to study the smaller birds. 
 
 After an hour's run we stopped, the steamer anchored, and 
 my jager and I got out and went ashore in the ' Vienna.' 
 A little marshy meadow and the main road here separated the 
 Danube from a high steep wall of earth, bordered at some 
 places by dense thorny thickets; and at one spot this cliff 
 formed a caldron-shaped ravine, where there was an Eagle- 
 OwPs nest well known to the keepers. It was situated in a 
 cleft of the earthy wall, so I walked up close under the almost 
 perpendicular cliff, and there stationed myself behind a 
 bush, while some peasants who hai come up threw stones at 
 the owl's nest. A very large female Eagle-Owl flew slowly 
 out, and sweeping round above my head with its widely 
 extended wings, was just going to return to the nest from 
 the other side, when a successful shot brought it to the 
 ground. Frightened by the noise, the male, which had been 
 sitting in a thicket, also came past ; but being too far off, I 
 unfortunately failed to kill it, and after the shots it flew 
 away along the earthy wall and disappeared in the far 
 distance. 
 
 We now told a peasant who was standing on the top of the 
 cliff to take the nest, and with great cleverness, evidently 
 the result of much practice, this Slavonian climbed along 
 the cliff with his sandalled feet, getting a foothold in the 
 bushes and little cracks, and so managed to get to the nest 
 and bring us out a little owl, quite young, perhaps not more 
 than a few days old ; but we made him put it back into the 
 nest, as it would probably have died in a few hours. 
 
 The Eagle-Owl I had shot was a singularly large female 
 and a splendid specimen. This was the first time that I 
 
150 FIFTEEN DATS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 had ever had the opportunity of observing in the open the 
 flight of this bird, which unites the quiet, almost imper- 
 ceptible wing-motion of the largest diurnal birds of prey 
 with the easy swift gliding movements of the owls, while 
 there is in its whole appearance something grand and striking 
 which makes it undeniably an eagle among the owls. 
 
 As we were hurrying back to the steamer through the 
 thickets we saw a whole flock of Jackdaws, which, scared by 
 the noise we were making, had come out of holes in the bank 
 of the Danube, where they were breeding in close proximity 
 to the predatory Eagle-Owls. I also found among the bushes 
 a snake of quite exceptional size ; indeed I have never seen 
 so large a reptile in a wild state. It quickly coiled itself 
 round a tree and tried to hide among the grass ; but though 
 Brehm had asked us to bring back reptiles from our excur- 
 sions, I would not allow this creature to be taken up and 
 brought on board, as it might have been venomous. 
 
 Close to the bank of the river a Cuckoo fluttered up into 
 a fruit-tree, calling loudly, and I shot it for the sake of the 
 measurements. 
 
 As soon as we were on board, the steamer again got 
 under weigh, and in another quarter of an hour we rounded 
 an island near the left side of the Danube where the stream 
 was fringed by a continuous belt of beautiful thick " auen." 
 We anchored near the middle of this island, which was not 
 very large, and being but thinly studded with enormous old 
 willows and a few silver poplars, and not having the slightest 
 trace of undergrowth, was the very type of a wooded pasture, 
 a peculiar style of country quite new to us. 
 
 On an old willow stood a huge Sea-Eagle's nest not far 
 from the ground, and the keepers were almost sure that we 
 should shoot the eagle ; but when my brother-in-law and I 
 were getting near the nest we met numbers of the inhabitants 
 of the neighbouring village hurrying up in carts, which they 
 
NINTH DAY. 151 
 
 had brought over the Danube in barges as soon as they heard 
 of our arrival, while the millers belonging to the floating 
 boat-mills near the island, and their entire families, were 
 streaming towards us. These people cheered us in the 
 heartiest way, and ran after us at every step, even following 
 us up to the nest ; so of course it was all up with the eagle, 
 and we did not even get a sight of it. 
 
 As we could do nothing here, we wasted no more time, but 
 crossed the river, landed on the right bank, got into the 
 vehicles which were ready waiting, drove a little way along 
 a highroad, and then, turning in among the steep outlying 
 hills by a valley almost as narrow as a ravine, reached the 
 plateau above by an incredibly rough track, and afterwards 
 followed a remarkably well-kept avenue to one of Count 
 Chotek's farms. To the south-eas^ we saw in the distance the 
 mountains of the Fruska-Gora, separated from the perfectly 
 level plateau on which we were by a thickly wooded chain of 
 very low hills that might really be regarded as their spurs. 
 
 Close behind the farm, where we now separated in various 
 directions, was a very pretty oak wood, the character of 
 which, as well as that of the sandy roads of this district, 
 reminded me of the neighbourhoods of Pest and Godollo. 
 
 My brother-in-law struck off by another road to an 
 Imperial Eagle's nest, Bombelles was to have some smaller 
 ones shown to him, and I was also to pay a visit to the eyrie 
 of an Imperial Eagle. For about three quarters of an hour 
 I drove over little hills and dales, where the valleys were 
 covered by meadows, fields, and pastures, and the woods were 
 all composed of stunted oaks, while the roads, where they 
 crossed the many open tracts of country, were ornamented by 
 avenues of acacias. After some time we reached a higher 
 point, whence we could see the whole of this outlying land, 
 with the Fruska-Gora in the background, and, far away in 
 another direction, the Servian mountains, and even the 
 
152 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 heights of Bosnia. On the top of this hill was a shooting- 
 lodge, and here we halted, while I got out and, accompanied 
 by the head forester, walked a few hundred yards across a 
 meadow to a line of still smaller hills beyond it, on the very 
 ridge of which stood the Imperial Eagle's nest which I had 
 been told of. 
 
 A little footpath wound right up to it, and along this I 
 cautiously stole; but before I got within shot I heard the 
 noise made by the bird as it flew away. I now requested 
 the forester to go back, that his departure might reassure 
 the eagle, while I concealed myself in a hut of branches 
 which had been here constructed, but which was unfor- 
 tunately too large and too visible. It was a very pretty spot, 
 but neither grand nor striking, and the oak tree in which the 
 nest was placed seemed particularly low for the stately 
 dwelling which it supported on its topmost branches. A 
 thick undergrowth of all sorts covered the ground, and the 
 mosquitoes swarmed round me in such countless myriads, and 
 tormented me so terribly, that I had the greatest difficulty in 
 keeping quiet for a moment. In about ten minutes I saw 
 the eagle cruising in the distance ; it wheeled round several 
 times in the direction of the wood, and then flew straight 
 towards the nest, on the edge of which it had hardly settled 
 before it noticed me and my much too obtrusive hiding-place, 
 and flew quickly off again in the opposite direction. 
 
 It was now quite evident that there was nothing to be done 
 in this way, so as soon as I thought that the eagle was well 
 away, I slipped out of the hut, crept under the nesting-tree, 
 hid among the thick bushes, and in order to make myself as 
 invisible as possible lay flat on my back, with my gun ready 
 cocked and pointed, and covered myself with some branches 
 which I had cut. I must have lain a good quarter of an hour 
 in this position, most horribly tortured by the insects, when I 
 at last heard the rush of the eagle's wings, and saw the bird 
 
NINTH DAY. 153 
 
 take a turn round the edge of the wood close behind me, and 
 then settle on the top of an oak a little way off. For some 
 minutes it cautiously examined the whole locality, but luckily 
 did not discover my new ambush. Then it flew quickly to 
 the nest, and for a moment remained hovering like a hawk 
 just above me, that it might make a close inspection of my 
 former hiding-place. I fired, and the majestic bird fell to 
 the ground, and hopped down the slope with a broken wing, 
 but not body-hit. I followed it as hard as I could, and the 
 chase brought me to the bottom of the low hill, the eagle 
 thus sparing me the trouble of dragging it down the long 
 slope. There I gave it a finishing shot, and with my booty 
 on my back hurried off towards the aforesaid shooting-lodge. 
 From the place where they were standing, Count Chotek 
 and the jager had been perfectly* able to follow the whole 
 affair with the glass, and on seeing its fortunate termination 
 had come quickly up with the traps. 
 
 It proved to be a large female Imperial Eagle in fine 
 plumage, with the yellowish head, black-brown breast, whitish 
 neck, pointed tail, powerful claws, and short hooked beak 
 which are the principal characteristics of this bird (the nearest 
 relative of the " Stein " Eagle), whose true range is the 
 Eastern countries of Europe* 
 
 Opposite the eagle's nest was a steep stony hillside covered 
 with pastures, and crowned by a few vineyards and scattered 
 fruit-trees. Behind this hill my jager had seen the male 
 eagle settle on a distant tree, so I now climbed up its 
 abrupt and slippery slope as fast as I could ; but on reaching 
 the ridge I failed in my stalk, for the eagle saw me too soon 
 and sought safety in flight. Still, although this very tiring 
 climb turned out unlucky, I did not much regret having 
 undertaken it, for from the top of the hill there was a splendid 
 and distant view of the great treeless plains of Slavonia and 
 of the mountains which rise behind them. 
 
154 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 When I had satisfied myself with looking at this scene, I 
 descended to the carriages by another route, and then set off 
 with the head forester in a small country cart, our object 
 being to look for Wild Cats, these fine strong animals being 
 among the commonest inhabitants of this district. At first 
 our road led through a very pretty woodland valley, with 
 marshy meadows bordered on both sides by low oak-covered 
 hills, and in a thicket of thorns by the edge of one of these 
 woods was an old fox-earth, which the keepers had discovered 
 to be the abode of a large Wild Cat. They had seen the 
 beast hunting mice near its dwelling almost daily, but not 
 to-day, and though we searched for it in every direction, all 
 our trouble was in vain. The forester knew of another much 
 larger one in this thoroughly well-looked-after ground, but 
 to get to its haunt we had still to tramp a long way through 
 some oak woods and swampy little glades. 
 
 During the whole of this time I had seen but little of 
 interest, for the woods were particularly silent, and I noticed 
 hardly any raptorial birds, only here and there a little Kestrel. 
 There were also a few Hoopoes on the meadows, and some 
 Orioles flying about among the bushy oaks, and by the edge 
 of a lonely valley a Roe was feeding, which on seeing us 
 sprang frightened into the cover. 
 
 After surmounting one more little range of hills we reached 
 the most northerly extremity of these woods, just as night 
 was beginning to fall and it was getting too dark for shooting. 
 Before us stretched broad fields of corn already pretty high, 
 and the forester informed me that the cats came out here 
 almost every evening to hunt among the fields and meadows; 
 I waited till it was quite dark, but the much desired beasts of 
 prey did not show themselves. 
 
 About half an hour afterwards I heard a carriage rumbling 
 behind me, which proved to be Leopold's, who was returning 
 from the opposite direction. I got in with him, and accom- 
 
NINTH DAY. 155 
 
 panied by Count Chotek and Bombelles, who had also 
 arrived, we drove back to the farm. Leopold was very 
 downcast, for he had missed an Imperial Eagle at the nest, 
 and instead of this noble bird of prey had only brought back 
 a Common Buzzard, which was breeding close by. Bom- 
 belles, who had chiefly gone out to stalk roe, also returned 
 empty-handed. 
 
 We now began the long homeward journey as quickly as 
 possible, at first driving through fields and meadows towards 
 the avenue of acacias which ran along the margin of the 
 steep cliff facing the Danube. Having turned into it we 
 kept along above the bank of the river in an easterly direc- 
 tion, and soon got to a village where we were received by the 
 loud barking of the vagrant peasant dogs, and then passing 
 through a difficult defile reached tile river in about an hour. 
 There the steamer was waiting at the appointed place. A 
 boat brought us to the accommodation ladder, and we were 
 soon back in our comfortable quarters safe and sound. 
 
 Although it was quite dark, indeed an uncommonly dark 
 night, for only a few stars were shining, and most of the sky 
 was covered with heavy clouds, our Captain nevertheless 
 undertook the passage to Cerevic, where our friend Homeyer 
 was waiting for us. If nrf brother-in-law and I had now 
 followed out the plan previously agreed upon, we should have 
 driven this same evening to the shooting-lodge in the Fruska- 
 Gora, whither our men had preceded us in the afternoon; but by 
 the time we had got to Cerevic it was already ten o'clock, and 
 the dark drive at this late hour over the long bad road 
 between the village and the shooting-lodge frightened us, so 
 we determined to remain on board and have supper. 
 
 Homeyer had pursued his ornithological studies in the 
 " auen " on the Hungarian side of the river all day long, and 
 had returned with a Goshawk and a Black Kite. 
 
 A hasty meal was followed by the taking of the measure- 
 
156 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 ments, at which Brehm, whose headache had slowly passed 
 off, also assisted. 
 
 All our plans had now to be changed, for it was impossible 
 to get to Brehm's decoy-hut at the hour that I and my 
 brother-in-law had proposed, as the road from here would be 
 much too long in the night-time, so Count Chotek suggested 
 that we should in the morning carry out an entirely new 
 plan, which had been originally reserved for the day after. 
 
 When everything had been thoroughly discussed, our very 
 kind host left the steamer and went home, and we also sought 
 the repose which we had so long been in need of, for Leopold 
 and I had passed a fatiguing day, having been constantly 
 moving about in this terrible heat since three o'clock in the 
 morning. 
 
[ 157 ] 
 
 TENTH DAY. 
 
 IT was early in the morning, and the sun had hardly risen, 
 when my brother-in-law and I left our cabins and hastened 
 on deck to look at the weather. Yesterday evening we had 
 been afraid that it would be a wet disagreeable day, for the 
 sky was heavily overcast when we retired to rest. However, 
 a pretty strong east wind had kept off the rain, and only a 
 thin light grey covering of cloud lay over the horizon, while 
 in the east one could already s* various patches of clear 
 blue sky. There was therefore every prospect of the weather 
 becoming quite clear towards noon, and of our having a very 
 fine day for shooting. 
 
 By degrees all the gentlemen assembled on deck, and after 
 breakfast Count Chotek came to fetch us for our excursion. 
 My brother-in-law was to visit the nests of a Cinereous 
 Vulture and of some other birds. Bombelles wished to take 
 with him my clever jager, Beck, and to go to the very 
 shy pair of Sea-Eagles which I had missed two days ago. 
 Brehm was anxious to betake himself to the Cinereous 
 Vulture's nest where I had been so unlucky on the first after- 
 noon of our arrival in the Fruska-Gora ; and Homeyer felt 
 an attraction towards the place where he had so fortunately 
 bagged the rare Griffon Vulture, and resolved to go back and 
 see whether the male bird would return to its nest. 
 
 Before me lay a long and distant expedition, for I was to 
 go beyond the domains of Count Chotek, which extend over 
 the northern and southern slopes and ridges of the Fruska- 
 Gora, and to shoot in the forests belonging to some Greek 
 
158 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 monasteries. In the evening I was to drive back to the 
 shooting-lodge and there meet my brother-in-law. 
 
 We left the steamer about six in the morning, and getting 
 into the carts which were ready waiting, separated in various 
 directions. My brother-in-law and I went straight towards 
 the Fruska-Gora, and I then turned eastwards down-stream 
 and drove a good way along the so-called highroad at the 
 base of the hills. There the flats by the river bank widen out, 
 and the space between the steep outlying heights and the 
 Danube is chiefly occupied by marshy meadows and pastures. 
 Lapwings and ducks peopled this ground, and I noticed a 
 White Stork standing bolt upright on one leg a long way 
 off. As this bird has now become rather rare in other parts 
 of the Empire, and I had never shot it, I determined to try 
 and approach it in the carriage, a manoeuvre which succeeded 
 fairly well, for it allowed us to come remarkably near. My 
 jager, however, persuaded me to fire a risky shot before we had 
 got within really good range of it, and the poor bird flew 
 over the river to the Hungarian plains only slightly wounded, 
 while we regained the highroad by following a miserable 
 and almost bottomless track through the marshes. 
 
 An extraordinary sort of cart had followed us from Cerevic 
 with two fat and not over-clean Greek priests, who had 
 most kindly invited us to shoot in their woods, by a letter 
 written half in Servian and half in Latin, and very badly 
 spelt. One of these priests had an extremely beautiful head, 
 with long black hair falling in ringlets over his shoulders and 
 a glossy black beard hanging down below his chest. The 
 other was an old gentleman already rather bent. 
 
 Our way led us past a rather dilapidated farm-yard, also 
 belonging to the monasteries, where pigs, miserable cattle, 
 and emaciated horses were wandering about a meadow ; and 
 after a good half-hour we reached a village, drove through it, 
 and passing a rather singular gipsy encampment penetrated 
 
TENTH DAY. 159 
 
 into the interior of the outlying hills. The steep road now 
 ran through a valley up to a high plateau, and then went 
 on up and down hill through vineyards, stony pastures, and 
 meadows to the Fruska-Gora. 
 
 Here the wooded heights receded further than at Cerevic, 
 and much time was lost in getting to the true mountains, but 
 the scenery was at many points very attractive. At a very 
 awkward place in one of the defiles I noticed a beautifully 
 coloured bird which I at once recognized as a Rock-Thrush, 
 and thinking its plumage so very pretty, and that it would 
 also be useful to the Savants for their measurements, I shot it. 
 
 In this district the margin of the forest is on the high 
 plateau itself, and is not separated from the outlying hills by 
 a valley as it is at Cerevic. First came hazel-copses and a 
 few thorny thickets covered with Ifrild roses, while the masses 
 of rock which lay scattered among them gave this part of the 
 country a very singular appearance. A pair of Common 
 Kites were playing about above us, and we also saw a 
 " Stein " Eagle cruising in the distance. 
 
 On reaching the forest the road became worse than the 
 very worst I have ever driven on. Count Chotek had already 
 .taken leave of me, saying that he would await me at the 
 shooting-lodge in the evening. 
 
 The Greek monastery, where these poor monks must lead a 
 most monotonous and miserable existence, lay in a lonely 
 glen to our right, almost hidden among the trees ; and after 
 we had been driving towards it for about half an hour along 
 this most abominable road, which was bordered by thick 
 bushes, the forester begged me to stop, as we were near an 
 Imperial Eagle's nest. We now stole cautiously along a 
 steep slope in the direction of the glen where the monastery 
 was situated. The whole hillside was covered with dense 
 underwood, above which rose a few very tall young oaks, on 
 one of which stood the eagle's nest. It was useless to think 
 
160 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 of stalking up to it, for the bushes were too low to offer 
 sufficient cover, and as soon as I had got within some two 
 hundred yards the eagle, a very large and finely marked 
 female, flew quickly out of the nest. A hut of boughs had 
 been far too hastily arranged by the jagers, for I well knew 
 that the place where they had put it was so visible that the 
 bird would be sure to discover me. I therefore sent away 
 the men, and crouched down close to the nest among the 
 thick bushes that grew by the side of a little stream. 
 
 The female eagle kept constantly circling round the 
 neighbourhood, and I often heard it uttering its clear sharp 
 call, its whole behaviour being very restless and mistrustful. 
 However, at last the great bird quieted down and came 
 rapidly to the nest, flying once round the tree. It was a bad 
 place to shoot from, and I was in a particularly unpleasant 
 position when I fired. My first barrel evidently wounded 
 it, but when I fired again it was already rather too far 
 off. I sprang up to see where it would fall, but soon lost 
 sight of it down the valley, and though I knew the direction 
 in which it had doubtless dropped, the almost impenetrable 
 nature of the undergrowth made all search useless. 
 
 By the advice of the jager -I now changed my position, 
 and patiently waited to see what would happen, for there was 
 still a good chance that the male, which had not shown itself 
 near the nest for a long time, would come back to it with 
 food; and this was just what took place, for the handsome bird, 
 which was recognizable at a distance by its smaller size and 
 less powerful build, soon approached my hiding-place, at first 
 circling cautiously round it, sometimes settling on a distant 
 oak, and only drawing nearer by degrees. Suddenly I heard 
 a rush above my head the eagle was at its nest. 
 
 Before I could get a good shot I heard the bird perch in a 
 very leafy part of the tree, but could not see it from where I 
 was, and to have taken the slightest step forwards would have 
 
TENTH DAY. 161 
 
 been perfectly useless, for before I could have put up my gun 
 it would have vanished among the thickets, so there was 
 nothing for it but to wait quietly. A trying quarter of an 
 hour went by, and I was shaking with excitement to such a 
 degree that I could stand it no longer; the heat, too, was very 
 oppressive, and the mosquitoes were torturing me. So, cocking 
 my gun, I ran in as near as I could, thinking that the eagle 
 might possibly be frightened by my sudden movement, and 
 might sit long enough to allow of my shooting it. I suc- 
 ceeded in getting close up to the tree ; but as the frightened 
 bird dashed off I could neither see it properly nor raise my 
 gun on account of the thick bushes, and when I at length 
 tried to fire, the hammer caught in a branch and one barrel 
 went off before I could aim. 
 
 There was now nothing more to hope for at this nest, so I 
 returned to the cart much dejected, after telling some wood- 
 cutters and the herdsmen, who were going about with their 
 large flocks, to make a still closer search for the wbunded 
 eagle. All their efforts, however, were unhappily unsuc- 
 cessful. 
 
 There now began an hour of trouble and torture, for the 
 road was so vile and so steep that the cart often stood at such 
 an angle that it threatened to topple over, and we had finally 
 to get out of it and follow a long way on foot ; but luckily 
 it was shady in the woods, so the sun could not torment us 
 with its full power. 
 
 A slight refreshing shower also passed quickly over us, and 
 then the sky gradually cleared until the deep blue above was 
 perfectly cloudless. 
 
 We were driving through a splendid country, where the 
 hills were higher than in the neighbourhood of Cerevic, and 
 we went up and down along the most wonderful woodland 
 valleys, and often through the most magnificent beech and 
 oak woods. At last we reached the ridge of the mountain, 
 
 M 
 
162 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 where we could see through the branches another grand view 
 of the distant heights of Servia. 
 
 On the very crest of the hill we were met by the entire 
 staff of keepers belonging to the three monasteries of this 
 district. It consisted of two brigand-looking fellows whom 
 it w T ould certainly have been imprudent to have encountered 
 alone on a dark night. These men are appointed by all the 
 monasteries in common, and, as we were informed by the 
 forester, do not receive any pay whatever; so the poor 
 fellows have to live upon the game, which they kill all the 
 year round, without the slightest respect for any game-laws 
 or close-time, selling some of it and eating the rest. 
 
 They were a couple of big robust men, with dark brown 
 weather-beaten faces, long drooping moustaches, and jet- 
 black ringleted hair, and would have served as fine character- 
 istic models for the South Slavonian type of face. They 
 wore a sort of spencer-like coat, with a thick leather waistcoat 
 under it, and short wide trousers, while a big hunting-knife 
 stuck in a belt, a wretched single-barrelled muzzle-loading 
 rifle, a large ammunition-wallet, leggings, sandals, and finally 
 a large hat and a twisted vine-stick formed the other accou- 
 trements of these two very singular fellows. 
 
 The most striking thing about their attire was that it 
 consisted of nothing but bits of rags which they had picked 
 up and then sewn together; it therefore had a spotted harlequin 
 sort of look, the general tone of the whole being dirty yellow. 
 
 One of the men had a kind of hound, which he led by a 
 cord, a wolfish-looking beast indeed so like a wolf that if one 
 had met it in the dusk, one would undoubtedly have shot it 
 as such. Both of them were very polite and even rather 
 servile, for they at first wanted to kneel down, and they made 
 all sorts of signs of the greatest devotion. Count Chotek's 
 forester detested them and treated them with the greatest 
 brusqueness, for these cloister-keepers are the very worst 
 
TENTH DAY. 163 
 
 neighbours imaginable : no game-laws or sporting-rules are 
 sacred to them, nor have they the slightest consideration for 
 the adjoining proprietors. 
 
 We now drove along the crest of the mountain for a good 
 half-hour more, the road being in some places so narrow that 
 it fell away in steep slopes on either hand, and then we halted 
 where the ridge of another chain of hills branched off obliquely 
 towards the south. As we were out of the forester's domains 
 he did not know what sort of a nest there was at this place, 
 but the charming jagers of the monastery informed us that 
 a large eagle with a bare head was here nesting on an oak 
 tree. I naturally thought that we were going to encounter a 
 Cinereous Vulture, especially as we had recently seen a pair 
 of these birds flying swiftly along the side of the valley, and 
 had also observed some others cruising about the outskirts of 
 the mountains early in the morning. 
 
 Accompanied by the forester, I hastened along a wretched 
 road leading down to the plains of the Save, which passed just 
 under the tree on which the nest was situated, and I was still 
 a few hundred yards away when I caught sight of it on the 
 dead branches at the top of a huge oak. Neither its size nor 
 its general construction led me to think that it was inhabited 
 by a Cinereous Vulture; and I was right, for a dark-coloured 
 eagle suddenly dashed out of it towards the valley, and 
 the forester thought at the first glance that it was a " Stein " 
 Eagle. 
 
 I now sent my attendant back to the trap, and crouched 
 down near the nest, hidden by the stem of the tree ; but 
 hardly had I loaded my gun and got ready a little screen of 
 branches, prepared for a long wait, when I saw a large shadow 
 on the ground, and looking up as well as the glare of the sun 
 would allow me, I noticed the great form of the eagle as it 
 disappeared among the branches of the tree. I also soon heard 
 the folding of its wings and the bustle it made inside its 
 
 M2 
 
164 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 dwelling ; so jumped up, holding my gun ready, and got close 
 under the nest in a few strides. The eagle, however, heard 
 me, and flew out of its abode on the side furthest away from 
 me; hut the first shot which I fired hit it hard, and the second 
 brought it down to the ground with a broken wing, and sent 
 it rolling down the slope. 
 
 I soon got up to it, but there was still plenty of life in the 
 bird ; so, not wishing to damage its plumage by a shot at close 
 quarters, I tried to finish it with a knife, but it kept me off by 
 striking out in all directions with beak and claws. I then 
 cut a strong stick, but on approaching the eagle with this it 
 darted towards me full of fight; so I called up my attendants, 
 and it was only by the united efforts of three persons that the 
 bird was at last suffocated. 
 
 It was not a "Stein" Eagle as I had confidently expected, 
 for that shy bird seems never to breed in the Fruska-Gora ; 
 but I had, on the other hand, again met with a very finely 
 marked Imperial Eagle. 
 
 Leaving the place, I went back to the trap and began 
 another abominably rough drive to the next nest, uphill and 
 downhill along the forest-track, keeping as well as I could 
 make out to the east, and therefore quite in the opposite 
 direction to Cerevic. In consequence of the wretched way in 
 which the forests of these monasteries are managed, the woods 
 were here much thinner, and instead of the century-old oaks 
 of Cerevic, there were extensive clearings and low saplings ; 
 but one result of this was that we had a splendid open view. 
 
 We now again came to a very narrow ridge of the moun- 
 tains. Right and left below us lay the broad valleys, 
 meadows, woods, thickets, and glens of the Fruska-Gora, while 
 the distant Hungarian plain presented itself before us like a 
 mirage, and towards the south the Alps of Servia and Bosnia 
 stood out clear and sharp, separated from us by the blue-green 
 valley of the Save. It was, indeed, a noble view ! 
 
TENTH DAY. 165 
 
 Meanwhile we had reached the spot where we had to climb 
 to another nest on the southern slope. I followed my guide 
 up the hillside along a little footpath, and he soon pointed 
 out to me the eyrie of an Imperial Eagle, placed on a young 
 oak tree, in a very steep ravine, just at the level of the spot 
 where we were standing. To my great astonishment I saw 
 the splendidly plumaged bird on the edge of its nest ; but as 
 the distance was too great for shot, I grasped my rifle, and 
 putting my arm round a young oak to steady myself, took 
 a deliberate aim, fired, and the eagle fell crumpled up into 
 its dwelling, the jager crying out with delight, " There he 
 lies in the nest I" 
 
 Hardly had he uttered the words when an unpleasant 
 surprise followed, for the wounded eagle was thrown out of 
 the nest, and the female flew off it from under him, the shot 
 having knocked the male down on to the back of its mate, and 
 both birds having remained for some seconds in that position. 
 When it had fallen about halfway down the tree, the 
 wounded eagle recovered its powers of flight, and sailed off 
 towards the valley after its frightened spouse. Searching for 
 anything in these intricate, thickly wooded hills is generally 
 useless, and here, where Count Chotek's forester was not so 
 well acquainted with the ground, there would certainly have 
 been no hope of finding a wounded bird. I therefore crept 
 under the nest to wait for the return of the uninjured female. 
 Almost immediately below me was a beautiful woodland 
 glade, where Cuckoos were flying up and down, and the most 
 charming songs from the merry throats of many birds were 
 wafted up from the valley, while now and again a Common 
 Kite or a Buzzard flew past the place where I was sitting. 
 
 In about half an hour I saw the eagle returning, and 
 heard its shrill call and the loud rush of its wings, now before 
 me and now behind me. At last it came close, but I was so 
 very well hidden behind a thick oak, that I could only 
 
166 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 hear the bustle it made as it settled on the edge of the 
 nest, without seeing the arrival of the bird itself. On hearing 
 the noise I remained perfectly quiet, as I wanted to let the 
 eagle get quite confident before I frightened it out of its 
 dwelling ; but, as I afterwards learnt from the jagers, it 
 stayed a long time on the edge of its nest, and if I had bent 
 forward a little I could easily have shot it down at a short 
 range. When, after a few minutes, I did look out, the bird 
 was again on the alert, having perhaps noticed the forester, 
 who was concealed a few hundred yards away ; and hardly had 
 I stepped out of my ambush, when it dashed off, and the two 
 shots which I fired at it were ineffective, for, though a few 
 feathers fell, the eagle seemed to be quite sound. 
 
 There was therefore no further chance of a shot at the pair 
 belonging to this nest, and they were quite lost to me ; so I 
 walked slowly up the hillside to the trap, much annoyed and 
 blaming myself for my clumsiness. 
 
 It was about three o'clock in the afternoon, and the sun 
 was burning fiercely, while far away in the south a storm was 
 passing over the Bosnian mountains. We had now come 
 to the end of the nests that we already knew of ; but these 
 excellent keepers declared that a few days ago they had found 
 another nest, where, according to their account, a smaller 
 hawk was breeding, but such was their entire lack of sporting 
 and ornithological knowledge, that they could not describe 
 what it looked like. I therefore resolved to hurry to it as 
 quickly as I could, and try to retrieve by a fresh success my 
 mishaps at the two nests of the Imperial Eagles. 
 
 Our road now took us back along the mountain-ridge in an 
 easterly direction ; and this part of the drive I employed in 
 devouring a bit of bread which was all that had been put in 
 the game-bag, for I was terribly hungry, and there was no 
 other food obtainable for far and wide. 
 
 For about half an hour we drove obliquely down the 
 
TENTH DAY. 167 
 
 southern slope, along a wretched road, and halted near a spur 
 of the mountain which jutted out a good way towards the 
 valley of the Save. This was a singularly beautiful point, 
 for to the left we beheld extensive clearings, surrounded on 
 all sides by forests, and to the right, below the hills, lay 
 wooded valleys, terminating in fields and meadows, so that 
 we were quite close to the most southerly slopes of this steep 
 mountain-range. 
 
 It took me another quarter of an hour to walk through a 
 thin oak wood before I got to a pulpit-like projection of the 
 mountain, with almost perpendicular sides. On the very top 
 of this stood a huge and extremely old oak, incredibly broad, 
 but very low, a tree of that variety so common in Northern 
 Hungary which always grows laterally instead of vertically, 
 and whose trunks get thicker and thicker, but never attain 
 any height. 
 
 While still a long way off I could see on its topmost 
 branches a great grey-brown nest, with a Cinereous Vulture 
 standing in it ; and at our approach the bird flew slowly off, 
 being followed by its mate from the interior of the nest. I 
 was now lost in admiration of the marvellous knowledge of 
 birds displayed by one of these keepers, who, on seeing the 
 vultures, said to me that these were the little hawks which 
 he had always seen here ; for, as well as I could understand 
 him, by the help of Bohemian, the Cinereous Vulture was, in 
 his estimation, a smaller and less important bird than the 
 Imperial Eagle. 
 
 Concealing myself as well as I could close to the stem of the 
 nesting-tree, I waited to see what would happen, the forester 
 and the local keepers meanwhile going back some distance to 
 hide themselves : I had now leisure to take an accurate survey of 
 my surroundings, and saw through the tree-tops a pretty good 
 view of the luxuriantly green valley of the Save, through 
 which the mighty river wound in sharp curves, and of the 
 
168 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 Servian mountains, which, lit up by the afternoon sun, were 
 shining in their loveliest colours, while from the vale below 
 me sounded the tinkling of the cattle-bells and the merry 
 shouts of the herdsmen ringing up into the hills. 
 
 I must have been quite close to the outskirts of the woods, 
 and I fancy that this was undoubtedly the furthest point 
 reached by us during all our excursions in the Fruska-Gora. 
 One of the Cinereous Vultures was circling round the hill- 
 tops, and seemed to have already become quite unsuspicious ; 
 but though I sometimes heard the rush of its wings, and its 
 croaking cry, yet it did not approach the nest for a good half- 
 hour. 
 
 Several times it seemed to me as if there was a smaller 
 bird in company with the vulture, and I was thinking 
 whether it could be an eagle, when all at once my attention 
 was attracted by a tremendous rush above my head. It was 
 not at all like the steady wing-beats of an approaching 
 vulture, but much the same sort of noise as one often hears 
 out chamois-shooting, when a stone, loosened by the game, 
 rolls down a precipice. This sound came nearer and nearer, 
 and suddenly I saw a ball, formed of two birds entangled 
 together with their huge wings hanging loosely down. At 
 first I did not know- what to make of the whole affair, for this 
 extraordinary apparition instantly vanished, and I heard it 
 heavily strike the nest, from the edge of which such quantities 
 of twigs were falling, that, sitting as I was so very close to 
 the tree, I could not look up without getting some of them in 
 my face. 
 
 There I sat in utter amazement, while the disturbance 
 inside the nest kept increasing, for I had no idea of what was 
 going on above me, and more than a minute must have passed 
 before I cautiously looked up, and saw at one time the great 
 wing of a Cinereous Vulture, and at another a smaller pinion 
 projecting from the nest. At last the bald head of the 
 
TENTH DAY. 169 
 
 vulture, with its gaping beak, appeared, instantly vanished 
 again, and was followed by the yellowish feathered head of a 
 noble " Stein " Eagle, with its powerful beak open and ready 
 for fighting. 
 
 Extraordinary and unexpected as this was, I now knew 
 what it all meant, especially from its occurring at this nest ; 
 for, as our collective observations showed, the " Stein " Eagle 
 pursues the Cinereous Vulture wherever it finds it, the hatred 
 of these birds towards each other being quite remarkable ; but 
 it is chiefly near the nest that the eagle endeavours to annoy 
 its larger, but less powerfully armed opponent in every con- 
 ceivable way. These birds had evidently had an aerial quarrel 
 about something, and had come down fighting and entangled 
 together, while the battle was now going on inside the nest of 
 the vulture. 
 
 I wanted to kill the more active eagle during the fight, 
 but it was only for an instant that I saw either the head of 
 the vulture or that of the eagle, so, as it would have been far 
 too great a risk to have shot, I waited. 
 
 Presently the nest swayed, the branches cracked, and amid 
 a cloud of dust and small twigs a gigantic Cinereous Vulture 
 fell out of the nest straight towards me, with loosely hanging 
 wings. It did not fly away at once, but tumbled like a 
 wounded bird down the stem of the tree on to one of the 
 thickest branches, and there tried to spread its wings and 
 seek safety in flight. I took advantage of this moment, and 
 gave it a full dose of BB in its breast, which was facing me, 
 within a few paces. This knocked it down again, and in an 
 instant it lay dead at my feet. 
 
 The echo of the shot was still booming through the lonely 
 woodland valleys when another loud disturbance took place 
 in the nest, and a powerful " Stein " Eagle dashed away from 
 the further side of the oak, followed by a great Cinereous 
 Vulture. Perfectly staggered by this extraordinary sight 
 
170 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 and trembling with excitement, I let slip the best moment for 
 firing my second barrel at the eagle, and it was not until the 
 bird was a good way off that I shot, but unfortunately without 
 any result. 
 
 The fact of the fight between the eagle and the vulture 
 having taken place inside the nest, on the back of the sitting 
 vulture was the most interesting part of the whole affair, and 
 if, instead of having witnessed it myself, it had been told me 
 by any other sportsman, I should never have believed it. 
 
 There I had been, too,' hiding under the nest, thinking that 
 both the vultures had left the place, while the faithful mother, 
 heedless of my proximity, had been squatting on her eggs the 
 whole time. 
 
 I can easily understand that everybody will think this tale 
 most incredible ; but on telling it to Brehm,.he very justly 
 said: " How little we know of the rarer birds of prey, confined 
 as they are to these wild districts, where so few people have 
 had an opportunity of observing their habits ; and how many 
 interesting and curious scenes doubtless take place among 
 these raptorial creatures, who, fully conscious of their great 
 strength, fight furiously with each other, either about plunder 
 or their nesting-places." 
 
 I dragged the very unsavoury vulture, as best I could, to 
 the spot where the forester was hidden, and one can hardly 
 believe what a burden such a bird is ; for its broad loose wings, 
 plump body, and its very repulsive character make it seem 
 almost heavier to carry than a gralloched roebuck. 
 
 The forester was also much astonished at what he had seen, 
 for he had an open view from the edge of the clearing, and 
 told me that long before the final battle was fought out at the 
 nest he had observed the Cinereous Vulture and the Eagle 
 struggling in the air, and had noticed their disappearance 
 among the trees, in the direction of my ambush. As we were 
 returning by the same path, along the crest of the mountain, 
 
TENTH DAY. 171 
 
 the shadow of a vulture glided over the ground in front of us, 
 and we soon heard the great bird settle on an oak not far off, 
 but it had already been made wary by the shots, and, on my 
 trying to steal up, flew away before I could get a clear sight 
 of it. 
 
 On reaching the edge of the clearing I observed a beautiful 
 pair of Pygmy Eagles playfully wheeling about. The smaller 
 bird had a dazzling white breast, and was evidently the male, 
 while the female was clad in a homely dress of dark brown ; 
 this being the second time that I had seen a paired couple of 
 these birds varying in colour. When they came pretty near 
 me I fired, first at the male and then at the female ; but I had 
 miscalculated the distance, and the shots were quite ineffectual. 
 I also saw some Imperial Eagles cruising round the mountain- 
 tops a long way off. 
 
 In somewhat less than a quarter of an hour we got to our 
 cart, and I said good-bye to the very superior jagers of the 
 Greek monasteries, who, made happy with their gratuities, 
 overflowed with compliments and farewell speeches, and 
 kept shouting out their thanks long after the trap had 
 driven off. 
 
 Our road now conducted us in a westerly direction, along 
 the highest ridge of the mountains. It was a glorious after- 
 noon : the sun was sinking towards the west ; a gentle breeze 
 rustled through the tree-tops, and the oppressive heat of the 
 day gradually began to subside. We rattled along, mostly 
 through the luxuriantly green woods, where a clearing or a 
 low coppice now and then afforded us an open view of the 
 splendid heights of Servia and the adjacent Turkish provinces. 
 On our right the mountains sloped more gently, only 
 becoming steeper a long way off, and from time to time we 
 caught a distant glimpse of the blue line of the Danube and 
 of the Hungarian plains. 
 
 After we had been driving for about half an hour, we met 
 
172 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 a couple of queer-looking men, not calculated to inspire much 
 confidence ; and these were, with the exception of a few herds- 
 men, the only human beings not belonging to our party 
 whom we had encountered during the whole of our wander- 
 ings in the Fruska-Gora. Wretched clothes in perfect 
 tatters covered their sturdy forms, and their whole appear- 
 ance was of the thorough South Slavonic type. They asked 
 us the way to Cerevic, and a little while afterwards again 
 emerged from the wood, having apparently taken a short cut, 
 and run after us. One of them, a young man of about 
 twenty, drew himself up in good military style, and told me 
 that he belonged to the reserve of the Grand Duke Leopold's 
 53rd Regiment of Infantry, and that he was now on his way 
 to the manoauvres, but had no money for continuing his 
 journey, as he had been driven away by the cholera from 
 Southern Bulgaria, where throughout the winter he had been 
 in service with the Russians as a woodcutter in their various 
 camps. After receiving a slight gratuity they vanished as 
 quickly as they had appeared. 
 
 Our road now led us up and down, along steep hillsides, 
 over wooded summits, and through little glades and thickets 
 to the " Prince Eugene's road " already mentioned. Along 
 this we drove a short way, and then turned towards the 
 northern slopes of the mountains, where a steep wretched 
 track, along part of which we had to walk, brought us into 
 regions already familiar to us ; for we passed a Sea-Eagle's 
 nest lately visited by Bombelles, at which the forester said 
 Prince Hohenlohe had killed a Cinereous Vulture some years 
 ago, and which was now inhabited by Sea-Eagles. We 
 afterwards arrived at the place where I had pursued the 
 Cinereous Vultures on the first afternoon. The terrible con- 
 dition of the forest-roads that we traversed during this drive 
 baffles all description ; but the views they afforded us of the 
 lonely woodland valleys and the lofty rustling beech woods 
 
TENTH DAY. 173 
 
 were wonderfully picturesque. I here often noticed the tracks 
 of large wolves imprinted in the deep mud. 
 
 Further and further we penetrated into these already 
 known districts, though I had some difficulty in recognizing 
 them, as all these woody valleys are so much alike ; and at last, 
 after nearly three hours of driving, we saw far below us, in 
 a lonely grassy valley, the very place where the decoy-hut 
 stood at which I had yesterday shot the young Sea-Eagle. 
 Our driver now touched up the tired horses, and we drove at 
 a quick gallop along the verge of an almost perpendicular 
 slope, and over the most breakneck places, down to the bottom 
 of the valley, and in another quarter of an hour reached the 
 shooting-lodge. 
 
 It was half-past seven in the evening, the sun had already 
 vanished behind the mountain-tops, the shades were deepening, 
 the last of the birds singing, and the still repose of a lovely 
 night soon fell. I found my brother-in-law and Count 
 Chotek waiting for me in front of the house, where I unloaded 
 my spoils, and briefly related the interesting events of this 
 splendid day, the memory of which will be among the most 
 permanent of my many sporting recollections. 
 
 Leopold had to-day been very unlucky at the nests allotted 
 to him, and had, for the first time, come back empty-handed. 
 He had severely wounded a Cinereous Vulture in the side 
 with ball, and had distinctly seen the great bird drop in the 
 valley ; but all the efforts that were made to find it were, for 
 the first day or two, unsuccessful, and when it was at last 
 found, and sent after us to Vienna, it unfortunately arrived 
 in a very high condition. 
 
 It was a wonderful evening, and until the long-desired 
 meal was quite ready we sat in front of the house consulting 
 with Count Chotek over the plans for the morrow, and came 
 to the conclusion that we would set off again during the 
 night and go to the rocks which Brehm thought so much of, 
 
174 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 although the darkness would make the road thither difficult 
 and even somewhat dangerous. There we intended to hide 
 ourselves for a few hours near the kid which the Savants 
 had left lying in front of the decoy-hut, and then to go back 
 to the steamer and make an afternoon excursion for Spotted 
 Eagles among the " au " woods on the Hungarian side of the 
 river. This would, alas ! be the last day that we could spend 
 with Count Chotek, as time was pressing and the Kovil forest 
 was awaiting us ; so, in spite of our very kind host's friendly 
 invitations to prolong our stay, we resolved to leave this dis- 
 trict to-morrow and to travel further down-stream. 
 
 When the plans for the ensuing morning had been 
 thoroughly settled, the Count left us, and drove back to 
 Cerevic to put the further arrangements in train, and we 
 retired into the snug little shooting-lodge, took a hasty meal, 
 and, after a pleasant chat and a cigar, sought the repose which 
 we stood pretty much in need of. 
 
 My " Blak " was made to lie down on the wolf-skin under 
 my bed, just as on the first night that we slept here, and my 
 brother-in-law carefully arranged his gun and cartridges ; but 
 again all our preparations were in vain, for nothing would 
 induce the famous robbers to attack us. 
 
 By nine o'clock all was quiet in the lodge, and every one 
 was trying to recruit himself for the fatigues of the morrow. 
 
[ 175 ] 
 
 ELEVENTH DAY. 
 
 ABOUT half-past two our jagers awoke us ; and when we had 
 quickly disposed of the chocolate prepared by the worthy 
 Dionisio, our guns and ammunition were got ready, and 
 again we sallied out into the dark woods of the Fruska-Gora. 
 It was a disagreeable morning, for the sky had clouded over 
 during the night and not a star was visible. We drove 
 along the bottom of the valley at a slow trot, followed by 
 two grooms riding the ponies with which we had been 
 furnished, our route being precisely the same as that by 
 which I had descended last evening ; and if it had proved 
 unpleasant in the daylight, one can imagine what it was 
 at night especially those steep narrow slopes which led up 
 to the mountain-heights. 
 
 We often had to get out of the carts and walk behind 
 them a long way, while woodcutters with lanterns ran in 
 front of the horses to show the road. I remember one place 
 which neither Leopold nor I much liked, though we are not 
 at all nervous or afraid of bad roads ; for on the right, close 
 to the road, a steep slope descended into a deep valley, and 
 on the left the hillside dropped sheer down into the depths 
 below within a foot of the track. There was, however, 
 but a small stretch of this sort of thing. 
 
 After driving about two hours, we began the last steep 
 incline before reaching " Prince Eugene's road " on the crest 
 of the mountains, and here we resolved to abandon the 
 carts ; so, calling up the grooms, we mounted Count 
 Chotek's capital ponies and hurried on in front, our jagers 
 following on foot more quickly than if they had stuck to the 
 
176 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 vehicles. Tiresome and disagreeable as this drive was, I 
 shall never forget it ; for it was a fine wild expedition, 
 utterly unlike the modern civilized form of shooting which 
 we have to put up with in most European countries, and 
 the dark lofty forests, the lonely woodland valleys, and the 
 marvellous mountain-ranges, all enveloped in the deep gloom 
 of an inhospitable night, made the scene look most romantic. 
 
 Day was breaking when we reached the ridge ; for faint 
 glimmerings of light the heralds of the rising sun were 
 visible in the east, and a fresh morning wind was dispersing 
 the clouds. The woods and valleys beneath us, the Save, 
 and the low-lying Hungarian plains were still merged in 
 the darkness of the night ; while the mountains of Servia 
 and Bosnia rose before us, indistinct and ghostly in their 
 outlines. It was a grandly picturesque view. 
 
 The earliest of the birds now began to bestir themselves : 
 Tree-Pipits and Blackbirds broke into song, Thrushes hopped 
 about under the bushes, and Eobins, frightened by our 
 horses, flew chirping across the road ; while the notes of 
 a few Cuckoos heralded the sunrise among the lonely wood- 
 land glens, and the Owls were winding up their nocturnal 
 ditties. 
 
 It was past four o'clock, and the twilight was pretty well 
 advanced, when we struck towards the northern slope of the 
 mountains, along a path so overgrown with thick bushes 
 as to make riding very disagreeable, for we had great 
 difficulty in protecting our faces, and especially our eyes, 
 from rough contact with the branches. 
 
 On the highest part of the ridge was a little glade 
 surrounded by a thick copse. Here we halted, took our 
 guns and cartridge-bags, and, accompanied by the head 
 forester, walked along a steep, stony, and thinly-wooded 
 hillside, and in about ten minutes saw the forms of the 
 aforesaid rocks. At this remarkably interesting spot the 
 
ELEVENTH DAY. 177 
 
 hillsides all descend to the valley from a certain point at 
 a sharp incline ; and where the wood finishes off with a 
 few great oaks, beeches, and hawthorn thickets, there begins 
 a regular moraine, such as one so often meets with in the 
 glorious Alps. The breadth of this moraine is not greater 
 than two hundred yards, and on both sides it is bordered 
 by very stony woods. Some forty paces from the place 
 where the trees terminate there rises from this debris of 
 stones a group of rocky pinnacles like the dolomitic rocks 
 occurring in some of the southern valleys of Tyrol or the 
 remarkable formations of the Saxon and Bohemian Switzer- 
 land. 
 
 Below these pinnacles the moraine runs down to the valley 
 still more abruptly, and at its base is a lovely green glade 
 through which flows a noisy and stony brook, while the face 
 of the opposite hill is covered with splendid beech woods. 
 The place has altogether a remarkably picturesque character, 
 and from the rocks there is a wonderful view along this 
 wooded valley, and over the lower heights and summits down 
 to the Hungarian plains. 
 
 We easily found Brehm's leafy hut and the kid, which 
 already smelt very bad ; and as soon as the forester had 
 departed, we crept into the hiding-place and, getting our 
 guns ready, waited patiently for something to come : but 
 two or three hours passed without our seeing either an eagle 
 or a vulture, even in the far distance. Some Wood-Pigeons 
 and other forest-birds were playing merrily about, and we 
 once heard the shrill call of the beautiful Imperial Eagle, but 
 that was all. We had evidently come too early ; for it was 
 probably at some other time of the day that the raptorial 
 birds frequented this spot, and it is remarkable with what 
 regularity these creatures keep to their hours. We therefore 
 recognized the futility of remaining, and left our ambush 
 in very depressed spirits. 
 
 N 
 
178 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 Before going away we determined to make a close in- 
 spection of the place, and descending the moraine clambered 
 about the various pinnacles. Both rocks and stones were 
 all thickly covered with droppings, especially with those 
 of eagles and vultures ; for it seemed to be a place where 
 the birds were in the habit of taking a siesta after dinner. 
 Bones of birds and other vertebrate creatures, and castings of 
 wool, were lying round about ; and we found a good deal of 
 hair and some fragments of a dismembered roe. I also 
 collected some fine wing-feathers of the Cinereous Vulture 
 and the down both of the Sea- and the noble Eagles, which 
 the birds had torn from each other in lighting for their 
 perches. 
 
 Having finished our inspection, we went back to the glade 
 by the same route, and after looking about a little while 
 found the carts and the saddle-horses. Giving the jagers 
 directions to follow us in the former, and taking our guns 
 and cartridge-bags, my brother-in-law and I mounted the 
 ponies and trotted down the steepish path, under the guidance 
 of Count Chotek's trainer, who followed us on a third pony. 
 We soon lost sight of the carts, and had a very interesting 
 ride, sometimes trotting and sometimes galloping, along the 
 crest of the mountain, and then uphill and downhill through 
 valleys, forest-glades, and most beautiful beech woods. The 
 ponies went capitally at the quicker paces, and it was a 
 singular sight to see the riders tearing through the quiet 
 solitudes of these woods, with their guns and cartridge-bags 
 slung over their shoulders. 
 
 The weather had meanwhile cleared, the clouds had 
 broken up, and the sun from time to time poured its fierce 
 rays upon the earth. After a good long ride we had got 
 utterly astray, and found ourselves in a magnificent valley 
 which we had never before visited. To the left it was 
 bounded by wooded slopes, and to the right by a long bushy 
 
ELEVENTH DAT. 179 
 
 clearing, where there were only a few somewhat taller trees, 
 on the tops of which were sitting eight or ten Cinereous 
 Vultures. Such a number of big birds all together looked 
 very imposing ; and on one oak sapling I remember having 
 seen four of these heavy creatures, their weight making the 
 tree literally bend. We at once determined to ride up to 
 them ; but as it was very hard work for the poor horses 
 to get through the thick scrub, we dismounted and, leaving 
 them with the trainer, hurried up to the aforesaid trees 
 as fast as we could I armed with my double-barrelled gun, 
 and my brother-in-law carrying his rifle. 
 
 When we had got within about a hundred and fifty paces, 
 the vultures flew off one after another, and only one 
 remained sitting on a dead branch with its breast turned 
 towards us. To have shot at it with the gun would have been 
 utterly useless ; so, as my brother-in-law was even still more 
 out of breath than I was, he unslung his rifle and gave 
 it to me, and, aiming as well as I could, I fired, but unfor- 
 tunately missed, and the vulture spread its heavy wings and 
 slowly flew off to a neighbouring wood. 
 
 Returning to our horses we mounted again, and soon 
 afterwards saw the same flock of vultures perched in just the 
 same fashion on the edge of another wood not far off, and on 
 trying to approach them very nearly succeeded in getting 
 within shot. 
 
 We now found ourselves standing on the top of a hill, 
 quite at a loss what to do ; for the thick wooded valleys 
 and clearings by which we were quite surrounded were so 
 very like each other that we had no idea in what part of 
 the country we really were. Even the trainer had lost his 
 bearings. We therefore just rode on in the line which seemed 
 most likely to be right. 
 
 While trotting along we were lucky enough to meet with 
 the head forester, who, on hearing our shots, had hurried 
 
 N2 
 
180 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 up in his cart to guide us back to the right road, and we 
 now went on, over stock and stone, the cart following as 
 well as it could, and in half an hour reached the decoy-hut in 
 the well-known valley. There we determined to lie in wait, 
 as we had still some time to spare ; and on getting within a 
 few yards of our amhush, we saw, wheeling round at a great 
 height, a flock of ten or twelve vultures and several eagles, 
 who had doubtless detected the dead horse, and were looking 
 about to see whether there was any appearance of danger, 
 while two other large birds of prey were cruising over a 
 clearing nearer the ground. An hour passed quickly by, and 
 though we distinctly heard the hoarse cries of the birds, and 
 saw them circling high overhead, still none of them would 
 come down to the exposed bait. 
 
 We therefore left the place, went back to the carts, and 
 drove towards the outlying hills, past the shooting-lodge, 
 to which we bade a last sad farewell ; for the few days 
 that we had spent among these charming woods and moun- 
 tains had made us both very fond of them, and it was 
 with feelings of great regret that we looked back at the 
 summits of the Fruska-Gora when we had got outside the 
 woods. Such hunting-grounds as these Slavonian mountains 
 are now indeed but rarely to be met with in our realms, and 
 they offer to the sportsman, who prefers hard work and wild 
 interesting game to easy civilized shooting, everything that 
 he can desire. 
 
 The day had now become quite fine, the heat grew more 
 and more unbearable, the insects kept buzzing about, and the 
 air was so sultry and oppressive that we had hopes that there 
 would soon be a storm to clear and cool it. 
 
 The well-known way was quickly traversed, the village of 
 Cerevic rapidly passed, and we reached the steamer, where 
 we found the gentlemen waiting on deck to tell us what they 
 had done yesterday. Brehm had just come back from a 
 
ELEVENTH DAY. 181 
 
 search for small birds in the vineyards, and had brought 
 with him a fine Lesser Grey Shrike and three other little 
 birds, shot for scientific purposes. We had seen none of 
 our companions since yesterday morning, and found that 
 Bombelles had in the interim killed at the nest the Sea-Eagle 
 which I had missed some days ago, but had unfortunately 
 failed to shoot its mate. He had seen how these birds 
 carried large carp to their young, and how they left the fish 
 lying for them on a thick branch when they detected the 
 presence of danger. The eagle which Bombelles had killed 
 dropped one of these big fish, which the man who was 
 with him took home to eat. He had also shot a Black Kite 
 from a nest close by ; and on his way back the keepers 
 took him to a nest which they had always pointed out as 
 the abode of a Kite, and to which I was to have gone a 
 couple of days ago, but had declined to do so, as I had 
 so often killed that very common bird and wanted to 
 economize my time for the pursuit of Cinereous Vultures. 
 Bombelles had shot the so-called Kite, which turned out 
 to be a very beautiful Spotted Eagle. This added a new 
 bird to our collection, as it was the first specimen of this 
 very dark-coloured eagle which we had obtained. Brehm 
 had also distinguished himself yesterday; for he had gone 
 to the vulture's nest to which I had already paid a fruitless 
 visit, and had killed the very large female with a lucky 
 rifle-shot. It had, however, remained lying in the nest, and 
 was only got out the following morning, and, curiously 
 enough, brought by the keepers to our cart ; so that we 
 had the pleasure of handing it over to Brehm. He had 
 also severely wounded the male of this nest with shot ; 
 but it got away, and though at the time all search for it 
 was unsuccessful, it afterwards reached Vienna in a rather 
 high condition. Homeyer had employed the day in making 
 notes, and had returned empty-handed. 
 
182 FIFTEEN. DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 When we also had related our experiences and exchanged 
 our notes, we had luncheon served the steamer all the 
 while lying quietly hehind Cerevic ; for we had decided 
 to defer our excursion to the Hungarian side for a couple 
 of hours. 
 
 We were all very sorry at having to leave this splendid 
 mountain -range, with which were connected perhaps the 
 most delightful of the many charming incidents of our 
 journey. 
 
 The village of Cerevic, too, has a bright friendly look 
 and is inhabited by good patriotic people. Brehm felt 
 the parting much ; and long will this naturalist live in 
 the memories of these honest Slavonians, as he greatly 
 contributed to their enjoyment by improvising country 
 fetes ; for on the evenings when my brother-in-law and I 
 slept in the shooting-lodge, our friend Brehm collected the 
 female population of Cerevic on the meadow near our 
 steamer, and got the girls to perform the national " Kolo " 
 dance for him. A wretched bagpiper, who had once 
 played on board, was soon unearthed, and to the accom- 
 paniment of his ear-splitting instrument the loveliest ladies 
 of Cerevic bobbed round this German naturalist, who, seated 
 on a stool within the circle, kept encouraging the dancers 
 by presents. Naturally the whole village soon turned out, 
 and so regular public festivities were organized the country- 
 people standing dumbfounded round this stranger, who con- 
 versed with them in a language of signs, and whom they 
 probably took for a magician. In afterdays, songs will 
 doubtless be sung in Cerevic in praise of this kindly visitor. 
 
 In the evening we summoned the band of gipsy musicians 
 who live in Cerevic, and made them play to us during dinner 
 in their mournful fashion ; for there is no kind of music 
 which I find so fascinating as the sad wild strains of the 
 violins and cymbalos of these swarthy sons of the " Puszta." 
 
ELEVENTH DAY. 183 
 
 The time for saying good-bye at last came ; so we all got 
 into the ' Vienna/ and prepared to go over to the Hungarian 
 side. The inhabitants were all assembled on the meadow 
 outside the village ; and at the last moment a young Servian 
 girl gave me a bouquet, while all waved their hats as a 
 parting greeting. We now slanted towards the left bank, 
 and, rounding an island thickly overgrown with willow 
 bushes, turned into one of the ,arms of the river, and 
 approached the village of Futak through a narrow belt of 
 woods. Grey, Purple, and Squacco Herons, Terns, and 
 Kites flew over us, and White Storks were standing by the 
 bank and on the tops of the houses. A number of people 
 who had assembled at the landing-place gave me an enthu- 
 siastic welcome ; and among the carriages which were there 
 awaiting us was a very smart four-in-hand, belonging to 
 Count Chotek. Our arrangements were now quickly made. 
 The two Savants were sent off by the Count to the little 
 stretch of " auen " up-stream, where there were some nests of 
 the smaller hawks ; while my brother-in-law and I, accom- 
 panied by our kind host, were to take a drive to the woods 
 below the village, instructions having been given that the 
 steamer should meet us at Futak by a certain hour, in order 
 that we might resume our journey. 
 
 Everything being settled, we drove in the four-in-hand 
 through the village, where the breadth of the streets and the 
 style of the buildings were thoroughly Hungarian ; but the 
 cleanliness of the houses and gardens clearly showed that 
 they belonged to Swabian colonists, by whom Futak is 
 altogether peopled. 
 
 The Count's castle stands in a park at the further end 
 of the village; but it was at present in a very woful con- 
 dition, having been much damaged by a recent fire. Close 
 behind it we turned to the north, and drove out into the 
 "puszta." Before us lay the broad Hungarian plains, the 
 
184 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 vast monotony of their lonely sand-flats being only broken by 
 high draw-wells and scattered troops of horses. Behind us 
 were the gay gables and the thatched roofs of Futak, with 
 the luxuriantly green woods of the riverside both above and 
 below it, while in the distance the whole range of the 
 Fruska-Gora with its many heights and summits rose in 
 such solemn grandeur that it was long before I could turn 
 away my eyes from those splendid mountains ; for when 
 gazing on their dark woods the memories of delightful days 
 of sport floated past me like dreams, and awakened within 
 me a feeling that was somewhat akin to home sickness. 
 
 Still the picture of the "puszta" which now unrolled 
 itself before us was also beautiful and singularly imposing ; 
 and the lowering grey sky, the heavy thunder-clouds slowly 
 piling themselves up, and the oppressive sultriness of the air 
 all combined to give the scene a true melancholy Hungarian 
 character. 
 
 Lapwings and Larks were uttering their cries as they flew 
 over the plains ; and round a solitary well a whole flock of 
 thirsty Storks were standing with open bills. 
 
 Never having killed a White Stork, I resolved to bag one 
 of these poor fellows ; and as there was a very fine specimen 
 standing just on the top of the well, I waited till the carriage 
 got close up, and then fired, the stork falling dead ; while 
 all the comrades of the unlucky victim rose in affright and 
 circled round us at a great height before gradually dropping 
 down to the village. 
 
 We now struck eastwards and soon reached a little wood, 
 where a keeper who knew of some nests was awaiting us. 
 
 Though there are some unimportant " auen " close to the 
 river and on the islands formed by its arms, the few large 
 and small patches of wood between these " auen " and the 
 plains are true inland woods, chiefly composed of oaks, with 
 a thick undergrowth. 
 
ELEVENTH DAY. 185 
 
 Into one of these covers, which was formed of very fine 
 high trees and surrounded by fields, my brother-in-law and I 
 now entered and crept cautiously forwards. 
 
 This wood, like all those situated among fields, was richly 
 stocked with a great variety of birds, such as Wood-Pigeons, 
 Stock-Doves, Turtle-Doves, Jackdaws, Orioles, Hoopoes, 
 Kestrels, Woodpeckers, &c. ; and quite a multitude of small 
 songsters of all sorts were fluttering among the leafy tree- 
 tops. We could already see in the distance the medium- 
 sized nest of some sort of hawk; but the old keeper, who 
 did not seem much versed in ornithology, declared that, 
 though he had often seen its owner, he did not know what it 
 was. We therefore cautiously approached the place ; and 
 when we had got within a few yards of the tree a tolerably 
 large bird glided quickly from the nest and fell to the first 
 shot. It proved to be a fine powerful Spotted Eagle at 
 which I was much delighted, for it was the first time that 
 1 had ever been fortunate enough to shoot this beautiful 
 inhabitant of the eastern part of our continent. 
 
 Only a few yards away there was a Raven's nest upon 
 a very high elm ; so that we again found this shy and 
 interesting bird in a perfectly flat district, and close to 
 the edge of a little wood surrounded by fields. The two 
 Ravens, much more wary than any eagle, swept round 
 over our heads in great circles, uttering their monotonous 
 grating cry ; and in vain we hid for some time near the 
 nest, for the birds would not come near us. 
 
 Before leaving the place I struck the stem of an oak 
 tree, whereupon one of the young Ravens, which were 
 already quite big and fully feathered, hopped out of the 
 nest, and I shot the plump fellow ; while the two others 
 were brought down by our climber, as an addition to our 
 menagerie. 
 
 A little further on, the keeper showed us a second 
 
186 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 Spotted Eagle's nest ; but unfortunately the bird, having 
 been put on the alert by the previous shots, flew off before 
 we could get near enough to it. 
 
 My brother-in-law now hid himself in a thicket to await 
 the Eagle's return ; while I slanted across the wood to the 
 carriages, finding on the way several empty nests, but only 
 one tenanted, and that by a Crow, whom- 1 let live in peace, 
 as I did not want to frighten away any better bird by 
 shooting. Two shots soon sounded, in suspiciously quick 
 succession ; and in a few minutes my brother-in-law 
 appeared, without an eagle, having missed the bird 
 as it was flying up to the nest. We now got into the 
 carriages and drove along a road running through waving 
 corn-fields and little woods, towards another cover of some- 
 what larger dimensions. 
 
 During the drive we saw two very fine roebucks crossing 
 the fields from wood to wood, while a Short-toed Eagle, 
 some Spotted Eagles, and some Black Kites were circling 
 aloft, and great numbers of Wood-Pigeons were whirring 
 about between the fields and the trees. 
 
 We now halted at the edge of a beautiful little wood, 
 where the undergrowth was very dense, and where a narrow 
 footpath led us into dark shady recesses covered with a 
 perfect roof of leaves. 
 
 The first nest we came to was a Spotted Eagle's, and my 
 brother-in-law posted himself ready to shoot, while I stole 
 up to the tree to drive out the bird ; and scarcely had the 
 frightened eagle quitted its dwelling, when Leopold knocked 
 it down with a good shot. 
 
 A little way further on we found a Kite's nest, from which 
 the forked tail of the beautiful bird protruded a long 
 way. I was quite sure that it was the Black Kite, which 
 is so very abundant in Hungary, and not the Common Kite, 
 which we had so seldom met with during our journey. 
 
ELEVENTH DAY. 187 
 
 However, to our great astonishment, one of the latter birds 
 dashed out at the first noise ; and though we both fired a 
 couple of shots at this wide-awake hawk it did not fall, 
 but disappeared among the bushes hard hit, and, not being 
 found by the keepers for some days, it arrived at Vienna in a 
 useless state the only result attained being the filling-up of 
 the gap in our shooting-list which the Common Kite had 
 threatened to create. 
 
 I now hurried off to another Spotted Eagle's nest, a few 
 hundred yards further on. The dwelling of this handsome 
 bird was placed in the middle of a very thick and leafy tree, 
 surrounded by dense almost impenetrable underwood, and I 
 had difficulty in finding a spot sufficiently open to shoot 
 from. The eagle did not fly off until the tree had been 
 repeatedly struck ; and though both my shots hit it, they 
 were unfortunately not fatal. It then settled on a tree not 
 far off, but on my coming up fluttered on again somewhat 
 further ; and in this way I several times caught sight of it, 
 but never got sufficiently near to give it a finishing shot, nor 
 was it ever subsequently found. As time was now pressing, 
 we hastened along to the edge of the wood, scrambling 
 through the thick bushes as best we could, and putting up 
 on the way a big roebuck, which instantly vanished into 
 the depths of the cover. 
 
 We soon reached the border of the wood, where, to our 
 left, stretched billowy corn-fields, with their wind-swept ears 
 swishing like the waves of the sea. Heavy clouds were 
 coming up over the summits of the Slavonian mountains, and 
 the distant rumbling of the thunder mingled harmoniously 
 with the shrill cries of the birds. In a few minutes we 
 got to the carriages, and as the time for our departure was 
 approaching we abandoned some kites' nests in the opposite 
 wood, and drove off along a beautiful road, which, beginning 
 by passing through woods, meadows, and cornfields, and 
 
188 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 finishing by winding through a short stretch of sandy 
 " Puszta," brought us to Futak. 
 
 Rattling through the long street of the village, we arrived 
 at the landing-place, where Brehm and Homeyer were 
 already waiting. The former had severely wounded a 
 Goshawk at its nest, the bird being found some days later, 
 but unfortunately reaching Vienna in a useless condition. 
 
 A great crowd of people had assembled at the pier : the 
 notables of the village gave me a hearty greeting, and the 
 maidens presented me with posies ; and then came the 
 sorrowful moment of bidding farewell to our very kind host, 
 Count Chotek, who, throughout our stay in his domains, 
 had welcomed us all in the kindest possible way, and had 
 been most indefatigable in taking care of his guests. He 
 is the type of a noble hospitable host and of a true Grand 
 Seigneur. When we were all on board, we got under weigh 
 and moved off, followed by the friendly cheers of the crowd. 
 
 Our menagerie had also here received a material addi- 
 tion ; for, while we were busy shooting at Futak, a peasant 
 boarded the steamer shortly before it left Cerevic, bringing 
 with him the Sea-Eagle which Bombelles had winged with 
 a ball on the afternoon of our arrival. He had found the 
 bird sitting below its nest in a woodland stream of the 
 Fruska-Gora and had at once secured it. Its fast of 
 several days had made the noble robber so tame that it 
 quietly allowed itself to be touched and stroked, nor was 
 it until the following day that it recovered and again dis- 
 played its ordinary ferocity and strength. It is now an 
 inmate of the Schonbrunn Menagerie. 
 
 We soon lost sight of Futak, and the mountains near 
 Cerevic retreated further and further, while we stood on 
 deck regretfully looking back at these splendid wooded 
 heights to which we had now said adieu. 
 
 On the right bank the barren outlying hills, with their 
 
ELEVENTH DAT. 189 
 
 steep slopes and numerous villages, approached close to the 
 river ; while the left side was bordered by woods, islands, 
 and, in some places, by the open country. 
 
 On the right we also saw a large park, adorned with tall 
 trees, in the midst of which rose a castle. This beautiful 
 residence belongs to Count Pejacsevich. 
 
 Peterwardein, with its steep heights crowned with ram- 
 parts, soon came into view. This venerable grey old 
 fortress, with its picturesque situation, looks very fine from 
 the Danube ; and with all the accessories of the setting sun 
 gleaming through the ragged sky, the huge heavy storm- 
 clouds rolling up, and the distant thunder, the old strong- 
 hold made quite a splendid picture. We passed it without 
 stopping. 
 
 There were some steamers lying by the bank, and among 
 them two of the Danube monitors. A number of officers 
 were standing on the bridge of boats, and in the fortress 
 the bugle was just sounding to prayers, while the guards 
 on the decks of the monitors were firing a salute at the 
 lowering of the colours at sundown. Opposite Peterwardein 
 an arm of the river forms the large slightly wooded " Kriegs 
 Insel." 
 
 This evening the sunset was a really wonderful sight the 
 last rays of the sun shining through the woods and gilding the 
 waters of the Danube, while a gentle breeze rustled through 
 the trees, and the western sky was glowing with purple- 
 red. As soon as we had passed Peterwardein we all left the 
 deck and sat down to dinner; and shortly afterwards the 
 steamer stopped at Karlowitz, for the darkness prevented 
 our journeying any further. 
 
 The evening flew quickly by in talking over the glorious 
 days in the Fruska-Grora ; and after getting our measure- 
 ments and note-books into order, we all retired to our cabins 
 for our much-desired repose. 
 
190 ] 
 
 TWELFTH DAY. 
 
 ABOUT six o'clock we were awakened by our men, and, 
 speedily donning our shooting-attire, we hastened on deck 
 and found that it was a cold, rainy, and most disagreeable 
 morning, everything being enveloped in a uniform, detestable, 
 light grey, while thin mists were floating up and down the 
 river. 
 
 The steamer had left Karlowitz very early, and when we 
 sat down to breakfast we were only a little way from the 
 village of Kovil, the final goal of our journey. Hodek had 
 already come to meet us at Karlowitz, bringing very good 
 news from the forests which were now to serve as our hunting- 
 grounds for a couple of days. 
 
 To our great regret we learned from our men that while 
 we were still asleep the steamer had, on several occasions, 
 passed within easy shot of Sea-Eagles on the sandbanks, and 
 at one spot my jager had counted as many as six of these 
 great birds sitting bolt upright; but while pacing the deck 
 and smoking our after-breakfast cigars, we saw nothing but a 
 few flocks of Grey and Purple Herons and some Black Terns 
 still on their upstream migration to their breeding-places. 
 
 The character of the country was very monotonous and 
 almost ugly, with its low grey-green " auen " on the left 
 bank, and on the right broad fields and heaths, alternating 
 with equally insignificant woods. 
 
 We soon reached Kovil, which lies among fields and sand- 
 hills on the left side of a broad arm of the river, and is separated 
 from the main stream by a large island. 
 
TWELFTH DAY. 191 
 
 The whole surroundings of this village are of the true 
 Hungarian type, for wide plains stretch towards the north, 
 and the monotony of the scene is only slightly varied by a 
 number of small islands covered with copses. 
 
 To the south we saw the chain of the Kalahac hills floating 
 indistinctly before us, with their tops swathed in grey rain- 
 clouds. These low ugly heights extend nearly as far as 
 Slankamen, and are really the eastern spurs of the Fruska- 
 Gora. 
 
 The immediate neighbourhood of our anchorage had a 
 rather cheerless look, for an island, most of which was flooded, 
 and across which we had to construct a very primitive bridge, 
 separated us from the village, where the low houses were 
 swimming in mire and muck, and the only high buildings 
 which gave the place a slight varnish of civilization were 
 its two churches, and the Greek monastery close to our 
 vessel. Behind the village there was also a little wood of 
 very fine trees. 
 
 On our arrival we at once left the steamer, and getting 
 into wretched country carts drove off to the Kovil forest, so 
 renowned for its wealth of raptorial birds. 
 
 While we were away shooting, our vessel was to go down 
 the river to coal at Tittel, and we were to find it at its present 
 anchorage when we returned in the evening. 
 
 My brother-in-law and I decided to pursue the birds of 
 prey in the same wood, the two Savants preferring to look for 
 marsh and water-fowl in the swamps running along the 
 river near our landing-place, while Bombelles, having special 
 work to do, remained on board. 
 
 We were most warmly greeted by the inhabitants, and 
 drove off, followed by patriotic cheers. The vehicle in which 
 Leopold and I had established ourselves was so peculiar that 
 I must honour it with a short description. It was horsed by 
 a couple of small, lean, and thoroughly miserable ponies. 
 
192 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 and to look at them nobody would have thought that such 
 exceedingly pitiful animals could have dragged it even a few 
 hundred yards; but they nevertheless remained harnessed 
 during the entire day, and drew the trap over the heavy 
 ground at a very good pace until the evening, and that with- 
 out once shirking their work. The vehicle itself was a common 
 peasant's cart of the poorest description, its various parts 
 being held together by ropes, while a couple of boards were 
 arranged for our seats. The driver, a true South Slavonian, 
 large and lean, with long, smooth, jet-black hair and droop- 
 ing moustache, sat just in front of us, holding the thin 
 wretchedly made reins, his form being enveloped in a dirty 
 white cloak, which fell to his feet in folds, and his head 
 covered with a broad-brimmed black hat. What we had to 
 endure from the fearful atmosphere of garlic which sur- 
 rounded this worthy coachman of ours is indescribable, and 
 every time we got into the trap we yearned for the moment 
 of deliverance from his nauseous neighbourhood. 
 
 Our cart rattled merrily through the village, and the rain 
 poured steadily down in regular streams, as, wrapped in our 
 waterproofs, we and our jagers sat huddled together in the 
 narrow vehicle, and took stock of the magnificent buildings 
 of Kovil. It was not just the most favourable moment for 
 seeing them, for the heavy rain had softened the deep black 
 loam, and had made the whole place look more like a morass 
 than a human settlement ; but I fancy that this market town 
 can never present a very cheerful appearance, not even in the 
 height of summer. 
 
 On we drove through two very long broad streets, passing 
 by sand-heaps, pools, and mud-huts still more squat and 
 squalid, till we at last got to the open country, where we 
 proceeded along a wide road, bordered with low acacias and 
 running through fields and uncultivated heaths. This high- 
 road, however, was not very well kept, and what with the 
 
TWELFTH DAY. 193 
 
 springless carts and the deep ruts, we managed to get some 
 very hard knocks. 
 
 We were soon out into the " puszta/' and could already see 
 in the distance the outlines of the large wood which was to 
 be our shooting-ground of to-day. Turtle-Doves were sitting 
 on the trees close to the road, and I also shot from the cart a 
 Roller, which was sulkily puffing out its bedraggled plumage. 
 Crows, Magpies, and smaller birds were flying about the 
 fields, and the nearer we got to the wood the more the birds 
 of prey, which were out foraging, showed themselves. A 
 splendid Imperial Eagle sailed along with its majestic flight, 
 and another, which was sitting upright on an acacia tree by 
 the roadside, singularly enough allowed the leading cart to 
 come close up to it, and if that vehicle had not halted we 
 should certainly have got a shot. 
 
 After an hour's drive we reached the beginning of the 
 woods, the road running along the southern fringe of this 
 extensive forest, and only separated from it by a few fields of 
 Indian corn. 
 
 Hodek, who was in the first cart, now stopped and pointed 
 out an Imperial Eagle's nest at the edge of the wood, a few 
 hundred yards away ; so I quickly jumped out, took my 
 gun and cartridge-bag, and began to approach the dwelling 
 of this great bird of prey, while my "brother-in-law went on 
 to another Imperial Eagle's nest, which was waiting for him 
 more towards the interior of the forest. 
 
 A few minutes brought me quite close to the nest, and then 
 a bustle took place inside it, and a magnificent Imperial 
 Eagle darted out, covered by the stem of the tree ; but I did 
 not wish to fire a doubtful shot at the noble bird, and pre- 
 ferred to wait for its return. I therefore concealed myself 
 in an ambush which was rapidly put together under a thick 
 hawthorn, and sat down in the wet grass wrapped in my 
 Alpine cloak. This was a very damp amusement, for the 
 
 o 
 
194 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 rain was falling in torrents, and everything was dripping wet. 
 Still the majestic eagle was worth all the trouble. 
 
 I had now time enough to accurately observe the nest and 
 the immediate surroundings of the place. The whole wood 
 was formed of very poor oaks, and much overgrown with low 
 bushes ; in short, it was just an inland wood such as one finds 
 in any ordinary flat district, and had no special characteristics. 
 The nest was supported by a young oak with but little foliage, 
 and I was quite astonished that an eagle should have chosen 
 such a poor tree for its dwelling, as they usually only do this 
 from sheer necessity, when there are no better to be found. 
 
 The structure itself was adapted to the tree, as it was also 
 of no great size, and I observed that the nest of the Imperial 
 Eagle was, as a rule, small as compared with the size of the 
 bird. 
 
 A good quarter of an hour passed by in patient waiting, 
 Orioles flew to and fro and uttered their joyous notes just 
 above the dwelling of this mighty robber, while warblers, 
 the true children of the woods, and many other small birds, 
 were singing and hopping about the bushes in full activity. 
 
 Sometimes I saw both the eagles sweeping over the trees, 
 pursued by crows, and at last the female, which was much 
 the larger bird, flew quickly up to the tree and settled on a 
 branch, where it was pretty well concealed by the foliage. 
 I fired and, wounded by the first shot, the eagle sank 
 towards the bushes, the second barrel bringing it down to 
 the ground. 
 
 Greatly delighted I hurried up to my splendid booty, which 
 Hodek at once carried off to the cart, while I remained in 
 my ambush to await the coming of the male ; but though I 
 stayed there patiently for half an hour, and sometimes plainly 
 saw the stately bird cruising in the distance, it never came 
 within shot. 
 
 At last I could stand it no longer, and left the place, it 
 
TWELFTH DAY. 195 
 
 being high time that I did so, for I had still a very wide 
 extent of country to explore. Having got back to the cart I 
 drove a little further along the borders of the wood, and then 
 turned into a broad and perfectly straight road, the only one 
 which traverses the entire length of the Kovil forest. 
 Throughout its course it runs through dense scrub, low, 
 almost impenetrable copses, and high woods, and being 
 bordered by ditches on both sides shows a certain trace of 
 human care. I must have driven along it for another good 
 half-hour before Hodek begged me to leave the cart and to 
 enter the wood by a narrow footpath, which led away from 
 the road in an easterly direction. 
 
 This track at first took us through bushes and across little 
 glades, where there was everywhere plenty of life; for Warblers, 
 Thrushes, Finches, Buntings, Orioles, Turtle-Doves, and 
 Cuckoos were uttering their various notes and flitting 
 merrily about among the branches, while the thickets kept 
 getting still denser, and a few thin ugly oaks rose above 
 them. 
 
 On one of these oaks stood the large well-built nest of a 
 Sea-Eagle, and I could hardly have believed it possible that 
 so large a bird could have constructed so heavy a nest on 
 such a slender miserable tree; but a dearth of more suitable 
 places had compelled it to do so. This was the only Sea- 
 Eagle's nest which we discovered in the woods round Kovil. 
 
 Unfortunately the herdsmen, who wander about with their 
 flocks all day long, had made this pair of eagles quite shy 
 and unapproachable with their pistol-shots; for as soon as the 
 birds detected us they rose high in the air and circled round 
 uttering their ominous screams of alarm; and though I crouched 
 down below the nest, well concealed among the thick bushes, 
 and waited for a good hour, the shy creatures never left the 
 place for a moment, but kept wheeling overhead at a uniform 
 height, looking down at me all the while. I had thus an 
 
 02 
 
196 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 opportunity of watching their truly majestic flight, as with- 
 out any visible movement of their wings they sailed through 
 the air; hut not even the hungry cries of the two almost 
 fledged young ones ever induced the parents to come near 
 the nest. 
 
 Both the old eagles were particularly large and finely 
 coloured, and their pale plumage looked so attractive that I 
 should have had great pleasure in adding one of them to our 
 collection; Jbut my patience was all in vain, and when Hodek 
 came up to my hiding-place, and besought me to leave it and 
 to go further on, I yielded to his advice, and proceeded 
 towards the interior of the forest, following the same path. 
 
 After walking a little way through the thickets, we reached 
 a high oak wood where a few white poplars and wild fruit- 
 trees with an undergrowth of hawthorn diversified the other- 
 wise rather common-place-looking cover. 
 
 Unhappily this locality, like all other parts of these forests, 
 was swarming with wandering herds of pigs, sheep, and cattle, 
 while wild cut-throat-looking herdsmen, with their grey, 
 shaggy wolf-dogs, loafed after the pasturing beasts. All these 
 men are armed with pistols, partly for scaring the wolves, 
 which range about these districts, and partly for protecting 
 themselves against the powerful wild-boar-like males of the 
 so-called tame .pigs ; for every year, as I was told by people 
 on the spot, several of these herdsmen are attacked while 
 asleep and killed by their own pigs in the most horrible way. 
 They also use their pistols during their leisure hours for firing 
 useless shots at the birds of prey and the nests, the result 
 being that all the raptorial birds become uncommonly shy, 
 especially in these forests. 
 
 Close to the head-quarters of the great herds I found many 
 large wolf-tracks, and near the path were the remains of a 
 mangled lamb. 
 
 The part of the forest which we had now got to harbours 
 
T WELFTH DA Y. 197 
 
 such large numbers of raptorial birds that one might really 
 call it a colony of them, for nest after nest decorated the tree- 
 tops. First we found a pair of Imperial Eagles still busy 
 building, and a little way further on was the basket-like nest 
 of an Eagle-Owl on the topmost branches of a small oak. 
 The rather small but beautifully plumaged male was sitting 
 on the tree somewhat below the nest; and as my careful 
 attempt to stalk it was quite unsuccessful, we tried to get a 
 shot at the female by hammering at the stem of the tree, but 
 nothing moved; and we were just going away when all at 
 once the splendid large owl slipped quietly out of the nest 
 and flew off through the trees, where I caught sight of it too 
 late, and made the mistake of firing an uncertain shot at too 
 great a range. Some pellets must, however, have hit it, for 
 there were feathers floating about, and the bird did not return 
 to its nest. 
 
 A few paces further on the real colony began, and here 
 there was a nest on almost every tree, but of course not all 
 occupied, for many were hanging down, having been half 
 destroyed by the herdsmen, and others either had no tenants 
 this year, or had more probably been already robbed of their 
 eggs, while at some the birds were still building. 
 
 Scared by the shots, the inhabitants of the wood were flying 
 about over the tops of the trees Imperial, Spotted, Pygmy, 
 and Short-toed Eagles, Common and Black Kites, Goshawks, 
 and Kestrels wheeling about in wild disorder, like the inmates 
 of a heronry or of a colony of cormorants. 
 
 Concealing myself under a tree I sat down to allow them 
 to get a little quieter, and to study the distribution of the 
 nests. Imperial and Spotted Eagles were still busily building, 
 and the nest of a Short-toed Eagle had unfortunately been 
 destroyed by the herdsmen. Of the two pairs of Pygmy 
 Eagles, one was still employed in the construction of its nest, 
 and the other occupied in the duties of breeding. The Gos- 
 
198 FIFTEEN DATS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 hawks and Common Kites, one or two pairs of each species, 
 seemed to be nesting at the other end of the wood, for when 
 things got quieter they dropped down in that direction. As 
 for the Black Kites, here, as elsewhere, the commonest rap- 
 torial birds of Southern Hungary and Slavonia, they were 
 breeding in all parts of the wood; but I did not vouchsafe 
 them the slightest attention, my object being to secure for our 
 collection a Pygmy Eagle in the dark plumage. 
 
 It was so very interesting to watch the various doings of all 
 these birds, that I stayed a long time in my hiding-place while 
 Hodek went back to make a more thorough search for the 
 wounded Eagle-Owl, though he unhappily met with no success. 
 At last the birds quieted down, and I had pretty well made 
 out in what direction I should have to look for the Pygmy 
 Eagles, and was just preparing to move off, when a herd of 
 swine appeared so suddenly that they seemed to have sprung 
 out of the ground. These disgusting beasts, covered with a 
 thick coating of dirt, crept out of the bushes, grunting and 
 looking at me in amazement, and I must confess that, after all 
 I had heard of the amiability of the Slavonian pigs, I was not 
 much charmed at this sudden visit ; but they seemed to be in 
 a good humour to-day, as they passed close to me snuffling 
 about, without honouring me with any further attentions. 
 
 After this 'interlude I left the place, and soon discovered, 
 on the lower branches of a thick oak, a nest which I at first 
 took to be the abode of a Spotted Eagle. Hodek, who 
 had come up after me, tried to drive out its occupant by 
 striking the tree, but it was not until he had done this re- 
 peatedly that a brown bird dashed out through the trees with 
 a quick irregular flight. My first barrel brought it down, 
 and on hurrying up to it I found that my wish was gratified, 
 and that I had secured a fine and perfectly dark-coloured 
 female Pygmy Eagle. I now at once hid myself under the 
 nest to await the probable return of the male, as I was anxious 
 
TWELFTH DAY. 199 
 
 to see whether its plumage would be light or dark; and indeed 
 the little eagle did not keep me waiting long, for I suddenly 
 heard its melodious notes on my right. The sound made by 
 the Pygmy Eagle is more than a call, for one might really 
 say that the consecutive and very different notes which it 
 utters amount to a short song; while the bird itself is, in my 
 opinion, undoubtedly the most interesting and least known of 
 all our raptorial species, and the one which offers to our ever- 
 combative ornithologists the greatest field for discussion. 
 
 Cautiously looking in the direction whence the notes of 
 the eagle proceeded, I saw the splendid male, in its pale 
 glistening plumage, sitting bolt upright on a dead branch, 
 and unfortunately fired at it, although it was rather too far 
 off, for though it fell to the ground severely wounded, it 
 fluttered off among the thick undergrowth, where I soon lost 
 sight of it; and the most careful search proving fruitless, , my 
 hopes of adding to our collection a paired couple of Pygmy 
 Eagles in different plumages were quite frustrated. 
 
 Frightened by the last shots, the inhabitants of this in- 
 teresting colony were flying about in the wildest disorder, 
 and among them I noticed a pair of Black Storks, which had 
 set up their abode in the midst of these birds of prey, but had 
 not yet finished building. 
 
 As there seemed, for the present, to be no more chance of 
 doing any good in the outskirts of the wood, I pushed further 
 into it, and soon found a medium-sized nest on the upper 
 branches of a young oak, and from it there dashed out a dark- 
 coloured hawk while I was still some distance off. The bird 
 disappeared so rapidly that I did not recognize it, and I 
 therefore concealed myself behind a tree to await its return. 
 In a few minutes it came back, approaching through the trees 
 close to the ground, and the owner of the nest, falling to my 
 shot, lay in its death-struggle on the grass, and proved to be 
 an exceedingly handsome Goshawk. 
 
200 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 Meanwhile the rain had stopped, the clouds had broken up, 
 and scorching sunbeams, the precursors of an approaching 
 storm, were shining down on forests dripping with the long con- 
 tinued rain. Our clothes, which were quite soaked through, 
 now slowly dried; and, tired with our many hours of shooting, 
 we plodded on through the woods to the carts, for it seemed 
 useless to return to the colony, which we had so thoroughly 
 ransacked, and the inhabitants of which had now become so 
 restless. 
 
 At the carts I found my brother-in-law, who had brought 
 back a fine bag of two magnificent Imperial Eagles from the 
 other part of the forest ; and, after taking a hasty lunch of 
 bread, we got into the traps and drove to the Sacer wood, 
 following the road by which we had come in the morning as 
 far as the outer houses of Kovil. 
 
 In the avenues of acacias already mentioned we found 
 Crows, Magpies, Kestrels, Larks, and numbers of Yellow 
 Hammers and Tree-Sparrows ; Turtle-Doves, too, were sitting 
 about the fields, and some of them flew past so close that I 
 easily brought down a couple right and left from the cart. 
 
 Towards the afternoon the sun was still more scorching ; 
 heavy storm-clouds towered up in all directions, and distant 
 thunder announced the approach of bad weather, and as we 
 were driving past Kovil the first large drops of rain fell, and 
 three heavy storms burst above us with a terrific noise. 
 
 Seldom have I seen such a tempest, for the violent gusts 
 of wind bent the trees, thunderclap followed thunderclap, 
 lightning flashed vividly in all directions, and soon came 
 a torrent of rain like a waterspout. We were wet to the skin 
 again in a few minutes, and though this involuntary bath was 
 by no means pleasant, we nevertheless enjoyed the magnifi- 
 cent spectacle of the storm as it passed away over the vast 
 plains in low layers of cloud. 
 
 Despite the unfavourable weather, we held on our way, and, 
 
TWELFTH DAY. 201 
 
 passing the outermost houses of Kovil, soon reached the 
 northern fringe of the great Sacer forest. Here, at Hodek's 
 desire, I left the cart, while Leopold drove on towards the 
 interior of the woods to visit an Imperial Eagle's nest. 
 
 Walking through a little hollow I struck into a path that 
 in a few minutes brought me into these woods, which much 
 resemble those of Kovil in their main characteristics, but 
 have not such a heavy undergrowth or such impenetrable 
 copses. 
 
 The first nest which I encountered was a Pygmy Eagle's; 
 but unluckily the handsome light-coloured bird was sitting 
 on a branch near its dwelling and flew off as we approached, 
 and though hit by the shot which I fired, it skimmed 
 away close to the ground and we failed to find it. The rain 
 was falling in torrents and pattering noisily on the leaves as 
 I penetrated deeper into the wood, and the sodden state of 
 the deep loamy soil much increased the difficulties of walking 
 during this wet and fatiguing excursion. 
 
 There are, in the depths of this Sacer forest, some most 
 lovely picturesque spots, where low oak woods adorned with 
 a few tall old trees, twisted into the strangest forms, alternate 
 with flowery little glades, through which run the rills which 
 feed the marshes. Invigorated by these warm summery rains 
 all was fresh and blooming in the most luxuriant way, and 
 the many-noted songs of the Nightingales and other warblers 
 enlivened the wood, while the rain gradually ceased, the 
 clouds broke up, and it looked as if we were going to have a 
 fine evening. 
 
 My way led me past a Pygmy Eagle's nest still in course 
 of construction, then followed a Goshawk's, where this usually 
 shy bird could only be frightened out of its dwelling by re- 
 peated blows on the trunk of the tree, but, flying off at last, 
 fell to my shot. 
 
 At the edge of a very charmingly situated glade stood the 
 
202 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 nest of a splendid pair of Peregrines ; but these rare and noble 
 falcons did not permit me to come within even the most 
 distant range. This pirate Peregrine, the very ideal of a true 
 powerful falcon, and the bird which in the heron-hawking of 
 the Middle Ages graced so many beautiful wrists, was the 
 very species which would have been so valuable an addition to 
 our collection, yet all our efforts to obtain it were unsuccessful. 
 The female came, indeed, and circled a few times round my 
 hiding-place, screaming loudly, but she always kept carefully 
 out of shot, so after a long futile wait I quitted the place and 
 went to a little wood surrounded by meadows. There several 
 Black Kites were nesting; but in this forest, just as in the 
 Kovil woods, the herdsmen had made the birds of prey so 
 thoroughly acquainted with the wiles of man, that I did not 
 succeed in getting a fair shot. 
 
 Behind this little colony of Kites was a thin wood of tall 
 trees and some forest- glades, where large herds of cattle were 
 grazing, and high up in one of the trees was the broad nest 
 of the king of the Crow kind, the great Raven. Both the 
 old birds had noticed our approach and circled croaking 
 overhead, nor was there any immediate prospect of their 
 coming nearer the nest; for the four already fledged and full- 
 grown young ones were sitting on the neighbouring trees 
 uttering cries of alarm, and as the stupid clumsy creatures 
 made no use of their well-developed wings, I was able to 
 finish off the whole brood of young robbers with the rifle. 
 
 Attracted by the shots my brother-in-law suddenly emerged 
 from the opposite wood in a rather discontented frame of 
 mind, for his guide, a not very bright inhabitant of Kovil, 
 had lost his way, so they had been wandering about in an 
 aimless sort of manner without getting to the nests. I have 
 therefore the more reason for here singing the praises of my 
 own guide, Tarcza, a peasant of the Kovil district, whose out- 
 ward appearance gave rise to serious doubts as to whether he 
 
TWELFTH DAY. 203 
 
 really belonged to the human species or was not still closely 
 related to our cousins the apes. His face, framed by hair 
 dripping with grease, was a perfect caricature, and his plump 
 body, long, loose arms, and gigantic feet were enveloped in 
 skins, while such an atmosphere surrounded the worthy fellow 
 that one could not stand it, even yards away. Spirits and 
 chewing tobacco were his sole ideals, and to get them he has 
 hunted out nests for Hodek in these woods for many years, 
 and for but little pay. 
 
 His skill in this, as well as in stalking game, was quite 
 incredible; and it was amusing to ramble about the woods 
 with him, for when he had found a nest he lay down and 
 crawled on all fours, like a cat about to spring, until he got 
 under the tree, and his burst of wild delight when I shot one 
 of the birds which he had discovered was most remarkable. 
 He could also describe the various species of eagles quite 
 delightfully in his South Slavonian tongue, and gave the 
 Pygmy Eagle the very expressive name of " the eagle - 
 with the breeches," on account of its white thickly feathered 
 
 A scene which I witnessed while in his company was too 
 comical to be here omitted. While creeping from one kite's 
 nest to another Tarcza suddenly made signs to me to stop 
 and not to follow him, and I was sure that he had at least 
 caught sight of an eagle, for he slowly crouched down and 
 took his broad hat off his head; but all at once he gave a 
 tremendous spring, throwing himself flat on the ground, and 
 then stood up, swore loudly, and jumped about, scratching 
 himself behind the ears. I thought the worthy man had gone 
 mad, but when he had exhausted himself he explained that he 
 had seen a Blackbird nesting on the ground, and wanted so 
 much to have caught it to eat, but it had, during his bold 
 manoeuvre, escaped just as his hand was upon it. 
 
 After resting a little while we turned homewards, and as 
 
204 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 we passed by a Kite's nest I brought down the bird as it flew 
 over our heads. Our path now led us close to the Peregrine's 
 nest, and we sent Hodek's climber up the not very high oak 
 to take it, the pair of falcons meanwhile flying about, scream- 
 ing loudly, but unfortunately always keeping so far away that 
 I could not get a certain shot. 
 
 In a few moments the four young ones were in our hands; 
 they were very small, and still covered with the first woolly 
 down, so we packed them up in a bag as best we could, and 
 then continued our walk through the thick oak woods, which 
 smelt very sweet after the warm spring rain. 
 
 The sun had already set, and heavy storm-clouds were once 
 more forming in dense rounded masses, while as night came 
 on, and it was getting dark, the rain again began; so we 
 hastened to our carts, which were standing by the edge of the 
 wood quite close to Kovil, and drove on as fast as possible 
 to the spot outside the village where our steamer was 
 anchored. 
 
 The water was much swollen by the many heavy storms of 
 rain, so the rather shaky planks which connected our floating 
 abode with the dry land had to be advanced still further into 
 the flooded meadow; and I must confess to feeling a certain 
 pleasurable sensation on stepping into the warm comfortable 
 cabin, where a good hot dinner was awaiting us, after a long 
 fatiguing day, during which we had been wet to the skin 
 several times. 
 
 The two Savants had spent the day in the large swamp and 
 inundated woods close to the village, and had bagged a 
 Bittern, a Purple Heron, a Night-Heron, three Terns, and a 
 great Sedge- Warbler, while some interesting observations on 
 the migration of the Terns and Glossy Ibises had recompensed 
 them for the many difficulties and exertions attendant on an 
 exploration of these flooded districts. 
 
 Brehm had also to-day proved himself a thorough natu- 
 
TWELFTH DAY. 205 
 
 ralist, in the strict sense of the word, for he had found the nest 
 of a Penduline Tit in the midst of an almost impenetrable 
 submerged thicket, where this truly artistic construction was 
 hanging from the top of a willow-bush. 
 
 It was with great difficulty that he had forced his " csikel " 
 up to the place, and then, instead of allowing himself to be 
 led away by a hankering after the shooting of wild-fowl or 
 birds of prey, he had resolved to spend some hours at the 
 nest of these Tits, which he had never before seen in a wild 
 state. To-day he only studied their habits and customs, and 
 did not shoot these rare birds for our collection until the 
 morrow. 
 
 Dinner was now quickly despatched, and after the measure- 
 ments and the notes were jotted down, perfect quiet soon 
 prevailed on board the steamer. 
 
[ 206 ] 
 
 THIRTEENTH DAY. 
 
 THERE was a general stir on board the steamer at the first 
 break of day, and with very sleepy eyes we went on deck to 
 admire the lovely sunrise and to get ready for the chase. 
 
 At nine o'clock a great wolf-drive was to come off in a 
 more distant part of the Kovil forest ; so we had arranged 
 that each of us should pursue his ornithological sport before 
 the commencement of the official manoeuvres organized by the 
 Corporation. Brehm was anxious to return to the flooded 
 wood, in order to again study and afterwards shoot the Pen- 
 duline Tits. Leopold and I wished to pay a morning visit to 
 the Imperial and Sea-Eagles in the Kovil forest ; while Bom- 
 belles and Homeyer intended to remain on board, and not to 
 join us until the wolf-drive took place. 
 
 Breakfast was soon over, and we were now ready to land 
 and set off, but found to our horror that there were no carts, 
 though precise orders had been given about them yesterday, 
 and the forester, who is appointed by the Hungarian Govern- 
 ment, had been kind enough to take the personal direction of 
 the whole business, and had promised that they should certainly 
 be ready at the appointed time. 
 
 There we stood waiting on the bank for a whole long hour, 
 not in the most amiable tempers, for we had lost the best time 
 of the morning both for sleeping and for the eagles' nests in 
 a most unnecessary way. At last Mr. Forester a Hungarian 
 sportsman in the full and terrible sense of the word appeared 
 with the carts ; and on our asking him in pretty plain terms 
 why he was so late, he replied with a perfectly satisfied look, 
 
THIRTEENTH DAY. 207 
 
 " Well, but here I am ! " There he was most assuredly, but 
 he could not give us back our lost hour. 
 
 We now set off, my brother-in-law and I sitting in the 
 same cart, and again exposed to the frightful torments caused 
 by the too immediate proximity of our Slavonian coachman, 
 our only solace being the beauty of the weather, for it had 
 stopped raining during the night, and we felt refreshed and 
 invigorated by this fine fresh morning with its light mists, 
 which almost reminded us of an October day. 
 
 We urged our driver to do his very best, and by a constant 
 thrashing of his cat-like horses he very soon managed to bring 
 us into the Kovil forest. 
 
 On getting near the Sea-Eagle's nest, at which I had vainly 
 waited yesterday, I stopped the cart and got out, while my 
 brother-in-law drove on to the Imperial Eagle's nest, where he 
 had shot the female, and at which he now proposed to watch 
 for the male. 
 
 I stole cautiously through the bushes up to the Sea-Eagle's 
 dwelling, but hardly had I got within measurable distance 
 of it, when both the eagles rose and circled round, screaming 
 loudly. 
 
 The unpunctuality s of the forester had thus frustrated my 
 plan of hiding myself near the nest very early, while the 
 eagles were away on their first foraging expedition, a daily 
 event which always occurs immediately after sunrise, and I 
 arrived just at the moment when they had finished giving the 
 young birds their morning meal. This is precisely the most 
 inauspicious moment, for both the old birds have by that time 
 already breakfasted, and after attending to their parental 
 duties, sit lazily on the trees near their nest, and there is then 
 no chance of success, especially with a pair of eagles which 
 have had their wits somewhat sharpened. My prospects were 
 therefore most unfavourable when I betook myself to my place 
 of concealment in a thick bush. 
 
208 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 The eagles kept wheeling about overhead incessantly, and I 
 saw their great shadows gliding over the ground, while they 
 never ceased uttering their ominous cries of alarm. 
 
 The sun was burning very fiercely, and thin wreaths of 
 vapour were rising from the ground, which was saturated with 
 yesterday's rain. I had chosen a very comfortable seat, and 
 the buzzing of the insects and the charming carols of the 
 countless song-birds had such a drowsy influence that I 
 suddenly fell fast asleep, and must have been in that condition 
 for a good hour, when I awoke and looking quickly up at the 
 nest saw a large brown bird moving about inside it. I could 
 only see the outline of its back from time to time, and made 
 sure that it was the old eagle supplying its young with food ; 
 so I took up my rifle and fired at this grey-brown form, as soon 
 as I again got a distinct glimpse of it. As nothing moved at 
 the shot, and a few small feathers were lifted by the wind and 
 carried over the edge of the nest, I felt sure that I had hit the 
 bird, so hastened back to my guide, feeling proud of my 
 successful shot ; and as it was now time to get ready for 
 the wolf-hunt, sent the climber to the nest to bring down the 
 dead eagle. 
 
 On reaching the broad driving-road I found my brother- 
 in-law, who had returned empty-handed from an unsuccessful 
 attempt to shoot the Imperial Eagle. 
 
 The rendezvous for the sportsmen was just at the spot where 
 the path leading from the Sea-Eagle's nest joined the broad 
 road which bisects the forest. The beaters were already 
 stationed by the fields at the edge of the woods, and the guns 
 came driving up in carts. Most of these sportsmen were 
 notables of the village, and their whole appearance and arma- 
 ment were so singular and primitive that we most fervently 
 prayed that Providence would prevent these fine fellows from 
 getting shots, otherwise our lives would be somewhat insecure. 
 With one of these sporting gentlemen I was particularly 
 
THIRTEENTH DAY. 209 
 
 amused ; but he, alas ! immediately left the rendezvous and 
 hurried off to his post a good half-hour too soon, for a noble 
 thirst for the battle and a longing to measure himself in single 
 combat with the Wolf seemed to leave him no peace. He was 
 also armed to the teeth, for, besides a variety of knives and 
 daggers, he carried with great spirit and dignity a long antique 
 muzzle-loader, such as was formerly used for duck-shooting, 
 the brave fellow being evidently prepared for the most terrible 
 encounters. 
 
 The numerous tracks one sees in the sand and damp loamy 
 soil, as well as the remains of mangled lambs, give evident 
 proof that large numbers of wolves do exist in these districts; 
 and the great dread which all the natives have of these 
 ravenous wild beasts is a clear indication of the regularity 
 with which they carry on their depredations, for wolves only 
 become impudent and commit open robberies when they are 
 in troops and feel quite at home. 
 
 Our chances therefore of a successful drive did not look so 
 doubtful until we saw the noisy disorderly gang of sportsmen 
 with the above-mentioned forester as manager ; for, like most 
 Hungarian foresters, this man understood nothing about his 
 business, and neither knew his ground nor what game it held ; 
 indeed it was with the greatest astonishment that he learned 
 from us that eagles existed in this neighbourhood, and he 
 proudly told us that, in his capacity of forester, he did not 
 trouble himself about the game, but only about the wood. 
 Unfortunately these wretched forests also bore the stamp of 
 his careful handling. 
 
 Brehm soon drove up to the rendezvous from his excursion 
 among the marshes, where he had again found the Penduline 
 Tits, and after a further study of them had shot and brought 
 them back, together with their marvellously constructed nest, 
 a capital and interesting achievement, which he had supple- 
 mented by bagging a heron. A little later Bombelles and 
 
210 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 Homeyer also appeared at the trysting-place, so the exciting- 
 drive could now begin. 
 
 We had got the forester to place the whole of our party 
 along a narrow forest by-road, while all the other guns re- 
 mained on the broad ride ; for we valued our lives far too 
 much to stand in the same line with these excessively dan- 
 gerous sportsmen. 
 
 The disorderly way in which the final arrangements were 
 made and the guns posted was most extraordinary, and there 
 was such a chattering and shouting that I should have mar- 
 velled at any wolf who came there to be shot at. 
 
 My brother-in-law and I stood next each other at the corners 
 of a little glade, and in front of us was a stretch of dense, 
 almost impenetrable thickets of hawthorn diversified with a 
 few tallish oaks, a sort of cover that seemed just made for all 
 sorts of vermin ; and I quite believed an old keeper (the only 
 real sportsman in the whole district), who assured ine that 
 these thickets were the favourite retreats of numbers of Wolves, 
 Wild Cats, and Foxes. 
 
 Hardly were we posted when there was a shot from the 
 other line of guns. It was the first and last during the entire 
 beat, and turned out to have been ineffectually fired at a sly 
 fox that crossed the broad ride. 
 
 We must have been standing motionless for about half an 
 hour, with our guns cocked and loaded with slugs, when the 
 beaters came up with loud shouts and endless curses. Instead 
 of working through the bushes, a dread of the thorns and an 
 infinite respect for the wolves had kept them to the more 
 open places, and they were following each other in gangs of 
 ten to twenty ; nor did these individual bands even break 
 cover at the same time, but appeared at irregular intervals, 
 and then vanished into the woods beyond the beat, utterly 
 ignoring our line of guns. One knot of beaters made them- 
 selves particularly comfortable ; for half a dozen of these 
 
THIRTEENTH DAY. 211 
 
 sturdy fellows, with long white cloaks, knives in their belts, 
 and faces tanned by exposure, sat down close to me on the 
 little meadow, leisurely smoking their pipes, and now and then 
 yelling out as if they wished to strike terror into the wolves. 
 
 If the whole proceedings connected with this drive had not 
 been so utterly comic, one would have been intensely annoyed, 
 for the great beat was really not driven at all, and we had 
 been steadily standing at our posts all this time quite need- 
 lessly exposed to the burning sun, and with our attention kept 
 on the constant stretch by the possible proximity of such 
 interesting game. 
 
 As there was no regular signal to give notice that the 
 beat was over, we left our posts one by one, and following the 
 example of the beaters lay down on the little meadow. A 
 frugal lunch of bread, cheese, and wine was produced from 
 the game-bags, and we here rested for an hour, heartily 
 laughing at this charmingly conducted wolf-drive, and espe- 
 cially amused by the excellent forester, who, in spite of its 
 total failure, went about with his face beaming with satisfaction 
 and telling of the many wolves which ought to have shown 
 in the beat. 
 
 The other guests had meanwhile gone back to Kovil, and 
 the beaters were also returning, only one remaining a very 
 long fellow with a very red nose, who, in order to fortify 
 himself in case of an encounter with a wolf, had been appa- 
 rently imbibing before the beat, and now lay motionless in 
 the shade of a bush, sunk in a drunken torpor, and taking 
 not the slightest notice of what was going on around him. 
 
 Having eaten our lunch we busied ourselves with inter- 
 changing ornithological notes and studying the brisk life 
 round about us ; for it was a splendid warm day, and after 
 the beneficial rain of yesterday everything was flourishing 
 with renewed vigour and luxuriance. 
 
 High in the blue ether a huge Griffon Vulture was 
 
 P2 
 
212 fIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 soaring in great circles, Hawks and Kites were wheeling 
 about lower down, while Doves were cooing among the trees 
 and bushes ; and Orioles, Thrushes, Shrikes, Starlings, and 
 many other birds were whistling and singing in full concert. 
 The lower forms of life were also well represented ; for the 
 smooth clammy bodies of snakes and lizards, some of them of 
 very considerable size, were gleaming among the grass, 
 and a great variety of butterflies and insects were fluttering 
 about. 
 
 I brought down a Turtle-Dove which came very near our 
 resting-place ; and after this incident we ended our siesta, 
 and went for another ramble through the woods. Leopold 
 returned to the Imperial Eagle's nest; Bombelles drove off to 
 a distant part of the Sacer forest, where there was a colony 
 of Kites; Homeyer intended to visit the skirts of the Kovil 
 woods, to study the smaller birds of the copses and fields ; 
 Brehm wished to explore a portion of the same forest ; and 
 I went back to my colony of raptorial birds to observe their 
 habits at the nest from some quiet place of concealment. So 
 we all separated in different directions. 
 
 On reaching the broad ride I met the climber who had, 
 during the drive, taken the young Eagle-Owls from the nest, 
 and instead of the old Sea-Eagle which I expected, brought 
 me a young one, fully feathered but not yet fledged, the 
 ball having been planted fairly enough in the middle of its 
 back. 
 
 I now continued my walk along the footpath until I got 
 near the Owl's nest, near which I had yesterday seen an 
 Imperial Eagle building, and concealing myself behind the 
 thick trunk of a tree sat down and watched the numerous 
 birds of prey that were flying about. Imperial and Pygmy 
 Eagles, Goshawks, and Kites kept passing by, but always out 
 of shot, and I had, moreover, concentrated my attention on a 
 dark-coloured Pygmy Eagle. This bird was flying about low 
 
THIRTEENTH DAY. 213 
 
 down between the trees, heavily laden with materials for giving 
 the finishing touches to its nest, which it visited several times, 
 always vanishing again in the same direction. 
 
 Hodek, who had accompanied me, had also hidden himself, 
 and was sitting watching a few hundred yards off. Close to 
 him a Blackbird with white wings was hopping about the 
 bushes ; and on seeing this rare freak of Nature he hastened 
 to fetch me, but when we got to the place there was no Black- 
 bird to be found. 
 
 The time was passing quickly, and a glance at my watch 
 showed me that I should have to return; so after strolling 
 through the whole of this part of the wood, I went back with 
 Hodek and the excellent Tarcza to the broad ride, where the 
 carts were waiting, and, starting on our homeward drive, soon 
 reached the spot at the edge of the forest where I had killed 
 the Imperial Eagle at the commencement of our yesterday's 
 ramblings. 
 
 Having still half an hour to spare, I went under the tree 
 and waited to see whether a lucky chance might not bring the 
 male bird within reach of my gun ; but as the eagle very 
 soon appeared and swept round our ambush in wide circles, it 
 seemed useless to stay any longer, so I sent the climber up to 
 the nest, and to my great astonishment he found it was quite 
 empty, the eggs having most probably been carried off by 
 some other bird of prey or by the thievish Hooded Crows, 
 after the female had been shot. 
 
 I now quickly returned to the cart, where I found my 
 brother-in-law, who had been well repaid for his great perse- 
 verance, for he had brought back with him a magnificent male 
 Imperial Eagle. 
 
 Continuing our homeward route together, we rattled over 
 the field-roads at a good pace, and I had only a cursory 
 opportunity of observing the numerous birds which had been 
 enticed out of the woods by the splendid sunny afternoon 
 
214 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 and were now flying about the fields. I also shot from the 
 cart a Lesser Grey Shrike that was sitting on an acacia, and 
 was much amazed at the extraordinary number of " Ziesel " * , 
 for at every step these comparatively large creatures were 
 scurrying about the fields. Indeed, they were quite as nume- 
 rous as are, in some seasons, the field-mice of more western 
 countries. 
 
 We soon got close to Kovil, and saw the plain, the moun- 
 tains far away to the south, and the vast magnificent oak- 
 forests all bathed in the most glorious light of the evening 
 sun ; while a deep blue sky overspread the whole of the 
 splendid landscape, and a soft summer-like air gladdened the 
 travellers who had come from colder regions ; for although 
 this part of the country is not picturesque, it nevertheless has 
 an air of beauty and repose, and, being laid out in large lines, 
 it is by no means wanting in grandeur. 
 
 Rattling along through the village we very soon came to 
 the place where our steamer lay, and where a rather large 
 crowd had assembled ; for Brehm had here been busy with his 
 studies of the national dances, and had yesterday arranged 
 a " Kolo " dance on the meadow in front of our steamer, the 
 village maidens having hospitably acceded to the travelling 
 stranger's wishes ; but as he had returned much earlier than 
 ourselves, he had for to-day organized a small country fte. 
 
 During the night the water had so flooded the meadows 
 that he had to conduct the entertainment from the bow of the 
 vessel, and it took place in knee-deep water ; this, however, 
 only added to the charm of the affair, as it obliged the dancers 
 to keep their garments from getting wet by very graceful 
 movements. The dance was just finishing as we got on 
 board, so some of the village maidens came on deck to present 
 bouquets, and a few minutes afterwards our vessel moved off 
 amidst the loud cheers of the population. 
 * Spermophilus citillus. 
 
THIRTEENTH DAY. 215 
 
 Kovil, the furthest point of our journey, had been reached, 
 and as we were now going up-stream towards the north, 
 we looked at each other somewhat dolefully, for we keenly 
 felt this first reminder of the approaching termination of our 
 expedition and of the close of many delightful and interesting- 
 days. 
 
 When we had lost sight of the village we examined our 
 spoil : a Sea-Eagle in the nestling-plumage, a splendid Impe- 
 rial Eagle, a Heron, four Black Kites shot by Bombelles in 
 the Sacer wood, a Jay, a Turtle-Dove, a Magpie, a Hoopoe, 
 a Lesser Grey Shrike, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, a Green- 
 finch, a Marsh-Tit, a Penduline Tit, a Blackcap, two House- 
 and four Tree-Sparrows lay on the deck. Homeyer had also 
 shot five Ziesels, for these rodents, which are here so com- 
 mon, rarely occur in any part of Germany; and as he had 
 never seen them before, he found them very interesting. 
 
 We spent the first part of the run on deck, enlivened by a 
 magnificent sunset and a glorious evening, for the western 
 sky was brilliant with ruddy tints, and its reflections quivered 
 in the waters of the Danube with glittering effects of colour. 
 
 As we passed Peterwardein it began to get dark; but we 
 went on up-stream without any stoppage, while at dinner- 
 time we discussed the many sporting experiences and the ob- 
 servations of this journey, and after comfortably smoking a 
 cigar and cataloguing the notes and measurements, we all 
 went off to our cabins to enjoy our well-earned rest. 
 
[ 216 ] 
 
 FOURTEENTH DAY. 
 
 THE sun was just rising brilliantly in the eastern sky and 
 gilding with its first beams the splendid woods of Draueck, 
 when we stepped on deck to enjoy the invigorating morning 
 air. 
 
 All night long the steamer had been continuously going 
 up-stream, and we had slipped quickly past Cerevic and the 
 splendid mountains of the Fruska-Gora. We now intended 
 to halt somewhere above Draueck, and to ramble through the 
 Hullo swamp from that point a plan really originated by 
 Brehm, who, while we were engaged in our excursions in the 
 Apatin " auen," had, on one of his trips, reached this large and 
 imposing wooded marsh, and was now desirous of investigating 
 it more thoroughly. 
 
 Our steamer stopped at a charming spot about a mile above 
 the junction of the Drave with the Danube, where we saw on 
 the left bank the great "auen," which extended to Draueck, 
 while on the right a thin strip of wood ran between the bank 
 and the marsh. Looking upwards, there was a wonderful 
 view of the river girt by its splendid forests of the deepest 
 green; but downwards the prospect, which was also bounded 
 by woods, only extended as far as the great bend of the 
 stream. 
 
 Once more we were in the midst of this striking district, 
 that had so enchanted us a week ago, and on seeing these 
 grand scenes again we were filled with such an increase of 
 wonder and admiration that we stood spellbound on the 
 deck. 
 
 Breakfast having been despatched, the arrangements for 
 
FOURTEENTH DAY. 217 
 
 the morning were made. Leopold got into a boat and went 
 off to the dense wood of gigantic willows which at the true 
 Draueck separates both the Danube and the Drave from the 
 Hullo swamp, and where the Sea-Eagle's nest was situated 
 at which the two Savants had made an unsuccessful attempt 
 some days ago. 
 
 A few minutes later Brehm, Homeyer, Bornbelles, and I, 
 with the jagers and Hodek's crew, also quitted the steamer in 
 the ' Vienna,' and leaving the Danube rowed up a side 
 channel to a keeper's house. 
 
 A belt of trees, so narrow that one could everywhere see 
 through it, ran between the right bank of this arm of the 
 river and the Hullo marsh, and on the left it was separated 
 from the main stream by a much-flooded island walled-in by 
 reeds and covered with a wild tangle of woods. 
 
 The keeper's house stood upon an artificial mound raised to 
 protect it from the great inundations, and the aforesaid strip 
 of wood stretched up to and beyond it; but being somewhat 
 above the level of the marsh it w r as, at this spring season of 
 the year, only partially submerged. Nevertheless we could 
 not reach the house altogether dry shod, and its inmates 
 could only communicate with the rest of the world by boat. 
 
 Singularly enough, we found great numbers of Starlings 
 in this watery wilderness; for this tame bird seems to affect 
 the companionship of man and follows him into the most 
 out-of-the-way places. The trees surrounding this solitary 
 dwelling were thickly peopled with them, while Falcons and 
 Kites were circling over the water, and Crows and Herons 
 were leisurely winging their way from wood to wood ; but, 
 unfortunately, our time was short, and we had to hasten on 
 towards the interior of the marsh. 
 
 On rowing round the keeper's house we at once saw that 
 it would be impossible to get the large ' Vienna' across the 
 shallows under the trees between us and the swamp ; so 
 
218 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 telling the keeper and some fishermen to bring up their 
 boats as quickly as possible, and taking with us a "csikel," 
 \ve left the 'Vienna ' at the house and went on. 
 
 The scene which now presented itself to us at the edge of 
 the swamp was really grand and highly characteristic. 
 Before us lay the broad so-called Hullo marsh, or rather lake, 
 since it does not at all correspond to one's ideas of a marsh ; 
 for what the people here mean by " the Hullo " is an 
 inundated district more or less filled throughout the year 
 with water so stagnant as to have hardly any perceptible 
 current. This lake is bounded on the east by the Danube, 
 on the south by the Drave, on the west by open treeless 
 country, and on the north by the great forests of the " auen." 
 It is very large, stretching towards the west further than 
 the eye can reach, and its interior consists partly of perfectly 
 open sheets of water and partly of regular forests of thick 
 reeds above the height of a man ; but the water is every- 
 where too deep for wading, the whole character of this very 
 interesting submerged district vividly reminding me of the 
 Narenta in Dalmatia. 
 
 From its eastern edge we had a wonderful view of this 
 \vide expanse of water, with its pale yellow beds of reeds 
 rustling and swaying in the wind like fields of corn; while 
 the grey-green woods to the north, the narrow fringe of 
 willows to the south, and the broad plains to the west which 
 seemed to melt into the marsh, together with the incessant 
 cries of all sorts of waterfowl flying to and fro, and the lap- 
 ping in the reeds of the water rippled by the gentle morning 
 breeze all made up a very beautiful and picturesque scene. 
 
 As our boats glided quietly on towards the inner parts of 
 this lake, Terns danced lightly around us, and various kinds 
 of Ducks rose noisily in front of us, while Purple Herons, 
 Grey Herons, and a few Egrets flew slowly away over the 
 reeds ; but we were soon convinced that it would be quite 
 
FOURTEENTH DAY. 210 
 
 impossible to get within shot of anything on the open water, 
 and that we should have to force our crafts through these 
 thickets of reeds if we wished to meet with any success. 
 Unfortunately this proved impossible with the larger boats, 
 so both the keeper and I got into the little " csikel," in which 
 there was hardly room for two people, and the other gentle- 
 men rowed along the edge of the reeds in the boats. 
 
 By dint of the greatest exertions the keeper forced the small 
 and very rickety craft through the great rushes, which kept 
 closing over our heads again, and completely covered us with 
 their cold wet stems. During this exciting voyage we were 
 often nearly upset, and the thought of the impossibility of 
 any one coming to our assistance if we really did tumble 
 into the water was rather suggestive ; for no boat could 
 penetrate in here, nor could there be any question of swim- 
 ming, while to have brought up other crafts from the keeper's 
 house or from the steamer and to have found us out would 
 have taken a long time. All these ideas impelled the keeper 
 and myself to work as hard as we could and, after advancing 
 little by little, we found to our great delight and relief that 
 at every few hundred yards there were reaches of perfectly 
 open water surrounded by sedge, like glades in a forest. 
 
 In the midst of the reed-beds we everywhere found float- 
 ing nests of the Purple Herons, and at first the birds let 
 us come so near that I easily shot one of them within a 
 few yards. 
 
 Penetrating a little further I saw among the colony of 
 Herons several bigger and more solidly built nests, and on 
 getting quite close to them some large wild geese flew up, 
 making a great noise, and I was lucky enough to bring down 
 a splendid Grey Lag Goose with a well-directed shot, although 
 I had only loaded with No. 5 for smaller birds. We then 
 reached the nest with a good deal of trouble and took the 
 eggs, while, scared by the shot, herons, wild geese, and 
 
220 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 ducks flew about over our heads in great numbers, but 
 unfortunately always took care to keep well out of range. 
 
 I now thought of getting back to the open water to look 
 for the companions whom I had left behind, and on my way 
 across the lonely little sheets of quiet water among the reeds 
 I saw Crested Grebes, Little Grebes, Moorhens, and Ducks of 
 various species, but unluckily all too far away to allow of my 
 getting good shots. The scene, however, was both striking 
 and peculiar, for above was the dark-blue sky, and below 
 the clear water, only here and there varied by bright green 
 aquatic plants, while the rustling of the tall pale yellow reeds 
 that closed every outlook and the monotonous call of the 
 Moorhens were the only sounds that broke the deep impres- 
 sive silence. 
 
 By dint of much exertion we reached the rest of the 
 party, who had meanwhile been rowing round the edges of 
 the thicker reed-beds and observing the passing waterfowl; 
 and when I had exhibited the splendid wild goose to the 
 astonished sportsmen and had got into one of the boats, we 
 began our homeward route, and soon found ourselves at the 
 keeper's house, where we went on board the c Vienna.' On 
 our way to the Danube we caught sight of a Hobby darting 
 swiftly along the bank, and bagged the beautiful bird, Brehm 
 and I both firing at precisely the same moment. 
 
 After this short interlude we went on again and soon 
 brought our last excursion to an end, for we now went on 
 board our steamer, and did not leave her again until we got 
 to the quay at Pest. 
 
 My brother-in-law had already returned, having unfortu- 
 nately missed the eagle as it was flying up to its nest, so that 
 our day's bag only consisted of a Grey Lag Goose, a Purple 
 Heron, a couple of Black Terns, and a Hobby. 
 
 As soon as all the men were on board, the steamer got 
 
FOURTEENTH DAY. 221 
 
 under weigh, and we set off on our return journey, which was 
 to be performed without a break. 
 
 We remained on deck, for we could not tear ourselves away 
 from the sight of the splendid woods in which we had spent 
 such pleasant and highly interesting hours. All the well- 
 known spots were quickly passed, and we saw the beautiful 
 pictures changing like shifting scenes, while the beauty of the 
 day had also enticed the birds from their retreats, and we 
 were able to make many interesting observations. 
 
 "We soon reached Apatin, where we had to make a little halt, 
 as Hodek and his men were going to land. The ' Vienna ' was 
 also cast loose from the steamer, as the enterprising naturalist 
 and his crew were about ta engage in a fresh expedition and 
 were going back in her the same day, first to Kovil, thence 
 up the Theiss, and then further down the Danube. The 
 younger Hodek, however, travelled back with us to take 
 our spoils to his workshop in Vienna. Both the Hodeks, 
 father and son, as well as their men, had done us much skilful 
 service throughout the expedition; and the number of large 
 birds which they had often skinned in a very short time was 
 quite astonishing. 
 
 While the steamer was lying at the Apatin pier we were 
 all sitting on deck observing the neighbourhood, when some 
 Hooded Crows came flying round the vessel on the outlook 
 for kitchen-scraps. One of them ventured particularly near, 
 and I shot it, whereupon a miller's lad, who was proceeding 
 to his floating mill in a boat, carried it off as a remembrance, 
 without leave or licence. This was the last bird we killed. 
 
 After a stay of about ten minutes we again got under weigh 
 and now ran rapidly through all these splendid districts. 
 
 At Mohacs, where the character of the scenery becomes 
 monotonous, we set ourselves the task of taking the last 
 measurements and of getting into order the note-books which 
 
-2'2-2 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 we had kept during the whole trip, while the letters and the 
 various belongings, which lay all about the cabin in wild con- 
 tusion, were also collected and packed. In the afternoon we 
 spent some time in the smoking-room near the saloon, which 
 had been fitted up as a magazine for the bird-skins. There 
 lay the large vultures, the eagles, the other hawks, and 
 many smaller birds piled up upon one another, and we our- 
 selves were astonished at the number which had been brought 
 together within the time, while it was very interesting work 
 to turn over the beautiful specimens one by one and to cata- 
 logue and put them in order. The whole vessel had a singular 
 appearance; for under an awning on the deck stood the large 
 table at which Hodek and his men always worked, everything 
 round about it being covered with tow, hay, blood, bones, and 
 feathers in various stages of decay, according to the time that 
 they had been lying about. Towards the bow of the vessel was 
 the large coop in which the live birds of prey were housed; 
 and I can hardly describe what this menagerie looked like 
 close by, or what an odour surrounded it. Altogether our 
 steamer was exceedingly dirty, the whole upper deck being 
 full of live creatures, skins, shooting-gear, and all sorts of 
 things; for while work was going on there from morning till 
 night it was quite impossible to keep it clean. 
 
 Later in the evening, when we had finished our work and 
 had made our final preparations for shortly quitting the 
 steamer, we went on deck to enjoy the delightful air. There 
 wag not a breath of wind, and overhead stretched a cloud- 
 less deep blue sky, while the " auen" above Baja, and afterw r ards 
 the country round Tolna, presented themselves, most beautifully 
 lit up. It was like a splendid summer evening, such as one 
 never gets in more northern lands until about the middle of 
 June, and the hours which we spent on deck admiring the 
 lovely landscapes gilded by the setting sun were truly 
 delightful. 
 
FO UR TEENTH DA Y. 223 
 
 Our steamer ran quickly past all the lonely forests of the 
 "auen;" and the throbbing of the engine and the puffing of 
 the funnel formed a sharp contrast to the infinite repose of 
 these uninhabited districts. 
 
 Sadly we gazed at the beautiful woods and the grand river, 
 and there was not one of us who would not willingly have 
 turned back to ramble through these interesting localities on 
 fresh shooting-excursions, and to lead for a long time a life 
 so full of variety and so different from the monotony of 
 ordinary everyday existence. It is on such expeditions that 
 one first learns what it is to enjoy real sport; for when shoot- 
 ing is combined with scientific studies and the exploration of 
 unknown tracts of country, and is also attended by frequent 
 privations and hard work, it becomes an exciting pursuit 
 which reaches beyond the limits of empty pleasures. But in 
 all Central Europe, excepting our noble Alps, there is no 
 longer any sport to be found which offers this higher kind of 
 interest; for in all the ordinary districts which civilization has 
 reduced to such a dead level of uniformity, the poor game 
 has been forced by man into little retreats, and is by some 
 people so systematically tended that it has become almost 
 domesticated. There is no real pleasure in an easy day's 
 shooting well arranged by a large staff of keepers, for it 
 demands no personal effort and no hard work. It is only 
 shooting-practice, a mere stroll with a gun. Therefore if any 
 one wants to shoot in a fine manly way, let him go to places 
 where the game lives free and fetterless, and where sport 
 involves exertions that are not within every one's powers of 
 endurance. 
 
 Let the kindly reader pardon this digression, for it has all 
 slipped from my pen while thinking of the many effeminate 
 young men of the day who pose as hardy sportsmen because 
 with a certain amount of skill they slaughter the poor game 
 in well-organized battues ! 
 
224 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 But I must now return to our steamer. "When it began to 
 get darker we retired to the cabin to take our last dinner on 
 board, and having finished our meal, went on deck again to 
 enjoy the delightful air. 
 
 It was just like a beautiful summer night ; crickets were 
 chirping on the river-banks, the water rippled softly past, and 
 before us lay the boundless plains of Hungary melting away 
 into the distance, while countless stars glittered in the 
 heavens, and the crescent moon stood out clear and silver- 
 bright, mirroring itself in the waters of the stream. 
 
 Brehm and I, fascinated by the beauty of the night, stayed 
 long on deck, talking over the charming incidents of this 
 journey and planning fresh expeditions, and it was late when 
 we retired to rest, while the steamer ran up-stream all night 
 long without stopping. 
 
[ 225 ] 
 
 FIFTEENTH DAY. 
 
 THE sun was already shining pleasantly into our cabins when 
 we awoke, and found to our great astonishment that the 
 steamer was at a standstill, and that we were quietly lying at 
 the quay of Pest, just at the very place below the suspension 
 bridge from which we had set off a fortnight ago. When 
 breakfast was over we went on deck to admire this beautiful 
 town, which looked very fine in the morning sunlight, and 
 then gave our people their final orders ; for the steamer, with 
 all our effects, skins, and tolerably large menagerie, was to 
 go on to Vienna in order to facilitate their transport. 
 
 When all was in order we left the vessel, and I confess 
 that it was not without a twinge of regret that I took leave of 
 this brave craft which had done us such good service, and on 
 which we had spent so many pleasant hours. 
 
 From the landing-place we drove to the station, where, to 
 our great delight, we found Count Rudolf Chotek, the 
 amiable proprietor of the Fruska-Grora. He was on his way 
 to his other estates in the north-eastern part of Hungary, so 
 we travelled together, and the journey passed quickly and 
 pleasantly except for the great heat. 
 
 We had a good deal of talk about the incidents of the 
 expedition, with which we had certainly reason to be well 
 satisfied, seeing what we had accomplished in so short a 
 time. 
 
 The proceeds of the journey were : 
 
226 
 
 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
 
 CINEREOUS VULTURE .... 8 
 
 GRIFFON VULTURE 1 
 
 IMPERIAL EAGLE 7 
 
 SPOTTED EAGLE 3 
 
 PIGMY EAGLE 2 
 
 SEA-EAGLE 14 
 
 OSPREY 2 
 
 SHORT-TOED EAGLE 1 
 
 COMMON BUZZARD , . 3 
 
 COMMON KITE 1 
 
 BLACK KITE 9 
 
 GOSHAWK 5 
 
 HOBBY 1 
 
 KESTREL 4 
 
 MARSH-HARRIER 1 
 
 EAGLE-OWL 2 
 
 TAWNY OWL 1 
 
 RAVEN . 6 
 
 HOODED CROW 7 
 
 ROOK 1 
 
 JACKDAW . . . 1 
 
 MAGPIE 1 
 
 JAY 1 
 
 ROLLER 5 
 
 LESSER GREY SHRIKE .... 2 
 
 NIGHTJAR 1 
 
 CUCKOO 3 
 
 HOOPOE 2 
 
 TURTLE-DOVE 4 
 
 ROCK-THRUSH 2 
 
 COOT 1 
 
 WHITE-EYED DUCK 1 
 
 MALLARD 1 
 
 GREY-LAG GOOSE 1 
 
 CORMORANT 8 
 
 BLACK TERN 5 
 
 BLACK STORK 11 
 
 WHITE STORK 1 
 
 GREY HERON 9 
 
 PURPLE HERON 2 
 
 NIGHT-HERON . 4 
 
 And an additional list of 26 other species of less interesting 
 birds, which have been elsewhere alluded to ; while the only 
 mammals shot were 1 Fox, 3 Roe, and 5 Ziesel in all a total 
 of 211 head. 
 
 Besides a large number of skins, some of which were very 
 fine, there was also a small collection of eggs and other 
 objects of Natural History, such as nests and a few plants 
 and insects, while our spoils were still further augmented by 
 quite an interesting little menagerie of 8 Sea-Eagles, 6 Eagle- 
 Owls, 4 Peregrines, 3 Ravens, and 4 Tawny Owls. 
 
 We got over our journey quickly, for the express went at 
 a capital rate, and we soon reached a station near Presburg, 
 where Count Chotek left us, and in a couple of hours more 
 
FIFTEENTH DAY. 227 
 
 we saw the dome of the Rotunda and the venerable spire of 
 St. Stephen's, while before us lay our grand Capital, beautiful 
 and smiling, and surrounded by the hilly girdle of the Wiener 
 Wald. Away we went across the Danube, and in a few 
 minutes the train rattled into the Staatsbahn terminus. 
 
 Our Expedition was over, with its glorious days full of 
 interesting experiences, and we shall all look back with 
 pleasure to our trip down the Danube. 
 
EXTRACTS 
 
 PROM 
 
 'A JOURNEY IN THE EAST.'* 
 
 ON the 9th of February, 1881, a cold winter's day, a small 
 but enterprising party of travellers started. It consisted of 
 my uncle the Grand Duke of Tuscany, General Count 
 Waldburg, Abbot Mayer the Court Chaplain, Major von 
 Eschenbacher, Count Josef Hoyos, the painter Pausinger, and 
 myself. 
 
 In Miramar our old friend the ship of the same name was 
 awaiting us, with Captain Rodiger, L.S., and Lieutenants 
 Count Chorinsky, Hahn, Sachs, and Resnicek, and also our 
 travelling physician, Doctor Hirsch. 
 
 Lissa was passed on Feb. llth, and on the 12th the vessel 
 reached Corfu, where we did not land on account of the 
 prevalence of confluent smallpox in the island, but steamed 
 further on to the bay of Kardaki, which we intended to 
 explore in our boats. 
 
 There a few herons, some large and small cormorants, and 
 various ducks and divers took wing as soon as we tried to get 
 
 * < Eine Orient Reise/ pub. Vienna, 1884. 
 
230 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 near them, shooting in this part of the world being a very 
 uncertain amusement, for the Greeks, like the Italians, kill 
 and devour everything. 
 
 At last, after much trouble, I managed to bag a Pygmy 
 Cormorant, and contenting ourselves with this we. returned 
 homewards somewhat consoled for the lack of sport by a 
 beautiful view of the green coast of Benizza and the lofty 
 Hagi Deka mountain. 
 
 On the 13th we resumed our voyage, but a violent gale 
 compelled us to put into Zante; and as the storm continued to 
 rage, I utilized the unavoidable delay by spending the day on 
 the island and ascending the high mountain of Skopos. 
 
 It was a toilsome and uninteresting climb and the sun 
 burned fiercely, while we might have saved ourselves the 
 trouble of carrying our guns, for there was no game, 
 even birds were scarce, and we saw nothing but a few 
 Central-European forms, which were here in their winter- 
 quarters. 
 
 Even on the 15th the weather did not allow of our weighing 
 anchor, so we set out early in the morning and made for the 
 northern point of the island, and on reaching it had a splendid 
 view. To the north lay beautiful Cephalonia, and just in front 
 of us was a deep valley wooded with rustling oaks, in the 
 midst of which stood a charmingly situated monastery almost 
 hidden by the high hillsides. 
 
 We inspected the chapel belonging to it, which seemed to 
 be a great place of pilgrimage, for it was richly adorned 
 with many gilded reliquaries and dusky pictures of saints. 
 Some of the priests then kindly invited us to take luncheon 
 in the monastery, and on our inquiring about the sporting 
 resources of the island, the holy men at once proposed a hunt 
 for hares; so, as soon as lunch was over, we set out under the 
 guidance of the youngest priest, who was attired in a short 
 frock, wide blue trousers, and slippers ; the priestly biretta 
 
* A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 231 
 
 graced his head, and he carried a long gun, while he was 
 attended by a peasant and a couple of very unsporting-looking 
 curs. 
 
 For more than an hour we toiled up a desolate mountain- 
 ravine, where high hill-slopes quite shut out the view on both 
 sides, and there was nothing to be seen but bare dazzling 
 white masses of rock surrounded by narrow belts of ever- 
 green bushes, the whole place having the true sunburnt look 
 of so many mountain districts of the south, such as those of 
 Dalmatia and Spain. 
 
 The dogs hunted among the stones, and the priest bounded 
 about the rocks with tremendous energy, his gun loaded and 
 at full cock. Still nothing stirred, only high above us circled 
 some Imperial Eagles. 
 
 At last we reached the ridge of the mountain, where we 
 had a fine view of the sea and of the high plateau with its 
 medley of stones, rocks, peaks, and summits. While resting 
 there for a quarter of an hour we heard several shots at no 
 great distance, which were followed by the appearance of 
 some peasants with their guns they had missed one of the 
 few hares of the island. 
 
 On the way back I struck across the hill and was taking 
 the most direct line to the monastery, when suddenly a little 
 hare (probably Lepus mediterraneus) jumped up in front of 
 me, but as it was too far off I did not fire. Thereupon the 
 dogs gave chase and the priest, too, pursued the noble animal 
 with long strides; but of course the hare outran them and 
 soon vanished, and the poor priest came back panting and 
 haranguing me in Greek, for, thanks to its great rarity, a hare 
 plays a very important part in Zante. 
 
 On the 16th the weather was favourable and we left this 
 island, arriving at Alexandria on the 18th. Leaving the 
 ' Miramar ' on the 19th, we travelled by Tantah from Alex- 
 andria to Cairo in a special train of the Viceroy's, which went 
 
232 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 so fast that we had hut a fleeting glimpse of many interest- 
 ing scenes. 
 
 At first the line runs along a low ridge of land between 
 the great marshy lakes of Mareotis on the right and of 
 Aboukir on the left. These broad sheets of water are 
 covered with all sorts of wild fowl, while on the yellow 
 sand-hills stand melancholy herons with long outstretched 
 necks. 
 
 After a time the marshes and lakes of the northern delta 
 disappear and are replaced by highly cultivated land. Every- 
 where is tillage, with the broad fields of green corn, perfect 
 forests of cotton-plants, deep canals, high embankments, 
 occasional clumps of slender palms, shady gardens, and brown 
 ruinous-looking mud-built villages with high minarets, which 
 form the typical features of cultivated Lower Egypt. 
 
 There is plenty of life in the fields and along the embank- 
 ments, which also serve as roads. Labourers working and 
 ploughing, and half-nude figures busy at the water-wheels. 
 Women in narrow blue garments leading naked children, and 
 brown fellaheen walking beside the caravans of stately camels. 
 Troops of Bedouin that proud, independent, and isolated 
 little race passing from desert to desert across the cultivated 
 land, the women on camels, the men both on horseback and 
 afoot. Pure Arabs with their white burnouses, fine horses, 
 long guns, and curved sabres. Turbans and common tar- 
 booshes, long-eared goats, and wolfish dogs, the grey stunted 
 donkeys of the peasants, and the well-cared-for white or black 
 riding asses of the rich, with trains of well-to-do people, 
 the men riding in gay attire, the women on camels in 
 tower-like receptacles which hide them from the eyes of the 
 unbelievers The fields swarm with Buff-backed Herons fol- 
 lowing the nusoandman as he ploughs, and with active Spur- 
 winged Plovers. Ruddy-coloured Palm-Doves coo among 
 the bushes by the banks, over which hover long-billed Pied 
 
'A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 233 
 
 Kingfishers, those true Egyptian birds, while, scared by the 
 train, a wolf scurries across the fields, and hawks, vultures, 
 and myriads of kites are cruising round the villages. 
 
 Varied and gorgeous in colour, full of life, rich in human 
 interests, remarkable in its fauna, and swathed in the haze of 
 the noontide heat 'tis thus old Lower Egypt presents itself 
 to the traveller. 
 
 It was in the neighbourhood of Cairo, which we reached 
 on the 19th, that we had our first shooting-excursion. 
 
 After a hasty lunch some of us went out with Baron 
 Saurma. The town had first to be traversed, so we crossed 
 the canal and drove through the broad streets of the European 
 part of the city, passing the pretty houses and luxuriant 
 gardens of the wealthier inhabitants, and getting a distant 
 glimpse of the entrance to the Arab quarter. The streets 
 were very amusing with their wild confusion of European 
 carriages, wretched cabs, pack and saddle asses, mules, camels, 
 rich and poor, beggars and showy Orientals, true believers 
 and semi-European Levantines, and added to all this a great 
 throng of real western folk tourists and the like. Passing 
 Kasr-el-Nil and driving over the bridge, we soon reached the 
 embankments and high avenues which run through the large 
 gardens outside the town, and came to some extensive sugar- 
 cane plantations near Tassum Pasha's palace, which were 
 surrounded by canals and half-flooded fields. In one of these 
 plantations we intended to hunt. 
 
 Prince Taxis and Baron Saurma's brother were awaiting 
 us, so the guns were at once posted and the dogs uncoupled. 
 For a long time the dachshunds seemed to find no scent, 
 but at last they began to hunt and approached the edge of 
 the field, giving tongue loudly ; but unfortunately the wolf 
 broke from the cover at an unguarded point, so we went oft' 
 to another cane-field which lay beyond a broad canal. The 
 dogs were again let loose, but we soon had to take them up, 
 
234 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 as, while they were working, we made the painful discovery 
 that on one side of the field the cutting of the canes had 
 already begun. 
 
 A large number of labourers, wretchedly poor, slightly 
 clad fellaheen, some of whom had splendid figures, were here 
 toiling under the superintendence of an overseer arrayed in 
 long flowing garments and armed with a whip of rhinoceros 
 hide. This fine fellow walked up to me while the hunt was 
 going on, and delivered an oration accompanied with haughty 
 gestures, and, after much trouble, I at last understood him 
 to mean that he wished me to leave the place. 
 
 As the tone of his voice and the movements of his hand 
 began to be more energetic I called up Osrnan, Baron 
 Sanrma's black kawass, and as soon as the worthy Oriental 
 saw the rich livery of a consular servant, his voice sank into 
 mild suppliant tones, and he hurried in among the sugar- 
 canes to avoid further unpleasantness. We then returned to 
 the carriages, having failed in our first brief attempt at 
 killing wolves, though we had shot some small game. 
 
 Baron Saurma now took us to Old Cairo, which lies to- 
 wards the south and is the most ancient part of the town. 
 The bridge had to be crossed again, and then the road 
 turned to the right, and running close to the Nile and near a 
 viceregal palace, soon brought us into a most interesting maze 
 of rubbish and ruins, dirt and debris. There the poorest part 
 of the population were living in miserable dilapidated houses, 
 and there the driving-road came to an end among stones and 
 sand-hills, so we had to get out of the carriages near two 
 tall palm-trees and continue our way on foot. 
 
 The outermost house of the town was formed by the ruins 
 of an old wall and a high heap of rubbish, and from this 
 spot, where the hyaenas, jackals, and half- wild dogs hold their 
 nightly concerts, we had a splendid view. Wreathed in 
 
<A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 235 
 
 misty vapours and surrounded by the most vivid hues, the 
 sun was just sinking below the yellow Libyan desert, and 
 gilding the Pyramids, the high battlements and minarets of 
 the city, the citadel, and the stern cliffs of the Mokattam 
 mountains. It was a scene so rich and splendid in effects of 
 colour, and so adorned by points of natural and architectural 
 interest, that it would be hard even to imagine anything 
 grander. 
 
 Amidst the refuse and rubbish stands the deserted and 
 ruinous mosque of Kasr-el-Ain, and in its walls dwell numbers 
 of Stone-Curlews, those singular birds of nocturnal habits 
 which in the evening leave their hiding-places and fly down 
 to the neighbouring Nile, uttering those incessant whistling 
 cries which one nightly hears throughout Egypt. 
 
 We posted ourselves along the wall of the mosque, and as 
 soon as it began to get dark several of these strange birds 
 darted out of their retreats, but so quickly that Hoyos was 
 the only one of us who managed to bring down a specimen. 
 We then scrambled back to our carriages over the heaps 
 of ruins and refuse, followed by the yelpings of frightened 
 dogs, and stared at by the wondering Arabs who had crept 
 out of their dens. 
 
 The first part of the homeward drive was very slow, for we 
 had to pass through the labyrinthine ruins of Old Cairo in 
 complete darkness before we came to some gardens, and at 
 last got to the fashionable part of the town, where the well- 
 lighted streets were pretty lively. 
 
 On reaching home we dined, and then came a brilliant 
 torchlight procession got up by our countrymen in the 
 gardens of Kasr-el-Nusha, where our national anthem of 
 " Gott erhalte " and the shouts of Hoch ! Eljen ! and Zivio ! 
 sounded strange as they rang through the quiet splendour of 
 an African night. 
 
236 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 The following day our way again led us through the entire 
 European quarter, where I was much charmed with the happy 
 admixture of Eastern and Western architecture in the houses, 
 which were built in country-house style, picked out with 
 Oriental decorations, and with the rustling palm-trees and 
 the luxuriant gardens with their fragrant flowers and shrubs. 
 I was also amazed at the sight of innumerable birds of prey 
 in the very middle of the town, for thousands of Parasitic 
 Kites were flying about or sitting on the roofs, and Egyptian 
 Vultures were sailing low over the streets. I heard, too, the 
 singing of birds, the cooing of Turtle-Doves, and breathed 
 with delight the delicious air of divine Egypt, congratulating 
 myself on having for once escaped the hardships of a European 
 winter. 
 
 Close to the large buildings of Kasr-el-Nil we crossed the 
 sacred river and the island of Greziret-Bulak, and driving past 
 some viceregal palaces and magnificent gardens, soon reached 
 an embankment, along which a highroad bordered with trees 
 ran straight through the fields and half-submerged ground of 
 the cultivated land, and passing a wretched Arab village led 
 up to the very edge of the desert. 
 
 Having inspected the Pyramids of Cheops, Chefren, and 
 Menkera, and the Sphinx with its body buried in the desert 
 sands, we got some Arabs to go up the second Pyramid and 
 drive down the jackals which it harbours. We were, how- 
 ever, badly posted; so a couple of jackals broke through 
 unhurt and scurried off into the boundless waste, which is 
 here intersected by hills and valleys. Several ineffectual 
 shots had, however, been fired at them from below as they 
 sprang about among the stones with extraordinary agility 
 halfway up, and therefore much too far off. 
 
 The Pyramids looked to me more like artificial hills than 
 architectural monuments, especially when men and animals 
 were clambering about them. 
 
'A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 237 
 
 On the following morning, after spending some hours in 
 ceremonial duties, we were able to change our full-dress 
 uniforms for our shooting-coats, and after taking an early 
 lunch we set out to shoot at Heliopolis, and ere long came in 
 sight of the celebrated obelisk with its surroundings of bushes 
 and green meadows. 
 
 Near the obelisk is a garden belonging to the Khedive, 
 which contains a well-kept orange-grove with beautiful walks, 
 and is adorned with flowers and luxuriant African vegeta- 
 tion. This garden, which is not larger than those often 
 attached to European country houses, is surrounded by a low 
 mud wall, and situated among well-tilled fields near a village. 
 
 Baron Saurma now proposed that we should beat it, but as 
 we entered the gate I could not help thinking that we should 
 not find anything more worth shooting at than the pretty 
 Egyptian Turtle-Do ves, but we were soon to be better 
 informed. 
 
 Some of the gentlemen stationed themselves on one of the 
 principal paths that intersected the garden, hiding behind the 
 orange-trees, now loaded with fruit, while to me was assigned 
 the last post near the wall. Saurma's eight capital dachs- 
 hunds were then let loose, and their merry music soon 
 reminded us of our hunting-grounds at home. 
 
 With strained attention I followed the progress of the 
 hunt, and in a few minutes a shot was fired on the path. 
 It was succeeded by a short silence, but the dogs soon gave 
 tongue again in the opposite direction and came nearer and 
 nearer to my post. Suddenly I heard an animal rushing 
 through the bushes towards me, and immediately afterwards 
 a jackal came galloping along the wall as hard as he could. 
 A lucky shot knocked him over, and I had a good deal of 
 difficulty in rescuing my booty from the onslaughts of the 
 furious dachshunds, which had followed closely on the track. 
 It was a true African Jackal that I had killed a lean, reddish- 
 
238 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 yellow, long-legged animal with pointed ears. On hastening 
 back to the other gentlemen, I found that Hoyos had been 
 so- lucky as to shoot a fairly large she-wolf of the African 
 species (Canis lupaster). 
 
 On driving the garden again with the help of some natives, 
 another wolf was started. I heard it rustling through the 
 bushes, and my jager even saw it, but unfortunately the sly 
 brute slipped over the wall without being fired at. A couple 
 of Woodcock were also seen, but not within shot; some Cranes, 
 too, passed high overhead, and the dense foliage, of the orange- 
 trees was enlivened by a variety of birds. 
 
 After this short but very successful beat we left the garden 
 and started for home. The sun had set, the shadows were 
 deepening, twilight was coining on, and as the road along 
 the top of the high narrow embankment, which was dangerous 
 enough by day, did not seem at all suitable for driving on at 
 night, we determined to leave the cultivated country traversed 
 by the canal and strike straight across the desert. At first 
 all went well, but the horses soon exhausted their strength 
 and could only drag the heavy vehicles through the deep sand 
 at a slow walk. The desert, too, began to get somewhat 
 uneven, and as it would have taken us several hours to get to 
 Cairo in this fashion, we made our way back to the arable 
 ground with the help of some torch-bearers. 
 
 As we passed by the gardens of the Kubbeh Palace, bats 
 were flitting round the rustling palms and thick sycamores, 
 and from the shrubs and fruit-laden orange-groves rose most 
 delicious perfumes the intoxicating aromas of Eastern vege- 
 tation. Countless stars gemmed the heavens, and the soft 
 deh'cious air had the effect of enchantment on us poor 
 Europeans. It was a true African night in its full splendour; 
 and one must experience the winning magic of these blest 
 lands before one can understand their indescribable charms, 
 their infinite powers of fascination, and the yearning for them 
 
'A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 239 
 
 which seizes upon every one who has lived within their bounds. 
 Not in the raw, gloomy, frozen North, but in the smiling 
 ever-blooming East, in the land of eternal summer, and 
 there alone, could have stood the cradle of the human race. 
 
 A very good road runs from Kubbeh to Cairo ; so we soon 
 reached Kasr-el-Nusha, where dinner, followed by a refreshing- 
 night's rest, invigorated us for the morrow. 
 
 On the 22nd we started in the morning with Baron Saurma, 
 and drove through part of the European quarter and then up 
 the long Muski to the last houses of the town, where the 
 carriage-road ends and the waste barren district of the old 
 tombs begins. There the broad tract of stones and sand that 
 lies between Cairo and the steep cliffs of the Mokattam hills is 
 completely filled up by a regular city of old mosque-like 
 tombs and Mussulman graves of every description, some of 
 which are very fine. A similar colony of the dead con- 
 taining the tombs of the Mamelukes lies on the further side 
 of the Citadel, but it is far less worthy of inspection. 
 
 Among the many large and small mosques of the tombs of 
 the Caliphs, the most remarkable is the Gamah Kait-Bey a 
 tolerably well-preserved building, with a richly ornamented 
 dome, and in its sanctuary two blocks of stone on which are 
 the prints of the Prophet's feet ! These stones are said to have 
 been brought from Mecca by Kait-Bey himself, the builder of 
 the mosque. 
 
 Altogether this ride through the city of tombs presented 
 many highly interesting points of view. In front of us were 
 the frowning precipices of the mountain, to our right the 
 rock-built Citadel adorned with slender towering minarets, and 
 around us a maze of tombs, gravestones, and mosques, all in a 
 ruinous condition and half-buried by the desert sands. Among 
 them rose bare mounds, crowned with tower-like Arab wind- 
 mills built of stone ; while the whole scene bore the stamp of 
 gloom, and the many tracks of hyaenas, jackals, wolves, and 
 
240 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 dogs showed what uncleanly visitors there howl the night 
 dirges of the departed Moslems. 
 
 We soon got to the great quarries, with their huge walls of 
 rock and large blocks of stone scattered about in wild con- 
 fusion. The donkeys were now left behind, and we climbed 
 slowly halfway up the mountain-side by a narrow path among 
 the stones and cliffs, where at some places it would have been 
 awkward to have been seized with giddiness, while the 
 scrambling about the slippery yellow-grey and dark-brown 
 rocks of this true desert mountain demanded a certain display 
 of dexterity. 
 
 In a narrow ravine enclosed by precipices, and not far 
 from the fortress-like crest of the mountain, we found an 
 Arab sitting beside a dead donkey. 
 
 Here Baron Saurma had caused the entrance to a cave in 
 one of the cliffs to be built up with stones and loop-holed, thus 
 forming a masked mountain-battery at the very best shot- 
 range from the bait at the bottom of the ravine. 
 
 Into this small and very uncomfortable hiding-place my 
 uncle, Saurma's clever Nubian servant Osman, my jager, and 
 I clambered on our hands and knees along a narrow ledge, 
 while the Baron and the Arabs immediately returned to the 
 quarry to see what would happen. 
 
 The sky had unfortunately become overcast and fine rain 
 was falling a very rare occurrence in Cairo, where it is said 
 to rain only seven times a year ; so we had just pitched upon 
 one of these seven days for a kind of sport which requires a 
 perfectly clear sky. 
 
 For a long time nothing came. The incessant practising of 
 the buglers and trumpeters resounded from the Citadel, and the 
 heavy air, in a space so confined as to impede all free move- 
 ment, made us drowsy. 
 
 The countless fossils in the limestone were the only objects 
 which afforded any interest, until at last a pair of Eavens 
 
<A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 241 
 
 flapped down, followed by a few Kites, and these birds at once 
 began their breakfast. Later on came the disgusting Egyptian 
 Vultures, with their bald heads ; and the time was passing so 
 tediously that I recommended my uncle to shoot, as he 
 had never killed one of these birds. No sooner said than 
 done ; and after the smoke had rolled down the valley, 
 I hastened to the spot where the bird lay, and descended to 
 the quarry with the very unsavoury spoil, having advised my 
 uncle to wait a little longer, as the sun had meanwhile broken 
 through the clouds. 
 
 Baron Saurma and I now selected a good post of obser- 
 vation, and with our field-glasses in our hands awaited coming 
 events. 
 
 It was a quarter of an hour before the first great vultures 
 appeared. They were the huge Vulturfulvus, and with slow 
 beats of their wings they came sweeping round the mountain- 
 top one after another, until more than sixty had gathered in 
 the air. Then came the exciting moment when the leading 
 bird folded its wings and plunged into the ravine ; for at this 
 signal all the others followed suit, and, like an avalanche of 
 stones, vulture after vulture came hurtling down from the 
 dizzy heights. The last had hardly reached their goal when we 
 saw the smoke rise from the rock-battery, and a swift dis- 
 persion and wild disorder in the ranks of the great birds were 
 the immediate consequences of the shot. 
 
 With the help of the glass I saw a hard-hit vulture rolling 
 down over the stones, and Osman soon appeared in pursuit of 
 it ; and as the other hungry fellows would not leave the spot, 
 but kept circling round it, I hurried up the narrow rocky path 
 which led to the ambush as fast as I could. 
 
 The Grand Duke had killed at a single shot five enormous 
 vultures, having taken them just at the moment when their 
 heads were all huddled together over the carcass ; and as this 
 great heap of birds was now lying in the little battery, one 
 
 R 
 
242 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 may imagine what a horrible stench pervaded that confined 
 space. 
 
 Though the greedy birds of prey kept cruising round the 
 edges of the ravine for fully half an hour, they would not 
 descend again, but one by one left the place and flew back to 
 the mountains. We, too, set out on our return ; and as 
 Osinan had been sent away, and my jager was waiting in the 
 valley, the troublesome and unsavoury task of carrying the 
 heavy booty on our backs down the difficult path devolved on 
 the Grand Duke and myself. 
 
 It was already afternoon when we reached the quarry, and 
 the other sportsmen had long since returned. They had laid 
 out a carcass near a half-ruined mosque, on a plateau of the 
 Mokattarn hills ; but their bag only consisted of an Egyptian 
 Vulture and some kites, no large vultures having come to 
 them. 
 
 We now rode back through the tombs of the Caliphs to the 
 outer houses of the town, where our carriages were awaiting 
 us. Next day we were to leave Cairo and start on our 
 shooting-trip to the province of Fayum, and after that was to 
 come the journey up the Nile. 
 
 Early on the morning of the 23rd of February the whole 
 of our travelling party, together with Baron Saurrna and his 
 brother, assembled at the station of that southern line of rail- 
 way which is connected with the province of Fayum as well 
 as with Siut. 
 
 Herr Zimmerman was again kind enough to conduct our 
 train, and to accompany us to Abouksor, the last station. 
 Prince Taxis, with a dragoman, had left the day before for the 
 Lake of Birket-el-Karun to pitch the tent and make arrange- 
 ments for several days' shooting. 
 
 At first the line ran along the narrow strip of arable land 
 which extends, chiefly on the western bank, between the Nile 
 and the desert. Here was represented the regular type of 
 
<A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 243 
 
 Egyptian cultivation high farming, pent within narrow 
 bounds. True fellaheen villages alternated with palm-groves 
 larger than those of Lower Egypt, and our attention was 
 attracted by whole towns of round dovecotes built in real 
 Arab style. Thousands of Rock-Doves here find shelter and 
 protection simply for the sake of their valuable guano, their 
 eggs and down being also occasionally taken. These birds 
 never become quite domesticated, but are semi-wild in their 
 habits, and in size and colour remain true Rock-Doves. 
 
 The rail runs on the left side of the Nile, often close to the 
 bank. To the east one sees the desert mountains approaching 
 the river, and to the west the undulating, almost flat, Libyan 
 desert : it also passes all the Pyramids, quite near enough to 
 admit of their being well seen. First come the hoary piles of 
 Gizeh, the proudest of their race ; and these are soon followed 
 by their smaller relatives of Sakkara, while the extensive 
 palm-forests of Bedrascheen and Memphis heighten the tho- 
 roughly African character of the landscape. We Europeans 
 are accustomed to look with wonder at solitary palms in hot- 
 houses or on the southern coasts of our ill-dowered quarter of 
 the globe ; but only in the great rustling palm-forests is this 
 tree invested with its full force as the symbol of glowing 
 Africa. 
 
 About 10 A.M. we branched off from the main line which 
 follows the Nile to Siut, turning due west into the lonely 
 barren waste; and strange and wonderful it seemed to be 
 travelling by rail through these grandly desolate regions. 
 
 At a single stride one steps beyond the limit of the Nile 
 inundations, and passes from a vegetation blessed with moisture, 
 and teeming with a luxuriance such as the Dark Continent 
 alone can generate, into the death-like stillness of the lifeless 
 waste. 
 
 Any one who imagines the desert to be flat and quite level, 
 like many of the Hungarian " pusztas " or the marshy land in 
 
 B2 
 
244 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 the north of Germany, is very much mistaken ; for it is always 
 undulating, often deeply intersected by valleys and crowned 
 by hills. But it is always lonely, without the smallest vestige 
 of plant life, and inhabited on its outskirts only by most 
 peculiar animal forms specially adapted to it. 
 
 Still, to the traveller the desert seems grand and beautiful 
 a type of eternal rest : lovely, too, in tone, glowing under the 
 scorching African sun, and tinted by stones of varied hues 
 bright yellow, dark, and sometimes even mottled which form 
 singular and charming combinations of colour. 
 
 No living thing did we see as the train rattled through the 
 wilderness, except some Bedouins with white burnouses and 
 long guns, who appeared from behind a hillock. Pure 
 Berbers live in this part of the desert free sons of the 
 soil, brave, predatory, utterly unrestrained and lawless, and in 
 their way the happiest of men. The various tribes differ much 
 in appearance and costume, as well as in their weapons and 
 their individual characteristics. Still Egypt, so far as the 
 beauty and picturesqueness of its free races is concerned, is 
 very inferior to Morocco on the one hand and Asia on the 
 other ; for the south-western part of that quarter of the globe 
 is also inhabited by Semitic Arabs. 
 
 Towards noon cultivation again appeared, in the form of a 
 moist green spot in the midst of the yellow waste. This was 
 the great oasis of El-Fay um, a thoroughly well-tilled circular 
 patch of land, surrounded on all sides by the desert, the large 
 lake of Birket-el-Karun forming its boundary on the west and 
 separating the arable ground from the waste. Before arriving 
 at the station of Abouksor we passed through a small portion 
 of this oasis, which was well-farmed, fruitful, and chiefly planted 
 with sugar-cane. We had now reached the terminus of the 
 line, where a dilapidated station and a few buildings belonging 
 to it, together with a sugar factory, form a little colony. The 
 reader must not suppose that this is an establishment on the 
 
'A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 245 
 
 European pattern, such as a Bohemian beetroot-sugar factory; 
 for it is a very plain neglected sort of building, with some 
 low chimneys, which only give it something of the look of a 
 factory. In it the produce of the numerous sugar-cane fields 
 is turned to account. 
 
 We took a hasty breakfast in the very primitively arranged 
 waiting-room of the station, and then hurried to get our 
 caravan together. This is no easy business in the East ; for 
 every one offers the services of himself, his horse, or his 
 donkey in the most impetuous way. They all shout, gesti- 
 culate, and jostle each other till the unfortunate stranger is 
 perfectly deafened and throws himself into the arms of the 
 nearest. However, with the assistance of some gendarmes 
 and our trusty sticks, we soon managed to get this wild chaos 
 into order. 
 
 The gentlemen and the attendants were all provided with 
 horses, and we also engaged some men to carry the dachs- 
 hunds, which are so necessary to the sportsman in this 
 country. On this occasion a regular pack had been got 
 together ; for Baron Saurma had brought ten, and we four of 
 these plucky pugnacious animals. 
 
 With some difficulty the crowds of inquisitive gaping people 
 who had gathered round us were pushed back and prevented 
 from running after us. The Bedouin sportsmen, whom we 
 really needed, rode and walked in front, forming a little com- 
 pany, all clad in white, or rather in dirty yellow burnouses, 
 and armed with long guns and curved knives. At their waists 
 hung primitive tobacco-pouches and bags of powder and 
 hacked lead, their long lean legs being bare and their feet 
 thrust into red slippers. Here, as throughout Northern 
 Africa, they were wretchedly poor, wearing no colours or 
 pretty stuffs, not even turbans, but only the brown close-fitting 
 tarbooshes, the younger men being even quite bare-headed. 
 
 These people are of an interesting type, for they are true 
 
246 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 Berbers of the Libyan desert, dark brown, much darker than 
 those of Lower Egypt, generally tall and slight in figure, and 
 with features less noble and handsome than those of the more 
 northerly Bedouin tribes. They show an evident admixture 
 of southern and even of negro blood ; and among them are 
 some real negroes, perfectly black fellows, with curly hair. 
 These men have in their childhood been carried off from the 
 interior of Africa as slaves, have regained their freedom 
 among the tribes, and have adopted the language, costume, 
 and habits of the Bedouins, forgetting their origin and even 
 the country of their birth. Such individuals I found among 
 all the tribes with which I became acquainted, both in Africa 
 and Asia. Even the agricultural labourers at Abouksor struck 
 me as differing from the type of the fellaheen inhabiting the 
 valley of the Lower Nile ; for they were bigger and generally 
 darker, a sort of mixed race, with a good many negroes among 
 them, and more like the Bedouins, with whom, in these 
 isolated oases, they are much thrown together. 
 
 Our caravan had hardly been formed when shooting began. 
 In the garden near the factory we found a flock of the striking 
 and truly African Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, a lovely green bird 
 with a long tail and blue cheek-stripes, and succeeded in killing 
 some of them. It is a native of the interior of Africa, and 
 very common in Upper Egypt, but never reaches Cairo, which 
 seems to be too far north for it. The pretty Spur-winged 
 Plovers, those characteristic Egyptian birds, were also running 
 about the fields, together with flocks of Bufl-backed Herons ; 
 for here, as throughout Africa, the rich fauna is congregated 
 within the well-watered and verdant districts in astonishing 
 numbers. Altogether the first look of things seemed to 
 promise some good days of sport. 
 
 We were soon blazing away, and a number of birds were 
 well retrieved from the wet fields by our Arabs. Sportsmen 
 seldom come out as far as this part of the country, so we had 
 
'A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 247 
 
 the pleasure of giving a lesson to birds which had not become 
 the least shy of the devices of Europeans. 
 
 The caravan had marched on with the horses, servants, 
 and baggage ; but the sportsmen were shooting in various 
 directions, when Baron Saurma shouted to us to come up to 
 him, for he had discovered a large field of sugar-canes and 
 wished to hunt it with the dogs. But before we could get 
 room to shoot, the numerous labourers had to be sent away, 
 and this was a difficult business. The guns were now to station 
 themselves round the field, while Saurma, my jager, and the 
 pack of fourteen dachshunds were to work through the canes, 
 which were as high as a man. Even before we were all at 
 our posts the dogs gave tongue merrily, and a couple of shots 
 were fired ; for one of the party, having a good idea of the 
 right thing to do, had hurried forward at a tremendous pace, 
 hoping to be the first to reach the opposite side of the field. 
 Before he got there the dogs brought a large wolf out into the 
 open, within a few yards of him ; but as his gun was, most 
 unfortunately, still loaded with small shot for plovers and 
 Buff-backed Herons, the couple of shots which he fired had no 
 effect on Master " Isegrimm," who scurried across the bare 
 country to the next standing fields. 
 
 The dogs were soon scouring all parts of the canes in full 
 cry, and there was plenty of firing, two of the sportsmen 
 having twice shot at wolves, but without any success, for the 
 cunning brutes only just showed themselves outside the 
 cover, and instantly vanished into it again, while many chance 
 shots were fired at them as they were rushing through the 
 dense canes. However, the frequent baying of the dogs and 
 the traces of blood showed that several of the shots had taken 
 effect, and some of the guns were so overcome by excitement, 
 that they left their posts, and tried to reach the places where 
 the dogs were baying ; but, as one could hardly see a couple 
 of paces in front, these were but vain attempts. 
 
248 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 During the whole of this wild and somewhat irregular 
 hunt I had not got a single shot ; and it was not until half 
 an hour had gone by, and most of the guns had left their 
 posts and were trying to get up to the dogs which were now 
 running a wolf, that I discovered a cross road which led right 
 through the field. Along this I hastened, until I got to a 
 place where an irrigation-ditch ran into the interior of the 
 plantation, and made a narrow lane only a yard wide, down 
 which I could shoot. There I stationed myself, and waited 
 for the dogs to bring up the wolf ; but this they did slowly, 
 for it was badly wounded, and often stood at bay, and when 
 it at last crossed my line I could not fire, on account of 
 their surrounding it. On the other side of the ditch the 
 fight now began again, and I heard the snarls of the wolf 
 mingled with the sharp barks of the dachshunds, but in a few 
 minutes they ceased their pursuit and all was quiet. Dachs- 
 hunds hunt wolves unwillingly, and one can neither count 
 upon their following up a wounded one long, nor on their 
 giving tongue at all at a dead one ; so that the wolf which is 
 not killed outright is generally lost. 
 
 A few minutes later the barking of other dogs from the 
 opposite corner of the field announced the commencement of 
 a fresh hunt, and again the chase came straight towards me 
 through the canes ; but, as before, it advanced very slowly, 
 and it was evident that the dogs were busy with another 
 wounded wolf. They were baying furiously not more than a 
 hundred yards off, and I was attentively listening to the fight, 
 when I heard a slight rustling close beside me, and imme- 
 diately caught sight of an unwounded wolf stealing across 
 the narrow path. I instantly fired, and hearing the glad 
 sound of its fall I hurried up to the spot, and found it snarling 
 and dragging itself away, half lying, half sitting, for its back 
 was broken. Attracted by the shot, some of the dogs now 
 came up, and a savage battle began, which I put an end to by 
 
'A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 249 
 
 giving the beast a finishing shot as soon as I got a good 
 chance. 
 
 A single wolf was the total result of this hunt, which might 
 easily have been a brilliant success, as at least four separate 
 wolves were shot at. We could not, however, continue it, 
 for one by one the dogs came out at the edge of the field dead 
 beat, the plucky animals having worked bravely in the 
 scorching heat. "We therefore returned to our horses, more or 
 less satisfied, and expressing our surprise at the number of wild 
 animals inhabiting this district, and the comical way of hunting 
 them in well-cultivated fields, as we do partridges at home. 
 
 The caravan was soon in motion again, and wound through 
 the luxuriantly green fields by a bad and often marshy road. 
 The sun poured its burning rays upon us in a true African 
 fashion, the warmth of the atmosphere being shown by a 
 beautiful mirage. Even a Berber who was walking beside 
 my horse swore at the heat and perspired profusely. He 
 was a singular-looking fellow, for his black scarred face and 
 pointed curly beard showed that negro blood ran in his veins, 
 while his fine features indicated that he partly came of an 
 Arab stock. I had given him my gun to carry, and he 
 grinned with delight and showed his white teeth, while he 
 examined the European weapon with the air of a connoisseur. 
 
 From our path we had a lovely view of the smiling fields, 
 the grey-green bushes by the water, and beyond them 
 of the broad surface of the lake itself, backed by the orange 
 lines of the Saharan desert. 
 
 A Long-legged Buzzard, one of the characteristic birds 
 of this country, was sitting" on a hillock near our line of 
 inarch. 1 jumped off my horse and crept up to it, but failed 
 to kill it, as my shot was too small, whereupon the confiding 
 bird came nearer. Again I fired without success, and so it 
 went on until, in spite of the light shot, my fourth attempt 
 brought it to the ground. 
 
250 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 Soon after this short interlude we arrived at a wretched 
 miserable-looking village, the low ruinous mud hovels of 
 which were not worthy of its splendid surroundings of lofty 
 palms and wide-spreading sycamores. , The inhabitants 
 came running out to look at us, the older ones in airy 
 costumes, the children in none at all. Near this village 
 the road took a turn and soon brought us to the margin of 
 the lake. 
 
 When everything had been unloaded from the horses and 
 the pack animals we got into the boats. These were truly 
 wretched crafts, nor could our lake-dwelling ancestors have 
 used anything worse than these flat four-cornered boxes, 
 which were slowly propelled with the most primitive oars by 
 five or six sturdy fellows. Inside them everything was full 
 of old fish-bones, and there was such a stench of dirt of all 
 sorts, and particularly of stinking fish, that we could only 
 partially protect ourselves from it by the perpetual smoking 
 of cigarettes. The fishermen of the earliest Egyptian eras 
 probably used the same sort of boats as their descendants of 
 to-day at Birket-el-Karun. 
 
 With melancholy songs and splashing oars we glided over 
 the blue surface of this large interesting lake, which is bordered 
 on one side by the cultivated ground and on the others by 
 the true desert. All along its shores runs a belt of dense 
 luxuriant bushes, sometimes narrow, sometimes broad, and 
 this gives it a distinctive character. Nowhere does one see 
 human habitations, and the grand but undeniably depressing 
 effect of the scene is heightened by the deep leaden blue of 
 the salt water. It seems strange to the traveller to find a 
 lake so far from the sea (the reader will .kindly look at a 
 map) in whose depths live true marine fish and other sorts of 
 creatures ; but as the entire desert is salt, the lakes on its 
 borders are naturally the same. 
 
 When we had been half an hour on the way we perceived 
 
<A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 251 
 
 some Pelicans swimming proudly about, and shaped our 
 course towards them, but we could barely keep pace with the 
 rapid paddling of the birds. At last we fired some long shots 
 with ball from these rickety boats, and after prolonged efforts 
 the clumsy creatures rose heavily and flew off to an undis- 
 turbed part of the lake. The only other birds we saw were 
 some Wild Ducks, Divers, Gulls, and a strikingly large 
 number of Ospreys. 
 
 Evening was coming on, the sun was sinking, vanishing 
 into the desert with the most splendid effects of light, and 
 an impressive stillness reigned over the broad landscape as 
 we now approached the island of Bezire-Karun, whose 
 rocky cone was picturesquely relieved against the dark blue 
 sky, and landed on its flat eastern shore, where the tents of 
 our imposing camp were standing within a hundred yards of 
 the water. Fires, too, were in full blaze, and Arabs were 
 sitting among the bushes on the strand. .There we were 
 greeted by Prince Taxis, who had arrived in the morning 
 with the heavy caravan ; and immediately after we had landed 
 a capital dinner, dressed by an Arab cook, was served in a 
 specially arranged mess tent. 
 
 Our tents were made of pretty materials and were 
 thoroughly comfortable. There were beds and even tables 
 in these airy abodes, each of which was tenanted by two 
 gentlemen. It is only Orientals who understand the art of 
 cooking properly at an open fire, and how to pitch a tent 
 quickly and comfortably; so all who can manage to do so had 
 better travel among these excellent people. 
 
 After dinner we smoked, chatted, and arranged our plans 
 for the morrow, and by ten o'clock all was quiet in the camp ; 
 the Arabs, too, were lying on the sand in the open air, wrapped 
 in their ghostly white burnouses. 
 
 The night did not pass quite so smoothly as the lovely 
 evening had led us to expect, for a violent storm rose and 
 
252 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 swept wildly over the camp. Our dragoman Hassan crept 
 from tent to tent, and hammered the pegs more firmly into 
 the ground ; but a side of the one in which my uncle and I 
 were sleeping was torn away by the squall, and wakened by 
 the cold current of air we saw the starry sky smiling down 
 into our dwelling. Luckily all damages were soon repaired, 
 and towards morning the storm abated. 
 
 We breakfasted at a very early hour, before sunrise, as 
 we intended to distribute ourselves along the shore of the 
 island to watch the flight of the waterfowl and to select good 
 positions where we could lie in wait for them. 
 
 As soon as we left the tents we saw numbers of birds 
 already on the wing, such as cormorants, various kinds of 
 ducks, herons, and pelicans. The latter have a very funny 
 appearance, for their long bills hang down in a comical 
 fashion, and they evidently find it difficult to buoy up their 
 great heavy bodies, even with such enormous wings as they 
 possess. Nevertheless their powers of flight are strong and 
 enduring. 
 
 The Grand Duke and I went to the flat shore near the 
 camp and hid ourselves as well as we could. Many sorts of 
 birds came past, some of which we shot, and altogether the 
 flight was a remunerative one, for we had only to wait a 
 short time between the shots. We also obtained the Pied 
 Kingfisher, that large but inferior edition of our kingfisher, 
 but unfortunately no pelicans, for they passed us out of 
 range. 
 
 Shots sounded from all sides, so we had hopes of a good 
 bag. On this first occasion the birds were not at all shy, 
 but in a couple of days we had exterminated the stock of 
 game on the island, and the flocks avoided the dangerous 
 rocks by making long detours. 
 
 The morning flight was over in an hour, and we returned to 
 
1 A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 253 
 
 the camp, close to which I shot within a few minutes a couple 
 of Ospreys as they flew overhead. 
 
 The gentlemen came back one by one, each with some 
 spoil, but Pausinger had done best, for he had hidden himself 
 behind a bush, not far from the camp, and after waiting a 
 little while a Pelican had come past flying low, and our 
 accomplished artist had brought it down with a lucky shot. 
 
 Before relating the further incidents of the day's sport, I 
 must describe the island itself. Parts of the eastern and 
 southern shores are flat and covered with bushes, the 
 remainder formed of steep crumbling cliffs, except at the 
 most northerly point, where there is a small strip of flat coast 
 and a marsh like a miniature lagoon. 
 
 Between the strand and the rocky cone is a perfectly level 
 tract, hardly ever more than three hundred yards broad, and 
 covered with fine sand. 
 
 On the north side of the island this little plain is in many 
 places full of large stones and masses of rock, which have 
 become detached from the cone itself and have rolled down. 
 There all is barren, with the exception of a few bushes along 
 the shore, and not even the scantiest grass thrives. The 
 waters of the lake are perpetually undermining the friable 
 coast, so it cannot be long before there will be nothing left of 
 the whole island but the indestructible rocky cone. 
 
 After a short rest the Grand Duke and Prince Taxis left 
 the camp, and were soon followed by Baron Saurma and 
 myself. Our plan was to divide our forces at a certain point, 
 each party taking some dachshunds, and to beat round the 
 central hill in different directions, and so meet at the north side. 
 Two Stone-Curlews got up among the first rocks, and one 
 of them I shot. The worthy Osman who was leading the 
 dogs now let them loose among the stones, and forthwith an 
 exciting, but somewhat difficult hunt began, for to follow the 
 
254 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 dogs one had to spring about the flat rocks and the loose 
 stones. 
 
 The formation of the hill was very remarkable. We found 
 rocks of the most extraordinary shapes, many of them like 
 large mushrooms. Below them all was hollowed out and 
 traversed by passages, and through the clefts and wide cracks, 
 which had to be jumped, we often caught a glimpse of the 
 dark tunnels in which the dachshunds were hunting, and out 
 of which they now and again crept. 
 
 In front of one of these countless fissures the dogs gave 
 tongue, and then vanished into the rock, and a few seconds 
 afterwards a Lynx came bounding out of its hiding-place. I 
 was standing on a projection, under which it would have to 
 pass, and at my first shot it doubled up, but pulled itself 
 together again, and had to be finished off with a second dose 
 of B.B. It was a very powerful grey-coloured beast with 
 tufted ears a true African Desert Lynx, larger and stronger 
 than its European congener. 
 
 The Grand Duke had meanwhile been trying the opposite 
 side of the hill and had seen two lynxes, but the glimpses that 
 he had got of them were so momentary that shooting was out 
 of the question. We met at the prearranged point, and now 
 worked the ground together with all the dachshunds. 
 
 The merry music of the dogs was soon heard again, and 
 we hurried forward ; but unfortunately my uncle, whose turn 
 it was to shoot, did not get over the stones fast enough, so the 
 lynx left its cover unmolested and disappeared again among 
 the rocks. The dogs followed the trail over these shelving 
 obstructions as well as their short legs would let them, and in 
 a few minutes they began baying in front of a bolt-hole 
 which ran underneath a great mass of rock, on the other side 
 of which was the wide entrance to the den. With a little 
 persuasion several of them pressed into the dark tunnel, 
 where they seemed to pen the lynx into a sort of blind alley. 
 
' A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 255 
 
 for a brisk fight began, and we could hear the plaintive 
 whines of the wounded dogs, the sharp barks of those that 
 were fighting bravely, and the savage snarling 
 lynx. 
 
 For nearly an hour we stood by the den and there was no 
 change in the situation, so we now tried to call out the dogs, 
 in order that the lynx might have room to slip past. At last 
 they appeared one after another covered with dust, and 
 weary with the exertions of the fight ; only two very keen 
 ones would not come out. Suddenly we discovered a cleft in 
 the rock, at the bottom of which we could distinctly hear the 
 barking of the dogs. This crevice we enlarged as well as we 
 could, and on probing the hole with a stick, I encountered a 
 soft obstacle. When the stick was withdrawn there were 
 grey lynx-hairs hanging to it, and looking carefully into the 
 hole I saw the shining green eyes of the animal. I now 
 drove the stick in against it as hard as I could, and soon 
 felt that the soft body had disappeared, while the under- 
 ground hunt was now audible, as the lynx retreated followed 
 by the dogs. 
 
 In a few seconds more the grey beast bolted out of the hole 
 near which the Grand Duke was standing, and was met by a 
 well-directed shot. Half rolling and half dragging itself 
 along, the hard-hit creature was retreating under a large rock ; 
 but luckily the plucky dogs held on to its hind quarters, and 
 so Prince Taxis, by crawling in below the rock, managed to 
 give it a finishing thrust with his hunting-knife. It was a 
 fine female, but not nearly so large and powerful as the 
 male which I had killed. 
 
 After this success we gave up further search, and returned 
 to the camp with the tired and more or less wounded dogs. 
 
 During the morning the weather had grown worse, for the 
 sky was covered with light grey clouds, and fine rain occa- 
 sionally fell a very rare occurrence in these regions. The 
 
256 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 north wind also became more violent, and there was a cool- 
 ness in the air which the sudden change from the scorching 
 heat of the previous day made very perceptible. High waves 
 rose on the lake, and the fishermen declared that in this 
 weather it was quite impossible to go away ; so here we 
 were, like Robinson Crusoe, cut off from all the world and 
 confined to this little island. 
 
 In the camp our jagers arranged a fine and unusual display 
 by hanging the slain game on to the tent-ropes, where the 
 two Lynxes, the skin of yesterday's Wolf, Pausinger's Pelican, 
 the two Ospreys, and a variety of wildfowl made a capital 
 show, and our stuffer, who worked well and quickly, had 
 plenty to do. 
 
 After a first-rate lunch, served by our worthy Hassan, we 
 were comfortably smoking in front of thei tents, and enjoying 
 the glorious camp-life of the East, when I suddenly perceived 
 that the level tract at the northern end of the island, between 
 the shore and the rocky cone, was completely covered with a 
 variety of birds. I could distinguish, by the aid of the glass, 
 flocks of herons, pelicans, gulls, and among them some 
 Ospreys. 
 
 Under cover of the bushes I stalked up along the shore 
 towards these masses of birds, that were sitting half asleep 
 and digesting their food, and had already got pretty close to 
 it when to my great dismay I saw a couple of pelicans 
 swimming about as sentries. On two sides I had nothing to 
 hide me, so it was all up, for the wily birds had already seen 
 me and rose. This was the signal for the flocks on shore, 
 and with a noisy flapping of their wings the whole assembly 
 dispersed in wild disorder and in all directions. 
 
 The inquisitive gulls alone wanted to find out what was the 
 matter, and circled screeching around me, and among a lot of 
 smaller birds I noticed a Great Black-headed Gull. This 
 splendid species was quite new to me, and I secured it by a 
 lucky shot. 
 
<A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 267 
 
 The spot where the flocks had been resting must be daily 
 frequented for digestive purposes, for the whole ground was 
 thickly covered with white guano and feathers, while the 
 stinking remains of fish were lying about in great profusion. 
 
 On my return to camp we decided to distribute ourselves 
 along the shore again for the afternoon and evening flight. I 
 chose the place where our friend Pausinger had shot his 
 pelican in the morning, and concealed myself as best I could 
 by crouching under a bush, with my retrieving Arab beside 
 me. Each of us had one of these dusky fellows with him: 
 they fetch everything that falls in the water ; but one must 
 never argue with these money-loving people, nor show great 
 delight at having shot any particular bird, otherwise they 
 begin bargaining at the water's edge, demanding more and 
 more, and calculating with cunning astuteness on one's in- 
 creasing eagerness to obtain the spoil. As soon as anything 
 falls, one must show them a coin and force them into the 
 water with a few friendly shoves before the bargaining 
 begins. 
 
 I must have been vainly waiting for a good half-hour when 
 I saw a Pelican a long way off which was taking a direct line 
 towards my ambush, and as soon as it came near enough I 
 gave it both barrels. The shot rattled loudly on its thick 
 mail of feathers, and feebly flapping its wings it dropped 
 into the water severely wounded. For some minutes it swam 
 about slowly, but the head with its heavy bill kept sinking 
 lower and lower, until at last the waves turned the bird over, 
 and it lay on its back quite dead. 
 
 Neither money nor threats would induce my Arab to go 
 into the water, as the Pelican was really rather far out. I 
 therefore hurried back to the camp to get other men, but on 
 my return I saw, to my great delight, that a dusky fellow 
 was already approaching it 'through the foaming waves. The 
 Grand Duke had been hidden not far from me, and on seeing 
 
 s 
 
258 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 the dead bird had sent his attendant, who was a bold swimmer, 
 into the water; and in a few minutes the plucky Arab came 
 swimming towards us, dragging the heavy bird behind him 
 by its bill. I was delighted with my first Pelican, for it was 
 quite an enormous specimen. 
 
 In the evening I walked up and down the strand in pursuit 
 of the smaller shore-birds; and as soon as it became too dark 
 for shooting, all the sportsmen came into dinner, bringing 
 home with them another fairly good bag. After this interesting 
 day all was soon quiet in the camp. 
 
 Next morning we were to have started at an early hour, 
 and to have rowed over to a tongue of land on the opposite 
 shore of the lake for the flight of the birds; but the night un- 
 fortunately brought with it worse weather, and before sun- 
 rise the wind had risen to such a height that the fishermen 
 refused to put out, so we were obliged to spend another day 
 on the island. We all slept late, and went in the morning to 
 the rocks with the dachshunds, where we hunted about in 
 vain, for not another lynx was to be found. We therefore 
 devoted the rest of the day to the shores. 
 
 The waterfowl took very unfavourable lines of flight and 
 carefully avoided the island, so towards evening I took a walk 
 right round it, and killed a fine Barbary Falcon, some Sand- 
 pipers, and a Eaven. 
 
 The storm now moderated, the sky cleared, and we were 
 gladdened by some inspiriting sunshine and splendid effects 
 of light; but it was not until I saw a fishing-craft slip tolerably 
 quietly past the western point of the island that I was quite 
 satisfied and free from anxiety about the sport of the morrow. 
 
 The boat coming from the desert side of the lake and pro- 
 ceeding towards the cultivated country passed close to my 
 hiding-place, and was rowed by wild-looking dusky fellows 
 clad in miserable rags, who were singing weird and doleful 
 songs. It was a strange picture ; far and wide not a trace of 
 
'A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 259 
 
 human industry ; away beyond the lake the boundless desert, 
 and on its waters the truly African bark with its swarthy 
 occupants. These good people were just as much astonished 
 at seeing me, a European " pale-face," on this barren island, 
 usually only inhabited by pensive pelicans. My attendant 
 had a long conversation with the wayfarers, which, so far as 
 I could make out, referred to the weather and the crossing. 
 
 Our day's bag was comparatively small, for the island itself 
 was thoroughly shot out. After dinner our Arab retainers 
 let off some of the fireworks, which have such special charms 
 for all Orientals, and made a diabolical din; but we did not 
 allow that sort of thing to go on long, for we preferred a 
 quiet night's rest to the finest fireworks of our worthy drago- 
 man, and we did not wish the waterfowl to be disturbed by 
 the sudden glare. 
 
 On the 26th we left our tents at a very early hour, long 
 before daybreak, and set out after a hasty breakfast. The 
 lake was quite calm, so we were able to cross over to the 
 desert side, and in the evening we were to find our camp on 
 the cultivated land of the opposite shore. As all Orientals 
 are unpunctual, it was long before our fishermen appeared to 
 get the boats ready, and then they shuffled about the beach 
 in a very sleepy manner, so that we had a deal of trouble 
 in getting this chaos into a certain degree of order. How- 
 ever, after a time the party, consisting of the gentlemen, the 
 jagers, and the dachshunds, pushed off in three boats. Our 
 Arabs rowed in their usual way, singing songs with their 
 hoarse voices, while the stench in the boats was almost in- 
 supportable. 
 
 Luckily the surface of the lake was calm and quiet, for 
 with boats like these, manned by sleepy Arabs, and in the 
 pitch-dark night, we might have had some disagreeable ex- 
 periences if a storm had got up. After about an hour's 
 rowing we reached the shore, where a promontory, formed of 
 
 s2 . 
 
260 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 a somewhat large mass of rock, juts out into the lake, and is 
 only connected with the shore by a narrow neck of land. 
 There we got out and sent the Arabs and the boats behind the 
 rock. It took some time before our energetic and authorita- 
 tive orders succeeded in imposing silence on our swarthy 
 companions; and we had no time to lose, for as the first 
 glimmer of daylight was visible in the east it was necessary 
 that everything should be perfectly quiet on the neck of land. 
 We therefore made short work of it, drove the Arabs into 
 their place of concealment, and left Osman behind as a 
 guard. 
 
 We now lined the neck of land and the rock, crouching 
 down behind the bushes and the blocks of stone. At daybreak 
 the flight of the waterfowl began. First came the Herons, fol- 
 lowed by the Cormorants, Ducks, Pelicans, Gulls, Sandpipers, 
 and a few Marsh-Harriers and Ospreys. Many shots were 
 fired by the long line of guns, the large flocks of Pelicans 
 being especially greeted with a well-sustained fire; but un- 
 fortunately they were too far away, and only a couple of these 
 great birds were foolish enough to fly low, and were bagged 
 by two of the sportsmen. The stars had already vanished, 
 and the night was succeeded by a glorious African sunrise, 
 while the heat of the perfectly cloudless day already began to 
 make itself felt. When we left our posts the flight was over, 
 and every one picked up his spoil and made his way to the 
 quickly improvised landing-place by the rock, where the 
 boats were lying with the Arabs beside them and Osman 
 taking charge of them all. 
 
 Two Pelicans and various other birds had fallen, besides a 
 poor Egyptian Vulture, which had inquisitively flown over 
 the line of guns and had lost his life. 
 
 After resting a little while we again set off to beat the 
 bushes along the shore, which stretch both north and south of 
 the neck of land, and form a dense undergrowth of tamarisks, 
 
'A JOURNEY IN THE EAST.' 261 
 
 high rushes, and grass. In many places this narrow impene- 
 trable belt of vegetation is hardly more than ten to twenty 
 yards broad, and right up to the herbage reaches the great 
 desert itself, with its hills and valleys, flats and undulations, 
 partly covered with very fine sand and partly with rough 
 variegated stones. 
 
 Baron Saurma stayed behind with the dachshunds close to 
 the neck of land where the bushes began, and, following his 
 suggestion, the other guns stationed themselves at certain 
 distances from each other along the edge of the desert, while 
 I took the furthest post at a spot where a break in the bushes 
 left a narrow lane, which gave me an open shot down to the 
 shore, and thus formed the natural limit to the first beat. 
 
 On our way through the sand we had an opportunity of 
 examining a great many tracks, which seemed to show that 
 the beasts of prey come down every night from the desert to 
 the shore to drink, and probably to surprise the sleeping 
 waterfowl. There was track upon track, footprints of Hyaenas, 
 Wolves, Jackals, and Fennecs or Desert-Foxes; we also saw 
 in the fine sand the lines drawn by the great Lizards, and the 
 broad trail of the repulsive Spectacled Snake. 
 
 I had hardly got to my post when the dogs began to give 
 tongue, though still a long way off; but the hunt came along 
 quickly, and there was soon a loud barking close to me. 
 Suddenly I saw a grey-brown shaggy beast, with a pointed 
 head and a long thin ugly tail, going along at a quick trot 
 close to the sandy shore. A lucky shot bowled it over, and 
 before me lay an Ichneumon, that thoroughly African and 
 very ugly creature, which has no resemblance to any of our 
 European predatory animals, either in appearance or habits. 
 The dogs soon appeared following on its track, and as these 
 narrow thickets were now beaten out we decided on making 
 another drive in the adjoining cover ; but this second attempt 
 was unhappily attended with no success. 
 
262 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 Some camel-tracks in the sand betokened that a tribe of 
 Bedouin were not far off', and indeed we soon observed 
 camels browsing among the bushes. We also heard dogs 
 barking, and saw in the distance some dusky figures walking 
 towards an encampment. 
 
 These wild tribes are, as I was told, extremely poor; but 
 the desert being so very near they are perfectly independent 
 and unassailable, and therefore not always very friendly. 
 
 The party of sportsmen now divided into two sections. 
 Baron Saurina, the Grand Duke, and I proposed to get into 
 a boat, which had followed us, and row after some Pelicans 
 which were swimming about near the shore, while the other 
 gentlemen were to occupy themselves with the myriads of 
 Coots which frequented the reeds by the water's edge. 
 
 All our attempts to get near the shy Pelicans were unsuc- 
 cessful, nor would the Great White Egrets that were standing 
 by the shore allow us to approach them. The further we 
 went the broader and thicker were the reeds, that covered the 
 water to a distance of about a hundred yards from the shore. 
 The beautiful White-eyed Ducks seemed here to be on migra- 
 tion, for flocks of that species continually rose in front of our 
 boat, and Grey and Purple Herons, Great and Little Egrets 
 also flew up from the beds of reeds. 
 
 A fair lot of ducks were shot as a provision for the larder, 
 our fishermen sitting naked in the boat and jumping into the 
 water to retrieve everything that was killed. We were rock- 
 ing about a little way from the shore when the reeds suddenly 
 parted, and there appeared a big Bedouin, a fine warlike- 
 looking fellow, armed with a long gun. He offered to sell us 
 some waterfowl which he had shot in the morning, and on 
 receiving a few silver coins vanished as quickly and noiselessly 
 as he had come. 
 
 It was getting on towards noon, so we made the men row 
 us back to the headland. The heat was frightful, and under 
 
<A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 263 
 
 this midday sun our craft stank even worse than at night. 
 An old man, too, blind of one eye, somewhat humpbacked, 
 with a curling white beard and a turban, had planted himself 
 close beside us. He was uncommonly repulsive in his general 
 appearance, and did not row, but had only come out of 
 curiosity. This unwelcome stranger was a great source 
 of annoyance, and indeed a dangerous neighbour, for he 
 hunted in his flowing garments incessantly and with much 
 success. 
 
 Happily we got to the rock in half an hour, where we 
 found the other sportsmen, who had shot a good many Coots. 
 
 All the spoils of the first half of the day were now put into 
 a boat and despatched under the care of my jager to the 
 opposite side of the lake, where our new camp had meanwhile 
 been pitched. 
 
 We now determined to rest for an hour on the slope of the 
 rocky headland near the shore, where we took a frugal lunch 
 of cold meat, bread, flat lemonade, and various preserves more 
 or less spoilt by the heat. Our men amused themselves by 
 catching Geckos, those curious little grey lizards with high 
 combs on their backs, and there were also lots of scorpions 
 lying under the stones. The halt, however, did not refresh 
 us, for the sun burnt fearfully on the steep rocky hillside, 
 where the ground was glowing and the air quivering in the 
 scorching heat. It was the hottest day that we had hitherto 
 endured on our journey, far hotter than the warmest day of a 
 European summer. 
 
 We soon started again, and walked along the bushes by the 
 shore in a northerly direction, the tramp through the burning 
 sands of the desert, which radiated a most terrific heat, being 
 by no means pleasant. Once more we posted ourselves at 
 intervals round the bushes, and again a merry hunt began ; 
 but this time the baited beast did not show itself so readily, 
 and the chase went up and down several times. At last, 
 
264 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 after it had been brought to bay for a little while, an Ichneu- 
 mon broke from the cover in front of the Grand Duke, who 
 rolled the comical creature over, but it dragged itself back 
 into the thickets, where a sharp fight took place between it 
 and the dogs, who were following up the trail. One big 
 long-legged dachshund and the Ichneumon had got such a 
 grip of each other that they could be lifted up together, and 
 it was hard work to separate the combatants. In doing this 
 one of the gentlemen was bitten in the hand by the dog, and 
 another by the Ichneumon. 
 
 During the beat a good many cormorants and herons had 
 flown past me along the shore, but I had not fired at them on 
 account of the larger game. 
 
 It was now afternoon, so we decided to start on our long 
 passage straight across the lake to the opposite shore. We 
 rowed over in several boats, and as the air began to get 
 cooler, the splendid views of the lake and the desert afforded 
 us greater pleasure than they had hitherto given us. Our 
 boatmen, too, were in high spirits, and, casting off every scrap 
 of their clothing, raced the boats against each other, with 
 incessant shouts and wild inarticulate yells a sport which 
 suited us very well, as it brought us along much faster. 
 
 After two hours of rowing we passed a small strip of 
 willow-bushes and came to a great sandbank, on which stood 
 our new camp, all in order and comfortably arranged, its 
 position having been judiciously chosen, for this perfectly dry 
 sandbank separated the lake from a tolerably large marsh. 
 
 As dinner was not yet ready, some of us at once went to 
 the marsh, which lay between our camping-ground and the 
 outermost fields of the cultivated land. It was a tract of brown, 
 bad-smelling, boggy soil, covered with reeds, water-plants, 
 and willow-bushes, and swarming with snipe and waders, toads 
 and poisonous insects. We also flushed a few ducks and two 
 kinds of plovers, and after hastily shooting a few birds, left 
 
<A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 265 
 
 its reeking feverish atmosphere before twilight came on. A 
 splendid sunset, which was followed by a right good dinner, 
 wound up this busy day, and all was soon quiet in the 
 camp. 
 
 Early on the 27th we set out, intending to shoot our way 
 back to the Abouksor Station, and began by rambling through 
 the marsh, where we bagged some snipe and various kinds of 
 waders. We next crossed a field, where we got some Buff- 
 backed Herons and Spur-winged Plovers, and then reached 
 the region of low sandhills, covered with scanty grass and 
 stunted bushes, which divides the marsh from the arable land. 
 There the dachshunds routed up some hares, and another 
 gentleman and I were each of us lucky enough to kill one of 
 these strange-looking creatures. 
 
 They were true Desert-Hares small, lean, long-legged 
 animals, like a roe in colour, and with absurdly large, almost 
 transparent ears. While in pursuit of the hares we also shot 
 a few Egyptian Turtle-Doves and Lesser Kestrels, and then 
 sat down for half an hour's rest just where the zone of sand- 
 hills and bushes ended and the cultivated land began. There 
 we breakfasted on the cold viands which had been carried 
 after us by the Arabs. 
 
 After a frugal meal we pursued our way across fields and 
 irrigation-ditches, impressing as beaters all the fellaheen 
 labourers whom we could find. Women, children, camels, 
 buffaloes, and ploughs were all left standing in the fields, and 
 a motley crowd followed us for a promised backsheesh. In 
 the distance we saw a fairly large patch of sugar-canes still 
 uncut, though the harvest was well forward, and towards this 
 we steered with all haste, animated by the highest expec- 
 tations. 
 
 While tramping along the embankment of a broad but dry 
 canal, we discussed the best way of arranging the beat, and as 
 soon as we got to the place posted the guns. 
 
266 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 The Grand Duke remained at one corner next the canal, 
 and Hoyos and I stood along the side of the field which came 
 up to the embankment, the rest of the gentlemen stationing 
 themselves round its other borders ; but we were unfortunately 
 short of guns, and the gaps between the sportsmen were too 
 wide. Buffaloes and camels were grazing close to our posts, 
 and the whole affair certainly by no means corresponded with 
 the European idea of a wolf-hunt. 
 
 Hardly had the swarthy beaters pushed in among the canes 
 with a most infernal yelling, when my neighbour fired into 
 the field, and a very large wolf immediately broke between us 
 and scoured across the canal with long bounds. I ran up the 
 embankment and fired both barrels at the beast, although it 
 was rather too far off ; but it went on straight over the fields, 
 dragging its hind leg. 
 
 The beaters soon appeared, the brown fellaheen and the 
 numerous negroes looking very strange as they came along 
 through the yellow canes in their scanty costume, each of 
 them gnawing a broken-off stalk. 
 
 We now had the field driven again, and this time my left- 
 hand neighbour was the first to fire, and killed a fairly large 
 wolf with a single shot. Immediately afterwards one of the 
 guns on the left flank rolled over a wolf, which picked itself 
 up and, though bleeding freely, broke through the canes near 
 the next sportsman, who gave it another shot as it bolted 
 away. 
 
 A few minutes later the gun on niy right killed a fair-sized 
 wolf with one shot, and the next instant another wolf jumped 
 out between us and went off over the canal. It was a long 
 shot for both of us, and though evidently hard hit, the beast 
 dragged itself away through the grazing buffaloes to some 
 thick fields of young corn. 
 
 The beaters now came out again, and we made them drive 
 the field a third time. I soon heard something coming up in 
 
<A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 267 
 
 my direction, and saw a tolerably large wolf slipping through 
 the canes, and rolled it over with a lucky shot ; a few minutes 
 later my left-hand neighbour wounded another so severely 
 that it could hardly crawl off to the adjacent bean-fields, 
 while two more managed to escape uninjured at points where 
 the guns were too far apart. 
 
 In the last beat one of the sportsmen also wounded an 
 ichneumon, but it crept back into the thick canes. As for the 
 short search made for the wounded wolves, that was naturally 
 unsuccessful in these great green fields, which extended 
 further than the eye could reach. 
 
 We now went off to the opposite side of the plantation, 
 where our excellent dragoman had ordered some horses and 
 donkeys to await us. The wolves were carefully tied together 
 and slung over the donkeys, and the caravan soon got under 
 weigh the beaters disappearing in various directions, the 
 guides and donkey-drivers alone accompanying us. 
 
 One of these fellows appeared to pursue in his leisure hours 
 the occupation of snake-charmer, so much beloved of Orientals, 
 for during the march he pulled out of a leather bag which 
 was hidden under his loose garments two very large and im- 
 posing Spectacled Snakes which he had yesterday caught near 
 the lake. Of course he showed off the usual trick of breathing 
 on the serpents, which made them lie quite stiff, as if dead ; 
 but after a few minutes the much-tormented creatures, whose 
 fangs had been extracted and who were therefore quite harm- 
 less, recovered and wriggled back into the brown sack. 
 
 As we were walking our horses the dachshunds ran beside 
 us, and when the caravan neared a small wretched village 
 only adorned by some singularly fine palms and sycamores, the 
 eager dogs vanished into a small square bean-field and at once 
 began to hunt merrily. We jumped off our horses and sur- 
 rounded the field, which might have been shot across from 
 side to side, yet within this narrow space the hunt went up 
 
268 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 and down for a quarter of an hour. Twice an ichneumon 
 put its head out close to the guns, but no one could fire for 
 fear of his neighbour, and the cunning beast, recognizing the 
 danger it was in, let itself be driven backwards and forwards 
 by the dogs, but would not leave its safe cover ; so, as time 
 was pressing, we had to whip off the dogs and continue our 
 journey without getting it. 
 
 Our road led us to a short branch line of rail used for 
 transport purposes, which runs from the factory at Abouksor 
 to the largest of the sugar-cane fields. 
 
 We stopped an engine that was passing by, and got into an 
 empty truck that was attached to it, thus reaching Abouksor 
 very speedily, while our Arabs rode down between the rails 
 at full gallop, and followed us up with incredible quickness. 
 
 Having still some time to spare, we resolved to try another 
 beat through the cane-field which we had driven the first day, 
 so we hastily got together as many beaters as possible and 
 surrounded it. 
 
 The beat had only just begun when a wolf broke at a corner 
 near one of the guns; but there were such a number of people 
 loafing about that he could not shoot while the beast was near, 
 and when he did fire both barrels it was too far away. 
 
 A few moments later another sportsman shot an enormous 
 wolf, the largest we had as yet bagged, just at the instant 
 when it was crossing a path which ran through the field, and 
 before the beat was finished two other guns each shot a wolf, 
 and a Woodcock was missed. 
 
 We now left the field, which had afforded us better sport 
 than when we had first hunted it three days ago. At the 
 station there was a row of six Wolves laid out, all shot in one 
 day ; and if we had also got the wounded ones we should 
 have had quite an extraordinary bag. 
 
 On the whole, we had every reason to be satisfied with the 
 proceeds of our shooting- excursion into the oasis of Fayum, 
 
<A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 269 
 
 for we had shot two Lynxes, seven Wolves, two Ichneumon s, 
 two Desert-Hares, four Pelicans, two Ospreys, one Egyptian 
 Vulture, one Long-legged Buzzard, and one hundred and 
 seventy-two head of smaller game, among which were many 
 interesting specimens. 
 
 We dined in the so-called waiting-room, and as it was now 
 evening and our train stood ready, we had all the traps put 
 into the carriages and soon left Ahouksor on our way to a new 
 expedition. Baron Saurma, his brother, and Prince Taxis 
 travelled with us for the first two hours ; but when we reached 
 the valley of the Nile and the station where the line goes 
 north to Cairo and south to Siut these three gentlemen 
 left us. 
 
 After a hearty farewell we proceeded southwards towards 
 Siut, the next stage on our way to the charming journey up 
 the Nile, and making ourselves as comfortable as we could in 
 the carriages, we all slept the sleep that had been earned by 
 hard work. 
 
 We reached Siut very early in the morning, and, going on 
 board our Nile steamer, began the journey up the waters of 
 the river of Egypt an expedition undeniably one of the 
 richest in historical, ethnographical, and scenic attractions 
 that can possibly be undertaken. 
 
 We hurried past towns and hamlets, where light-green 
 palms, lofty minarets, and broad pigeon-towers form the lead- 
 ing features of the clay-built villages, in whose ruinous con- 
 fusion there lies an undoubted artistic charm. Countless 
 kites fly round these human settlements, and the barking of 
 dogs, the braying of donkeys, the bellowing of buffaloes, the 
 groaning of camels, the screams of the Arabs, the creaking of 
 the water-wheels, and dust, dirt, and disorder are their usual 
 accessories. 
 
 On the long sandbanks the white Egyptian Vultures and 
 their larger relatives sit by the stranded carcasses, and flocks 
 
270 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 of Cranes, Storks, Spoonbills, Grey Herons, Pelicans, Egyp- 
 tian Geese, and various kinds of Ducks enliven the scene. 
 From every steamer and every dahabeeyah the Europeans 
 shoot at the waterfowl, which are here in their winter-quarters, 
 the result being that one cannot count on any sport from the 
 deck, for at the approach of a vessel the shy birds rise a long 
 way off. 
 
 We now passed the little town of Abu Tig, where the 
 mountains recede and leave room for a well-tilled plain ; but 
 soon afterwards the high Gebel-Sheikh-Haude, hollowed out 
 with ancient quarries and tombs, comes forward again to the 
 edge of the stream. 
 
 There our steamer stopped, and a boat came off to her, and 
 on my asking what this meant, I learnt, to my no small sur- 
 prise, that in a high watch-tower above the Nile there dwells 
 among these barren hills a holy man, a so-called Sheikh, 
 who claims a toll, and that the vessel which ignores his 
 demands is, according to popular belief, almost certain to be 
 wrecked on its journey, but that the honest man who pays will 
 be followed by the devout prayers of this saintly beggar. 
 
 There now appeared in pretty quick succession the villages 
 of Tahtah, Faubas, Schidawin, and the large and charmingly- 
 situated town of Sohag, with its picturesque houses and 
 minarets. 
 
 One lovely scene followed another ; splendid mountains 
 with abrupt cliffs slipped past and gave place to luxuriant 
 palm-forests and gaily coloured towns. We sat comfortably 
 on deck, smoking, chatting, or reading, while enjoying the 
 balmy perfumes of the African vegetation and the pure air, 
 which on the river was not too hot, and now and then firing 
 a rifle-shot at the distant waterfowl, but almost invariably 
 without success an indolent existence, but interesting and 
 instructive withal. 
 
 We spent one night at the large and prosperous town of 
 
1 A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 271 
 
 Girgeh, but at daybreak the steamer got under weigh again, 
 and early in the morning we lay-to beside the large and 
 beautiful palm-forest of the insignificant mud-built village of 
 Beliane, where we had an opportunity of visiting one of the 
 temples built by Rameses and of experiencing the magic 
 charms of these monuments thousands of years old. 
 
 "While we were inspecting the halls and chambers of the 
 temple, some vultures flew over from the neighbouring desert 
 mountains and circled high above us. We immediately 
 resolved to decoy these huge birds of prey, and the first thing 
 to be done was to look out for a proper place on which to 
 expose the bait. 
 
 Behind the temple are some high heaps of ruins and rub- 
 bish, from which there is an open view of the wide desert 
 plains, which extend from the margin of the cultivated land 
 up to the base of the barren mountains, with their beautiful 
 forms and high precipices. This plain I now proceeded to 
 explore, looking for a suitable place, and while so doing I 
 found the remains of some old walls and half-ruined tombs, 
 while a few hundred yards from the temple there was a 
 regular field of the dead. 
 
 In the days of the Roman emperors an entire legion had 
 here fallen victims to famine and epidemics, and the unburied 
 bodies of the Roman warriors are still lying about in wild 
 confusion, bodies one may literally say; for the African sun, 
 the burning sand, and the purity of the air have preserved 
 and turned them into natural mummies. I came across 
 entire bodies and detached legs, arms, and hands to which the 
 brown shrivelled flesh still adhered, and I was especially im- 
 pressed by a grinning skull with a scalp and dark lumps of 
 flesh on the cheek-bones ; another, which was less repellent, 
 I took with me as a memento. One had absolutely to wade 
 through skeletons and the dust of bodies. 
 
 It was a true desert scene, with the dazzling white plain, 
 
272 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 the sands that scorched the feet, the bleached bones scattered 
 about, the tracks of hysenas and jackals, the bald-headed 
 vultures circling round, and for background the high utterly 
 barren mountain-sides. Not a blade of grass refreshed the 
 eye, and nothing broke the glare of the burning sun reflected 
 from the wastes of sand and the white and yellow rocks that 
 stood out in sharp relief against the dark blue sky. There was, 
 however, an undeniable poetic charm in this truly monoto- 
 nous but grand district. 
 
 Suitable cover for creeping up to a bait unseen seemed to 
 be afforded by a little hillock ; so I forthwith bought a sheep 
 and had it taken to this place, where it was killed and its 
 inside taken out as a first dainty morsel for the vultures. I 
 then hurried back to my companions at the temple, and after 
 thoroughly investigating all the ancient remains we breakfasted 
 in one of its halls. 
 
 As soon as we had finished our meal Hoyos and I set off 
 again to pay a visit to the dead sheep, but before we had got 
 well within shot of it a wary vulture detected us, and flapped 
 up heavily from the ground, followed by about twenty of his 
 great unwieldy comrades. Hoyos was lucky enough to knock 
 down one of these big Griffon Vultures from the dense mass ; 
 but I was less fortunate and only wounded another very 
 large one, which flew away across the plain hard hit. The 
 ravenous birds had made a tremendous onslaught on the 
 poor sheep, for nothing was left of it but the wool and a few 
 dismembered fragments. 
 
 After this successful sporting interlude we returned to the 
 rest of the party, and went with them to the village, where 
 we paid a visit to a blind peasant. This worthy man is one of 
 the richest householders in the place, and also drives a trade 
 in Egyptian antiquities, which are dug up for him in and 
 about the temple, though quite illegally. Advised by Brugsch 
 Pasha we bought some of the better objects, and had at the 
 
<A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 273 
 
 same time an opportunity of seeing the highly primitive and 
 dirty abode of a dweller in the valley of the Nile. 
 
 From Arabat-el-Madfune we rode through the cultivated 
 country back to Beliane, shooting as we went along. A 
 variety of small game was killed, the most interesting bird 
 being the Black-winged Kite, that truly African white-and- 
 bluish-grey-coloured hawk which is by no means uncommon 
 among the palm-groves and near the draw-wells. 
 
 We reached the steamer in the afternoon, and ran two 
 hours up-stream before it began to get dark, resuming our 
 journey at daybreak next morning. The forenoon we passed 
 on deck looking at the beautiful but somewhat undiversified 
 scenery. Green fields, groves of dom and date-palms, a 
 few little towns, and the high mountains which bound the 
 valley of the Nile glided by us in monotonous succession ; but 
 on the long sandbanks there was this morning an unusual 
 amount of life, for large flocks of pelicans, herons, and 
 geese were observed, and my jager was sure that he had seen 
 a crocodile. 
 
 At noon we got to Keneh, a rather large town of grey- 
 brown mud-built houses, and adorned with lofty minarets. 
 There we lay to by the crumbling banks of the Libyan side 
 of the river opposite the town, and immediately landed. We 
 then mounted some donkeys, and riding past a fine palm- 
 grove and a miserable-looking village, where the disgusting 
 Egyptian Vultures were sitting among the dirt and rubbish 
 like domestic fowls, we soon reached a well-cultivated plain. 
 
 At this point the Nile makes a bend and comes close up to 
 the Libyan mountains, so that the belt of arable land is very 
 narrow. A ride of half an hour brought us to the large and 
 celebrated temple of Dendera, which, like the ruins of Abydus, 
 lies among the sands of the desert close to the margin of the 
 fertile ground. 
 
 By the light of torches we examined all the halls, narrow 
 
 T 
 
274 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 crypts, stairs, and passages of the great building, and I 
 spent a long time in the vast gloomy pillared hall, where 
 the grey colossal unpainted blocks of stone, covered with a 
 rich decoration of hieroglyphics, recall the long-past ages. 
 One cannot imagine any more striking memorial of ancient 
 days than this mysteriously beautiful temple of Dendera; 
 and in fancy one could see the priests of this mighty cult, 
 with their long white robes, high caps, and black curling 
 beards, bringing offerings to the all-powerful deity of the old 
 realm of the Nile. 
 
 Incredible numbers of bats now dwell in the empty galleries, 
 and in a dark corner of the great hall was sitting an owl, 
 while a pair of ravens had made their nest on the cornice 
 within the building. I shot the large jet-black female just as 
 she was flying out through the entrance. 
 
 From the flat roof of the temple we had a magnificent 
 distant view of the green cultivated land on the one side, and 
 on the other of a long stretch of desert backed by towering 
 mountains. It was a stern solemn scene : grey ruins, desert 
 wastes, lonely crags, nothing green, not even a genial gleam 
 of sunshine to gladden the eye. 
 
 The brilliant colour of the sky and the splendid effects of 
 light were absent on this afternoon, for all was grey in tone, 
 and the heavens were darkened, but not by clouds, since these 
 are unknown in Upper Egypt, but by the heavy vapours and 
 dense dust which, together with the oppressive enervating 
 air, were the first signs of an approaching " Khamsin," the 
 dreaded storm of the desert. 
 
 In the evening we shot our way back to the steamer, and 
 passed the night at the same station, proceeding on our 
 journey early in the morning. 
 
 A furious " Khamsin " was hurtling through the valley of 
 the Nile, and the sand-clouds of the Sahara were rolling round 
 the mountains like mists ; while the sun, unable to force its 
 
1 A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 275 
 
 rays through the dense dust, looked like a red disk. Every- 
 thing was covered with sand ; it even penetrated into the 
 closed cabins, annoying us terribly. The air, too, which had 
 lately heen so beautiful, was now heavy and depressing ; and 
 we gazed with wonder upon this phase of nature, which was 
 so entirely new to us. 
 
 Long and ineffective shots were fired at Pelicans, huge Sea- 
 Eagles, and a variety of waterfowl ; and we passed several 
 towns, among which were Kuft and Kus. The character of 
 the country remained the same ; but the mountains kept 
 receding, to leave room for the plains of Thebes, so famed in 
 ancient chronicles for its wealth and civilization. 
 
 At twelve o'clock we put in to the landing-place of the some- 
 what important town of Luxor, and immediately going ashore, 
 climbed up the steep sandy bank and hired some donkeys at 
 the primitive square in front of the dirty little " Hotel Luxor." 
 We soon reached the open country and trotted merrily along 
 an embankment which ran through palm woods and well-tilled 
 fields towards the high gates, columns, and walls of the cele- 
 brated ruins of Karnak, which we could already see in the 
 distance. 
 
 At the entrance to the ruins there is a small village and a 
 plantation of young trees, where we found a flock of the lively 
 Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters whirring about with their butterfly- 
 like flight, and shot a good many of these lovely African birds 
 for the sake of their plumage. 
 
 After this little interlude of sport we entered the field of 
 majestic ruins, and when we had rambled through the great 
 halls and the forest of columns, as well as the huge heaps of 
 debris surrounding the temple, we all returned to Luxor by 
 the same road. 
 
 In the evening the Grand Duke and I again rode out to 
 Karnak to shoot, while the other gentlemen remained at 
 Luxor. An Arab sportsman, named Khalil, took us close up 
 
 T2 
 
276 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 to the ruins, and then turning into the fields, near the first 
 houses of the village, we soon reached a sandy hillock on 
 which stood the tomb of an old Mahommedan sheikh. 
 
 The Arab now posted us at two different points in the 
 shadow of a small grove of palms, telling us to keep perfectly 
 quiet and to be ready to shoot at whatever came. The 
 " Khamsin " had lulled in the afternoon, and the wild day 
 had been followed by a beautiful evening and a marvellous 
 sunset, which lit up with the most glowing colours the splendid 
 ruins and the desert mountains, which are here particularly 
 high. A gentle breeze ruffled the tops of the palms, balmy 
 perfumes rose from the luxuriant vegetation, the doves cooed 
 plaintively among the bushes, and the grand repose of the 
 lovely landscape had such a drowsy influence upon me that I 
 fell fast asleep. Suddenly Khalil, who was crouching hard 
 by, shook me roughly, telling me in sharp words that I had 
 let a jackal slip past. 
 
 Meanwhile it had got pretty dark ; so the Grand Duke and 
 I set out on our return, and while walking homewards across 
 the fields I saw something glide past in a ghostly fashion, and 
 letting drive a chance shot at it, found, to my great delight, a 
 jackal tumbling about in its last struggles. This booty we 
 took with us, and soon reaching the place where the donkeys 
 were waiting we trotted contentedly back to our steamer. 
 
 Following KhaliPs advice, some of us set out next morning 
 long ere sunrise and rode across the fields, past the ruins of 
 Karnak, to a pool where the larger wild animals usually come 
 to drink at dawn. 
 
 The way was long, and the wide plains were lapped in a 
 death-like stillness, only now and then broken by the howling 
 of the jackals and the barking of the half-wild dogs. At last 
 we got to the pool, or, more correctly speaking, the water left 
 in a hollow by the inundation of the Nile. Khalil quickly 
 posted the guns, and we watched with the most strained 
 
<A JOURNEY IN THE EAST. 1 277 
 
 attention until the sun rose golden-red over the mountains ; 
 but nothing came, except one jackal which Herr Rath let slip. 
 
 A glorious morning consoled us for our fruitless trial of 
 patience, the short transition from night through twilight to 
 sunrise having a richness in changing effects of light and a 
 glow of colour such as only the interior of Africa can 
 conjure up. 
 
 As we saw numbers of birds coming down to the water to 
 drink, we resolved to pass the forenoon in shooting round this 
 locality, and killed plenty of small game, including some 
 Quails, vast numbers of which here spend the winter. Rambling 
 over the fields, we reached the ruins of Karnak ; and then 
 several of the gentlemen returned to Luxor, while I selected 
 a hiding-place among the heaps of debris and rubbish, in which 
 to lie in wait for the large vultures near a carcass ; but unfor- 
 tunately nothing came except some Kites and Egyptian 
 Vultures, at which I did not care to shoot. 
 
 The day was not suitable for this kind of sport ; for the 
 " Khamsin " had begun again with renewed vigour, and the 
 air was filled with clouds of sand so thick that they even hid 
 the neighbouring mountains. I therefore soon quitted my 
 ambush and went to a little water-tank, bordered with slabs 
 of stone, which lies among the ruins and is of ancient origin. 
 There I found several snipe and sandpipers sitting in a 
 miserable sort of way on the bare stones, and probably over- 
 come by the fatigues of travel ; a few shots soon put an 
 end to the troubles of their existence. 
 
 I now rode back to Luxor and the steamer by the shortest 
 route ; for we had intended to make our first excursion to the 
 monuments on the western side of the river during the 
 afternoon; but as the storm kept increasing in violence, 
 we changed our plans, and determined to proceed on our 
 journey next day and postpone our visit to the west side 
 of Thebes until our return from the Cataracts. 
 
278 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 The afternoon was spent partly on board and partly in 
 Luxor itself, and after passing a quiet, evening we retired 
 early to rest. 
 
 On the 5th we resumed our travels at sunrise, intending to 
 follow the advice of some European residents at Luxor, and 
 to halt and devote a few hours to sport at Ermant, a village well 
 known for its sugar factory and extensive cane-fields. 
 
 After a two hours' run we reached the village, where some 
 of the French officials of the factory, which is arranged quite 
 on the European system, received us most kindly, placed at 
 our disposal as many men as we required for beating the 
 canes, and at once got ready a train to take us to the spot. 
 
 Passing by the buildings of the factory and along a splendid 
 avenue of sycamores, we soon came to the little station of the 
 short line of rail which connects the factory with the largest 
 of the plantations. We had now to pick up the beaters ; and 
 a gang of fellaheen, coming from work at the mills, were soon 
 collected and forthwith bundled on to the trucks used for the 
 transport of the canes. We seated ourselves in the last of 
 these conveyances and started for the plains, passing on the 
 way the pretty gardens of the officials, a most miserable 
 fellaheen village, and a little palm-grove. 
 
 Our journey was but short ; for .here the desert comes 
 pretty close to the Nile, so that the intervening strip of culti- 
 vated country is but narrow. 
 
 We now attempted to drive the nearest field of canes, but 
 it was unfortunately too large and too thick. The beaters 
 also worked badly, and only brought out one wolf, which left 
 the cover unshot at ; so we soon recognized the futility of our 
 endeavours and returned to the train, from which I shot an 
 Egyptian Vulture, one of a number that were sitting near the 
 mud hovels of the above-mentioned village, just like domestic 
 fowls. 
 
 In a garden belonging to one of the French officials we 
 
<A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 279 
 
 were shown several jackals' earths, and some which, according 
 to the good people, belonged to wolves ; but as we could not 
 get the dachshunds to go into them, we went back to the 
 steamer and soon resumed our journey. 
 
 Before long we came to a point where the Nile makes 
 a sharp bend, and the mountains on both sides keep drawing 
 in, until at Gebeleh they descend to the stream in abrupt 
 cliffs, the rocks, ravines, and stony slopes of the high and 
 barren Gebel-nisse, on the Arab side, being particularly fine 
 and picturesque. 
 
 We were enjoying this beautiful landscape from the deck, 
 when I observed a dead buffalo lying on a sandbank sur- 
 rounded by vultures ; and by the help of the glass I could 
 see among the Griffon Vultures the enormous Sociable 
 Vulture, that true native of inner Africa. 
 
 Unfortunately the wary birds would not let the steamer 
 come within range of them ; so we at once stopped, and the 
 Grand Duke and I went ashore. Some bushes near the bank 
 afforded sufficient cover ; and there we patiently waited, 
 hoping that the imposing Sociable Vultures would return to 
 their interrupted meal. But, alas ! nothing came but a pair 
 of greedy Egyptian Vultures, one of which I killed with the 
 rifle. At the noise of the shot several swarthy and almost 
 naked fellaheen came running up inquisitively, to whom we 
 gave directions to lay out carrion for the vultures at this spot 
 every day, and in no wise to disturb them, as I wanted to 
 try my luck with the Sociable Vultures on my way back. In 
 consideration of a good backsheesh the worthy people promised 
 to carry out our wishes. 
 
 On the 6th of March the steamer arrived at Edfu, where we 
 at once rode across the fields to the poor-looking village close 
 by, and passing through some narrow dirty streets reached 
 its further side, where, amidst heaps of dirt and debris, 
 stands the best-preserved temple of Upper Egypt, and one 
 
280 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 of the most beautiful architectural memorials of all the 
 ages. 
 
 After examining every part of the building we went up to 
 its flat roof, where we had a lovely view of the Nile, the green 
 plains, the wide flats of the desert, which begin near the 
 temple, and the pyramidal sandstone hills, which rise behind 
 them. 
 
 Some vultures were circling overhead; so I laid out a 
 carcass behind a heap of ruins, and sat waiting on the battle- 
 ments of the temple for the coming of the great birds of prey ; 
 but unfortunately no large vultures appeared, and as time was 
 pressing I had to content myself with the smaller fry. 
 
 We now rode back by the same route through this filthy 
 village, and a few minutes later our vessel was steaming up- 
 stream again. 
 
 The general appearance of the country continued to be 
 pretty much the same. The eastern Arab mountains, which 
 are here low, jagged, and whitish grey in colour, everywhere 
 advanced close to the stream, leaving little or almost no margin 
 of cultivated land. The western Libyan hills, also low, yellow, 
 and strangely shaped, kept drawing nearer to the river south 
 of Edfu ; and on this side the green country got narrower 
 and presented a scene of luxuriant but neglected vegetation, 
 while there were no towns whatever and even the few wretched 
 villages were very far apart. 
 
 Large flocks of Storks were flying northwards along the 
 Nile valley, birds of prey were sitting on the rocks or circling 
 above them, and the few sandbanks of the river were peopled 
 by wildfowl. 
 
 In the afternoon we came to the rocky narrows of Gebel- 
 Silsileh, where the sandstone mountains converge from both 
 sides, and delight the traveller who gazes at these picturesque 
 but stern and gloomy desert regions from the deck of his 
 vessel. By sunset we reached the northern extremity of a 
 
'A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 281 
 
 large and well-cultivated island, where we steamed up the 
 eastern arm of the river, and soon saw the small but charmingly 
 situated temple of Kum-Ombu ; and as night was falling we lay 
 to below the temple, near a dahabeeyah occupied by Europeans. 
 
 The dragoman belonging to this party a clever Dal- 
 matian sportsman, called Paulovich came on board the 
 steamer after dinner and advised us to get a bleating kid and 
 go to the temple, hide ourselves well, and watch for wolves. 
 No sooner said than done ; and at nine o'clock I crept with 
 Hoyos up the steep banks, and rambling about the desolate 
 temple we found, on its western side, a pillar which would 
 serve as a good hiding-place. So we tied the kid up a few 
 paces in front of it, and watched for two hours with the 
 greatest attention ; but nothing stirred. 
 
 It was a weirdly beautiful scene : the old temple, with its 
 gloomy colonnades, and the boundless desert, broken only by 
 a few rocks and ruins, all illumined by the splendid African 
 moon not with the pale lamplight moonshine of Europe, but 
 with a brightness like that of day, which showed the smallest 
 stone, and allowed the sportsman on the watch and even the 
 artist at his drawing to see quite clearly. 
 
 Unluckily the Europeans from the dahabeeyah were also 
 out shooting near our hiding-place, and came past the temple 
 with the cackling hens that they had taken with them as 
 lures ; so that our best hopes vanished, and we returned 
 to our steamer. Still, I shall never forget that beautiful 
 moonlight night. 
 
 The ruins of the temple are exceptionally picturesque, but 
 half-buried in the sand ; and Kum-Ombi (i. e. the hill of 
 Ombu ; hieroglyphic Nubi, i. e. the golden town ; Greek 
 Ombos or Ombi) was the capital of the district, afterwards 
 called Ombites. Both the town and the temple were detested 
 by the rest of Egypt; for here Set, the ancient Egyptian 
 Typhon, was worshipped in one of his principal forms. The 
 
282 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 crocodile, which was the creature consecrated to this god, is 
 therefore often represented in the sculptures and alluded to in 
 the inscriptions of this place. 
 
 At sunrise we left the beautiful Kum-Ombu and continued 
 our journey to Assuan. Towards noon the scenery assumed 
 a still wilder character, and ahead of us the river seemed to 
 be blocked by the mountains. Large stones, masses of rock, 
 and rubble bordered the stream, which kept getting narrower 
 and narrower ; while the mountains on the right bank gave 
 place to a barren plain strewn with masses of rock and studded 
 with jagged pinnacles. On all sides sharp ledges of rock, the 
 first indications of the adjacent cataracts, rose above the water, 
 and the steamer had to make its way slowly through these 
 difficult places before it could lay to under a high dusty bank 
 in front of the town of Assuan. As soon as it had done so, 
 we landed. 
 
 Assuan is undoubtedly one of the most interesting spots of 
 the whole Nile journey. Our first visit was paid to the 
 bazaar, where the life and bustle of the place offered much 
 that was interesting ; and I was especially struck with the war- 
 like look of the Ababdehs, who were armed to the teeth, clad 
 in scanty rags, and had their hair arranged in a peculiar 
 fashion. The various races of wild folk regarded us with 
 curiosity ; and the crafty Arabs sold us wares from the 
 interior at a high price, cleverly profiting by the interest we 
 displayed in them. 
 
 The Ababdehs also performed their war-dance before us, on 
 an open space between the houses and the landing-place ; and 
 the brown fellows, with their scanty garments, nose-, ear-, and 
 arm-rings, and hair wound round sticks, which stood out like 
 rays, looked most original : it was a dance of savages, as 
 fantastic as could be imagined. 
 
 After a time we returned to the steamer, with a rich store 
 of purchases and highly interesting impressions. 
 
'A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 2S3 
 
 While we were at lunch the kites, which live here in 
 myriads, kept cruising about over the vessel and eagerly 
 picked up the bits of bread that were thrown into the water ; 
 nor were the greedy creatures even scared by being fired at. 
 As soon as our meal was finished we started off again to make 
 an excursion to the quarries so celebrated since the days of 
 antiquity. 
 
 The town was quickly traversed, and we came to a broad 
 valley, very uneven at the bottom and bounded by low hills 
 adorned with the burial-places of sheikhs. This valley is, from 
 its commencement at Assuan and for about two miles inland, 
 a literal city of tombs. 
 
 There the party divided, some riding home, while Hoyos 
 and I climbed up the rather high, stony, and utterly barren 
 hill that bounds the valley near Assuan. 
 
 At the top of it stands the old tomb of a sheikh a round 
 domed building, in front of which we had already had a 
 carcass laid, as some large vultures were soaring overhead. 
 
 We at once took possession of this capital place of con- 
 cealment, and in a few minutes the Kites and Egyptian 
 Vultures began pecking at the dead sheep ; but the hour 
 was too late for the larger birds of prey, and I shot nothing 
 but an Egyptian Vulture. 
 
 Time was now pressing ; so we left the gloomy tomb and 
 had a good look at the splendid landscape. To the north, 
 just below us, was the narrow valley of the Nile, enclosed 
 by mountains, with the river forcing its way thrpugh the 
 wild rifts of the cataracts. Behind us lay the tropical 
 island of Elephantine, the picturesquely situated town of 
 Assuan, and the dismal city of the dead ; while on all sides 
 was an endless maze of hills, valleys, plains, and plateaus, 
 all desolate and barren, true deserts of stone and sand. 
 Bathed in the fierce sunlight, everything quivered in a glow 
 of reflected heat and was of a dazzling white, only here 
 
284 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 and there broken by orange rocks and masses of black 
 granite ; while over all stretched the ever-blue sky, cloud- 
 less and clear as crystal. 
 
 We quickly got back to Assuan ; but as soon as the sun 
 was sinking and flooding the lovely landscape with the most 
 glorious colour, Hoyos and I again left the vessel. 
 
 A white-robed Nubian with a long gun, well known as a 
 sportsman in Assuan, guided us through the town to its 
 outermost houses, where he advised us to wait a little while, 
 as the wild beasts come every evening to the outskirts of the 
 town to look for plunder. 
 
 Dogs were barking, children screaming, and a band of 
 Ababdehs were bawling out as they went along to their 
 home in the desert; yet, in spite of all this noise, a jackal 
 showed itself on the mound of a little windmill, but instantly 
 vanished again among the stones. 
 
 As twilight was now fast advancing, we hurried on to the 
 cemetery, where I knocked over a jackal that ran by, with 
 a lucky shot. We then proceeded to an old tank situated 
 in a little depression among the sandhills near the beginning 
 of the tombs, and not far from the foot of the mountain at 
 the top of which we had shot the Egyptian Vulture in the 
 afternoon. There a carcass had been already exposed, and 
 a hiding-place dug out in which we now secreted our- 
 selves. 
 
 The moon rose, and in this pure air shed a brilliant radiance 
 over the weird and solemn landscape. The desert, the grave- 
 stones, and the old domed tombs of the sheikhs glistened in 
 its white light ; while a death-like silence that reigned around 
 was only broken by the howling of the dogs and jackals. 
 
 We had hardly been sitting half an hour in our very un- 
 comfortable ambush when I heard the rustle of an approaching 
 animal, and soon saw it glide past like a shadow several times ; 
 but at last I made out its form, and, trusting to luck, aimed 
 
<A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 285 
 
 as well as I could and fired. My shot was responded to by a 
 piteous howling, and on hurrying to the spot I found a large 
 wolf making painful efforts to drag itself away. I stopped 
 the tough brute with a second dose of heavy shot, and taking 
 it on my back walked at least a hundred yards towards my 
 companion, who was hiding in another place. The apparently 
 dead beast was, however, heavy, and the heat, even at night, 
 considerable ; so I threw down my booty and waited for the 
 Nubian sportsman to come up : but hardly had the wolf lain 
 a few moments on the ground when it began to move again, 
 and kicked about until it got on to its feet, and I had to finish 
 it off with another shot. 
 
 With this capital bag of a wolf and a jackal we now 
 returned to the steamer and had supper. The Grand Duke 
 and Eschenbacher, who had been hiding in one of the domed 
 tombs on the other side of the cemetery, unfortunately came 
 back empty-handed. 
 
 On the 8th of March we all started at seven in the morning, 
 most of us mounted on donkeys ; for only Hoyos and Pausinger 
 cared to ride perched up on camels. 
 
 Biding round Assuan, we reached the desert by a short 
 cut through the city of tombs. Valleys, hills, sands, rocks, 
 and ravines followed each other in pleasant succession, and a 
 deep gorge brought us out into the narrow valley of the Nile, 
 here pent in by rugged mountains, varied in colour and 
 ornamented with black granite. A magnificent view now 
 burst upon us : the dark stern rocks, the river tearing through 
 the narrows, the green island of PhilaB with the ruins of its 
 lofty temple, and southward the broadening valley with its belts 
 of rich vegetation along the waterside, all unrolled themselves 
 in a moment before our eyes. We were in Nubia. 
 
 There lay the lovely island of Philse, surrounded by 
 dark rocks that rose straight up from the water. A large 
 boat took us over to it, and in a few minutes we had reached 
 
286 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 its steep bank and were hastening up the bushy slope to the 
 magnificent temple. After inspecting every part of it we 
 walked to the most southerly point of the island ; and it was 
 with sorrowful feelings that I clambered out to the very 
 brink of its precipitous shore, and looked up the sacred stream 
 over the widening valley and the plains of Nubia. 
 
 A large portion of our journey was now accomplished, for 
 we had reached our southernmost goal, and though the inter- 
 tropical region of Nubia, the tropics, and by night the highest 
 stars of the famous Southern Cross were luring and enticing 
 us onward, we could follow them no longer. 
 
 We ate the lunch which we had brought with us, in one of 
 the ancient pavilions of the temple, now known as the kiosk. 
 This building, with the terrace in front of it, rears itself proudly 
 above the rushing stream on a high embankment, and is still 
 in perfect preservation. 
 
 From the entrance of its pillared hall one enjoys a distant 
 view of exceptionally picturesque beauty, and there is an in- 
 describable poetic charm in this wilderness and in the luxu- 
 riantly green island with its grand memorials of a time long 
 past away, which rises in its midst from the waters of the 
 sacred stream. Philse is a picture which impresses itself upon 
 the memory as one of the brightest points of the journey, and 
 one that can never be forgotten. 
 
 Descending from the temple to the bank, we rowed up- 
 stream to the Cataracts in a very primitive boat, and for a long 
 time we could still see the rocky island, the black-granite cliffs, 
 the flowering shrubs, and the towering temple, while the brown 
 oarsmen sang melancholy songs that harmonized with the 
 grandeur and beauty of the scene. 
 
 Landing below the actual commencement of the Cataract, 
 where the stream is split up into different branches, we walked 
 along the rocky bank to a point from which one can see the 
 whole of this wild confusion of rocks and water. The Cata- 
 
'A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 287 
 
 racts are not waterfalls but rapids, where the river foams and 
 roars as it seeks a way through the thousands of rocky islets, 
 crags, and reefs with which its bed is studded for more than 
 half a mile. The whole scene is undeniably magnificent, and 
 its peculiar charm is still further heightened by the remark- 
 able forms and the blackness of the reefs and ridges which 
 rise above the white seething waters. It is also interesting 
 to see the Nile, usually so sluggish and turbid, changed for 
 a short time into a wild mountain-torrent. 
 
 As soon as we had reached the best point of view a number 
 of naked Nubians appeared, who sprang into the water and, 
 avoiding the rocks, let themselves be carried through the most 
 furious of the channels. In a few moments they were swept 
 down a long way with the speed of an arrow, and then they 
 emerged from the water dripping and clamouring for back- 
 sheesh. We now went back to the boat, and after rowing a 
 little further up-stream mounted our donkeys, which were 
 ready waiting, and returned to Assuan by the same route 
 that we had taken in the morning. 
 
 This excursion had occupied the entire day, and not until 
 late in afternoon did we reach our steamer. We then dined 
 at once, and afterwards Hoyos and I went out, just as twilight 
 was coming on, to the hiding-places which we had made use 
 of last evening. This we did by the advice of my jager, who, 
 while we were at Philse, had found the fresh tracks of a Hysena 
 near the remains of the carcass. 
 
 It was a fine night, and as I had determined to shoot at 
 nothing but hyaenas, and to wait until they came, I was pre- 
 pared to remain out until a late hour. Several jackals 
 appeared, and were allowed to pass unmolested ; but just 
 as it was getting on for midnight, and I was having a hard 
 fight against sleep, I saw in the clear moonlight some people 
 slink by not far from my ambush, and soon heard several 
 shots and the familiar cackle of the unlucky decoy-hens. 
 
288 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 It was therefore all over with the perfect quiet which the 
 hysena demands, so instead of uselessly waiting, I went home, 
 meeting on the way the dragoman Paulovich, who had unfor- 
 tunately gone out to shoot with Baron Seckendorf at the very 
 place where I had been watching. Hoyos at his post near the 
 town had killed one jackal and wounded another, and the 
 Grand Duke and Eschenbacher were at one time actually sur- 
 rounded by howling jackals, but could not get a shot owing 
 to the unfavourable nature of the ground. On my way back 
 at midnight I had a beautiful view of the picturesque town of 
 Assuan, the river, and the fairy-like island of Elephantine, 
 all steeped in a magic flood of the purest moonlight. 
 
 At seven o'clock on the morning of the 9th the steamer left 
 Assuan, that charming place, so thoroughly African and so 
 full of ethnographical interest. We glided down-stream at 
 great speed through the now familiar districts, and the hours 
 we spent on deck passed quickly, for the return journey 
 afforded the desired opportunity of arranging the many notes 
 we had collected, and of jotting down the various reminiscences 
 of our travels. 
 
 We were sitting in the cabin about the middle of the day 
 when the steamer came to a sudden and violent stop, and we 
 could distinctly feel the heavy vessel boring into the mud. 
 While going up-stream she had frequently run aground, a 
 thing which happens to every Nile steamer, owing to the con- 
 tinual shifting of the sandbanks, but the rapidity of our down- 
 ward course had now driven us in more firmly than ever, and 
 as the old Admiral declared that it would take at least two 
 hours to get the vessel afloat again, we immediately had our- 
 selves rowed ashore. 
 
 We were at a point called Kom-el-Emir, where high, steep, 
 rocky mountains closely approach the stream, forming a short 
 but beautiful gorge, succeeded by a well-cultivated plain. 
 
 Our party now separated to shoot in various directions. I 
 
<A JOURNEY IN THE EAST. 1 289 
 
 at first tried to stalk some large birds of prey by clambering 
 about the bare rocks ; but as this did not succeed I took to 
 hunting about for small game among the bushes on the plain 
 and along the bank of the river, bagging during this short 
 ramble a number of water-birds and also a Pygmy Dove, 
 that charming and beautifully plumaged tropical species of 
 African pigeon, which is no larger than a lark and is adorned 
 with a long tail *. 
 
 A couple of hours had gone by, and we were looking for 
 sandpipers along the bank, when we perceived that our 
 steamer was ready to go on ; so we at once rowed back to her, 
 and resumed the journey which had been so pleasantly broken 
 by this excursion. 
 
 In the evening after sundown we lay to at El-Kaab on the 
 eastern bank, where a narrow strip of cultivation runs between 
 the river and the not very broad desert-plains, behind which 
 rise splendid mountains. Soon after our arrival we resolved 
 to utilize the moonlight, so favourable for shooting wild animals, 
 and separated in various directions to search for good places 
 in which to lie in wait. 
 
 Pausinger and I, guided by a peasant, strolled through the 
 cultivated land, and passing a miserable village, got out into 
 the desert, where we could see in dim blurred outlines the 
 ruins of the ancient Egyptian city of Nechebt, the Eileithyia 
 . of the Greeks. Its great outer walls of unburnt bricks rise 
 above everything else, and show that this place was an im- 
 portant fortress in ancient days. On the skirts of the moun- 
 tains there are also some rock-tombs, and a rock-temple 
 founded by Ptolemy Euergetes, and further on a little sanc- 
 tuary dedicated to the goddess Nechebt by Amenhotep III. 
 
 This part of the desert contains a great deal of natron, and 
 one breaks through a crackling crust at every step. We 
 
 * [Chcdcopelia afra (Linn.). Emerald-spotted Dove.] 
 
 U 
 
290 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 walked close up to the base of the high mountain and concealed 
 ourselves between two large masses of rock, after tying up a 
 bleating kid a few yards in front to a stake which we had 
 brought with us. A quarter of an hour had hardly gone by 
 when a white-robed Bedouin came riding along on a camel, 
 singing doleful ditties this strange rider on his tall steed 
 having a fine effect in the monotonous desert. 
 
 The bleating of the kid seemed to attract the Bedouin's 
 attention, for he stopped, looked about, and began muttering 
 to himself, but then rode on again without having seen us. 
 Not long afterwards, when all was quite quiet again, I heard the 
 sound of an animal creeping up. The kid began to bleat and 
 jump about in terror, and I soon saw a dark form larger than 
 a wolf approaching the decoy ; so, taking a good aim, I fired, 
 and the shot was followed by an angry howl of pain ; but on 
 hastening up to the place, we found nothing but a trail, 
 which led towards the mountains. Much vexed at this, we 
 returned to the steamer, and as I felt sure that it was a 
 Hyaena, I told my jager to go out at daybreak and follow the 
 tracks of the wounded beast. 
 
 By the time we reached the vessel all the other gentlemen 
 had returned. The Grand Duke had seen jackals, but had 
 unfortunately failed to kill any, while Hoyos had been lucky 
 enough to bag one. 
 
 On the 10th the sun was high in the heavens when I awoke, 
 and we had already been going down-stream for an hour. 
 Asking after my jager, I heard that he had found the wounded 
 animal a few hundred yards from the place where it was 
 shot at ; but, alas ! it was no Hyaena, but one of those half-wild 
 savage village dogs which throughout Egypt roam about near 
 the towns the whole night long, on the look-out for plunder. 
 My jager had also seen a very large Lynx, which ran into a 
 hole in the outer wall of El-Kaab, a few paces in front of him. 
 
 Perhaps I may here be allowed to say a few words about 
 
'A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 291 
 
 the races of Egyptian dogs. While in this country I noticed 
 the singular fact that the village dog, the African Wolf ( Canis 
 lupaster), " Abu el Hussein " or " Deeb " of the Arabs, and the 
 Jackal ( Canis aureus) , " Talib " of the Egyptians and " Wawi " 
 of the Syrians, are much mixed by cross-breeding. We 
 never killed two wolves or two jackals which were exactly 
 like each other, either in size or colour ; and in Palestine the 
 variations among the jackals were still more marked. On 
 the whole, the Asiatic Jackal is larger than the North- African. 
 Among a number which were fairly alike, I shot one which 
 differed from all the others both in form and coloration, and 
 yet one could not say that this singular creature was a wolf. 
 
 The dogs of the East also frequently show traces of a wild 
 origin, which is not surprising when one considers what a free 
 ownerless life they lead, and how the wolves and jackals prowl 
 about the outskirts of the towns and villages every night, and 
 often every evening. 
 
 I will even go so far as to assert that in those parts of 
 Africa and Asia where dogs, wolves, and jackals live close 
 together, one cannot speak of the jackal as being a good 
 and separate species. Dogs and wolves keep their breeds 
 purer ; but I have failed to find that the Canis aureus of 
 scientific works is a true and distinctly characterized species. 
 
 But to return to the incidents of our journey. The steamer 
 ran on until ten o'clock in the forenoon, when she stopped 
 above the sandbank at Dabbabieh, on which I had seen the 
 great Sociable Vultures when going up the river On landing 
 we at once found that the fellaheen had faithfully carried out 
 our directions, for a little reed-hut had been erected, and the 
 bones of dogs and sheep showed that the vultures had been 
 daily fed. 
 
 We had great difficulty in keeping off the inquisitive 
 natives, who, proud of their achievements, now wished to 
 participate in the sport. Some Egyptian Vultures soon 
 
 u2 
 
292 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 appeared, followed by three Pileated Vultures, those black 
 medium-sized birds with dark bald heads which belong so 
 exclusively to Africa. As I had never before seen this ex- 
 tremely repulsive species, I hastened to shoot a specimen, 
 and at the report of the gun the fellaheen came running up 
 from all quarters curious to see what I had shot and clamorous 
 for backsheesh. 
 
 Large vultures were circling high overhead, and the best 
 time of day for this kind of shooting was just beginning, so 
 that we might have been very successful, but we had, never- 
 theless, to retire, for we could no longer keep off the people, 
 and fresh arrivals were coming up from all sides ; so we 
 signalled for the steamer to near the bank and resumed our 
 journey. 
 
 At Ermant, which was reached in the afternoon, we had to 
 make a short halt in order to ship the famous block of granite* ; 
 and during this stoppage I had some practice at the wild 
 pigeons which were flying from side to side of the river just 
 over our vessel. One after another they came, and within a 
 short time I managed to kill forty-six of them. 
 
 We soon started again, and by sunset were once more at 
 Luxor, and our steamer had hardly put in to the landing-place 
 below the hotel, when Khalil appeared with some saddled 
 donkeys, and several of us rode off to Karnak as fast as we 
 could along the well-known way, intending to watch for jackals 
 at various spots. 
 
 I had taken a live fowl with me, and had sat down near one 
 of the ancient tanks on the south side of the ruins, and was 
 enjoying the beauty of the evening, and constantly twitching 
 at my hen in order that its cries might attract the jackals, 
 when, instead of these animals there unfortunately appeared 
 three Englishmen, who regarded me with amazement, but soon 
 went on their way. 
 
 * An inscribed tablet of the time of Amenhotep II. Now in Vienna. 
 
<A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 293 
 
 Just as it was getting quite dark, a large bird swept down 
 to the tank like a shadow, and on firing a chance shot at it, I 
 found a heron lying dead upon the bank. I then left my post 
 and rode back to Luxor, where I learnt that the other gentle- 
 men had returned empty-handed. 
 
 Early next morning we all rode over to the opposite Libyan 
 banks for our long and highly interesting excursion to the 
 Tombs of the Kings. Riding on donkeys, we first crossed a 
 well-tilled plain where fellaheen were working industriously 
 in the fields, and camels, long-eared goats, buffaloes, donkeys, 
 and sheep were browsing on the yellowish pastures, while 
 numbers of Egyptian Vultures were sitting near the scattered 
 mud-hovels. The way then led to a very poor little village, 
 past some pools still filled with the water of the inundations, 
 and over a shallow arm of the Nile much silted-up with sand. 
 The palms and bushes were now followed by the desolate sands 
 of the desert, and we soon reached the base of the high 
 towering mountains, where a narrow valley enclosed by preci- 
 pices and steep slopes opened out before us. Along the bottom 
 of the valley ran the bridle-path to the Tombs of the Kings. 
 This road most of the gentlemen followed, but the Grand 
 Duke and I decided to reach the same destination by taking 
 a slightly roundabout way through the mountains. 
 
 Guided by an Arab well known in this district as an excel- 
 lent sportsman, we clambered over some hillocks of sand and 
 rubble, beyond which the real ascent began, and a narrow 
 path wound up along the cliffs over flat rocks and loose 
 stones. 
 
 Right and left we saw countless graves and rock-tombs, for 
 the lower slopes of the whole mountain-chain west of ancient 
 Thebes are hollowed out with burial-places of extreme antiquity. 
 
 From one of the excavations a wolf sprang out at our 
 approach and fled up the steep hillside, but unfortunately he 
 was too far off for shot. 
 
294 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 We now tried climbing up to the crest of the mountain 
 by different paths, hoping that by so doing we might per- 
 chance get a shot. 
 
 The ridge was soon attained, and from it there opened a 
 splendid view of the verdant valley of the Nile, with the mighty 
 river, the town of Luxor, the ruins of Karnak, and the Arabian 
 mountains ; while in front of us was a high plateau, with a 
 wild assemblage of summits, peaks, precipices, ravines, and 
 valleys, slopes of sand and loose stones, slabs of rock and 
 masses of limestone. All was dazzling white or yellowish 
 in colour, without a trace of vegetation, glittering with the 
 most brilliant reflections, and baked through and through by 
 the rays of the African sun. One can hardly imagine a more 
 desolate, but at the same time more magnificent picture of a 
 true desert mountain. 
 
 In the sand I found tracks of hyaenas, wolves, and jackals, 
 also numberless holes belonging to various beasts of prey ; 
 -vultures were sitting in the shaded crannies of the rocks, 
 swifts were whirling about the barren pinnacles, and a wolf 
 ran across the path in front of me, but too far off for my shot 
 to take effect, nor was the Grand Duke more fortunate with a 
 jackal. 
 
 Following a narrow track we now descended over some 
 awkward places to the spot in the main valley where we had 
 previously arranged that the donkeys-should be waiting for us, 
 and we then rode along a gloomy ravine closely confined by 
 glaring white hillsides, to the Tombs of the Kings at Biban- 
 el-Moluk. There both path and valley end in a cul-de-sac 
 of abrupt slopes and cliffs, and the dark chasm opens which 
 leads into the vaults of the most ancient dynasties. 
 . Armed with torches we penetrated into the sanctuaries of 
 the long-past ages, and after carefully examining these most 
 remarkable Tombs of the Kings we took a frugal lunch out- 
 side the entrance. 
 
'A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 295 
 
 This short rest was followed by a fatiguing climb along a 
 narrow mountain-path to Medinet Abu, and again we crossed 
 over a miserable stony desert on which the midday sun was 
 pouring down with a scorching power. We now had to 
 clamber about some steep cliffs, and not until we had tramped 
 a long way did we get to the ridge of the hill, and soon after- 
 wards to the region of the rock- tombs, and then passing dilapi- 
 dated houses, heaps of rubbish, and ruins, all belonging 
 to Moslem times, we reached the cultivated country, where 
 our donkeys were awaiting us under a shady wall. 
 
 A still longer ride than that of the morning brought us to 
 the bank of the Nile past the Colossi of Memnon, which are 
 truly imposing and surpass all one's expectations. Having 
 got back to our steamer by boat, we immediately proceeded to 
 dine. 
 
 The Arab sportsman had persuaded me to lie in wait again 
 for beasts of prey near Medinet Abu, so, as soon as dinner 
 was over, I took my jager with me and rode back by the long 
 road through the cultivated country and past the Colossi to 
 that wretched mud-built village, just behind which a pretty 
 broad and perfectly level stretch of desert separates the arable 
 land from the base of the mountains. 
 
 Some much-trodden trails, which showed the tracks of 
 hysenas, wolves, and jackals, here ran between the hills and 
 the game-frequented lowlands. Near one of these runs I hid 
 myself behind some large stones just as the setting sun was 
 flooding with its glorious light the desert sands, the high 
 rocky mountains, the ruins, and the palms and villages of the 
 plains. 
 
 A great tawny Egyptian Eagle-Owl flew noiselessly from 
 its dark retreat to look for plunder, and soon afterwards 
 appeared a jackal keeping closely to the track. I fired at 
 the beast as it came running along unsuspiciously, but it was 
 rather far off, and though it rolled over, it immediately got on 
 
296 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 its legs again and scurried back to the mountains. I found 
 some traces of blood, and searched for it a little while with no 
 success ; time, too, was pressing, for twilight had already 
 begun, and I had .U> hurry off to the right place for the 
 hyaenas. 
 
 Guided by the Arab, I rode through the desert, which kept 
 widening out into the plain, until I reached a little sand-hill. 
 The ambush w r as well chosen, and the dead donkey on the 
 white sand was visible a long way off. 
 
 The mountains rose in misty outlines ; the yellow desert 
 looked interminable, and a profound silence reigned over all 
 the monotonous surroundings. We heard several jackals 
 prowling about, and even saw them flit by like shadows, \vhile 
 I once even made out the form of a wolf, but the much- 
 desired Hyaena did not appear. 
 
 The proper time for this shy creature does not begin until 
 about an hour after midnight ; but by eleven o'clock I was 
 again so overcome by sleep that I could no longer struggle 
 against it and left the ambush, the Arab dismissing me with a 
 reproachful look and sitting down again to watch. 
 
 It was a long but beautiful ride that I now began, and the 
 moonlit nights of Egypt are among the most charming of 
 the recollections that I have carried away from the land of 
 the Pharaohs. The huge Colossi loomed grand and ghostly 
 by night among the fields ; and near the Nile a wolf ran by 
 within a few yards, but unluckily my gun was not loaded. 
 It was at a very late hour that I reached the steamer and 
 my long-desired rest. 
 
 On the morning of the 12th we all rode again to Medinet 
 Abu by the same road. Large flocks of storks were stand- 
 ing on the sandbanks and by the pools, as well as snipe and 
 sandpipers, at which I shot from the back of my donkey. 
 
 After an hour's ride we arrived at the village, where the 
 Arab sportsman was waiting to tell us that the Hyaena had at 
 
'A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 297 
 
 last come, somewhat after one o'clock, but that he had missed 
 it. I did not credit his assertion, and determined to look at 
 the place myself and at the same time to pay some attention 
 to the vultures, which, according to the Arab, had there 
 assembled in large numbers. Unfortunately, by the time I 
 got to the spot the great birds of prey had finished their meal 
 and were sitting in the desert a few hundred yards away 
 lazy but unapproachable. The donkey was terribly mangled, 
 whole limbs were gone, and everything was covered with the 
 droppings and feathers of the Vultures. 
 
 I had done the .Arab an injustice, for I at once found the 
 track of the Hygena, leading to the carcass on one side and to 
 the desert on the other. On the way back to Medinet Abu 
 I also noticed the perfectly fresh footprints of Gazelles. 
 
 As soon as I had got back to the rest of the party we began 
 our inspection of the Ramesseum, that marvellously fine and 
 well-preserved sepulchral temple which lies near the village. 
 
 We had now to bid adieu to beautiful Luxor, the splendid 
 ruins of hundred-gated Thebes, and the Theban plain, which, 
 swathed in the noontide haze and girt with lofty blue moun- 
 tains, made a wonderful farewell picture. 
 
 We journeyed all the afternoon, spending some pleasant 
 hours on deck, for there was a cool breeze on the river, and a 
 succession of lovely landscapes unfolded themselves before us ; 
 and by six o'clock we had reached Keneh, where we now 
 landed at the modern town on the eastern bank, instead of at 
 Dendera on the western. 
 
 The evening was passed in a sporting ramble round the 
 neighbourhood, Hoyos and I riding across the broad and well- 
 tilled plain, and then following the course of a canal well 
 stocked with birds, of which we shot a great variety of 
 species. 
 
 Fording the water at a shallow place, we returned to the 
 town, on the outskirts of which a palm-grove rears its proud 
 
298 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 crests among the flowery gardens. Kites, Falcons, Black- 
 winged Kites, Ravens, Crows, Night-Herons, and all sorts of 
 small hirds come to roost in the shelter of this cover, and 
 being aware of this we hid ourselves behind the thick stems 
 of the date-palms, and had some easy and very productive 
 sport 1 ; but as soon as twilight had succeeded to a glowing 
 gorgeous sunset we rode back along an embankment to the 
 tolerably large town. 
 
 On the 13th we resumed our journey in splendid weather, 
 and travelled down-stream from sunrise to noon without a 
 halt. Arrived at the place where the mountains of Gebel- 
 Tuk come close up to the east side of the stream, the country 
 looked so promising, that we resolved to lie to near the 
 crumbling bank and go ashore for a little exercise. 
 
 There was neither village nor house in this neighbourhood, 
 nothing but rugged rocky mountains separated from the river 
 by a meadow not more than a hundred yards broad. On 
 climbing up the stony slopes and barren ravines I found 
 plenty of jackal-tracks and some earths, so I made the dachs- 
 hunds hunt the deep gullies, but unfortunately without any 
 good result. I also failed in my attempt to stalk the birds of 
 prey which were sitting on the peaks and pinnacles ; but while 
 pursuing this unsuccessful hunt I found some old tombs con- 
 taining bones and also what were either fragments of a mummy 
 or pieces of muscular flesh desiccated by the pure hot air. 
 
 On returning from the mountains we killed a few Quail 
 which, tired with some long flight, had pitched on the narrow 
 meadow, and after a halt of some two hours resumed our 
 journey, reaching the large and prettily situated town of 
 Sohag about two o'clock. 
 
 Here we at once landed for a ramble through the neigh- 
 bourhood, and the Grand Duke and I went round beyond 
 the town to some large pools near the barracks of its small 
 garrison, where we found a great variety of birds. The many 
 
'A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 299 
 
 onlookers, however, and the herds of buffaloes and camels 
 which were being watered drove us away; so we followed the 
 embankment of the celebrated Bahr Yusuf, and passing by 
 solitary mud-huts, fields, and flourishing gardens came to a 
 wood composed of high tamarisks, sycamores, and palms. 
 
 This capital cover served as the roosting-place of an extra- 
 ordinary number of birds ; and as soon as the sun had set and 
 twilight had begun, we slew many of the astonished sleepers 
 a Pygmy Eagle, several Kites, Hawks, Owls, Crows, and a 
 lot of Egyptian Turtle-Doves falling victims to our guns in the 
 course of a few minutes. 
 
 This wood of thoroughly African trees was also charmingly 
 picturesque, and we were sorry to leave such a fragrant rich 
 green spot, where the wild luxuriance of the vegetation 
 reminded us of the fanciful tales of the ' Thousand and one 
 Nights.' Keeping along the embankment we soon reached 
 the town, and passing through some of its narrow busy streets 
 got back to our steamer. 
 
 Mudir Ali Pasha had kindly lent me his large 'milk-white 
 ass, called Abu Gebel, an animal of the purest Arab breed ; 
 and as I was delighted with its excellent paces during the 
 ride he presented me with this really fine creature, for which 
 we now had to find a place on deck. 
 
 The following morning we started again at a very early 
 hour, and the steamer went on to its last station at Siut 
 without stopping. We arrived there at noon, and passing 
 straight through the town and across the well-known Bahr 
 Yusuf, reached the feet of the steep desert mountains. 
 There the party separated, some of the gentlemen shooting 
 their way home again, while I clambered up a narrow 
 ravine to the top of the heights, where I had a beautiful view 
 of the town, the green valley of the Nile, the Arabian moun- 
 tains in front of me, and the tawny plateau of the Libyan 
 hills at my back. I then descended to the valley by another 
 
300 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 path among dangerous crags, flat rocks, and loose stones 
 passing many graves and skeletons, before I got to the Moham- 
 medan cemetery. This city of the Moslem dead, with its 
 remarkable mausoleums, is very large and lies westward of 
 Siut, extending from the flourishing gardens of the cultivated 
 land into the barren desert. 
 
 I now walked back to the town and sauntered about its 
 outskirts, observing the life of the place and shooting a few 
 of the Egyptian Vultures which had assembled in great num- 
 bers near the killing-yards, and then returned through the 
 better parts of the town to dine on board the steamer. 
 
 At sunset we all rode out again to the foot of the mountain, 
 and stationed ourselves at various points, some of the gentle- 
 men going to the rock-tombs, while I concealed myself in one 
 of the buildings of the Mohammedan cemetery. It was a 
 lovely evening, all was still, and only a gentle breeze rustled 
 in the leafy tops of the sycamores. 
 
 Unfortunately no four-footed creatures came to my hiding- 
 place, but I saw in the distance more than twenty great 
 vultures flying one after another to roost in a high cliff. It 
 was amusing to see how these birds quarrelled about their 
 sleeping-quarters, for naturally they did not care to sit below 
 each other, and it was some time before they all managed to 
 squat side by side on a long ledge of the rock. 
 
 I had to leave the cemetery in an hour, as it was getting 
 nearly time for us to continue our journey. My companions, 
 whom I joined at the Bahr Yusuf, had seen jackals and 
 even a large wolf, but all unluckily out of shot among the 
 rocks. The Grand Duke had also observed a Yampire 
 coming out of a tomb, the disgusting creature being as large 
 as a raven. 
 
 We now rode quickly back to the landing-place, where we 
 bade a hearty farewell to our worthy Admiral and the good 
 ship, which had served as our abode during such delightful 
 
1 A JOURNEY IN THE EAST. 301 
 
 unforgettable days, and then went on to the adjacent station, 
 from which the train soon bore us off to the North, and in 
 a little while the whole party were fast asleep. 
 
 When I awoke early on the morning of the 15th the sun 
 was peeping into the carriage, and we had come to a stand- 
 still in the small and very neglected station of Bedrascheen, 
 where we breakfasted in the dirty waiting-room, and then 
 rode off to Memphis on donkeys. The road ran by marshy 
 pools, well-tilled fields, and large palm-forests, to the little 
 village of Mitrahenne, which lay hidden among the luxuriant 
 verdure of the African vegetation. There stood the temple 
 of the god Ptah, the great fashioner and maker of all created 
 things. 
 
 From Memphis we rode out of the cultivated country to 
 the pyramids of Sakkara, in the great Libyan desert, and past 
 Mariette's house to the Apis tombs. 
 
 Here the character of the country is just the same as at 
 the pyramids of Gizeh, which one sees at no great distance, 
 together with the town and citadel of Cairo and the terraces 
 of the Mokattam hills. 
 
 We had a light lunch in the little house near the Apis 
 tombs which the late celebrated Egyptologist Mariette Bey 
 built for the pursuance of his researches, and then went to 
 the singular low Step-Pyramid to hunt for jackals. Hardly 
 had the Arabs begun to climb up the stones, when down came 
 a jackal in full flight and fell to my gun. 
 
 After this successful little bit of sport we visited the other 
 pyramids of this district, including the small one of King 
 Pepi I., recently opened ; and after scrambling in and out of 
 it with some difficulty, we left the desert with its ancient 
 monuments and rode back to the cultivated country. 
 
 The road led past a berseem field, a very attractive- 
 looking cover for game, so we determined to get our servants 
 and some fellaheen to beat it, but unluckily the owner 
 
302 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 thereof suddenly appeared and forbade our trespassing on his 
 property. 
 
 This lordly personage was an old negro, a eunuch, enor- 
 mously tall but very lank, with flabby features, and clad in 
 long loose garments one of the ugliest and most repulsive 
 men I have ever seen. He had in his glorious career among 
 the harems acquired much wealth, and was now spending his 
 old age on his own large estates. 
 
 Avoiding any dispute with this individual, we rode straight 
 on to Bedrascheen, whence the railway took us all to Cairo in 
 less than an hour. Thus after a pretty long expedition full 
 of the most delightful experiences, we again entered the 
 beautiful city of the Caliphs. 
 
 Next morning we called on the Viceroy to thank him 
 for the great hospitality he had extended to us during our 
 journey on the Nile. As this was not a visit of ceremony, 
 we drove quite quietly to the palace through streets which 
 in the morning were not at all crowded. We spent a 
 quarter of an hour with the Viceroy, drinking the customary 
 coffee and smoking capital cigarettes, while he inquired 
 with much interest about the incidents of our charming 
 trip. 
 
 From the palace we returned to Kasr-el-Nusha by the 
 nearest way, and after putting on our comfortable shooting 
 things the whole party soon set out to pay a visit to the 
 viceregal summer-palaces of Gezireh and Gizeh outside the 
 town. 
 
 After thoroughly inspecting the gardens and palaces we 
 drove on to the pyramids of Gizeh. The heat was most 
 oppressive, and a strong wind blew such quantities of sand 
 into our eyes and noses that we were glad when we had got 
 over the interminable road along the embankment and had 
 reached the gigantic structures. 
 
 On this second visit we intended to have a jackal hunt and 
 
'A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 303 
 
 to ascend the great pyramid of Cheops. Some Arabs at once 
 began to rummage about the venerable piles, but only two 
 jackals were routed out, one of which the Grand Duke shot, 
 while I fired at the other, but too far away, and the wounded 
 beast dragged itself off into the desert. There was nothing 
 on the third pyramid, so after a short hunt we were at liberty 
 to begin the ascent of this artificial mountain. 
 
 My companions accomplished the somewhat fatiguing but 
 not at all dangerous climb in twenty minutes, but I wanted 
 to give some lively exercise to the Arabs who swarm round 
 tourists and hoist them up step by step, so I sprang from 
 stone to stone and reached the top in nine minutes. From 
 the little platform at the summit there is a splendid view of 
 the Nile, the extensive cultivated country of Lower Egypt, 
 the tawny deserts on both sides, and the noble town of Cairo 
 with its sea of houses and its high minarets. 
 
 The sun was just setting, and seen through the golden haze 
 of the heated atmosphere and the whirling sand of the desert 
 looked like a ball of fire as it slowly vanished into the Libyan 
 waste, while dark shadows lay upon the eastern mountains, 
 and the old citadel and the cliffs of the Mokattam hills were 
 bathed in a rosy light like our Alpine glow. 
 
 Some of the pyramid guides, who were particularly swift of 
 foot, ran for a good backsheesh down the Cheops pyramid 
 and up to the top of the Chefren in eight minutes, the upper 
 part of the latter being very dangerous to climb on account 
 of its smooth surface. 
 
 After this entertaining exhibition we, too, clambered down 
 from our elevated position, and while making the descent a 
 young guide, with a fine thoroughly Arab face, told me in 
 broken French that he was not an Egyptian or one of the 
 miserable fellaheen, but had the honour of being a scion of a 
 noble family in Algiers, and was also a far-travelled man, who 
 knew both Tunis and Morocco, where true Arabs lived, and 
 
304 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 not wretched mongrel races like those of the Nile valley. 
 The worthy fellow appeared to be much disgusted with his 
 present compatriots, and seeing that I was amused with his 
 conversation gave full vent to his feelings. 
 
 At the foot of the pyramid we had to witness a fantasia 
 performed by some Bedouins, who rode past each other at full 
 speed, firing off their guns. Neither the men nor their 
 horses, weapons, or garments were either fine or genuine, for 
 wherever the great swarm of Baedeker-reading tourists rush, 
 one finds swindlers, sharpers, and fictitious displays of primi- 
 tive life. 
 
 The pyramids are just as much haunted by tourists as the 
 Rigi ; and the hired Bedouins with their silly tricks come 
 under the same category as the wooden chamois which are 
 stuck about all over Switzerland. 
 
 It was now getting late, so we had to hasten home along 
 the road by which we had come, and through the streets of 
 the town, which at this hour were very lively; and as soon as 
 dinner was over we drove off to the railway- station to start 
 on our expedition to Menzaleh. 
 
 Among the gentlemen who had assembled at the Cairo 
 station to bid us farewell was our friend Brugsch Pasha. 
 Baron Saurma was also there, ready to accompany us to the 
 Lake, and in a few minutes Herr Zimmerman, our trusty 
 attendant on all our railway journeys, told us that it was time 
 to start. 
 
 After keeping up a lively conversation in the carriage for 
 about an hour we one by one lay down to rest, and in order 
 that our slumbers might not be disturbed they kindly shunted 
 our carriage at Damietta, which we reached during the night, 
 so that when we awoke before sunrise on the 17th of March 
 we found ourselves alone upon a siding. 
 
 As soon as all the party had assembled we went to the bank 
 of the canal, where our servants were busy with the transport 
 
<A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 305 
 
 of our effects, and where a steam-launch took us over to the 
 other side. 
 
 I was greatly pleased with this old and thoroughly Arab 
 town, and some parts of it, near the bank of the canal, 
 where numbers of little sailing-crafts, with their smart masts 
 and flags, were moving to and fro, reminded one so much of 
 a Dutch or Belgian seaport that one might even call Damietta 
 an Arabian Antwerp. 
 
 We walked from the landing-place to the house of our 
 Consular Agent, a very kindly and extremely amusing old 
 man. The interior of the town is pretty and quite Oriental, 
 the houses being much decorated with wooden lattice-work ; 
 but the streets are, if possible, narrower and dirtier than those 
 of other Arab towns, and where there is no water near the 
 houses the old Dutch look of the place disappears. Still 
 Damietta has unquestionably a more northerly appearance (if 
 one may use such an expression in speaking of Africa) than 
 the Arab quarter of Cairo or the towns of Upper Egypt. 
 One sees, too, that it can be quite cold here, and that the sea 
 often causes moisture to fall, for the houses are much more 
 solidly built, better roofed, and altogether more meant to be 
 lived in. 
 
 At our worthy representative's all was in brilliant order 
 European rooms, Turkish carpets, and Arab servants, with 
 attar of roses, that terrible Eastern perfume, pervading the 
 whole house everything showing that its owner was a true 
 Levantine. 
 
 After a hasty breakfast, during which our light baggage 
 was put on pack-animals, we again set off. Some rode donkeys; 
 two of the gentlemen drove in an antiquated coach, the pride 
 of the town ; and in a few minutes the whole caravan was 
 moving on, accompanied by the customary yelling of the 
 donkey-drivers. After passing through some streets, a good 
 road, that ran along the embankment of a canal, led us by 
 
306 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 pretty gardens, country houses, and little palm-groves to the 
 shore of the lake. On its sandy margin stood three miserable 
 fishermen's huts, behind us were lofty palms, thick hedges, 
 and rich vegetation, and before us lay the broad interminable 
 grey-brown lake, with its dunes and flat marshy shores a 
 scene of melancholy monotony and drowsy dullness. 
 
 At Lake Menzaleh I could hardly believe that I was still 
 in gorgeous Egypt ; the weather, too, was unpropitious, for 
 the moist climate of the sea was making itself felt, and an un- 
 pleasantly cold wind, was driving about the grey rain-clouds 
 with which the whole sky was covered as with a sombre 
 garment. It seemed just as if we were in the north, and we 
 regretfully thought of the eternal sunshine of Assuan. This 
 ugly lake might very well belong to one of the plains of 
 Northern Europe ; at least it was dull and dreary enough to 
 have been worthy of such a situation. 
 
 In front of the fishermen's huts lay a flotilla of small sailing 
 dahabeeyahs. I fancy that the reef-pirates of olden days could 
 not have used worse crafts ; our Istrian trabakels are perfect 
 frigates in comparison with them. From these vessels, how- 
 ever, we had to choose. The Grand Duke, Baron Saurma, 
 the Court Chaplain, and I established ourselves in the largest, 
 and two gentlemen in each of the others. There was also an 
 extra boat for the cook and the provisions. 
 
 All of them were uncomfortable, and a description of one 
 will be quite sufficient. In the fore part of the vessel a raised 
 deck round the mast was provided with some cane chairs and 
 a little table. There we spent the day, and there the two 
 jagers and part of the crew had to sleep. This arrangement 
 lifted up like a hatch, and displayed a small hold, which 
 served as a receptacle for the baggage. Amidships, down a 
 couple of steps, was a small deck-house, fitted with glass 
 windows, and divided into two compartments, the first large 
 enough for two small beds and nothing more; while the other 
 
<A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 307 
 
 contained a sort of high cupboard, into which one had to 
 dexterously scramble through a narrow door, and was so 
 low that one could only lie in it. Inside it there was just 
 room enough for a couple of mattresses, on which two short 
 men might sleep side by side if they doubled up their legs. 
 Some of the crew also passed the night on the flat roof of this 
 cabin. 
 
 The people belonging to the boat were all fishermen of the 
 lake, not over-clean, smelling of stale fish, and attired in 
 loose gay robes, with turbans on their heads. None of them 
 were of the Arab type, but were yellowish-brown in colour, 
 with broad faces and flat noses, muscular in build, but 
 not so thin and wiry as most Arabs. One could see at a 
 glance that they belonged to a different race; and in fact these 
 dwellers on the shores of Lake Menzaleh are said to be the 
 pure descendants of the Hyksos, that Cushite people who 
 Overthrew the reigning power in the time of the fourteenth 
 dynasty. It was with these ethnologically interesting, but 
 personally somewhat unattractive people, that we had to live 
 in close contact on board this little vessel. 
 
 Just before our departure a blinded Pelican was brought 
 on board as a decoy-bird, but it struck about so with its bill 
 and was so dirty that we soon sent it back to shore. 
 
 A small boat was now made fast to each vessel, and then 
 the voyage began. Our worthy fellows handled the sails 
 most skilfully, and the strong west wind sent our little flotilla 
 through the water at a good speed. 
 
 The great lake of Menzaleh, which is certainly one of the 
 largest sheets of brackish water in the world, is a colossal 
 lagoon, only separated from the sea by a narrow belt of dunes, 
 while its western and southern boundaries are formed by 
 extensive marshes, and its eastern by the embankment that 
 protects the Suez Canal. 
 
 On leaving Damietta one sees to the north a line of yellow 
 
 x2 
 
308 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 dunes, and further off to the south the green margin of the 
 land, but towards the east the extent of the lake is so great 
 that the sky and the water melt into each other as they do 
 at sea, while the few islands which are visible at first are a 
 long way off. 
 
 In no part of this great lake of forty-five square miles* 
 does the depth of the water come above a man's middle, and 
 the bottom being formed of hard clay, one can stand or walk 
 about everywhere. It would therefore be impossible to get 
 drowned even during its sudden and violent storms, and the 
 worst thing that could befall anybody would be a good 
 ducking. 
 
 In the winter months this lagoon is said to be literally 
 covered with all sorts of migratory birds, especially ducks and 
 geese ; but towards the end of March one can only count upon 
 finding the resident waterfowl and a few late-travelling 
 northern species, while the great numbers of Sea and Imperial 
 Eagles which live here in winter are all absent, and there are 
 only a few Spotted Eagles flying about the islands. 
 
 We decided to separate at once and to take different lines, 
 but not to lose sight of each other, and to meet for lunch in 
 the middle of the day at a given signal. 
 
 Some Pelicans were soon seen swimming about, but an 
 attempt to approach them in a small boat failed as usual, so 
 we continued our course in the dahabeeyah, and after a short 
 sail got into the region of the large and small islands with 
 which the centre of the lake abounds. They are all perfectly 
 flat, and generally surrounded by a ring of sandbanks, on 
 which are seen incredibly large flocks of Pelicans, much 
 larger than the islands themselves great rosy-white patches 
 glittering splendidly in the sun living islands, visible miles 
 away; that is what the great flocks of birds look like in 
 
 Africa. 
 
 * German. 
 
'A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 309 
 
 Slowly and cautiously we proceeded towards one of these 
 congregations of many thousands of individuals, examinino- it 
 carefully with the glass, but finding only Pelicans, and none 
 of the Flamingoes which we were so intent on pursuing. 
 
 As soon as we had got within five hundred yards the hirds 
 began to get restless and to stretch out their long necks and 
 move their wings. At the word of command four rifles 
 astonished them with a morning salute, and this was responded 
 to by a great commotion, a vigorous flapping of wings and a 
 general rising, the white island changing into a great cloud, 
 which cast a perfectly compact shadow on the water. 
 
 Now began a lively dropping fire, which curiously enough 
 took no effect. In this sort of shooting, however, the distance 
 is enormous, and among the masses of birds which are ap- 
 parently so closely packed there are, nevertheless, many gaps 
 and interspaces through which a ball can easily pass. Only 
 one solitary Pelican floated dead upon the water, and this 
 bird, which had been hit in the first volley, was fetched by 
 one of the crew, who waded across for it. 
 
 The further we penetrated among the islands the livelier 
 grew the scene. Gulls and Terns were tumbling about over 
 the water. Myriads of Coots, a few Shovellers, with some 
 divers and smaller ducks, which were too far off to be iden- 
 tified, were swimming to and fro, and on the islands were 
 standing Great Egrets, Little Egrets, and Grey Herons, 
 while the sand-banks swarmed with flocks of various kinds of 
 Sandpipers. None of the islands were so attractive as to 
 make us halt, and it was not until noon, after the fleet had 
 reunited, and all the gentlemen had come on board our daha- 
 beeyah to eat the lunch prepared on the cook's vessel, that we 
 sighted a larger island adorned with a white tower. 
 
 This was an old Sheikh's tomb, the burial-place of a holy 
 man of great celebrity at Lake Menzaleh. A narrow channel 
 there ran between two islands, and a fisherman's miserable little 
 
310 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 hut stood near the dilapidated building with its round dome 
 and lighthouse-looking minaret. 
 
 At this place we resolved to stop and pursue our shooting 
 on foot. The various kinds of herons instantly vanished at 
 our first attempt to get near them; but we found by the 
 water's edge many smaller shore-birds, among them some 
 Avocets, those remarkable black-and-white birds, with long 
 stilted legs and recurved bills, also Ruffs, and four or five 
 sorts of sandpipers. 
 
 We now separated, rambling in various directions ; our 
 guns were soon cracking merrily, and in less than half an 
 hour the little island was quite shot out. 
 
 The formation of these islands is peculiar, and ^they 
 merit a few words of description. Almost all of them are 
 very long, narrow, and covered with shells one might almost 
 say formed of them. Thick dark green tamarisk-bushes grow 
 all over them, and their shores are flat, sandy, and in some 
 places clayey, while the feathers and down of the great 
 Pelicans, the Rosy Flamingoes, and all kinds of waterfowl 
 are everywhere strewn about. Some of them, especially those 
 which are characterized by large sandbanks, are quite plastered 
 over with thick deposits of guano, and one sees in the clay 
 the footprints of every variety of marsh- and water-bird ; at 
 one spot I even found the tracks of an Ichneumon. 
 
 After a short but pretty productive spell of shooting we 
 continued our voyage in an easterly direction, in order to get 
 to the Flamingo district, and indeed we soon perceived among 
 the islands a long rosy bank of these peculiar creatures a 
 lovely sight. 
 
 A narrow tongue of land had to be crossed, so we stopped 
 the dahabeeyahs ; and as the afternoon was now far advanced, 
 we advised the other gentlemen to disperse among the islands, 
 and settled that this was to be the place for our night- 
 quarters. 
 
1 A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 311 
 
 Our little boat was now dragged across the island in order 
 that we might approach the flock from the opposite side 1 ; but 
 when we had got within about four hundred yards the Fla- 
 mingoes, which had hitherto been standing motionless, began 
 to move about restlessly, whereupon we fired our first volley, 
 and immediately the wonderful rosy cloud of birds got up 
 and flew far away. 
 
 Only one remained behind, and supported itself with dif- 
 ficulty, half standing, hah swimming. We could see with 
 the glass that it was wounded, and were rowing up to it 
 highly delighted, when the bird began beating its wings and 
 flapped away low over the water, disappearing from view 
 behind some islands. 
 
 Much disappointed we went on to a long island with a 
 large white sandbank, shooting some smaller birds on the 
 way. There we intended to choose good positions for lying 
 in wait for the evening flight, as the waterfowl were already 
 beginning to collect. 
 
 Unfortunately this capital-looking island was already 
 occupied by a very tattered old bird catcher, who was sitting 
 in a hut made of small branches, while beside him crouched 
 his child, an urchin covered with flies, gnats, and all manner 
 of vermin. From his hut he was working some large fall- 
 nets by means of cords, using as decoy-birds a poor blind 
 miserable-looking Pelican and about a dozen Cormorants, 
 which were tied to stakes, and had all been deprived of 
 sight. 
 
 It really seemed to be an excellent place for birds, as the 
 ground was covered with rotten fish, guano, and feathers, but 
 no European nose could have stood it long. Moreover the 
 poor bird-snarer seemed to be by no means pleased at our 
 visit, and muttered some surly words into his shaggy beard ; 
 so we did not disturb him long, but soon rowed over to 
 another narrow island which lay opposite. There we took up 
 
312 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 various positions among the thick bushes, which formed capital 
 cover, and all was soon perfectly quiet. 
 
 The flight now began. Cormorants, Shovellers, some 
 Herons, a good many Marsh-Harriers, and various kinds of 
 shore-birds flew past, but most of them were a long way off*. 
 A few were killed, but on the whole the shooting was not 
 successful. Flamingoes singly and in knots of as many as 
 ten also flew up and down out of shot, but no large flocks 
 were seen until after sunset. This bird has a most ridiculous 
 appearance when flying, for its long neck and legs, which are 
 carried quite horizontally, look like a long stick with two 
 wings hung on to it. 
 
 In the evening the wind increased and the waves beat 
 heavily upon the shore of the island, but the clouds broke a 
 little, and we enjoyed the spectacle of a lovely sunset, the 
 purple-red of the western sky mirroring itself in the lake as 
 the sun sank slowly into the agitated waters. 
 
 As soon as it began to get quite dark we set out to return 
 to our vessel, having first to tramp through the thick knee- 
 deep bushes of this long island before reaching our boat at its 
 western extremity, and then, after a short row, we got to the 
 small island, where our dahabeeyah lay fast moored close to 
 the shore. All the gentlemen had arrived, and each had 
 brought back something, but nobody much, nor had any one 
 killed a Flamingo, although a good many long shots had been 
 fired at these incredibly shy birds. 
 
 The evening was so chilly that when dining on board our 
 dahabeeyah we had to sit wrapped in our cloaks. Some 
 lanterns lit up the curious and impressive scene produced by 
 the little flotilla as it lay in the dark night close to a barren 
 island of this desolate lake, far away from all human habita- 
 tions, while the perfect silence that reigned around was only 
 broken by the lapping of the waves and the hoarse voices of 
 the Arabs. 
 
<A JOURNEY IN THE EAST.' 313 
 
 Soon there was no more talking, and the only sounds were 
 the snores of Europeans and Arabs mingling harmoniously. 
 Never shall I forget that night in the cramped deck-house, 
 for we had got into a perfect menagerie of vermin, and our 
 poor bodies were devoured by gigantic fleas. 
 
 On the 18th we left our dahabeeyah while it was still 
 quite dark, intending to disperse again among the islands 
 and to wait for the morning flight. I had myself rowed to a 
 small island, where, at the first glimmer of daylight, I stalked 
 a little flock of Flamingoes, missed them with the rifle a 
 very long way off, and then hid myself among the bushes. 
 Birds of all sorts flew past, and I bagged several, among them 
 a Lesser Egret; but though the Flamingoes kept flying to 
 and fro in every direction, and in such swarms that they 
 formed rosy clouds composed of thousands of birds, every 
 one of them kept out of shot. 
 
 When the flight was over we again assembled on board 
 the vessels. It was a most unpleasant day, for the sky was 
 covered with heavy clouds, a keen wind whistled over 
 the water, and we were now and again drenched by showers 
 of rain as we slipped along towards the southern part of the 
 lake on a side wind. 
 
 There we saw enormous flocks of Pelicans and Flamingoes 
 standing 011 the sandbanks, and while trying to approach one 
 of them in the boat we passed an island perfectly covered with 
 Grulls and Shovellers. At the ineffectual volley which we 
 fired at the Flamingoes, gigantic clouds of birds rose and 
 settled again a long way off all together. 
 
 We now stopped for lunch at a little island, and as the 
 storm was still increasing, debated what it would be best to 
 do. Onr first idea was to return to Damietta ; but the Arabs 
 said that with the wind in its present quarter they would have 
 to row and tow us, which would have been a long tiresome 
 proceeding, for we had already reached the middle of the 
 
314 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 lake, and from our present southerly position we could see 
 with the naked eye a minaret and the many palm-trees of the 
 little town of El-Menzaleh in the far distance. 
 
 The sailors therefore advised us to abandon our old pro- 
 gramme and to go on to Port Said. This was certainly a con- 
 siderable alteration in the plan of our journey; but it seemed 
 to be the only sensible course to pursue, especially as the 
 chief steersman guaranteed that if the present favourable 
 west wind continued we should reach Port Said the same 
 evening. 
 
 No sooner said than done, we got on board our crafts, and 
 the light dahabeeyahs sped like arrows through the islands 
 without stopping. The eastern parts of the lake were richer 
 in wildfowl than the western, for myriads of coots, ducks, 
 gulls, herons, and cormorants were seen, and a flock of 
 pelicans was successfully shot at, a splendid rosy specimen 
 finding its way to the deck of our dahabeeyah. 
 
 In the afternoon the shining white lighthouse of Port Said 
 showed on the horizon. We saw some flocks of Flamingoes 
 standing a long way off and others flying slowly away. The 
 sky cleared and we enjoyed the warm sunshine and another 
 sunset full of beautiful effects. Our crew handled the sails 
 very cleverly, and were fine hard-working fellows whom we 
 grew quite fond of in these two days. By the time that 
 twilight began we could distinguish the houses of the town 
 and the embankment of the Suez Canal, and at nightfall we 
 arrived at our goal. We were within a few hundred yards 
 of the shore, but the water was so shallow that both we our- 
 selves and all our baggage had to be gradually transported to 
 the embankment of the canal by our brave Arabs. 
 
 The quickest of the dahabeeyahs had been sent forward 
 with a letter, so that a small steamer was already waiting at 
 the canal, and on the shore were our Consul and the harbour- 
 master, a Dalmatian by birth. 
 
<A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 315 
 
 We now saw for the first time the Suez Canal, with Asia 
 on its further side. Our first sight, however, of that quarter 
 of the globe was not very imposing, for Asia appeared in the 
 form of an embankment. 
 
 The steamer brought us quickly to the town and landed us 
 near the hotel. There were only Europeans in the streets, 
 and everything we saw might very well have belonged to an 
 English seaport. The hotel was a large and quite modern 
 building, very well managed, and greatly reminded us of 
 Switzerland ; not a single object in it savoured of the East, 
 and we were, with the exception of an English family, its sole 
 guests this evening. Soon after our arrival a capital supper 
 was served, and by ten o'clock we were all sound asleep in 
 bed. 
 
 Next morning we left the hotel and went on board a Suez 
 Canal steamer. The captain, a gruff old man, was French, so 
 were his whole crew; and take it altogether the Suez Canal 
 and its belongings are really a bit of France. 
 
 At the outset the African lake Menzaleh is seen beyond 
 the embankments on the west, the Asiatic plain of Pelusium 
 on the east; and the feeling of travelling between two quar- 
 ters of the globe is at first exciting, but one at last gets used 
 even to this grand idea, and finds the reality extremely 
 wearisome. 
 
 Gigantic swarms of Pelicans and Flamingoes, containing 
 thousands and thousands of birds, were standing on the marshy 
 southern parts of Lake Menzaleh; but the sole result of a 
 volley which we poured into them was the rise of a living 
 cloud, larger than one could possibly imagine. 
 
 The country on the right, after the lake had come to an 
 end, appeared to be utterly desolate, but the high banks of the 
 canal shut out the view, and well-built earthworks alone both 
 right and left do not make a pleasing picture. The only 
 diversion which we had was an encounter with a large East 
 
316 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 Indiaman, which had awkwardly got across the canal and- was 
 blocking the way. 
 
 Our captain thought that we could pass and went boldly on ; 
 then came a severe shock, a slight rasping of the vessels' sides, 
 and there we were, entangled with our English neighbour. 
 For half an hour we worked to get clear, and all the time the 
 rough English captain turned his back on us and acted as 
 though the whole affair was no concern of his. At last there 
 came a slight movement and a creaking and grating of the 
 jammed vessels, then another violent jerk, and we were free. 
 The English ship had also been floated by the shock, so each 
 vessel went off in her own direction. 
 
 On the 20th we decided to make a shooting excursion to 
 Heliopolis. The weather was splendid and the air pure and 
 warm. After a long drive on the same bad road which we 
 had traversed a month ago, we reached the " Virgin's Tree." 
 The dachshunds were let loose in the little garden and the 
 thick cactus hedges to look for Jackals and Ichneumons; but 
 we soon saw the futility of our efforts, for the Quail season had 
 already begun, and shots were being fired in all directions. 
 Moreover, as the holiday gunners of the East and all sorts 
 of unsportsmanlike Levantines were ranging through the 
 fields and bushes, it seemed advisable to leave this locality. 
 
 Among the gardens and shady trees near the " Virgin's 
 Tree " is a little restaurant much frequented by the Cairenes. 
 There we breakfasted, and then went on between fields and 
 garden walls to the Ostrich farm. This establishment, which 
 is situated on the edge of the desert, belongs to a company, 
 and seems to be a flourishing business, at least everything is 
 most comfortably arranged. The manager, a German-Swiss, 
 showed us the pens, the open sandy spaces, the inner enclosures, 
 the artificial hatching apparatus, and all his ostriches both old 
 and young. The stately birds were of two varieties and in 
 the full glory of their beautiful feathers. 
 
1 A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 317 
 
 After inspecting everything we took the nearest road to the 
 well-known orange-gardens at Heliopolis. There we found 
 some tracks of wolves, but the heasts themselves were not at 
 home on this occasion; so it was all to no purpose that we 
 ransacked the hushes and plantations of this beautiful orange- 
 grove. On the way back we stopped and made equally 
 unsuccessful attempts in several gardens and one sugarcane- 
 field ; Diana was not propitious on this occasion, and we 
 returned to Cairo empty-handed. 
 
 On the 21st of March we drove in the morning through 
 the old town up to the celebrated citadel, having to pass 
 through several gates on the steep slope, at all of which were 
 stationed guards, who received us with the lively strains of 
 the Egyptian khedivial march. 
 
 When we had got home again and had donned our shooting 
 things, the Grand Duke and I drove with Baron Saurma 
 through the town and over the great Nile bridge to the 
 neighbourhood of the viceregal summer palaces. There a 
 sugarcane-field was still standing, and taking with us a 
 bleating kid we posted ourselves well concealed among the 
 high canes. 
 
 Unfortunately neither wolves nor any other beasts of prey 
 came, though Baron Saurma had often had good sport at the 
 same spot and in the same way; so again Diana did not favour 
 us, and as soon as it began to get dark we left the place and 
 drove home. It was a lovely evening, and the wonderful 
 sunset was followed by the splendour of an 'African spring 
 night. Insects chirped and buzzed about, bats skimmed 
 round the gently rustling tree-tops, a sea of stars was strewn 
 over the heavens, and the grand repose of the scene was only 
 broken by the barking of dogs and the cries of the waterfowl 
 as they flew to the Nile. 
 
 In the town things were livelier, and we had to push our 
 way to Kasr-el-Nusha through the bustle of southern night-life. 
 
318 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 The following morning we drove at an early hour to the 
 large barracks of Kasr-el-Nil, and went on board the steamer, 
 which was lying below them. It was our good old vessel the 
 ' Feruz/ with which were connected so many delightful 
 recollections of the happy plains of Upper Egypt. The dusky 
 Admiral was again in command of his trusty boat, and in a 
 few minutes we were moving down-stream. 
 
 To eyes accustomed to far greater charms, Cairo and Lower 
 Egypt, at first so enchanting, now looked tame and dull; and it 
 is not until one returns to them that one learns to fully 
 appreciate the glorious colouring and the striking, almost 
 tropical aspects of nature in Upper Egypt. 
 
 We were now on our way to the famous Barrage of the 
 Nile. We first passed a number of old houses leading down 
 to the water's edge, and then came to the place where several 
 of the Viceroy's yachts, the mail steamers, and a perfect fleet 
 of dahabeeyahs were lying side by side. On the left bank 
 were country houses and luxuriant gardens ; on the right the 
 town, the Shubra Avenue, the palace of the same name, and 
 the lofty trees of the great park. These interesting scenes, 
 however, soon vanished, and we saw over the crumbling banks 
 of the river the monotonous cultivated districts of Lower 
 Egypt. 
 
 Several solitary Egyptian Geese and numbers of ducks, but 
 not many other water-birds, were observed as we steamed past 
 various long sandy islands, and we soon came in sight of the 
 singular bridge-like construction of the Barrage. 
 
 At this southernmost point of the delta the Rosetta and 
 Damietta arms of the Nile separate, and the tongue of land 
 dividing the two channels is connected with the mainland by 
 iron bridges and gigantic dams. These were built by 
 Mohammed Ali to keep back the Nile when it is low, so that 
 the innumerable canals of the delta might then be supplied 
 with water as well as during the time of the inundation. 
 
'A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 319 
 
 We had to look at every bit of it, and were conducted over 
 the fort as well; and after our inspection went home in the 
 steamer, stopping on the way and rambling with our guns 
 through a long narrow island covered with sand and studded 
 with clumps of thick bushes. There I shot a specimen of the 
 beautiful Pallid Harrier and a few small water-birds. 
 
 This island is separated from the mainland by a muddy 
 branch of the river, so shallow that the great flocks of sheep 
 and goats which feed on its bushes can easily be driven over. 
 On its banks we also found some most miserable fishing-huts; 
 but we soon left this shooting-ground and returned to the 
 steamer, lunching on our way home. 
 
 On the morning of the 23rd, I drove through the town and 
 the Arab quarter to the tombs of the Caliphs. At the outer- 
 most houses where the carriage road ends we mounted 
 donkeys, and riding through the cemetery soon reached the 
 foot of the high cliffs of the Mokattam hills. We had 
 now again to follow the same path that we had trodden some 
 weeks before, and, climbing up the cliffs, were soon seated in 
 the small and very uncomfortable ambush. 
 
 After three long hours of perfect quiet some Kites and 
 Egyptian Vultures appeared, and these creatures were just in 
 the middle of their meal, when I heard the heavy flapping 
 of some great bird's wings. The smaller visitors at once 
 dispersed in alarm, and a large Griffon Vulture settled with 
 half-closed wings on the back of the ass, and forthwith began 
 its breakfast. 
 
 Without a moment's delay I knocked it over, and creeping 
 out of the cave took the heavy bird on my back and clambered 
 down the crags, rocks, and loose stones to the spot where the 
 servants were waiting with the donkeys. Thence we pro- 
 ceeded homewards, and returned to Kasr-el-Nusha by noon. 
 
 After lunch and a short rest the Grand Duke and I resolved 
 to pay a visit to the Shubra gardens; so, taking our guns with 
 
320 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 us, we got into one of the ordinary carriages of the place and 
 drove along the splendid Shiibra Avenue, past gardens and 
 flourishing fields, to the high wall of the park, which encloses 
 a large extent of ground. The fine palace stands amidst lofty 
 trees and well-nigh impenetrable shrubberies of almost tropical 
 growth, and is surrounded by ponds and kiosks. There were 
 flower-beds in full bloom, and a considerable space was occupied 
 by kitchen-gardens, orange-groves, and even by fields of green 
 corn. The irrigated portions of the grounds were well stocked 
 with large flocks of pretty Buff-backed Herons, and incredible 
 numbers of heavy-looking Night-Herons nested in the tall 
 pines that adorned an artificial mound near the palace. 
 
 We gave the various kinds of herons an unpleasant hour of 
 it, but as we had to be back in time for dinner we had to hurry 
 away from these lovely and enchanting gardens, where the 
 rustling trees were all flooded with the golden light of the 
 setting sun. I looked longingly at the thick shrubberies and 
 waving corn-fields, for I had a great notion that these perfectly 
 quiet enclosures must be very good cover for the larger beasts 
 of prey; and in fact Saurma, acting on my advice, shot them 
 a few days afterwards, and bagged a Lynx and an Ichneumon. 
 
 On reaching Kasr-el-Nusha we dined with the two brothers 
 Saurma, the younger of whom, with Prince Taxis, had only 
 yesterday returned from a long and very fatiguing expedition 
 into the mountains near the Ked Sea, where they had been 
 vainly attempting to shoot Arabian Ibex. 
 
 Early on the 24th of March the whole party drove out 
 along the Heliopolis road to the very end of the town, where 
 a large tent had been pitched on an open space gaily decorated 
 with flags. There a number of people had assembled, for the 
 whole Austro-Hungarian colony had turned out to celebrate 
 by a fete the laying of the foundation-stone of an Austrian 
 hospital. As soon as the ceremony was over we drove off to 
 take leave of the Khedive and to tender him our thanks. He 
 
' A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 3L 
 
 soon paid us a return visit at Kasr-el-Nusha, and afterwards 
 accompanied us to the railway station. 
 
 As the train moved slowly off we took a last regretful look 
 at the noble city of the Caliphs, the stern cliffs of the 
 Mokattam mountains, the towering citadel, and the mysterious 
 Pyramids, for we were now about to make a pilgrimage to 
 new scenes and other lands. 
 
 Next day we reached the Bitter Lakes, which have a 
 certain undeniably picturesque charm, and the contrast be- 
 tween their dark brown waters and the dazzling white of the 
 desert cannot fail to arrest the attention of the traveller. 
 
 While passing along the short stretch of canal between the 
 Bitter and the Timsah Lakes, we noticed a jackal hunting 
 for shell-fish by the bank, and fired some ineffectual shots at 
 him, and while on the deep blue waters of the latter lake we 
 enjoyed the splendid effects of an African sunset. 
 
 The houses of Ismailia now appeared on the sandy shores to 
 the north, and our steamer was soon lying at the quay of the 
 great French station of the Suez Canal. There M. de Lesseps, 
 the famous originator and constructor of this gigantic work 
 which connects two seas, was awaiting us with his son and 
 several officials of the French company. I was delighted to 
 make the acquaintance of this indomitable and still vigorous 
 old man. We drove to his country house, which was charm- 
 ingly situated in a little garden, and were received by his 
 beautiful daughter-in-law, who is by birth a Cairene Greek of 
 the wealthy Sinadino family; her brother, an agreeable young 
 man, and an English lady were also present. We dined soon 
 after our arrival, and afterwards spent a pleasant social 
 evening. 
 
 Next morning we all left the house at a very early hour, 
 and accompanied by M. de Lesseps went to the station and 
 proceeded to Maksamah, a short distance along the Cairo line. 
 There we stopped and had a good deal of difficulty in getting 
 
 Y 
 
322 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 our horses out of the train, for the mettlesome stallions 
 neighed and sprang about so wildly that a good deal of time 
 was lost before we were ready for our sport. 
 
 A tribe of hunting Bedouins had pitched their tents near 
 the station, and on our arrival these splendid fellows left their 
 camp mounted on horses and camels, the Sheikh riding at 
 their head on a superb chestnut mare. 
 
 M. de Lesseps had been kind enough to invite to the neigh- 
 bourhood of Ismailia this well-known tribe of hunting Arabs, 
 in order that we might witness the fine spectacle of a Bedouin 
 hunt for gazelles. 
 
 The ride through the desert was truly picturesque. In 
 front was the Sheikh with his pure white burnous, handsome 
 saddle-equipments, and curved sabre buckled to his loins, 
 while on his thickly-gloved hand sat a noble and gaily hooded 
 falcon. A crowd of Bedouins, armed with long guns, sabres, 
 and daggers, and all clad in flowing white .robes, followed him 
 on foot, on horseback, and on camels ; brown warlike-looking 
 fellows they were, with expressive features. Some very fine 
 long-haired Persian greyhounds accompanied their masters, 
 and several young falcons not yet worthy of the sheikh's hand 
 were carried after us. 
 
 The tribe with which we were now ranging through the 
 desert near the railway had been wandering about Africa for 
 some time past, but really belonged to Arabia, as was easily 
 seen by their high-bred horses and more sumptuous weapons 
 and dress. 
 
 Deployed in a long line we rode over the sandy ground, 
 among tlae hills and valleys of the waste, and though we had 
 started with the intention of hunting Gazelles, we should now 
 have been contented even with a Desert Hare. For more 
 than two hours all search had proved fruitless, and the 
 Bedouins were beginning to career about impatiently and to 
 take a wider range, when one of them suddenly started a 
 
1 A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 323 
 
 gazelle from some thick bushes. Away went every one after 
 it in wild disorder, the dogs were let loose, the scattered 
 horsemen came in from all sides, some even riding towards 
 the frightened animal, so that it no longer knew which way 
 to turn and ran amongst the horses. A Bedouin, however, 
 brought the hunt to a speedy conclusion, for he fired a ball 
 at the creature as it was springing wildly about, and knocked 
 it over dead. 
 
 We were now to have tried for hares ; but as the heat was 
 so great, and our chances of success so small, we rode back 
 towards the station. To show us its skill the Sheikh let 
 his noble companion fly at a pigeon, which in a few moments 
 fell to the ground struck by the deadly blow of the falcon's 
 talons. 
 
 We soon arrived at the station, where we took a light 
 breakfast in the railway carriage, and then some of the party 
 returned to Ismailia, while, with the rest of the gentlemen, I 
 went a little way up the Sweet-water Canal in a steam- 
 launch. Halting at a ruinous old house, we crossed the 
 sand-hills to a narrow marsh, which is closely bounded by the 
 desert, and runs along parallel to the canal as far as the 
 Crocodile Lake, near Ismailia. 
 
 It was one of the French gentlemen, a very agreeable man 
 and a keen sportsman, who took us to this ground, which he 
 had often shot over. As soon as we got to the marsh we 
 found plenty of Painted Snipe, a very characteristic African 
 bird, quite new to us, and bagged a good many of them 
 in a very short time. There were also numbers of Common 
 Snipe in the boggy places, and several kinds of marsh and 
 wading birds, as well as Ducks and Spur-winged Plovers, 
 while among the high grass we flushed some Quail. The great 
 locusts were also interesting, for they were the largest insects 
 of the kind that I had ever seen. These creatures rose with 
 a loud whirring noise long before one got near them, and in 
 
 Y2 
 
324 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 order to examine one closely I had to shoot the wary insect 
 like a quail a truly extraordinary kind of game. 
 
 In this valley, surrounded as it was by the desert sands, 
 the sun burnt fiercely, and drew feverish vapours from the 
 marshy ground, so after several hours of fatiguing shooting 
 we retraced our steps to the Sweet-water Canal, well laden 
 with spoils, and getting into the steam-launch again, went 
 quickly back to Ismailia. Soon after our return we dined, at 
 M. de Lessep's suggestion, on one of the French steamers, 
 instead of in the house, and retired early to rest. 
 
 Next morning we all went to the small but very pretty 
 church, where a Franciscan said Mass for the whole French 
 colony, and then M. de Lesseps took us through the streets 
 and gardens of this thoroughly French town, proudly showing 
 us all that he has conjured up from the apparently unpro- 
 ductive desert. 
 
 The time for our departure had now come, and at the quay 
 we took leave of M. de Lesseps and Herr Zimmerman, to 
 whom we were so much indebted on all our Egyptian rail- 
 way journeys ; and then set out accompanied by the young 
 M. de Lesseps, his wife, and some French gentlemen. 
 
 The journey was pretty quickly got over, and the dreariness 
 of the scenery counteracted by lively conversation. I also 
 shot some Gulls and an Egyptian Vulture from the deck of 
 the vessel, and saw thousands of Pelicans and Flamingoes 
 standing in the shallow parts of Lake Menzaleh, with their 
 rosy plumage lit up by the sun. 
 
 The Austro-Hungarian colony at Port Said had arranged 
 a brilliant reception for us, and accompanied by gaily-decked 
 boats and steamers, we proceeded to the spot where our 
 1 Miramar ' was lying. In a few minutes we were again on 
 board the good ship, and, greeted by the strains of our 
 National Anthem, were once more standing on a spot belong- 
 ing to our Fatherland. 
 
'A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 325 
 
 Port Said is quite a European town, and the magnificent 
 harbour, with the buildings belonging to the Canal, the docks, 
 building-yards, workshops, and especially the East Indiamen 
 and other ships gave the whole scene a thoroughly Western 
 look. 
 
 In the evening we gave a dinner on board the { Miramar/ 
 to which we invited Abd-el-Kader Pasha and the French 
 gentlemen ; and when it got dark our countrymen who 
 resided here got up a charming illumination of the harbour 
 and a procession of boats, while brilliantly-lighted crafts 
 carrying bands of musicians flitted round our vessel, and 
 splendid fireworks were let off on shore. 
 
 The time for our departure soon came. Our guests left 
 the ' Miramar,' and with them Abd-el-Kader Pasha, whom we 
 had all learnt to value and esteem, for he had been both a 
 faithful travelling companion and a true friend. 
 
 Never can we forget the glorious days which we spent in 
 Africa ; and as the vessel moved slowly on we bore away 
 with us glorious memories of the Dark Continent, of glowing 
 Egypt, and of the burial-places of an ancient civilization 
 which passed away thousands of years ago. 
 
 The morning of the 28th of March found us on the open 
 sea. " No land in sight yet ? " was the question so often 
 asked, as we longingly waited for the outlines of Asia to rise 
 above the waves. At last there appeared in the forenoon the 
 blue misty heights of the mountains of Judaea, and we soon 
 afterwards saw the yellow shore and the hill on which rises 
 the terraced fortress-like town of Jaffa. 
 
 At first the country looks barren and desolate, a land of 
 yellow dunes and grey mountains unpleasing to the eye ; but 
 when the vessel nears this town of a hoary historic past, one 
 sees the splendid garland of wood-like gardens by which it is 
 encircled. 
 
 As Jaffa has no harbour for large vessels, we had to anchor 
 
326 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 about a mile from the dangerous fringe of rocks which lie 
 outside it. 
 
 The scene as we approached the landing-place was very 
 pretty, for all the terraces, steps, and narrow windows were 
 crowded with people, while the road was lined with Turkish 
 soldiers in green uniform fine martial-looking natives of Asia 
 Minor, quite unlike the Egyptians. Their presence was a 
 necessity, for the people pressed forward with the utmost 
 inquisitiveness. 
 
 At the gate of the Hospice some aged Franciscans were 
 awaiting us, who led us to the church by the innumerable 
 steps of a thoroughly Oriental house, the way being very 
 fatiguing and dirty, and the smells that we had to pass 
 through indescribable. The church is old, but neither very 
 beautiful nor interesting. 
 
 Our horses were standing at its entrance, and it was no 
 easy matter to get the caravan together in the crowd of noisy 
 Orientals and Jews. However it was managed at last, and a 
 troop of Turkish cavalry led the way, followed by ourselves 
 and our servants, while the rear was brought up by more 
 soldiers. 
 
 In this order we rode through some narrow streets where 
 the pavement was formed of smooth flat stones, and after 
 passing the extremely dirty market-place got out of the 
 town. 
 
 At first the road ran among splendid gardens, thick hedges, 
 and luxuriant orange-groves, where the trees were bending 
 under the weight of the fruit ; and one could^easily see how 
 great was the difference in climate between the coasts of 
 Palestine and Egypt, for at the end of February we saw the 
 orange harvest at Cairo, but in Jaffa it had not even begun 
 at the close of March. 
 
 The fragrant gardens soon disappeared, and we reached a 
 most monotonous grey-green plain, where nothing was visible 
 
1 A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 327 
 
 but poorly cultivated fields, occasional draw-wells, a few palms, 
 stony tracts, a very ill-kept Moslem cemetery, and as a back- 
 ground to the barren scene the blue mountains of Judaea in 
 the far distance. 
 
 Among the fields one might have imagined one's self in 
 Europe, for the vegetation lacked the almost tropical cha- 
 racter of that of the Nile and everything was backward. 
 Storks, too, were standing about them in numbers, but of other 
 animal life there was but little to be seen. 
 
 We soon came to a few small wretched-looking villages, 
 passed some burial-places and the watch-towers of the Turkish 
 Gendarmes, and in three hours arrived at the ruinous little 
 town of Kamleh. Our caravan merely skirted its outer 
 houses, although it is the usual place where travellers to 
 Jerusalem pass the night, for we had no desire to sleep in the 
 neighbourhood of such a notoriously dirty place, and had 
 decided to go on to the village of Latrun, which lies at the 
 foot of the hills. 
 
 By degrees the character of the country began to change 
 and the road descended in a gentle slope to a broad valley, 
 on the further side of which rose the mountains of Judaea. 
 The fields began to be here and there studded with large 
 masses of stone, and perfectly smooth slabs of rock peeped 
 out from among the evergreen bushes. 
 
 Near a sheikh's tomb I bagged a brace of fine large Chukar 
 Partridges with a lucky right and left; and soon after sunset 
 we reached the village of Latrun, which is picturesquely 
 situated among rocks and green bushes at the base of the 
 hills. 
 
 Our splendid camp stood close to the ruins of an old 
 fortress of very uncertain origin, and formed a regular 
 town of Turkish tents, made of such beautiful materials, and 
 so provided with every comfort that it made one think of the 
 days of Soliman ; while the numerous pack-animals, mostly 
 
328 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 mules and ponies, and a host of servants sun-worshipping 
 Druses of the Lebanon hung about the camp, among the 
 rocks. 
 
 Mr. Howard of Beyrout, a general fitter-out of caravans 
 and expeditions, was our dragoman. He is a genuine 
 Oriental, who in the course of his varied experiences has 
 assumed an English name and has put himself under English 
 protection ; and we all learnt to appreciate his excellent 
 qualities, and the indomitable energy which he displayed on 
 occasions when difficult work fell to his share. Howard had 
 brought with him two Bedouins one a negro who had been 
 carried off from Africa when quite young, and had been 
 wandering about with a tribe of Asiatic Arabs ; the other a 
 true Bedouin of the Jordan, hardly darker than a European. 
 Both 'wore the ordinary thick white-and-brown striped 
 burnous of the Asiatic tribes, and their duty was to bring in 
 a daily supply of partridges for the larder. 
 
 In the evening my uncle and I went out with the pale-faced 
 fellow to watch for jackals. We scrambled over hedges and 
 walls to a water-tank near the village ; but unfortunately 
 there was no moon, and nothing appeared before it got dark, 
 though we heard the beasts howling at a distance. We 
 therefore stumbled back to camp, along the same wretched 
 road, stared at by the people of Latrun, who were standing 
 about in their long robes, looking like spectres. On our return 
 we had a regular dinner in the large mess-tent, followed by 
 Turkish coffee and the refreshing repose of well-earned sleep. 
 
 Early next morning the camp was all astir. The tents 
 were struck, everything packed on the mules, and the caravan 
 moved off, with the usual tinkling of bells, shouting of mule- 
 teers, and neighing of horses. At first the way led through 
 narrow mountain valleys, whose steep slopes were covered 
 with masses of rock and dense evergreen shrubs. There both 
 the country and its flora were of the true Mediterranean type, 
 
1 A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 329 
 
 such as one finds on the coasts of Spain, Greece, Italy, and 
 the western parts of North Africa, especially in Morocco. 
 This zone is rather narrow in Palestine, and gradually dis- 
 appears at Jerusalem, while east of Bethany it is replaced 
 by the steppe vegetation of the interior of Asia. 
 
 Passing by the ancient well of Bir Egyub (well of Job), 
 the ravine of Wadi Ali, and the ruins of an old mosque, we 
 reached the ridge of the hills. The character of the country 
 remained the same dazzling white rocks separated from each 
 other by thorny bushes, with here and there ruins and dilapi- 
 dated houses appearing among the stones. Cliffs were rare, 
 but on the other hand one saw many long and perfectly 
 smooth rocky flats on the hillsides. 
 
 Countless eagles and vultures were soaring overhead, but 
 we noticed but few birds among the bushes, only very occa- 
 sional partridges which ran swiftly up the slopes, and after 
 travelling for two hours we tried a little beat along the ridge 
 with our Arabs. 
 
 There we had a splendid view over a maze of valleys and 
 ravines, all of the same type, with a true Mediterranean flora 
 very like that of the Zante mountains. Far to the east we 
 saw the greyish-yellow ridges and heights of the plateau on 
 which Jerusalem lies, and the commencement of a very 
 different looking range of hills in the interior of the country. 
 
 It was not very pleasant walking among the innumerable 
 rocks, stones, and the long thorns of the almost impenetrable 
 bushes ; so as we found no partridges, and could not get 
 near the large birds of prey which were cruising about in all 
 directions, we speedily returned to the caravan. 
 
 Afte'r crossing the ridge the country grew still more 
 desolate, even the bushes gave place to dry grass, and the 
 picturesque rocks to loose stones, while before us lay a 
 wide valley, down to which the road wound in serpentine 
 curves. 
 
330 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 We passed some ruinous inns for pilgrims which stood 
 amidst miserable stony olive-yards that vividly reminded us of 
 the little fondas of the Spanish mountains ; and after a long 
 journey reached the bottom of the broad valley known as the 
 Wadi Kuloniyeh, about eleven in the forenoon. The village 
 of the same name lies on the hillside, and below it stands a one- 
 storied European hotel; for Palestine, as long as one travels 
 along the regular pilgrim-routes, is a tourist-beridden land, a 
 sort of sanctified Switzerland. In the one country the 
 stranger's love for the beauties of nature is turned to account ; 
 in the other it is his faith and devotion that are traded upon. 
 
 At Kuloniyeh we halted, as our arrival in Jerusalem was 
 arranged for the afternoon, so in the meantime we took a 
 ramble about the hillsides, which were covered with grey- 
 green olive-woods growing on terraces, and a few bushes and 
 flat rocks. The barren country was burning under the 
 fiercest midday heat, and toiling about the steep slopes was 
 tiring work. All we saw was a Black-headed Jay, and a 
 grey Syrian hare which the Grand Duke wounded, but 
 could not find among the stones ; nor had Hoyos any better 
 luck with a jackal on the other side of the valley ; while I 
 only killed some of those ugly large black lizards that are 
 everywhere to be found in the rocky parts of Palestine. 
 
 As the heat was getting quite unbearable we all returned 
 to the pilgrim's house, and lunched under some olive-trees at 
 the place where the Emmaus of the New Testament stood, 
 aad not far from the spot where David slew Goliath. Count 
 Caboga, our Consul-General, had come from Jerusalem to 
 meet us, and we were much interested in discussing with 
 him our future plans. After luncheon the whole party put 
 on full uniform, and the clergy of the different sects, with the 
 dragomen of the Consulates, who had already met us here, 
 rode back to Jerusalem to prepare for the grand reception. 
 
<A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 331 
 
 We too soon set off, as the time was getting on, and our 
 entry had to be made punctually to the minute. 
 
 Soon after our arrival we had to receive the Consuls, then 
 the Turkish authorities, the notables of the town in their 
 Eastern costumes, and afterwards all the heads of the 
 Christian and Jewish Churches. 
 
 When all these very interesting visitors had left us, we 
 went out of the hospice and passed through one of the streets 
 and the old Damascus Gate to our imposing camp, which had 
 been pitched just outside the city walls, in a grove of stunted 
 olives near stony ground and heaps of ruins. Everything 
 had already been unpacked by the servants, so we at once 
 made ourselves comfortable, and it was very pleasant to get a 
 little rest after the fatigues and heat of the day. The sunset 
 was beautiful, the evening refreshingly cool, and dinner 
 having been despatched all was soon quiet in the camp. As 
 we were going to sleep, however, our ears- were saluted 
 with the incessant howling of the half- wild dogs within the 
 walls, and of the jackals which swarm round Jerusalem, espe- 
 cially in the neighbourhood of the slaughter-yards, which 
 were situated on the further side of a little valley near our 
 camp. 
 
 Early on the morning of the 30th we all went, both 
 masters and servants, to the Hospice, and thence made a 
 pilgrimage to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Leaving 
 the chapel, we visited the great church and another little 
 chapel belonging to the small Franciscan monastery, which 
 also forms part of the buildings of the Church of the 
 Sepulchre. 
 
 From the monastery we descended to the Church, and 
 examined the various relics, the points of historical interest, 
 the numerous side chapels, and all the spots connected with 
 legends or religious beliefs. Up the steps and down the 
 
.332 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 steps, through the whole church did we go, until there was 
 not a corner left unvisited. 
 
 We then walked through the narrow crowded streets to 
 the house of the Greek Patriarch, inspected the synagogue 
 and the celebrated Mosque of Omar, and, returning to the 
 camp, mounted our horses for a ride round the city. 
 
 In the glorious evening light we passed the burial-places of 
 the old Jewish Kings and the tomb of Absalom ; we also saw 
 Aceldama, the field of blood, and the barren, stony, grandly 
 gloomy valley of Kedron : all is there just as it is described 
 in Holy Writ, and I found Jerusalem and its surroundings 
 just what I had pictured them to be. Twilight was coming 
 on as we slowly rode back to camp under the old walls, 
 enjoying these deeply impressive scenes. 
 
 On the 31st of March the whole party attended mass in 
 one of the side chapels of the Church of the Sepulchre, and 
 after service we went to Government House to call on the 
 Pasha. We next visited the Coenaculum, the chamber of the 
 Last Supper, which is situated on the outskirts of the town in 
 a house arranged quite after the Eastern fashion. There we 
 stayed but a short time, and then betook ourselves to our 
 horses, which were waiting outside an adjacent gate of the 
 town. 
 
 The Grand Duke and the other gentlemen rode back to the 
 camp, but Count Caboga and I followed the rough road lead- 
 ing to the valley of Kedron, for we intended to ascend the 
 Mount of Olives. 
 
 The lowest slopes of this grey-green melancholy-looking hill 
 are steep and very rocky, but higher up they are more gentle 
 and are covered with flat rocks, loose stones, and gnarled olive- 
 trees of immense age. At the summit of the hill, which we 
 reached by a rough winding path, there is a small circular 
 chapel with a little dome; this covers the spot from which Christ 
 ascended to heaven, and one is shown on a marble slab the 
 
1 A JOURNEY IN 2 HE EAST.' 333 
 
 footprints of the Redeemer. Near the chapel stands a minaret, 
 and from its top there is a splendid view of Jerusalem and of 
 the chain of grey-green steppe-like hills which separate the 
 plateau, the immediate neighbourhood of the Holy City, and 
 Bethlehem, from the valley of the Jordan. In the far distance 
 one gets a glimpse of the high mountains east of the Jordan 
 and the Dead Sea, and, through the dip of a valley, even of 
 a little bit of the dark blue surface of that lonely inland 
 sea. 
 
 From the valley of Kedron we rode back towards our 
 camp by the walls of the city, but at the slaughter-yards I 
 dismounted and made an unsuccessful attempt to stalk an 
 Egyptian Vulture. Hundreds of large vultures were circling 
 overhead, and dogs were wandering about the blood-stained 
 place, which had such an abominable smell that I was com- 
 pelled to beat a hasty retreat and get back to the tents through 
 some olive-gardens. 
 
 We dined early, as Count Caboga and I intended to go on 
 to the Maltese Hospice at Tantur in the afternoon, while the 
 rest of the party were to join us at Bethlehem, though not 
 until the following day. 
 
 I had now to leave Jerusalem, and, taking a farewell look 
 at the grey walls of venerable Zion, I drove away with Count 
 Caboga along the excellent road to Bethlehem, which runs 
 from the Damascus Gate near our camp, and passes close 
 under the ramparts of the western part of the city. 
 
 At the entrance to the valley of Kedron the road winds 
 among stony flats, sparingly covered with bushes and scanty 
 grass, and by ruinous garden-walls, stunted olive-yards, and 
 dilapidated houses. On the right one sees the barrack-like 
 buildings of the German colony, and on the left barren deso- 
 late hills, the prettiest view being the look back at the high 
 walls, battlements, and towers of the Holy City. 
 
 The road then gradually ascends the opposite slope of the 
 
334 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 valley, where a bare hill close by is pointed out as the place 
 where the house of Caiaphas stood. We also passed the place 
 where the Philistines were encamped when David smote them; 
 while later on came the ruins of the house of the aged Simeon, 
 and the well of the Magi, where the Wise Men again beheld 
 the Star in the East. 
 
 This brought us to the saddle of the hill, where we found 
 ourselves close to the garden-wall of the large Greek monastery 
 of Mar-Elyas, which stands among olive-trees. From this 
 spot there is a charming view of the broad stony grey-green 
 valley traversed by deep gullies, which extends up to the 
 heights on which Bethlehem is so picturesquely situated. 
 
 These gullies and small valleys, as well as the general fall 
 of the ground, all trend towards the mountains that enclose 
 the valley of the Jordan and form ravines which pass through 
 them down to the Dead Sea. 
 
 To the south-west we saw in the distance a somewhat exten- 
 sive olive-wood with the spires of the Latin Patriarch's sum- 
 mer residence towering above its dark masses. To the north 
 the view was closed by the range of hills which we had just 
 traversed, and to the west a maze of stony elevations, little 
 valleys, and plateaus gave an interest to the landscape. 
 
 After driving downhill for another quarter of an hour we 
 reached the garden-walls of the small Maltese fortress of 
 Tantur, a well-built mediaeval castle which recalls the days 
 of the Crusaders ; it stood on a hillside, with the white-cross 
 flag of Malta waving above its battlements, and the adjoining 
 buildings of the hospice bore witness to the benevolence of this 
 old order of knights. 
 
 Going uphill through the garden we came to the second 
 wall and entered the paved courtyard, in the centre of which 
 is a deep well. Count Caboga has converted this castle and 
 hospice into an establishment for the relief of the country- 
 people and sick pilgrims, and there he leads a pleasant 
 
<A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 335 
 
 country life the whole year round, devoting himself to serious 
 studies and charitable deeds. His servant, Ferdinand Nico- 
 demus, a Syrian Christian, and a very well educated young 
 man, does good service in the hospice as a skilled apothecary. 
 He is also a very smart fellow, an excellent horseman, and 
 sharp and adroit in dealing with the natives. He accom- 
 panied us throughout our tour in Palestine and won our 
 universal esteem. 
 
 As soon as we entered the courtyard a number of fine large 
 Arab dogs, very like our Hungarian wolf-dogs, sprang out on 
 all sides, and welcomed their master with joyful whimpers. 
 Count Caboga is a great lover of animals, and tames the most 
 varied kinds. He long had a perfectly tame Hyaena, and now 
 a handsome Asiatic Sheep ran about the house after him, 
 while a Cockatoo, that lived wild among the pigeons in the 
 tower of the castle, flew lightly down on its master's 
 shoulder. 
 
 After inspecting the comfortably arranged castle I went 
 out with Ferdinand and my jager to the place where Hysenas 
 are generally shot at night. 
 
 "We walked a little way back along the Jerusalem road 
 until we were a few hundred yards below the Monastery of 
 Mar-Elyas, where there were some old walls constructed of 
 large loose stones. In one of these an ambush had been so 
 cleverly made as to be quite invisible, while before it lay a 
 dead donkey in the very unsavoury condition that the Hyaena 
 loves. 
 
 There was now unfortunately no moonlight, and the nights 
 were so dark that one could hardly expect to see the wild 
 animals, much less to shoot them, so in order to get hold of 
 a hyaena I had brought plenty of poison with me in the 
 form of strong strychnine. We therefore put on thick leather 
 gloves and artistically prepared the leg of the jackass, laying, 
 according to old usage, some poisoned fragments round the 
 
336 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 principal bait, as it is the habit of most wild beasts to eat 
 small morsels before settling down to heavy work. 
 
 This disgusting business of preparing the lure was just 
 finished, and we were arranging the loopholes in the ambus- 
 cade, when an Arab with a long gun came up and offered his 
 services. He insisted upon sharing the night-watch with 
 us, gave us much good advice, related all his successes in 
 hysena-shooting, and could hardly be made to hold his 
 tongue. 
 
 As it was not nearly time to watch we decided to return 
 and to take the precaution of bringing the Arab with us, as 
 we were afraid that if we sent him about his business he might 
 spoil our sport out of revenge, for Ferdinand knew him to be 
 a bad untrustworthy fellow who lived by shooting partridges, 
 and who roamed about the neighbourhood of Bethlehem in a 
 vagabond sort of way. His cunning treacherous-looking face 
 confirmed this account, so I determined to make him harmless 
 for the night. 
 
 I left young Hodek to look after the ambush and to watch 
 until we came back. The sun was just setting, and gilding 
 with its magic light the stony hills, the castle of Tantur, the 
 picturesque town of Bethlehem, and the heights of the Jordan 
 valley, while the lofty barren steeps of the beautiful moun- 
 tains beyond the Dead Sea were glowing in a way that 
 reminded me of our Alps; there were only a few thin 
 fleecy clouds in the sky, and a cool breeze swept across the 
 plateau. 
 
 The air of the country round Jerusalem and of the hills 
 between Bethlehem and the sea cannot be compared to the 
 mild and delightfully equable temperature of Egypt. Eaw 
 winds here remind one of the high elevation of this barren 
 plateau, and snowfalls in March are not of rare occurrence 
 near the Holy City; but at Bethlehem, only a few miles east- 
 ward of this place, the climate and the flora change, and the 
 
<A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 337 
 
 terribly heavy air of the valley of the Jordan is quite 
 perceptible. 
 
 We walked back to the castle with our Arab, and on 
 arriving there he was entertained with food and drink, but at 
 the same time deprived of his freedom for twelve hours in a 
 closely-barred room. We, too, had a capital supper, the 
 Count's servants who waited on us being dressed in the 
 costume of the country. I then hurried back to lie in wait 
 for the Hysenas. 
 
 Meanwhile night had fallen, and the darkness ^vvhich enve- 
 loped the country was unfortunately made still more intense 
 by the gathering clouds. Hodek, whom we found crouching 
 in the ambush, said that some jackals had appeared soon after 
 sunset. 
 
 With iron endurance we lay waiting in our hiding-place 
 until midnight, but as we could then hardly make out the 
 place where the dead donkey was lying, we saw the hopeless- 
 ness of the business. Had the ground been bare rock or the 
 desert- sand of Egypt, our chances would have been better, 
 but here, as throughout the neighbourhood of Jerusalem, it 
 was covered with flat rocks and loose stones, mixed with dark 
 grass. Our pleasant anticipations were thus destroyed, and 
 we were moreover enduring perfect torments in this dark 
 confined place of concealment, for the wind being good for 
 our sport blew straight from the carrion, sending the most 
 horrible stench through the loop-holes. Sometimes we 
 thought that we heard beasts prowling round, while several 
 people passed along the road singing, and the watch-dogs of 
 the monastery and the castle howled piteously in the true 
 Eastern fashion ; but at midnight, as already said, I lost 
 patience, and we all cautiously groped our way back to the 
 castle. 
 
 On the 1st of April I was called at sunrise and went 
 out to see how the strychnine had worked ; great was my 
 
 z 
 
338 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 astonishment at finding that the large heavy donkey had 
 simply vanished ! No traces of its having been dragged away 
 were to he seen on the ground, nor did the grass appear 
 to have heen bent down facts which seemed to show that 
 some exceptionally powerful beast of prey must have carried 
 off the carcass bodily. 
 
 As some of the small scraps were also gone, we searched 
 about and soon found a large jackal not twenty yards off. 
 Bigger, longer in the legs, with a shorter and more bushy 
 tail than the jackal of Egypt, and of a yellowish colour only 
 broken by a bluish-grey saddle, this extraordinary creature 
 seemed to me unlike any of the jackals which I had hitherto 
 seen or killed. 
 
 We also discovered a trail of blood leading straight to the 
 road and to the wall on its further side, where the blood and 
 hair that were sticking to the sharp edges of the stones 
 plainly showed that the donkey had been dragged over it. 
 On the other side the carcass had again been carried, and the 
 trail then led towards one of the deep ravines in the direction 
 of the mountains of the Jordan valley. 
 
 I now stole cautiously forward, and on looking over a 
 hillock I saw a dark object about fifty yards away, and near 
 it a small reddish-yellow animal. A lucky rifle-shot laid the 
 little fellow low, and on hastening to the spot I found that it 
 was one of the extremely pretty Fennecs, or desert-foxes, and 
 that it had been comfortably breakfasting off the donkey's 
 head. Carefully examining this great heavy head, which 
 belonged to a donkey of the large Asiatic breed, we saw that 
 it had been simply bitten off, for the marks of teeth were 
 quite visible. Hitherto the wild beast had not dragged but 
 carried on its back the entire donkey, and from this point it 
 had gone off with the rest of the body. Hyaenas are very 
 large and powerful, but I hardly think they are capable of so 
 great an effort, nor is it their habit to carry away plunder in 
 
6 A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 339 
 
 this way. It is, however, just what bears do, and I feel con- 
 vinced that it was one of the Syrian isabelline-coloured bears, 
 mentioned by Brehm in his ( Thierleben' as occurring in 
 Palestine, that had played us this trick. Had there been a 
 full moon we should have had a splendid night's sport, but as 
 it was I went back to breakfast at the castle annoyed and out 
 of spirits. 
 
 There was a good deal of life on the road. Caravans of 
 asses and camels coming in from the country laden with pro- 
 visions for the market at Jerusalem, and interesting types of 
 men and women in their gay costumes. Our baggage and 
 the whole train of pack-animals, under the leadership of Mr. 
 Howard, soon came up from the Holy City, where the camp 
 had been struck in the morning. They passed the castle on 
 their way to Bethlehem, where our next camp was to be 
 pitched. The gentlemen, however, were to spend the morn- 
 ing in the city, and would not get to Tantur before noon. I 
 employed the spare time in watching for large birds of prey 
 at an ambush, and had the donkey's head brought up to the 
 hut, as I intended to poison this last remnant of our noble 
 jackass and use it the following night. 
 
 Large flocks of storks were passing from south to north, 
 and soon appeared the daily string of vultures, which come 
 from the mountains round the Dead Sea to pick up carrion at 
 the towns, especially at Jerusalem. We saw hundreds of 
 them, flying one after another, and also a few eagles, in the 
 course of the forenoon; but unfortunately our hiding-place was 
 too near the highroad where there was a good deal of traffic, 
 and numbers of these great birds circled round without daring 
 to descend. Only one Egyptian Vulture had the temerity to 
 pass close to the hut several times, and at last forfeited his 
 life. 
 
 After this I went back to the castle, and with Count Caboga 
 .awaited the arrival of my fellow-travellers, who soon came 
 
 z2 
 
340 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 riding full tilt into the courtyard, and I had forthwith to 
 give them a full account of my sporting experiences of 
 the last few hours. Count Cahoga gave us an excellent 
 lunch, after which we set out on our short journey to Beth- 
 lehem, some of us driving and some riding along the 
 rough stony road, which kept winding down-hill among 
 old walls, olive-yards, and ruinous houses towards the steep 
 hillside on which lies that famous town, the birthplace of our 
 Saviour. 
 
 The white stone-built houses with their flat roofs, the domes 
 of the church, and the terraces of the monastery make this 
 sacred place look much larger than it really is. After passing 
 its outskirts one reaches a narrow street, where the first things 
 that strike the traveller are the rough pavements, latticed 
 woodwork, gloomy walls, and the perpetual up- and down- 
 hill. 
 
 Leaving the street one comes to a square surrounded by 
 thoroughly Oriental houses, on one side of which is the great 
 Church of the Virgin and the buildings attached to it. The 
 most important of the sacred places are under one roof, and 
 belong to the Latins, Greeks, and Armenians in common. 
 The church is very fine and extremely old, both the main 
 building and the chapels being Byzantine, and therefore 
 dating from the earliest Christian times. Atter taking leave 
 of the Greek and Latin clergy we left the town and went 
 along the hillside between walls and olive-yards to our camp, 
 which was pitched on some open ground near the uncom- 
 monly dirty but picturesquely-situated village of Betsahur. 
 Its inhabitants pressed round us most inquisitively, and the 
 Turkish gendarmes had difficulty in keeping the camp clear. 
 Everything was already unpacked and arranged, so we soon 
 settled ourselves comfortably. 
 
 Two sportsmen now appeared, offering their services ; they 
 were a fine-looking pair of brothers, citizens of Bethlehem, 
 
<A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 341 
 
 and real Jews, attired in the old costume. There was, how- 
 ever, a good deal of the vagabond ahotit them, and they 
 appeared to live by shooting partridges. One of them spoke 
 French well, and seemed to have sporting dealings with many 
 of the Bedouin tribes, for he promised to arrange an Ibex 
 hunt for us and to procure us some of these animals alive. 
 He was a Christian, like all the inhabitants of Bethlehem, 
 and had fought bravely in the French army against the 
 Germans, for M. de Lesseps, when travelling in Palestine, 
 came across him and carried him off as a servant to France. 
 There he entered the ranks of the army which was marching 
 to the Rhine, took part in the campaign of 1870, and came 
 home again soon after the conclusion of peace to shoot 
 partridges as before. 
 
 . With these men Hoyos and I went out for an afternoon 
 ramble over the ground close at hand, and while walking 
 along the valley in an easterly direction we came across some 
 delightfully picturesquely-clad shepherds with their flocks. 
 Surely those shepherds who were the first to worship at the 
 manger of the Son of God must have looked just like these 
 men, who were now wandering about the hillsides with their 
 goats, singing their monotonous songs. 
 
 Here the hills were higher and steeper, but less stony, and 
 were quite covered with yellowish grass, while there was 
 already a perceptible difference in the flora. Betsahur is the 
 last village in this direction, and with the beginning of the 
 grey-green mountains and the Jordan vegetation the ter- 
 ritory of the Bedouin tribes is reached, where certain 
 precautions must be taken. 
 
 Some partridges were seen and heard as we clambered 
 about the hills, but the few that we came across in the 
 neighbourhood of Bethlehem were so shy that getting near them 
 was quite out of the question; so we beat back over some hills 
 towards the village with our local sportsmen, and on nearing 
 
342 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 it again entered the region of olive-trees and neglected 
 gardens. 
 
 To the south of the ridge on which Bethlehem and Betsahur 
 stand is a deep valley with terraces of olives and vines on both 
 sides; among these are crags and rocks like those of the Karst, 
 which form clefts, hollows, and caves, and being covered 
 with evergreen bushes give a very picturesque appearance 
 to the whole scene. The narrow bed of the valley is filled 
 up with old walls, cisterns, and stones, and a rocky path 
 used by the flocks winds up to the town. Hoyos and I 
 were clambering about looking for some partridges that were 
 calling among the rocks and olive-trees, when the Grand 
 Duke and some of the other gentlemen suddenly appeared on 
 the opposite side near the village, and tried to make us 
 understand by signs that some game was on foot below us. 
 Unluckily the terraced nature of the ground prevented our 
 looking down, so we hurried across to our friends, who told 
 us that a large jackal had passed slowly along the terrace 
 just below us. 
 
 Thereupon we separated and took up different positions to 
 wait for the wild animals as they came out at sunset. My 
 Eastern attendant said .that this was a favourite haunt of the 
 " Wawi," as the Arabs of Palestine call the Jackal, the 
 " Talib " of the Egyptians, and, generally speaking, the 
 Arabic of this country differs from that of Egypt so greatly 
 as to be unintelligible. 
 
 It was a lovely evening. The sun was just setting, the 
 melancholy songs of the picturesque shepherds mingled with 
 the tinkling bells of the flocks that they were leading 
 past, and the chimes of the Angelus were ringing out 
 from Bethlehem. The shadows, too, were deepening, the 
 last rosy flush had left the mountains of the Dead Sea, 
 and the eagles were flying to their roosting-places, as a 
 jackal glided ghost-like down the valley. It was coming 
 
<A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 343 
 
 straight towards my hiding-place, but unfortunately the 
 wind was bad, and the cunning beast disappeared behind 
 some rocks. 
 
 A strange, weird melancholy haunts these desolate ravines 
 of Palestine, especially in the evening, and one can imagine 
 what suitable places they are for the wolves, jackals, and 
 hyaanas, that howl in concert among the old tombs. I left 
 this damp chilly place before it grew quite dark, and was 
 hastening past the village to the camp, when a shadow swept 
 over me, and on firing at it a poor Stork fell dead to the 
 ground. On reaching the camp we dined and then speedily 
 retired to rest. 
 
 Next morning we started pretty early and rode to Beth- 
 lehem. There were crowds of people in the square, and we 
 had great difficulty in getting our neighing and capering 
 Arab horses through them to the church door. The Fran- 
 ciscans accompanied our party into the Chapel of the Nativity, 
 where the Chaplain said Mass. The public followed us even 
 into the holy places underground, and among the people who 
 were kneeling on the bare rock, lit up by the dull glow of the 
 lamps, were some wonderfully beautiful women of Bethlehem, 
 with true Madonna faces. 
 
 When the service was over we returned to the square 
 where our horses were standing. There a great surprise was 
 awaiting us, for on the terrace of a house lay an enormous 
 Hyaena, with a splendid skin and a long mane, while by its 
 side were two Jackals, smaller and different in colour to the 
 one of the previous day, but nevertheless larger than the 
 Canis aureus of Egypt, and unlike it in general appearance. 
 It was the work of the poison, for we had yesterday prepared 
 the head of the donkey with a strong dose of strychnine and 
 had laid it out as the only bait. Naturally the ravenous 
 animals of that barren district had greedily fallen upon the 
 tasty morsel and had thus come to a speedy end. I sent the 
 
344 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 beasts off to the camp on a donkey, where they were taken to 
 the tent of our stuffer. 
 
 We then rode back to the pretty castle of Tantur by 
 yesterday's road, and on reaching it proceeded to beat one 
 of the bare stony hills of its neighbourhood in a systematic 
 way, impressing as many men as possible. Count Caboga's 
 servants, our grooms from the camp, the shepherds and the 
 peasants who were walking along the road, all were taken 
 along with us. Some of the gentlemen lined the southern 
 side of the valley, while Hoyos, the jagers, and I posted the 
 beaters, and began the drive at a given signal. We were 
 also assisted by several Turkish gendarmes, who showed con- 
 siderable talent for such diversions. 
 
 A few partridges, a poor quail, and a jackal were put up, 
 but they unfortunately did not take the right line, and the 
 beat was nearly at an end when several partridges flew over 
 the guns, one of which was killed; a hare also came within 
 range, and was shot by Chorinsky. It was a true grey 
 Syrian Hare thinner, smaller, and much darker than our 
 ordinary species, but altogether with a much greater resem- 
 blance to it than to the African Desert Hare. 
 
 After this not very brilliantly successful drive we passed 
 the hyaena-ambush, and leaving Tantur on the left, went to 
 the Mar-Elyas monastery, from which there was a splendid 
 view of Jerusalem. It was our last look at the Holy City 
 and its environs, for we were now to go steadily eastwards, 
 and afterwards to turn to the north. 
 
 There we decided to make a long continuous beat, on the 
 principle of the Bohemian partridge-drives, from the monas- 
 tery to the camp. The distance was great and the ground 
 very broken, for there were a number of hills, all separated 
 by deep valleys with steeply sloping sides. The beaters were 
 now spread out, and the gentlemen and the jagers distributed 
 among them so as to cover a broader line of country. 
 
<A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 345 
 
 The sun was seorchingly hot, not a breath of air stirred, 
 and the blue cloudless sky was wrapt in the hazy noonday 
 heat. The very first hill made us perspire freely, for 
 the short grass on the steep slopes was very slippery, and 
 there were no stones to give a foothold. A few partridges 
 rose a long way off, a very fine jackal was missed by 
 Chorinsky, and the Grand Duke killed a particularly large 
 snake, which took a good dose of shot before it could be 
 secured. 
 
 We got over a couple of these grey-green grassy hills 
 pretty well, but the beaters were lazy, allowing gaps to occur, 
 and the form of a proper drive in line, after the European 
 fashion, got more and more lost. The country then began to 
 assume another character flat rocks, cliffs, caves, old walls 
 enclosing terraces for vines and olives, and rocky valleys, 
 such as that behind the village of Betsahur, succeeded to the 
 bare hills. Hardly had we entered this ground when a jackal 
 jumped up from the rocks just below me, and though my 
 shot rolled him over, the nimble beast at once disappeared 
 into a deep earth mortally wounded. 
 
 As I wanted to get my booty I sent my jager to the camp 
 to fetch the dachshunds, and waited at the place, refreshing 
 myself with some lemonade which the faithful and ever- 
 ready Achmed had produced. The rest of the gentlemen 
 continued their homeward beat, and Count Waldburg shot 
 another partridge which got up in front of him. 
 
 My jager soon arrived with three dachshunds. A Sla- 
 vonian bred dog called Scheck, the largest and strongest of 
 them, at once dashed into the earth with the greatest eager- 
 ness, followed by his Croatian comrades Croat and Opeka. 
 In a few moments we heard a rumbling under the stones, and 
 I at first thought that they were fighting with the wounded 
 animal ; but I soon found that I was wrong, for on looking 
 down the hole I saw that they were dragging out the dead 
 
346 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 jackal with all their might, a good proof of the capabilities of 
 these plucky dogs. 
 
 We now set off for home across a very rugged hill, where 
 the dogs were made to try some holes, outside which there 
 were fresh tracks of foxes, jackals, and even of hyaenas, but 
 these attempts were unhappily unsuccessful. The heat, too, 
 was frightful, and the dogs soon got tired on the burning 
 rocks. 
 
 On reaching the camp we recruited ourselves with a few 
 hours of rest ; before sunset, however, Waldburg and I 
 clambered about the slopes of the valley, in which we had 
 watched for jackals the previous evening ; but as neither our 
 efforts to rout out something with the dogs, nor our careful 
 attempt to stalk an old cock partridge, which was drumming 
 on a flat rock, succeeded, we had to content ourselves with 
 a fine view of the mountains by the Dead Sea, which we 
 obtained by climbing to the high ridge on the opposite side 
 of the valley. As soon as it began to get dark we returned 
 to the camp and retired early to rest, in order to prepare 
 ourselves for the coming journey to the valley of the Jordan. 
 
 On the morning of the 3rd the whole camp was astir at 
 an early hour. The tents were struck, and the baggage put 
 on the pack-animals. Two more hyaenas had been brought 
 in from Tantur, fine large specimens, which had poisoned 
 themselves in the night with the same donkey's head. 
 
 Some Bedouins from the south-western mountains of the 
 Dead Sea came into camp. They were fine manly fellows 
 with noble features, muscular, sinewy, and rather dark. The 
 tribe to which they belonged was wild, perfectly lawless, but 
 very poor, and both their clothing and weapons were indica- 
 tive of the narrow circumstances of their life. One of them, 
 who was probably the Sheikh, wore a bright-coloured turban, 
 a loose white robe, and yellow slippers, and had a large 
 curved Turkish sabre at his waist. The expression of his thin 
 
1 A JOURNEY IN THE EAST.' 347 
 
 face, with its piercing black eyes and sharply drawn mouth, 
 on which played a mocking smile, was by no means calculated 
 to inspire confidence. 
 
 These men, genuine Arabs both in their habits and appear- 
 ance, and utterly unlike the Hebraic natives of Bethlehem, 
 had come to sell me three young ibex, and were also desirous 
 of arranging a shooting-excursion for us in their barren 
 mountains, where the Arabian Ibex, a fine animal with long 
 knobby horns, is very abundant. I bought the young ibex; 
 but as for the excursion, that was, alas! out of the question, for 
 it would have drawn us away from the Jordan valley, and 
 several days of our already very circumscribed time would 
 have been spent in going along the shore of the Dead Sea 
 down to its south-western extremity. I was therefore forced, 
 though with a heavy heart, to console the dusky sons of the 
 steppe with a backsheesh and send them home again. 
 
 The camp was struck with the usual incredible quickness, 
 and the large caravan started for Mar-Saba under the leader- 
 ship of Mr. Howard. Eiding down a narrow valley between 
 grey-green hills, we soon lost sight of Bethlehem, Tantur, 
 Mar-Elyas, the stony mountains, the plateaus, and the culti- 
 vated slopes, and exchanged the Mediterranean type of 
 country for that of the Asiatic steppes, with their monotonous 
 hills covered with short grass, and their winding valleys, 
 where one could never get a distant view. The road was 
 very good at first, and one could sometimes even ride over 
 the little meadows at a fast pace ; but the further we went 
 the higher grew the mountains and the narrower the path, 
 which at length ran along the steep hillsides, as the bottom 
 of the valley was nothing but a stony ravine. A Bedouin on 
 a badly groomed, but very handsome bay rode in front as 
 our guide. He was the Sheikh of a tribe living in these 
 mountains, and his attire, consisting of a loose dark cloak 
 thrown over light-coloured under garments, as well as his 
 
348 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 yellow slippers and plain sabre, showed that he was not very 
 well off. 
 
 There was not much variety in our passage through this 
 narrow valley, though here and there very bad bits of the 
 road had to be traversed with caution, and we had plenty of 
 opportunities of admiring the skill with which the Arab 
 horses crossed the slippery grass and slanting rocks, in places 
 where a false step would have entailed a fall into the abyss 
 below. The bird-world was also but poorly represented in 
 these desolate mountains, for with the exception of one or two 
 solitary storks and a few vultures and eagles that flew over 
 our heads, there was nothing moving. 
 
 After a long ride the valley ended, and the path brought 
 us to the brow of a high mountain, from which there opened 
 a splendid prospect. Immediately below us was the steep 
 slope of a deep basin-like valley quite surrounded by high 
 hills ; and right and left were innumerable summits and long 
 ridges, all of a uniform grey-green a true steppe landscape. 
 From the bottom of the valley a narrow gorge led in a south- 
 westerly direction, and through it one got a little glimpse of 
 the deep blue waters of the Dead Sea and of the bare white 
 cliffs of the high, finely-formed mountains on its further shore. 
 
 The path wound down the abrupt declivity in steep zigzags, 
 and most of the pack-animals of the large caravan were just 
 making this difficult descent with an incessant tinkling of 
 their bells, while the foremost of them had already reached 
 the bottom of the valley, where our indefatigable servants had 
 begun to put up the tents on a stony meadow. 
 
 All the gentlemen went on except the Grand Duke and 
 myself, and we waited on the ridge until the entire camp was 
 pitched, utilizing the time by laying out a dead kid behind a 
 hill-top, which would allow us to approach unseen. 
 
 Hundreds of vultures and eagles were flying over from the 
 
<A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 349 
 
 mountains of the Dead Sea one after another, all taking their 
 daily route to Jerusalem with perfect punctuality. They did 
 not deign to look at our kid, and only a couple of Ravens 
 and an Egyptian Vulture cruised round it, but without 
 settling. 
 
 The heat was terrific, there was not a breath of air or the 
 smallest cloud in the dark blue sky, so when an hour had 
 gone by we left this unfavourable spot and walked down to 
 the bottom of the valley, taking with us the kid, which we 
 intended to expose next day. The lower we went the heavier 
 and the more oppressive became the air, and as a first greeting 
 from the Dead Sea and the Jordan valley there came up from 
 the side valley a leaden atmosphere, which we learned to dread 
 during the subsequent days. 
 
 We soon got to the tents, which were now all pitched. It 
 was quite a little town, and this otherwise desolate region was 
 now a scene of the greatest activity. 
 
 The two Arab sportsmen, who had followed the caravan 
 from Latrun, shooting by the way, now appeared richly laden 
 with spoils for the larder. Besides a number of Red-legs 
 they had also brought some of the little Hey's Partridges, for 
 we had now, for the first time, got within the range of these 
 beautiful birds. The Arabs, who, with their defective weapons, 
 can only shoot sitting, stalk the partridges by concealing 
 themselves behind a brown-and-yellow screen extended by 
 sugar-canes, and furnished with two holes for the eyes and 
 one for the gun. The stupid birds see no one, and keep 
 staring at the moving screen until the fatal shot is fired 
 from it. 
 
 We lunched as soon as we arrived, while our Oriental 
 servants prepared the camping-ground for the night with 
 much dexterity. Every stone had to be lifted and all the 
 grass well searched, for the place was infested with large 
 
350 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 scorpions, with whose evil propensities we became thoroughly 
 acquainted during the latter days of our journey. 
 
 After lunch we resolved to pay a visit to the celebrated 
 rock monastery of Mar-Saba. The way to it led through the 
 above-mentioned narrow valley. Right and left were steep 
 grassy slopes which suddenly changed their form and ter- 
 minated as the vertical rocky walls of' a deep stony ravine, 
 the path continuing to wind just above the precipices on the 
 lowest fringe of the green slope. The walls of this dark 
 dismal ravine were hollowed out below by the action of water, 
 and were full of holes and clefts, in which numbers of Rock- 
 Pigeons and Lesser Kestrels were peacefully breeding 
 together. At every step they flew out and dashed from side 
 to side of the narrow gorge in a great state of alarm. 
 
 The rocks close to the monastery are inhabited by myriads 
 of Grackles (Amydrus tristrami), a bird which I never met 
 with in any other part of Palestine. All the pinnacles, ter- 
 races, roofs, and rocks are literally covered with these brilliant 
 blue-black birds with red-brown wings, and their pretty song 
 resounds on every side. They have been so tamed by one of 
 the monks that when he whistles and calls at a certain hour 
 every day they come fluttering down and light at his feet, or 
 even on his head and shoulders, and take the bread-crumbs 
 from his hands. The wild beasts, too, are enticed to come 
 here, for every evening when the bell rings for prayers the 
 jackals appear in the ravine and wait until bits of bread are 
 thrown down to them. 
 
 I was much interested in this account of the jackals, and 
 having got permission from the monks, I descended by steps 
 and passages down to the ravine, and concealed myself 
 between two large stones near an old tank. It was a most 
 weird spot ; in front was the bare precipice, behind me the 
 rocky dwellings of the monks, and overhead only a narrow 
 strip of dark blue sky. As evening came on the Grackles, 
 
'A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 351 
 
 Hawks, and Pigeons flew to their holes, and only now and 
 then the short song of a bird was to be heard. 
 
 It now began to get dark, and the clear sounding bells 
 were calling to prayer. Hardly had the last sound died away 
 when a piece of bread fell close beside me, and a jackal 
 appeared within twenty paces. 
 
 I was glad to get out of this terrible place, which lies at 
 the level of the Mediterranean, for in it a leaden atmosphere, 
 such as I had never before felt, seemed to check my breathing 
 and to weigh down my whole frame a feeling of lassitude 
 which we experienced in a still greater degree in the lower 
 levels that we frequented during the next few days. 
 
 Having taken leave of the pious monks, we clambered 
 through the domains of the monastery right up to the tower, 
 and then hurried off to the camp, which we did not reach until 
 it was quite dark. We then dined, sketched out our plans 
 for the morrow, and by ten o'clock all was again quiet in the 
 desolate valley. 
 
 At sunrise the party assembled to breakfast, and we were 
 sitting at table when an Egyptian Vulture had the impudence 
 to fly into the camp and settle among the tents to devour 
 some of the kitchen scraps. The Grand Duke, however, 
 quickly fetched his gun and shot the audacious bird. 
 
 During the early hours of the morning we separated our 
 forces, the Grand Duke and I ascending one of the highest 
 of the hills that enclosed the valley, in order to expose our 
 kid on its summit, while the other gentlemen went off to 
 shoot pigeons in the Mar-Saba ravine. 
 
 We had a long fatiguing climb, for the slopes were smooth 
 and slippery, and we had to clamber over flat rocks and 
 reddish flinty steeps ; the heat, too, was already rather op- 
 pressive. On reaching the summit we found a capital hiding- 
 place, which had been yesterday made by my jager. There 
 we watched for two hours, grievously tormented by insects, 
 
352 EXTRACTS FROM. 
 
 but nothing came except some Egyptian Vultures, and at 
 them we had no desire to shoot. The flight of the larger 
 birds of prey began towards the forenoon ; but they kept on 
 in a direct line to Jerusalem, for no bait has sufficient 
 attractions to make them deviate from their course. 
 
 We scrambled down again to the camp by the shortest way 
 without having shot anything, and found that the tents had 
 meanwhile been struck, and that the greater part of the 
 caravan was already moving on. Only a portion of the cook's 
 battery had been left, and a scanty lunch wherewith to recruit 
 ourselves for our further journey. The gentlemen had shot a 
 considerable number of pigeons in the ravine, and had also 
 killed some hawks and various smaller birds. 
 
 After a frugal meal we took leave of Count Caboga, to 
 whose kindness we were much indebted. He intended to 
 return to Tantur the same day, but lent me for all the rest 
 of our journey his servant Ferdinand, and the good horse 
 which I had been daily riding since our entry into Jerusalem. 
 It was a marvellously fine Arab stallion that he had bought 
 from a Bedouin tribe, and I was most grateful to the Count 
 for this attention, as the handsome animal was very sure- 
 footed on the hills, unusually fleet on the plains, and inured 
 both to hard work by day and exposure by night. 
 
 As soon as every one was mounted our train moved forward 
 with the Bedouins at its head. At first the character of the 
 country was like that near our camping-ground, but the 
 valley soon became narrower, the hillsides higher, and 
 instead of grass alone, we had to ride over bare yellow soil 
 and flat smooth slabs of rock. In the midst of this wilderness 
 two Storks were standing on a little patch of grass surrounded 
 by rocks, and one of them I shot as it rose. They were pro- 
 bably on migration, and taking a rest by the way. 
 
 The path was exceedingly difficult for the horses, and they 
 had to go very cautiously, for the ground was of such a 
 
<A JOURNEY IN THE EAST.' 353 
 
 nature that a fall into the depths below might easily have 
 occurred. We passed countless peaks and summits, and were 
 perpetually riding up and down over mountain-ridges and 
 through valleys and ravines. Ground more broken up it is 
 impossible to imagine, nor was there a single tree or the 
 slightest trace of the presence of man. 
 
 After a long ride the formation of the country changed, 
 the slopes grew more gentle, the stones entirely vanished, 
 and the steppe appeared, decked in its spring array of high 
 green grass and flowers. The greyish-yellow mountains 
 which we had just passed through ran due north and south, 
 shutting out all the outlook towards the west; and we came 
 to a fragrant flowery plateau over which we galloped, for the 
 ground was good, and the horses, glad to have got rid of the 
 smooth rocks and steep paths, sprang about in a lively 
 fashion. 
 
 The steppes are grand, but undeniably monotonous, though 
 not so lonesome as the far more impressive desert, for in 
 spring the former has the advantage of being beautified with 
 flowers, while the latter is utterly devoid of vegetation and 
 has nothing to show but bright coloured stones. 
 
 Another steep hill of most peculiar form and colour now 
 rose in front of us. It belongs to the so-called mountains of 
 " Juda," but has left their line, and advanced further into the 
 plateau. This sharp, perfectly barren cone is entirely formed 
 of a conglomerate of yellow clay, red rock, and brown and 
 grey stones. We had to pass along a deep gorge between 
 it and the other mountains by a dangerous path over 
 smooth rocks and close to precipices. Even our Bedouins 
 dismounted, and at one part of the way the clever horses 
 simply followed their masters, for they could not be led. It 
 is on occasions like this that one learns to appreciate the high 
 intelligence of the Arab horse. At this bad place one of our 
 pack-animals slipped down an incredible distance, but luckily 
 
 2A 
 
354 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 fell on its back with its load underneath it, and thus mar- 
 vellously escaped with only a few bruises. 
 
 The ascent from the gorge was easier than the descent, and 
 after crossing a grassy flat by the northern base of the hill 
 we reached Nebi-Musa, a place of pilgrimage much frequented 
 by the Mohammedans, who here point out the grave of the 
 Prophet Moses. This spot, marked by a small ruinous 
 mosque and a wretched house for the pilgrims, is yearly 
 visited by thousands of devotees. 
 
 Our camp had been already pitched near the mosque on a 
 singularly picturesque little plateau, covered with grass and 
 bushes, which was bounded on the south by the reddish, and 
 on the west by the grey-green mountains which follow the 
 valley of the Jordan, while its shaly sides sloped down to the 
 valley, gently towards the north and more abruptly towards 
 the east. There we had a splendid view of the broad fresh 
 green plain and the luxuriant vegetation of the Jordan, for 
 we had at last happily got near the sacred stream which gives 
 life to this region, and which was to provide sport for us. 
 
 Partridges were calling in all directions, so we dispersed 
 in pursuit of these beautiful birds ; but the sun had unfortu- 
 nately already set, and twilight was coming on. I flushed 
 some Quails from the long grass, and saw flocks of small birds 
 flitting from bush to bush ; but it was impossible to shoot, so 
 we all returned to the camp to dine and rest by the tomb of 
 the great sage and prophet Moses. 
 
 Next morning the whole party started before sunrise, the 
 heavy caravan being directed to take the shortest route by 
 Jericho to Ain-es-Sultan, while we, under the guidance of 
 the Bedouins and accompanied by several guards, were to 
 make an interesting excursion to the Dead Sea. 
 
 From Nebi-Musa we rode due east by very narrow tracks 
 over the steep hillside? and water-worn gullies of a shaly 
 region, perfectly devoid of vegetation. A few eagles and 
 
'A JOURNEY IN THE EAST.' 355 
 
 vultures were sitting on the narrow ledges of the rocks and 
 the sharp parallel ridges that here run down from the moun- 
 tain and are separated from each other by ravines. After 
 about an hour we reached the foot of the mountain, and all 
 at once found ourselves amongst thick bushes and on sandy 
 ground, capital for riding over. Dense thickets alternated 
 with grassy flats, which we crossed at full gallop, and after 
 descending the bed of a now dried-up torrent we rode 
 through tall reeds, long grass, and high bushes to the flat 
 shores of the Dead Sea. 
 
 Every step that the horses made sounded as if they were 
 breaking through a crust of frozen snow, for here the sand, 
 and also the bits of wood which had been washed up, are all 
 coated with saltpetre. The Bahr-Lut (Lot's Lake), as the 
 Dead Sea is called by the Arabs, is a wonderful mountain 
 lake large, deep blue, and fine in form. It is bounded on 
 the east by the rugged grey-green hills with which we had 
 become acquainted during the last few days, and on the west 
 by really lofty mountains with whitish-grey cliffs. The 
 water itself is a thick heavy solution, so strongly saturated 
 with mineral matter that it is impossible for any living thing 
 to exist in it, and the lake is truly dead. Bathing, which 
 some of the gentlemen now indulged in, was unattended by 
 any risk of drowning, for its waters are so buoyant that one 
 cannot sink, but, on the other hand, they leave a thick deposit 
 of salt on the skin that is by no means pleasant. 
 
 The air of the Dead Sea, like that of deep mines, is as 
 heavy as lead, and has an enervating influence on every one. 
 This is caused by its low level, for it lies 394 metres below 
 the Mediterranean. 
 
 We rode along it a little way close to the shore, and 
 then turned northwards across some loamy and sandy 
 flats. To our right was a plain, extending to the thickly 
 overgrown meadows of the Jordan, to our left a slope of 
 
 2A2 
 
356 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 friable earth, and below it a marshy depression covered with 
 almost impenetrable thickets of reeds and underwood. 
 
 A large wild boar crossed over into one of these dense 
 clumps of bushes close to the riders. As soon as I saw the 
 big beast I jumped off my horse to examine its tracks ; and 
 finding that it had not left this patch of cover, which was not 
 above a few hundred yards in circumference, I quickly 
 posted the gentlemen, and got the guards to drive it ; but we 
 soon saw how hard it was to force game out of even such a 
 small portion of these truly impenetrable thickets of reeds, 
 undergrowth, and grass, for all our efforts were fruitless. 
 Even firing it was no use, as only the grass burnt and sent 
 up enormous columns of smoke, while the inner bushes, full 
 of spring sap, would not kindle, and so afforded the game a 
 safe retreat. It was a pity that this attempt failed, for these 
 spendidly luxuriant thickets of the Jordan plains, which are 
 quite undisturbed by man, harbour all the animals of the 
 steppes and the barren rocky mountains. The tracks which 
 we found in the muddy soil showed what numbers of wild 
 beasts frequent them ; and I saw, within a small area, the 
 footprints of various Wild Boars, HyaBnas, Wolves, Jackals, 
 Asiatic Panthers, Lynxes, and other smaller predatory 
 animals which I could not identify. A pair of Wild Geese, 
 too, and several Sandpipers rose from a pool of water, and a 
 flock of Pelicans and an inquisitive Osprey cruised about 
 over the fire in the clouds of smoke. 
 
 These Pelicans came suddenly up from the Dead Sea, circled 
 round the fire for a few minutes, and having been greeted by 
 some ineffectual rifle-shots flew heavily up the valley north- 
 wards. 
 
 As we had but little time to spare, we quitted this locality, 
 and rode on at a steady gallop over splendid ground con- 
 sisting of sandy stretches and grassy flats, past thick bushes 
 and small patches of very low trees, almost like miniature 
 
<A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 357 
 
 woods, and across several of the mountain torrents which 
 hurry down to the Jordan through crumbling hanks big 
 stones and rich vegetation, till we came to the village of 
 Jericho. 
 
 Wretched and decayed is now the place where in ancient 
 days stood a city which flourished even down to the times 
 of the Crusaders. We rode by the hovels on its outskirts, 
 and after passing through really garden-like vegetation, fields 
 of wild oats and flowering shrubs, we reached the ba'se of the 
 western mountains, where before us lay the large and famous 
 spring of Ain-es-Sultan, our present goal. From this point 
 the real expedition up the valley of the Jordan was to begin. 
 
 Just at the edge of the vegetation, where the sharply 
 defined line of bushes gives place to the stony mountains, a 
 spring of great volume bubbles up from the ground and flows 
 into an ancient stone basin. Near this spring our camp had 
 been pitched, at the foot of the mountain. We had a hasty 
 lunch, but no one could eat much, for the oppressiveness of 
 the air was terrible in the middle of the day, and the insatiable 
 thirst which one feels in these regions below the level of the 
 sea does away with all one's appetite. 
 
 After an hour's rest some of the party again set out to 
 spend the afternoon and evening in shooting. Salim, the 
 leader of a band of hunting Bedouins, was to show us a 
 locality well stocked with game. He was a fine plucky 
 fellow, whom I soon grew to like and to appreciate as a sports- 
 man. Accustomed as he had been from his youth to ride, 
 hunt, and fight, he might have served as the model of a 
 genuine absolutely free Arab. His frame was slight, but 
 sinewy, and his face, with its energetic features, short beard, 
 and falcon eyes, was exceptionally dark for this part of the 
 country, and resembled the complexion of an African Arab. 
 His attire consisted of a white burnous tucked high up and 
 a little turban, while his skinny legs terminated in yellow 
 
358 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 shoes, and for arms lie carried a short knife in his girdle and 
 a whip in his hand. His companions, of whom there were 
 about fifteen, were tall and gaunt, mostly bearded, and with 
 brownish-yellow skins. Their turbans and tattered garments 
 were partly white and partly striped with white and brown, 
 their weapons being long guns, old pistols, and short knives. 
 These good-hearted, very sporting fellows were also provided 
 with sticks or whips, and were followed by mongrel wolf-like 
 dogs, whose good qualities we soon discovered. Some of 
 these Bedouins had curly hair and very dark skins evident 
 traces of Negro blood. 
 
 With these men we left the camp and started for a somewhat 
 long tramp, for we unfortunately could not use the horses, 
 which had been hard at work since the early morning, as we 
 wanted them to be fresh and sound for the following days. 
 Salim at first led us through the so-called woods, which are 
 really green luxuriant meadows and fields of wild oats, more 
 or less covered with bushes and low stunted trees. Every- 
 thing in the Jordan valley is thorny, even the high grass has 
 long hooked prickles, which fasten in the flesh, and all the 
 shrubs and trees are armed with thorns, so it may be imagined 
 what one's skin and clothes look like and what really severe 
 sufferings the sportsman must be content to endure in these 
 regions. The trees and bushes were all alive with many 
 kinds of birds, for in these happy tracts of country the 
 animal creation is pent within narrow bounds, and we found 
 a number of beautiful species which were quite new to 
 us. Everywhere we heard the cooing of the Asiatic Turtle- 
 Doves, and saw the amorous males going through their aerial 
 evolutions. The large Southern Grey Shrike and many 
 song-birds were uttering their notes among the thickets ; 
 Quails rose from the wild oats at every step, and there was 
 no lack of birds of prey, such as Eagles, Kites, and Hawks. 
 The lower forms of life were also fully represented by 
 
<A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 359 
 
 numbers of slender lizards and fat frogs, while swarms of 
 insects, big and little, infested .the place. 
 
 Suddenly Salim stopped and announced that we had 
 reached our destination ; and we saw before us a stream that 
 came down from the mountains, and flowed between steep 
 earthy banks straight through the plain to the Jordan. 
 
 These watercourses are of an interesting formation. Con- 
 fined on both sides by perpendicular crumbling walls of earth, 
 they present a scene of the wildest confusion. In the middle 
 flows a stream, small at this dry season of the year, and about 
 it is a medley of big stones, muddy places, dense, literally 
 impenetrable thickets, trees, rotten trunks, mould, and debris 
 of every description a primeval forest within a small space, 
 for nowhere does the distance from bank to bank exceed two 
 hundred yards. 
 
 Some of the guns were now to keep on the top of the right 
 bank and others on the left ; the Bedouins with their dogs 
 were to remain on the lower level and beat through the 
 stones and bushes in line ; while Salim was to stay beside 
 me and direct the whole proceedings. 
 
 The beaters ran and sprang about the bed of the stream, 
 hurling stones and shouting incessantly ; and the shots 
 cracked merrily as one Partridge after another got up and 
 soon fell again among the bushes. Chukar and Key's Part- 
 ridges, Quails, and song-birds of various kinds flew out of 
 their hiding-places. Rollers and Bee-eaters were nesting in 
 the crumbling banks, and in the muddy places we found the 
 tracks of Wild Boars and Porcupines, also the quills and 
 earths of the latter ; but unfortunately this shy animal creeps 
 underground at the slightest noise, so that one can hardly 
 ever kill it during the day. 
 
 We had been shooting for some time and had gone a good 
 way along the banks, when the dogs all at once gave tongue 
 in an almost impenetrable thicket. I happened to be at the 
 
360 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 moment in the bed of the watercourse looking for a Hey's 
 Partridge which I had winged, when a shot was fired from 
 the opposite bank and one of the sportsmen called out that an 
 Armadillo (!) had just been missed and that it was running 
 before the dogs. The Bedouins and I were following the chase 
 as fast as we could, when suddenly all was quiet, and we came 
 to a tree round the stem and roots of which an edifice of 
 branches had been built up several feet high. It was like a 
 beaver's dam ; indeed there is no other way of describing this 
 admirable piece of animal architecture, which had circular 
 entrances on two sides. 
 
 When the Bedouins saw this erection they drew back rather 
 uneasily, and Salim posted me close to one of the openings, 
 while he ordered his men to light a fire at the other. As 
 soon as the flames burnt up brightly and the building began 
 to crackle a curious dragon-like creature, certainly more than 
 four feet long, crept cautiously out, and was moving off at a 
 most comical kind of trot when a well-directed shot put an 
 end to its life. My interesting spoil was a lizard, and though 
 I am not well up in reptiles, I fancied that we had one of 
 the great Waran Lizards lying before us. Now came the 
 question how to send the rare specimen back to camp unin- 
 jured; and as the Arabs positively refused to touch its clammy 
 body with their hands, we had to make a little litter of sticks 
 on which to lay the mighty dead, and so sent it home by a 
 Bedouin. We then went on with our sport, but soon found 
 that the partridges had become shy from being so much shot 
 at ; and as there seemed to be no luck for us to-day with the 
 wild boars, the whole party sought out a shady place under a 
 tree and lay down on the grass tired with the great and 
 oppressive heat. Even the Bedouins and their hardy dogs 
 were thirsty and panting, but there was only a little water in 
 the bed of the stream, and that not very clean. However, 
 the worthy Achmed produced, as usual, some bottles of 
 
1 A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 361 
 
 lemonade from the alpine haversack which he carried on 
 his back. 
 
 After half an hour's rest Salim urged us to try a fresh 
 place, but the Grand Duke, Hoyos, Eschenbacher, and Rath 
 decided to shoot their way back to the camp. Chorinsky and 
 I, however, were still keen to go on, and followed the 
 Bedouins out into the steppe, where after a long tramp we 
 got to some little bushes succeeded by marshy ground and a 
 circular patch of reeds only a few hundred yards in circum- 
 ference. Salim posted the guns on one side, the beaters on 
 the other, in such a way that any game which was lying in 
 this cover must come to shot as soon as it broke. 
 
 Achmed is a fine fellow, but has no liking for encounters 
 with dangerous animals-, and as soon as he realized the situa- 
 tion he begged me to allow him to sit down behind a bush 
 some distance off, and hastily disappeared without waiting for 
 an answer. 
 
 I placed myself near a well-beaten run of the wild boars, 
 and hardly had the dogs entered the reeds when they began 
 to hunt furiously. . Hunting and baying went on alternately, 
 the infernal yells of the beaters mingling with the barks of 
 the dogs, till at last, after a long quarter of an hour of excite- 
 ment, a large sow broke from the thicket and rushed at full 
 speed along the run near which I was standing. 
 
 Shot through and through with a ball below the back, it 
 rolled over at once, but picked itself up again and went 
 on grunting with rage. The worthy Achmed, not recognizing 
 the signs of an animal's run, had lain down directly across 
 this identical track, and so it chanced that the wounded beast 
 came tearing down and attacked the wretched man with blind 
 fury. Luckily I had followed it as hard as I could run, and 
 found Achmed shrieking and brandishing his knife while 
 standing on one leg and stretching out the other to keep the 
 angry brute at bay. The sow was just making a furious 
 
362 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 charge, but before it could reach our hero it was lying on the 
 ground ; for, recognizing the great danger that the man was in, 
 I gave the powerful beast a ball which rolled it over stone dead 
 just at the moment when it was trying to rip up Achmed's 
 trousers. The pig and the Egyptian were now peacefully 
 stretched beside each other, the latter green with fear and 
 trembling in every limb, nor was he able to speak for some 
 minutes. The Bedouins soon appeared upon the scene, their 
 eyes sparkling with delight. 
 
 The Wild Boar of this region is quite unlike the much 
 smaller and more slightly built pitch-black variety of Northern 
 Africa, and very much resembles that of our own country, 
 especially the large race inhabiting the Hungarian forests. 
 
 The animal having been artistically gralloched by my jager, 
 was laid on the sticks which the Arabs had tied together, and 
 the heavy burden was borne off to the camp by four men. 
 
 During the long tramp which we had now to make, Cho- 
 rinsky missed among the bushes one of the small yellow Desert 
 Hares which we had met with in Africa. This walk across 
 the steppe in the burning heat was not over-pleasant, and by 
 the time that the sun had sunk in orange vapours behind the 
 border mountains we had only reached the woods and bushes, 
 and there still remained another hour of it to do. Quails flew 
 up at every step, but we were too tired to shoot, and thought 
 of nothing but getting to the camp. A merry prattling little 
 brook of fairly clear water afforded us temporary refreshment, 
 and then on we went, yet not before it had got quite dark 
 did we come to some fires which were gleaming among 
 the bushes. This was the camp of our Bedouins, whose tall 
 figures, clad in long white burnouses, had a ghostly look in 
 the dull glow of the dying embers. Their lances were ranged 
 upright, and their hoarse gutturals and melancholy songs 
 resounded through the night, while their horses were roll- 
 ing on the ground and their dogs ran out at us barking. 
 
A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 363 
 
 Chorinsky and I walked through the midst of these sons of 
 the desert, who welcomed us cordially, and offered us refresh- 
 ing drinks. One more quarter of an hour, and we came to 
 our gay Druses, Howard's servants, and the mules, with the 
 camp of the Turkish Cavalry close by, and another hundred 
 paces brought us to our tents, where dinner was at once 
 served. 
 
 After sunset the oppressive heat increased to such an ex- 
 tent that even during the night we all lay bathed in perspira- 
 tion, and some of the gentlemen and servants were made ill 
 by the unwonted closeness of the air ; therefore in spite of the 
 very interesting experiences of the day and the highly 
 successful sport, we were all in somewhat low spirits a 
 feeling of depression, which was to be intensified during the 
 following days, for the climate of the Jordan valley has a 
 distressing effect upon all Europeans. 
 
 On the 6th, after an early breakfast, we determined to go 
 out shooting in detachments. Several of the sportsmen went 
 in the direction which we had taken the previous day, while 
 the Grand Duke and I, accompanied by Salim and his men, 
 rode through the luxuriant garden-like country towards 
 Jericho. Not far from the village a rapid stream flows down 
 from the hills and crosses the plain to the Jordan. Again we 
 found steep earthy banks, large stones, running water, and a 
 vegetation even much denser than that of the watercourse 
 which we had driven yesterday. 
 
 The Grand Duke remained on the left bank, while I went 
 over to the right. The Bedouins then forced their way into 
 the thickets and some brisk shooting began. In a few 
 minutes we had killed several partridges ; but as the beaters 
 found some fresh tracks of wild boars, we quickly left off 
 shooting at the small game. Soon afterwards the dogs gave 
 tongue, and a large boar broke away through the bushes, but 
 as it was only visible for an instant no shot could be fired. 
 
364 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 It was soon followed by another, which bounded like a hare 
 through the long grass in front of the beaters, and was 
 knocked over with one ball by the Grand Duke. It proved 
 to be a middling-sized sow, and having dragged it out of the 
 watercourse we sent it off to the camp on a donkey. On 
 continuing the beat several wild boar escaped us either by 
 breaking back through the beaters among the thick under- 
 growth or by bolting off too far ahead. One, too, was missed 
 by the Grand Duke in the middle of the stream. 
 
 Before long the dogs again gave tongue, and a very large 
 boar, with long gleaming white tusks, came climbing up the 
 slope between me and the beaters with a great deal of noise 
 and bustle. He tried to get away to the steppe, but a lucky 
 shot behind the shoulder brought him down, and highly 
 delighted I despatched my splendid spoil to the camp. 
 
 We now began shooting again at the small game, here very 
 abundant, and killed Chukar and Key's Partridges, Purple 
 and Night-Herons, as well as Quails and Snipe. We also 
 fired some long ineffectual shots at Eagles ; but as the mid- 
 day heat began to be very trying, we resolved to leave off 
 shooting for awhile. 
 
 On going down to the stream I found in the muddy places 
 tracks of Hyaenas, Wolves, Lynxes, and smaller Cats. Accord- 
 ing to the Bedouins, the canine animals only come at night 
 from the mountains to drink, but the feline species live in the 
 thickets and hollow trees, and can never be driven out of 
 their hiding-places even by dogs. The traces of Porcupines 
 were also frequently met with, and the dogs once hunted up 
 to an earth outside of which we found the fresh tracks and 
 some quills of this singular creature. We therefore resolved 
 to dig him out of his dwelling, and sent my jager back to the 
 camp on a fast horse with instructions to bring the dachs- 
 hunds and some shovels. 
 
 Meanwhile we lay down under a tree, drinking lemonade, 
 
<A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 365 
 
 smoking cigarettes, and examining a specimen of the curious 
 kangaroo-like Jerboa which the Grand Duke had shot in the 
 course of the morning. 
 
 As soon as the dachshunds arrived we let them go at once 
 into the hole, and immediately heard growling and barking ; 
 but, alas ! the dogs, usually so plucky, hurried out into the 
 light of day, frightened and with their tails between their 
 legs, nor would they return to the burrow. We now told the 
 Bedouins to dig, a proceeding that did not get on very rapidly, 
 for the heat was scorching, and free wild sport seemed more 
 in accordance with their taste than servile digging. 
 
 Recognizing the futility of our endeavours, we left off this 
 amusement, but not before we had made an interesting dis- 
 covery, for we found in the hole a Protestant hymn-book, 
 which the creature had probably dragged into it this habit 
 of pulling things into their holes being a characteristic of 
 many of the burrowing animals. The volume contained the 
 ordinary evangelical hymns and psalms, such as " Eine feste 
 Burg," and the prayer for the Emperor William, both binding 
 and text being well preserved. There were, however, a few 
 red blood-like spots on the leaves, and God alone knows how 
 this European book had found its way into that desolate 
 place and how its owner had lost it; perchance his bones may 
 have been bleaching hard by in the impenetrable thickets ! 
 
 We rode home, Salim leading the way at full gallop, and 
 sitting his little bay without saddle or pad, while he guided 
 the fiery animal by a single rope. 
 
 Close to Jericho I observed a Short-toed Eagle taking a 
 bath in the brook, and so covered by the overhanging bank 
 that I easily managed to stalk up to it and soon bagged the 
 splendid specimen. After this little episode I rode off again, 
 and, thanks to the great speed of my grey, quickly reached 
 the camp. 
 
 The other sportsmen had also killed a goodly supply of 
 
366 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 small game, and when all our spoils had been laid out in due 
 order we had lunch, a meal during which we were more 
 occupied in driving away the flies than in eating, for one can 
 form no idea of the myriads of these insects that swarmed 
 round our food. The hottest hours of the day we spent in 
 camp, trying to rest ; but unhappily the terrible heat made 
 the time one continuous torture, and we could hardly so far 
 collect our thoughts as to be able to jot down the necessary 
 notes and to write some letters home, the noontide heat that 
 we daily enjoyed in the Jordan valley being of the agreeable 
 temperature of 105 Fahr. 
 
 About five o'clock I again went out, but this time only 
 accompanied by Salim and some of his Bedouins. After 
 beginning by shooting Turtle-Doves among the trees I rambled 
 through some patches of wild oats, where I killed a good 
 supply of Quails for the larder, a very desirable addition to it, 
 as our provisions already smelt rather badly, especially the 
 much-belauded preserved meats, which were spreading their 
 evil odours through the camp. 
 
 While beating about the bushes and groves I had an op- 
 portunity of observing the glorious vegetation of this part of 
 the country, and was most struck by the Zizyphus lotus and 
 Z. spina-Christi, from the fruits of which the jujubes so well 
 known to all Europeans who suffer from coughs are said to 
 be made, and also by the Zakkum or balsam-tree and the 
 Sodom apple (Solanum sanctum). The celebrated rose of 
 Jericho (Anastatica hierochuntica) is only found close to the 
 shores of the Dead Sea. At sunset I returned to the camp, 
 where we had dinner, and soon retired to rest. 
 
 Next morning the camp was struck before sunrise, the 
 tents packed, and the caravan set off with the usual noise and 
 shouting. We, too, followed soon after breakfast, led by a 
 Bedouin, who, mounted on his handsome chestnut horse, with 
 his long lance and flying robe, might have served as the 
 
'A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 367 
 
 model of a true Arab. At first we rode along the edge of 
 the vegetation at the base of the mountains, through thick 
 bushes and low trees, which were literally covered with Storks 
 just awakening from their slumbers ; but after a while the 
 shrubs and the garden-like country round the springs of 
 Ain-es-Sultan came to an end, and we again entered the true 
 steppe. It was good riding-ground on the whole, and, ex- 
 cepting where the stony tracts and the dry watercourses near 
 the mountains had to be crossed, one could always gallop. 
 After a ride of two hours there opened on our left a tolerably 
 wide mountain vaUey, far away up which lay the spring of 
 El-Audje, while along it ran a fertilizing stream, which after- 
 wards traversed the plain beyond down to the Jordan. 
 
 Through the low trees and scrub of this narrow strip of 
 vegetation we had to pass, and on the other side found Salim 
 and his men awaiting us, keen for sport and ready to show 
 us ground well stocked with game. 
 
 The large caravan with most of the gentlemen turned to 
 the left up the valley to the springs of El-Audje, but the 
 Grand Duke, Hoyos, and I followed the Bedouins. Here we 
 found great numbers of birds of prey sitting on the trees, and 
 I killed a Short-toed and a Pygmy Eagle within a few minutes, 
 while the patches of wild oats and high grass among the 
 bushes were swarming with Quails ; they rose at every step, 
 and if we had taken with us enough ammunition we might 
 have made a splendid bag of these birds. Red-legs, however, 
 were scarce, and there were no Key's Partridges at all. 
 
 After shooting a long way eastwards, well into the plains 
 of the Jordan, we again returned to the edge of the steppe, 
 and having rested in the shade of a tree for half an hour we 
 mounted our horses and rode over the yellowish grassy plains, 
 the Bedouins running behind us on foot. 
 
 In about half an hour we came to the edge of a deep rift 
 in the elevated plateau, where far below us a stream was 
 
368 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 tumbling along between high banks of brown earth, the 
 sudden appearance of this singular scene being most sur- 
 prising. Here we had to leave our horses and scramble down 
 the steep slope to the water, the saltness of which was a great 
 disappointment. We then proceeded up the very narrow 
 gully until we got to a small valley surrounded by almost 
 perpendicular walls of clay several feet high, and filled up 
 with marshy patches of grass, low bushes, and a reed 
 swamp, the only outlet from it being a narrow trail which 
 wound up the slope to the ridge on the left. 
 
 Salim now told us to station ourselves on the opposite side 
 of the reeds, while he beat them with his men and dogs ; but 
 before we had reached our posts a large sow left the thick 
 cover and took the only means of exit by the hill-track, 
 climbing it with the agility of a chamois, and uninjured by 
 several shots which were fired at it from a distance of about 
 four hundred yards. I now ran quickly towards this pass, 
 which the beasts were obliged to take, and was still a couple 
 of hundred paces from it, when a big boar took to the narrow 
 path. I sent a couple of balls into his hide, but neither of 
 them proved fatal, and the badly wounded animal slowly 
 dragged itself over the mountain-ridge with an injured hind 
 leg. 
 
 The beaters now came running up, and I took care to make 
 them keep a certain distance behind me, as I wished to follow 
 up the traces of blood myself. 
 
 At first I found the fresh tracks of a panther, and imme- 
 diately afterwards those of the wounded boar, with plenty of 
 blood. I soon reached the crest of the hill, where I had a 
 splendid view of a valley not very broad, but rich in vegeta- 
 tion of all kinds bushes, meadows, and high trees and 
 enclosed on its further side by steep earthy slopes. 
 
 Still following the tracks and the traces of blood, I hurried 
 down the very abrupt hillside to the bottom of the valley, and 
 
<A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 369 
 
 on reaching it the trail led me over a meadow, through bushes, 
 and along a stony stream with some muddy spots, to the edge 
 of a thicket. There I awaited the arrival of my two com- 
 panions and the Bedouins. 
 
 The dogs were immediately put upon the trail, and in a 
 few minutes I heard the joyful sound of their baying and of 
 a fierce fight, and hurrying through the dense undergrowth I 
 reached a little glade surrounded by trees and bushes, in the 
 middle of which a violent struggle was going on. The dogs 
 were behaving bravely, barking savagely, and tugging and 
 biting at the boar, which was still defending itself with pluck 
 and vigour. Seizing a favourable moment I gave the powerful 
 finely-tusked animal a finishing shot. 
 
 I had now time to look about jne, and saw through the 
 high trees and dense bushes the sparkle of water, and heard 
 the rushing sound of a river. I quickly called out to my 
 companions to tell them of the happy discovery, for, thanks to 
 our pursuit of the wounded boar, our desires had at last been 
 gratified, and we had reached the far-famed Jordan, the sacred 
 stream, which we had imagined to be much further away. 
 
 The river has quite the character of a true mountain-stream, 
 and seeing it rushing along and splashing merrily about the 
 rocks and stones, one might have thought one's self transported 
 to the banks of the Enns or the Traun, among our beautiful 
 Alps. 
 
 After bathing in the Jordan we felt strengthened and re- 
 freshed, and, followed by our Bedouins, went back along the 
 boar's track, and through the valley up to the edge of the 
 plateau, from which we had descended. There we mounted 
 our horses, and guided by Salim rode off at full gallop straight 
 across the steppe. Passing the spot where we had begun to 
 shoot in the morning, we proceeded up the valley, the bottom 
 of which was clothed with luxuriant vegetation, while the 
 heights which enclosed it were of the invariable character of 
 
 2B 
 
370 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 the border mountains long steep slopes thinly covered with 
 grass. The narrow track led us an endless distance through 
 thorny bushes, and often crossed from one side of the stony 
 brook to the other. Storks were standing on the hillsides in 
 perfectly incredible numbers. In no region have I ever seen 
 such masses of these birds as were assembled throughout the 
 whole valley of the Jordan, especially in this valley of El- 
 Audje. 
 
 After a long ride we at last arrived at our camping-ground, 
 where the tents were pitched at the foot of the hill, among 
 the steppe-grass and prickly wild oats, but still not far from 
 the edge of the rich verdure and the banks of the little brook. 
 We were here almost at the head of the valley, which ends in 
 a picturesque basin shut in by high slopes. 
 
 It was with a sharp appetite that we attacked our lunch, 
 for it was now three o'clock, and we had not eaten a morsel 
 of food since five in the morning, while we had, moreover, 
 gone through a great deal of exercise. The afternoon was 
 spent in camp. 
 
 Life in the open air, with a caravan and tents, is most 
 charming, and very different to the cut-and-dried routine of 
 European existence ; but unfortunately the camping-ground 
 of El-Audje had some drawbacks, for the tents stood among 
 the dry and highly inflammable grass, and a cigarette which 
 had been thrown away kindled in a few moments a fire 
 which was only extinguished by very energetic efforts. The 
 large amount of ammunition which we had with us rendered 
 double - precautions necessary, so there was nothing for it but 
 to greatly curtail our smoking. 
 
 In the evening several of the sportsmen went out for a 
 short stroll with their guns, and I succeeded in shooting a 
 cock partridge as it was drumming, and also a stork which 
 was flying to its sleeping-quarters. Thousands of these long- 
 
<A JOURNEY IN THE EAST. 1 371 
 
 bills passed over our camp, and as many as could find room 
 settled on the low trees to roost. At sunset we all returned 
 to dine, and though silence soon reigned throughout the 
 camp, I heard, just as I was falling asleep, the howling of the 
 hungry jackals quite close to the tents. 
 
 Early on the 8th of April the servants struck the tents, and 
 the caravan soon got under weigh. At first we had to traverse 
 the tiresome track down this side valley; but in the main 
 valley it was better going, and keeping to the base of the hills 
 we galloped over the good steppe-ground, till after a ride of 
 two hours we reached a marshy hollow. Some clumps of 
 bushes and a reedy swamp, unhappily rather too large, showed 
 that this was a likely place for game. Salim and his fleet- 
 footed men were already there, but as his district now came 
 to an end, another troop of Bedouins, led by a handsome 
 Sheikh, and followed by some large dogs, were awaiting our 
 arrival. 
 
 The men on foot were dressed just like Salim's followers, 
 but their leader seemed to be more well-to-do, for he had a 
 fine chestnut horse, with richly ornamented saddle-trappings, 
 and wore gay garments, a large coloured turban, high yellow 
 morocco-leather boots, and a handsome Turkish sabre, while 
 his whole appearance was more suggestive of the Central 
 Asiatic tribes than of the true Arabs. 
 
 He escorted the Grand Duke, Hoyos, and myself to our 
 posts on the further side of the reed-bed with great politeness, 
 the other gentlemen continuing their long march with the 
 caravan. 
 
 Some tracks of wild boars and hyaenas filled us with great 
 hopes; but we were, however, doomed to be sadly disap- 
 pointed, for the tract of reeds proved to be so large and 
 marshy that the men could not drive it, and the whole beat 
 consisted in their running round its outskirts with a great 
 
372 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 deal of yelling, the natural result being that not a single head 
 of game left its safe retreat. 
 
 We therefore remounted our horses and followed the rest 
 of the party, riding over had stony ground to the ridge of a 
 projecting hill, from the northern slope of which we obtained 
 a splendid view of the plains, the grey mountains to the west, 
 and the rocky heights on the eastern side of the Jordan. 
 Before us lay the entrance to the valley and the springs of 
 Abd-el-Kader, the immediate goal of this day's journey ; but 
 in these plains it takes a great deal of time to get to one's 
 destination, for it is often visible a long way off a fact that 
 was to be thoroughly impressed upon us to-day. 
 
 The path led uninterruptedly over the steppe, always at the 
 foot of the hills. Wherever one looked nothing but Storks 
 were to be seen, and they allowed the horsemen to pass close 
 by without even deigning to glance at them. Some birds of 
 prey were also playing about in the air, and a pair of the large 
 Asiatic Steppe Eagles flew low over my head ; but though 
 I quickly unslung my gun, I could find nothing but ball- 
 cartridges in my bag. 
 
 The sun burnt frightfully, and the grey clouds which had 
 darkened the sky in the morning had unfortunately entirely 
 disappeared. We soon overtook the caravan, which presented 
 a piteous spectacle, for the mules, urged on by the blows of 
 their drivers, were painfully dragging themselves along at 
 intervals of several hundred yards ; the effects of the great 
 heat, the toilsome marches from Latrun on the other side of 
 Jerusalem, and the scarcity of water yesterday being very 
 evident, while almost all of them had sore backs from the 
 pressure of the heavy baggage, as well as broken knees. 
 
 After riding several hours we reached the entrance to the 
 valley of Abd-el-Kader, which runs in a north-westerly 
 direction between high mountains. The banks of the usual 
 stream which flowed down the middle of it were covered with 
 
'A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 373 
 
 an exceptionally exuberant growth of vegetation, which formed 
 a green band extending across the plains and down to the 
 Jordan. There being only one spot where the stream could 
 be forded, we had to ride a long way up the south side of the 
 valley, and then just the same distance back along the north 
 to the place where it debouches into the great plain. There 
 our camp was to be pitched under a curiously shaped rocky 
 cone, close to the edge of the vegetation. 
 
 The gentlemen had already reached the spot, but the cara- 
 van had not nearly come up, so we had the pleasure of awaiting 
 the arrival of the pack-animals in a hollow which afforded a 
 little shade. Some of the party employed the time in looking 
 for a place to bathe in ; but the large stream was so overgrown 
 with succulent plants much above a man's height, and sweet- 
 smelling oleanders with large red flowers, that one could hardly 
 get to the water. Moreover, the whole surroundings of the 
 place looked like a stage-scene of a serpent's haunt in the 
 tropics ; and I have such an immense respect for the veno- 
 mous reptiles of such regions, that I preferred bathing in a 
 small though somewhat dirty branch of the stream, where I 
 could first thoroughly examine the locality, and where I 
 should only have the society of harmless toads and frogs. 
 
 On returning from bathing we found that one of the tents 
 and the canteen were already on the ground, so that we were 
 soon able to breakfast, though the heat was terrible, and we 
 were surrounded by swarms of large and disgusting flies. 
 We arranged that the afternoon was to be devoted to sport, 
 and that some of the gentlemen were to follow the stream 
 downwards into the great plain, while the Grand Duke and I 
 were to proceed upwards towards the interior of the valley. 
 
 Guided by Salim and the other sheikh, we tried to beat the 
 thickets along the banks, being further encouraged to do so 
 by the sight of some wild boars' tracks. It was a perfect 
 garden that we entered, full of flowers, luxuriant bushes, large- 
 
374 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 leaved plants, and oleanders with their topmost shoots covered 
 with splendid crimson blossoms. Odours such as we had 
 never dreamt of, the true perfumes of the heaven-blessed East, 
 a paradise after the fashion of the ' Arabian Nights/ ravished 
 our senses. Still there is nothing earthly that has not its 
 darker side, and there the trees, bushes, leaves, and grass were 
 all beset with thorns and prickles. Even the dogs refused to 
 work, and under these circumstances sport was quite out of 
 the question. Every step we took brought fresh tortures, so 
 we fled from this paradise as soon as possible, and hurried off 
 to places where the vegetation was less luxuriant. 
 
 I was much struck with the numbers and the variety of 
 brilliant lizards in this garden of torment, for at every step 
 the reptiles rustled through the grass. 
 
 After making a little round and shooting a few head of 
 small game, we returned in the evening to the camp. The 
 otner sportsmen had been more fortunate and had brought in 
 two Francolins large birds, somewhat like a guinea-fowl in 
 colour, and with a reddish-brown ring round the neck ; we 
 had therefore now got within the range of this new species 
 of game, with which we were to become better acquainted 
 during the next few days. 
 
 We here took a hearty leave of Salim and his men, for 
 those fine fellows were now returning to their home. I 
 was quite delighted with the picturesque look of the camp 
 after dinner, and the beautiful way in which the fires lighted 
 up the cliffs, and the gay figures of the servants and Bedouins 
 that were moving about. A very long march lay before us 
 tomorrow, as we intended to cover two days' journey at a 
 single stretch. 
 
 The camp was already astir before sunrise, even while it 
 was still quite dark. The tents were struck, everything was 
 packed, and the heavy caravan moved off. We also soon 
 followed it, and riding round the rocky cone, got into the 
 
<A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 375 
 
 steppe country. At this point the valley becomes narrower, 
 for the mountains which border it on the west advance into 
 the plain, and one has to cross steep slopes, deep ravines, and 
 stony tracts. We enjoyed some splendid views of the valley 
 of the Jordan, which is here much cut up with gullies and 
 mountain- streams, and of the grand hills on its further side, 
 with their high grey cliffs and picturesque forms. Nowhere in 
 the whole valley did we find ground so broken and so devoid 
 of vegetation as that which we traversed during the first hours 
 of this day. 
 
 Great numbers of large birds of prey were cruising about, 
 and close over my head flew a Steppe Eagle, which I brought 
 down with a lucky shot in such a way that it fell among the 
 horses with a heavy thud. 
 
 We next had a troublesome climb up a narrow spur of 
 the mountains, but on reaching its crest there lay before 
 us a splendid view. The valley of the Jordan now began 
 to broaden out, and one could overlook the green plains up 
 to the hilly country on the shores of the Sea of Tiberias. 
 Right and left were the finely formed mountains which border 
 the valley, and to the north the view was closed by the high 
 peaks of the Lebanon and the broad snow-fields of Hermon. 
 It was a truly remarkable contrast : here we were languishing 
 in the most terrible heat, such as is only to be found in the 
 valley of the Jordan, and before us, on the far mountains, the 
 snow was shining clear as crystal. 
 
 At this interesting point of view we halted for a little rest, 
 intending to ride down to the Jordan and spend some hours 
 on the banks of the sacred stream, while the caravan pur- 
 sued its long and toilsome way. 
 
 The Bedouin with his flying mantle and long spear, who 
 had hitherto guided us so well, did not, however, know the 
 nearest route to the river, and frankly admitted it ; so we dis- 
 persed to search for the most direct way of getting down to 
 
376 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 it. I galloped over the steppe, having to clamber across some 
 gullies, and then came to a spot where a little spring bubbled 
 out merrily among low cliffs and a perfect garden of luxu- 
 riant shrubs and flowers. Following the course of the water 
 along the top of the rocks, I reached the edge of the plateau, 
 where a steep slope fell away in front of me, and below it I 
 saw to my great joy green meadows and wooded pastures 
 with the silver thread of the Jordan running through them. 
 
 I soon got to the riverside, the gentlemen came up one 
 after another, and we selected good places for resting and 
 bathing. At this spot the river made a considerable bend, 
 forming a peninsula covered with woods denser and more 
 exuberant in growth than any I had hitherto seen. We 
 rested on the meadow-land by the edge of this wood, in the 
 shade of the trees and bushes, and let the horses graze ; and 
 after bathing in the cool rushing waters, disposed of a modest 
 lunch consisting of bread and cold meat. Here, as throughout 
 its course, the Jordan has quite the character of a mountain- 
 stream, and tears along among rocks and large stones. 
 
 After our frugal meal I determined to have a look at the 
 wood, and to try to get up a little beat. The first half of the 
 peninsula was covered with bushes somewhat above the height 
 of a man and closely bound together with creepers, while the 
 ground was thickly overgrown with large-leaved plants of all 
 sorts, the whole being so dense and luxuriant that it was 
 hardly possible to push through it, and every step forward 
 required the exercise of one's whole strength. Having 
 managed to get through the first part of the cover, we reached 
 an opening which bisected the wood, and there I found in the 
 loamy soil an incredible number of fresh traces of Panthers, 
 Lynxes, Wild Cats, Wild Boars, Porcupines, Wolves, and 
 Jackals. There were also the tracks of two kinds of Deer, 
 and these, which appeared to belong to a small roe-like animal 
 and to a larger fallow-deer sort of beast, interested us much, 
 
'A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 377 
 
 especially as Herr Kath said that while riding down one of 
 the ravines which led to the Jordan he had seen a small stag 
 with short horns. 
 
 The second part of the wood was composed of high leafy- 
 trees of an almost tropical character and a nearly impene- 
 trable undergrowth ; but there were such numbers of tracks 
 that I could not resist trying a beat just for luck, so I posted 
 the gentlemen in the opening by the best-trodden runs, and 
 got the Turkish guards and some of the servants to go 
 through the wood under the direction of my jager. In such 
 undergrowth an orderly line of beaters was out of the question, 
 and we very soon saw that all attempts to drive game out of 
 these thickets would be useless. The only birds which I saw 
 in this wood were a pair of Stone-Curlews and several 
 Kites. 
 
 We now went back to our horses, had them saddled, and 
 rode back to the edge of the' plateau by the same way. We 
 had already noticed from below some peculiar dark clouds 
 whirling up into the sky, but could not make out what they 
 were ; but on getting to the top of the plateau we saw a very 
 remarkable spectacle, for the whole steppe from the Jordan to 
 the foot of the eastern border hills was enveloped in a cloud of 
 smoke with bright flames shooting out here and there from the 
 black vapours. The country through which we had ridden in 
 the morning was now a sea of smoke and fire, for the grass of 
 the steppe burnt with incredible rapidity, and every minute 
 we could see how the fire was advancing by the columns of 
 smoke that were following us up. 
 
 Jussuf, a Turkish cavalry officer born in Turkestan, a 
 vigorous grey-bearded old man, with a leather-thonged whip 
 slung round his wrist as a sign of authority, rode in front to 
 show the best way. It was a splendid gallop straight across 
 country over the steppe, pursued by the great fire a scene 
 not to be witnessed in Europe, but only in the vast tracts of 
 
378 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 the other quarters of the globe. A wild boar, also flying from 
 the flames, ran past my horse within a few paces. 
 
 A long hard gallop took us quickly across the steppe and 
 through a region overgrown by tall thistles with long spines 
 which severely punished both ourselves and our horses ; but 
 at the end of a couple of hours the character of the country 
 began to change, for the valley kept getting broader, and in 
 the middle of it rose low green hills, covered with bushes and 
 dwarf oaks. 
 
 To the north the view was closed by fine mountains, and 
 one could see the spurs of Carmel, the hills of Nazareth, the 
 lofty Tabor, with its singular form, the Anti-Lebanon, the 
 snow-clad Hermon, the mountains bordering the Lake of 
 Gennesaret (the Tabariye of the Arabs), and to the north- 
 east the heights of Djebel-Adjlun all standing out in strong 
 relief. 
 
 Our way led us past a little Bedouin burial-ground, where 
 two wonderful and extremely old sycamores gave a still more 
 mournful aspect to the gloomy spot ; and then we gradually 
 drew near the goal of our day's journey, the village of Baisan. 
 The famous springs of this place lie round it in a wide circle ; 
 little watercourses trickle down from the plateau on all sides, 
 and the whole neighbourhood is covered with low thick 
 bushes, high rushy grass, reedy swamps, and tracts of marshy 
 ground, while everywhere one hears the call of the Francolin, 
 here so very abundant. 
 
 We found our camp ready pitched, in the best of order, on 
 a grassy flat at the north side of the village. Close beside it 
 was a steep ravine, at the bottom of which a spring prattled 
 merrily along among rocks, thickets, and wide-spreading 
 sycamores. There we saw traces of Koman baths hewn in the 
 rock. Above the camp to the west of the village was the 
 plateau and the district of the springs. 
 
 Immediately after our arrival I went to the marshes with a 
 
1 A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 379 
 
 Bedouin sportsman, who was already waiting at my tent. 
 Water was oozing out everywhere, for the ground was like a 
 sponge, and sedge and bushes sprouted up from the swampy 
 soil. Numerous tracks of wild boars and well-trodden runs 
 showed that there was plenty of game'in this locality, while an 
 old Roman column was quite worn by the wild pigs, who, for 
 lack of trees, come to rub themselves against it every evening 
 after their fashion. The Bedouin wished me to hide behind 
 a bush, and wait till the beasts came ; but I felt not the 
 slightest inclination to remain in the malarious atmosphere of 
 the marsh at the dangerous hour of sunset, so I quickly 
 returned to the camp. 
 
 The great caravan had a melancholy appearance horses 
 and mules were lying about dead beat, and the men were in 
 depressed spirits, a state of affairs caused by the unusually 
 long march and the enervating air of this swampy place. 
 After dinner we all retired drowsily to our tents. 
 
 On the 10th of April (Palm Sunday) we were all up at 
 sunrise, and having arranged the large tent as a chapel, and 
 decorated it as well as we could, the Court Chaplain said 
 Mass and then blessed the palm-branches, which were dis- 
 tributed among all the Christian members of the caravan. 
 
 After breakfast we decided on going out to shoot, some of 
 the gentlemen proposing to beat about the country north of 
 the camp ; while the Grand Duke and I, with a band of fine 
 wild-looking Bedouin sportsmen belonging to the place, 
 intended to hunt after wild boar, in the direction of the Jordan. 
 
 Passing through the village we got to the east side of the 
 plateau, and traversing tracts of marsh and bushes, reached a 
 stream, where the steep banks and luxuriant vegetation led 
 us to expect the same sort of sport that we had enjoyed with 
 Salim in the lower districts of the Jordan ; but we saw, alas ! 
 after many vain attempts, that neither the Bedouins nor their 
 dogs would penetrate into the thickets ; so we started on a 
 
380 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 long tramp across the steppe to a reedy swamp, which the 
 Sheikh described as a splendid place. From the grass of the 
 steppe we first flushed a few Quail, and then a flock of Stone- 
 Curlews. The nearer we got to the reeds, which were visible 
 a long way off, the thicker grew the bushes, and from among 
 them there jumped up two singular little animals, smaller 
 than Roe, yellowish in colour, with roe-like horns, and the 
 lopping gait and long tail of the Fallow Deer; but they were 
 unfortunately so far off that we could not get a good shot at 
 them. The outskirts of the reed-bed consisted of marshy 
 places covered with high green sedge, and in this boggy 
 ground we shot some handsomely-coloured Francolin cocks 
 and a hen with plain brown plumage, like that of the hen 
 Pheasant. 
 
 The Grand Duke was now despatched to the further side 
 of this forest of pale yellow reeds, while I pushed into it with 
 the Bedouins. The reeds and sedge were above the height 
 of a man, and closed over our heads as we waded through 
 bog, marsh, mire, and the mould of decaying plants nearly up 
 to our knees. After a long tramp through this abominable 
 ground, which swarmed with toads, I reached an open space, 
 where the Bedouins wished me to await the further course of 
 the hunt. I was standing in the water, with myriads of 
 disgusting insects swarming round me, and the place was so 
 thoroughly disagreeable, that I shall not forget it in a hurry. 
 The Arabs now tried to beat the reeds in all directions ; but 
 all our trouble was in vain, for though we heard the wild 
 boars crashing through the brake, not one of them would 
 leave the protection of the cover, and only a few Purple 
 Herons flew lazily round us. I therefore tried to get out of 
 this horrible place as quickly as possible, for I already felt 
 that I had inhaled too much of the malarious air of the marsh 
 and the exhalations of decaying matter, but in the evening I 
 was to experience their evil effects more fully. The Grand 
 
'A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 381 
 
 Duke, too, soon came back from the other side of the swamp, 
 also driven away hy the foul air, so we mounted the horses 
 which the excellent Ferdinand had brought and rode home- 
 wards. 
 
 We often put up Francolins from the thick sedge, and 
 killed several of them. While riding over the steppe grass 
 I wanted to see how soon it could be fired, so threw down 
 some lighted matches, and in a few instants a great fire was 
 kindled, which spread so rapidly that we were obliged to ride 
 away from it at a gallop ; and next morning we still saw in 
 the distance a large extent of that part of the steppe enveloped 
 in clouds of smoke. We soon got back to Baisan, whither 
 the other sportsmen had also returned with a certain amount 
 of spoil. 
 
 In the afternoon we all left the camp again, and dispersed 
 among the grass-covered tracts near the village, where the 
 Francolins had been calling the whole day. This fine large 
 game-bird is easy to shoot and exceedingly good to eat, and 
 is therefore greatly coveted by the travelling sportsman. 
 Each of us took some Bedouins or servants to beat a certain 
 place, for we had divided the best localities near the village 
 into definite beats, so that we might not interfere with each 
 other. 
 
 I was just in the thick of the shooting, when I was suddenly 
 seized with a violent attack of giddiness, while a feeling akin 
 to paralysis in my feet, a bad headache, and, in spite of the 
 heat, an icy cold sensation throughout my body, compelled 
 me to crawl home as best I could. An attack of fever, such 
 as comes on in this climate in the course of a few minutes, 
 had suddenly struck me down while in the best of health; 
 every muscle ached and every step was painful. On reach- 
 ing the camp I had to take a large dose of quinine, after 
 which I crept into bed in a pitiful state. The other sports- 
 men came back well laden with Francolin. 
 
382 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 During the night poor Chorinsky, and afterwards Sachs, 
 were both stung by a large scorpion. The former received 
 the full undiluted dose of venom from the repulsive creature, 
 and lay suffering from symptoms of severe poisoning, in a 
 state which caused the greatest anxiety. 
 
 Next morning the whole camp was in a most dejected con- 
 dition ; nobody felt well, for all were suffering in some 
 measure from the effects of the bad air. Chorinsky and I, 
 being still feeble and wretchedly out of sorts, had to be kept 
 on the sick list, and there were also some victims to the 
 climate among the servants. At any moment fresh attacks 
 of fever might occur, and our experience of the Asiatic 
 scorpion also caused a certain amount of panic in the caravan. 
 
 We originally intended to spend this day also in Baisan, 
 and afterwards to make an expedition to the Lake of 
 Gennesaret. Thence we meant to go on to Nazareth, where 
 we were to take part in the services of Passion Week, and to 
 remain until Easter Monday. In order, however, to get rid 
 of the fever, we now resolved to pass the night in the moun- 
 tain air, on the summit of Tabor, and to travel next day to 
 Jaffa, whither the ' Miramar,' which was lying at Beyrout, 
 was to be forthwith ordered to proceed. It was therefore a 
 long road which lay before us, and we all set off immediately 
 after breakfast. 
 
 I felt so languid that I could hardly sit my horse, and it 
 will be long before I forget that ride, during which we had 
 to traverse a most monotonous part of the country in the 
 scorching heat. The steppes of the Jordan Valley were left 
 behind, and were replaced by long flat ridges and intermin- 
 able valleys. Stony flats, sparingly covered with bushes, 
 alternated with poorly cultivated land, and we passed herds 
 of camels and goats. 
 
 It was a tedious journey, for the invalids could only ride 
 at a foot pace, and the only pleasant thing about it was the 
 
'A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 383 
 
 view of the beautiful mountains beyond the miserable country 
 around us. At last we reached the foot of Mount Tabor, 
 which is conical in form, everywhere equally steep, quite 
 isolated from all the other heights, and has its slopes up to 
 the very summit covered with rocks, loose stones, and stunted 
 oaks. The road which winds up it passes through a wretched 
 little village of stone-built hovels, and is formed of rocks so 
 bare and slanting that one can hardly understand how horses 
 manage to get up it, and the evergreen bushes and low gnarled 
 oaks that grow among the stones are not very ornamental. 
 The type of the vegetation is precisely that of the Mediter- 
 ranean coasts, the far more interesting Asiatic flora having 
 been already left behind. 
 
 As the finale to our long journey, the ride up the high 
 mountain of Tabor was no great pleasure, but slipping and 
 stumbling, our tired horses at last reached the outer walls of 
 the little convent. I was so fatigued that I could hardly keep 
 my eyes open, for I was still suffering severely from the 
 effects of the fever. The Grand Duke also became unwell 
 during the long ride ; and in the evening had a still more 
 violent attack of the same sort as that which I had to endure 
 the previous day. 
 
 A tent had been sent on ahead up Mount Tabor, but the 
 rest of the caravan remained at Nazareth, for we could not 
 have got many of the hard-worked mules up alive. In this 
 tent we lay down to sleep until dinner-time. "We had all at 
 once left the heavy oppressive atmosphere of the Jordan, and 
 the regions lying below the level of the sea, for fresh moun- 
 tain air ; a somewhat cool evening and a sharp breeze 
 succeeded the heat of the day. 
 
 From the summit of Mount Tabor there was a glorious view. 
 To the south-east lay the broad plains of the Jordan, swathed 
 in the vapours of the heated air, with mountains bordering 
 them on either side the western, grey-green, with countless 
 
384 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 peaks and summits ; the eastern high, bare and stern, the 
 territory belonging to the free and noble Bedouin tribes. In 
 the north-east shone the surface of the great Lake of 
 Gennesaret, girt by pleasant hills. To the north rose the 
 snow-clad heights of Hermon and the Lebanon, and from 
 the foot of Tabor stretched the hilly country, intersected with 
 valleys and ravines and covered with stones and oak woods, 
 which reaches up to the high mountains ; while towards the 
 west an undulating ugly region extended to the lofty isolated 
 mountain of Djebel-mar-Elias or Mount Carmel. 
 
 This splendid scene we enjoyed during the evening hours. 
 Over the quiet wooded valleys were circling some Imperial 
 Eagles and Cinereous Vultures ; while the perfect stillness 
 that reigned around was only broken by the clear sounding 
 bells of the little convent wafting the Angelus through these 
 lonely regions. 
 
 I now felt able to crawl slowly round the top of the moun- 
 tain to look at the interesting buildings and ruins. A Greek 
 convent stands opposite the Latin one, in the courtyard of 
 which our tent had been pitched. In the evening we dined 
 in the refectory of the convent, and retired early to rest. 
 The Grand Duke was suffering severely from fever and had 
 to be well dosed with quinine. 
 
 On the 12th of April we awoke at sunrise, having now 
 passed our last night under canvas, and not without regret 
 did I bid adieu to my airy dwelling. As riding was hardly 
 practicable we walked down the hill from the convent, our 
 train with its sick and barely convalescent descending but 
 slowly through the oak woods and over the flat rocks and 
 loose stones. The air was cool and pleasant, and the moun- 
 tains around us were lit up with the most lovely colours by 
 the morning sun. After a fatiguing walk we at last reached 
 the valley, where we mounted our horses. 
 
 We were able to ride over the next chain of hills with its 
 
<A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 385 
 
 flat rocks, bushes, and oak woods ; and from the slope on its 
 further side we had our first view of Nazareth, lying deep 
 down in a bare stony valley. Passing through some 
 wretchedly paved narrow streets we reached the other end of 
 the little town ; but I was unable to visit the Church, the 
 famous Chapel of the Annunciation, and all the other holy 
 places, as the doctor had forbidden me, on account of the fever, 
 to go into any cold cellar-like buildings. 
 
 We found our mess tent pitched on an open space, and 
 part of the caravan spread about among the grass, but most 
 of the mules had already gone on to Jaffa with our baggage. 
 A hasty lunch was now taken, and we then got into some 
 low vehicles drawn by horses, which were here awaiting us. 
 
 It is a good many years since this carriage communication 
 between Jaffa and Nazareth was established by a Swiss 
 contractor. The road, if one can so call it, defies all descrip- 
 tion, and we were almost shaken to bits over the stones and 
 rocks in going up and down the steep hillsides. We crossed 
 some chains of little hills covered with stunted oak woods and 
 evergreen shrubs, and in the valleys between them were 
 marshy meadows in which the vehicles threatened to stick 
 fast. Fortunately the weather was fine and not too hot, and 
 the country was rather pleasant looking, for many of the 
 woods were even fairly luxuriant and full of flowers. 
 
 After a long drive we reached the wide plain which extends 
 along the bay, at the northern point of which is the celebrated 
 town of Acre ; while the southern cape is formed by the high 
 Mount Carmel, which slopes down abruptly to the sea at 
 Jaffa. The plain is well cultivated, and even pretty fruitful 
 along the banks of the little river of Nahr-el-Mukatta. 
 
 During the last hour that we spent in Asia we suffered 
 tortures from the deep ruts of the terrible roads. Heavy 
 clouds were forming on the horizon, the sun became obscured, 
 and a cold sea-breeze seemed like a first greeting from that 
 
 2c 
 
386 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 chilly Europe to which we were soon to return. The strings 
 of camels, the long-eared goats, the Arab horses, the pictu- 
 resque figures in their burnouses, the gay garments and large 
 turbans, the Eastern houses and burial-grounds, and all the 
 peculiar and attractive surroundings of Eastern life, which 
 had so long interested and charmed us, and to which we had 
 become so familiar and attached, were once more eagerly 
 gazed upon ; and w r e all strove to impress upon our memories 
 our last look at them, so that, hereafter, in the cold grey 
 winter days, when we poor Europeans are harassed and 
 tormented by the storms of the North, those scenes might 
 rise before our mental vision, and we might fancy ourselves 
 transported to the cradle of the human race, where Paradise 
 stood in the sacred golden and gorgeous East. 
 
 Passing through one of the narrow streets of the small 
 town of Jaffa, which is built in terraces on the steep sides of 
 Mount Carmel, we soon reached the quay. One more step 
 on Eastern soil, one last look at the gay throng of people, 
 and the hard parting from the East, which we had learned to 
 admire and to love, was over. A boat from the ' Miramar ' 
 bore our party over the dancing waves to the ship, which was 
 here lying at anchor. 
 
 Before nightfall we were under weigh, and the hazy out- 
 lines of the high mountains of the Asiatic coast vanished in 
 the shades of evening. The sea was rough, and we had an 
 uncomfortable time of it, the whole of the 13th of April 
 being spent in the open sea in chilly disagreeable weather. 
 Heavy clouds overcast the sky, and all was quiet on the 
 deck of the ' Miramar,' for many of us suffered much, and 
 the few who were all right watched the play of the waves, 
 lost in thoughts of the glorious East. After a life so full 
 of excitement and variety there is a certain reaction, and 
 one passes much time in dwelling on the memories of 
 happy days. 
 
<A JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 387 
 
 The 14th of April was like its predecessor in every respect, 
 but the 15th brought us calmer waters and a view of Crete, 
 an island rich in picturesque charms. We passed close along 
 its coast, admiring its high mountains and the snow-clad Ida. 
 On the 16th we beheld Cape Matapan, with the hills of 
 Greece, and saw Zante in the afternoon. We shaped our 
 course between this island, decked in its full garb of spring, 
 and the mainland of Greece, to the mountainous island of 
 Cephalonia, and passing, in splendid moonlight, through the 
 famous straits of Ithaca, the home of Ulysses, saw the rock of 
 Sappho and all the high mountains dedicated to the gods of 
 the old Greek mythology. 
 
 Early on the 17th the ' Miramar ' put into the harbour of 
 Corfu. There coal had to be taken in, so we employed the 
 time in making an excursion to the Bay of Ipsa ; and after a 
 short stay returned to the vessel and continued our journey. 
 
 On the 18th we awoke at Punta d'Ostro, and as most of 
 my fellow travellers had never seen the Bocchi di Cattaro, 
 the l Miramar ' steamed in between the high grey cliffs to the 
 melancholy, but splendidly situated little town of Cattaro. 
 In the afternoon we reached Lacroma, and at once landed on 
 my small though enchantingly beautiful island. All was 
 green and flowery, and for the last time we enjoyed the true 
 air of the South and the warm sunshine of a perfect spring- 
 day. We afterwards passed the night on board the ' Miramar,' 
 in the harbour of Gravosa. 
 
 The 19th brought us a rough sea, a dull gloomy sky, 
 showers of rain, and a piercingly cold wind, so that the usually 
 lovely passage through the Dalmatian islands afforded us but 
 little enjoyment. The evening and the night were spent at 
 Zara. 
 
 .On the 20th we left the Dalmatian capital at a very early 
 hour, and when we got to Triest in the afternoon it was 
 raining hard and the sky was heavily overcast. There we 
 
 2c2 
 
388 EXTRACTS FROM 
 
 spent a pleasant day, and after bidding a hearty farewell to 
 the Captain and the officers of the good ship ' Miramar/ we 
 left on the 21st, waving from Karst a last adieu to the 
 beautiful sea. 
 
 The night passed quickly in dreams of Bedouins, Arab 
 horses, slender minarets, lofty mountains, boundless deserts, 
 the sacred Nile, the rustling groves of palms and sycamores, 
 and the mysterious temples of Isis. Soon came the stern 
 reality, for on waking at the Semmering we were greeted by 
 a rough northerly gale, ice, and a country covered with a light 
 mantle of snow. Nor was it much better in Vienna, where 
 the sky was heavily clouded over, and the cold damp air 
 chilled to the very bones the travellers accustomed to the 
 Southern sun. 
 
 The Expedition was over, and the party separated, 
 but their thoughts still involuntarily turned back to the far 
 Orient. 
 
 Farewell ! golden, gorgeous, glowing East ! 
 
 Complete List of the Specimens obtained. 
 
 HYJSNA 3 
 
 WOLF 9 
 
 AFRICAN JACKAL 7 
 
 LARGE ASIATIC JACKAL .... 1 
 
 SMALL ASIATIC JACKAL .... 4 
 
 FENNEC (DESERT Pox) 1 
 
 DESERT LYNX 2 
 
 ICHNEUMON 2 
 
 DESERT HARE 2 
 
 SYRIAN HARE 1 
 
 JERBOA . 1 
 
 SMALL YAMPIRE 1 
 
 GAZELLE 1 
 
 WILD BOAR 4 
 
 GREAT SPOTTED CUCKOO . . 1 
 
 PLED KINGFISHER 25 
 
 BLUE-CHEEKED BEE-EATER . 38 
 
 EGYPTIAN SWIFT 3 
 
 LITTLE GREY SWIFT 8 
 
 BARBARY FALCON 2 
 
 LESSER KESTREL 20 
 
 SPARROW-HAWK 1 
 
A JOURNEY IN THE EAST. 
 
 389 
 
 STEPPE-EAGLE 1 
 
 PYGMY EAGLE 3 
 
 OSPEEY 2 
 
 BLACK- WINGED KITE 5 
 
 BLACK KITE 15 
 
 PARASITIC KITE 16 
 
 PALLID HARRIER 2 
 
 MARSH-HARRIER 20 
 
 SHORT-TOED EAGLE 2 
 
 LONG-LEGGED BUZZARD .... 2 
 
 HAWK, sp.? 2 
 
 EGYPTIAN VULTURE 15 
 
 PILEATED VULTURE Mp| 
 
 GRIFFON VULTURE 7 
 
 LITTLE OWL 3 
 
 ROBIN 1 
 
 BLUE EOCK-THRUSH 3 
 
 BLACK CHAT 2 
 
 COMMON WHEATEAR 3 
 
 BLACK-EARED CHAT 1 
 
 RUSSET CHAT 1 
 
 PIED CHAT 7 
 
 YELLOW-VENTED BULBUL . . 7 
 
 PALESTINE BUSH-BABBLER . 7 
 
 GREY-BACKED WARBLER . . 2 
 
 FANTAIL WARBLER 1 
 
 GREAT SEDGE- WARBLER . . 1 
 
 MOUSTACHED WARBLER .... 3 
 
 AQUATIC WARBLER 2 
 
 HEDGE-SPARROW 1 
 
 WHITE WAGTAIL 5 
 
 GREY-HEADED YELLOW 
 
 WAGTAIL 1 
 
 YELLOW WAGTALL . . 5 
 
 MEADOW-PIPIT 2 
 
 TAWNY PIPIT 2 
 
 EGYPTIAN CRESTED LARK . . 19 
 
 DUPONT'S LARK 2 
 
 SHORT-TOED LARK 1 
 
 DESERT-LARK 1 
 
 GOULD'S DESERT-LARK 1 
 
 ORTOLAN BUNTING 1 
 
 CRETZSCHMAR'S BUNTING . . 6 
 
 ITALIAN SPARROW 3 
 
 SPANISH SPARROW 7 
 
 DESERT BULLFINCH 8 
 
 TRISTRAM'S GRACKLE 1 
 
 COMMON STARLING 3 
 
 RAVEN 2 
 
 HOODED CROW 17 
 
 SYRIAN JAY 1 
 
 SOUTHERN GREY SHRIKE . . 11 
 
 WOODCHAT SHRIKE . 1 
 
 MASKED SHRIKE 8 
 
 ORIENTAL CHIMNEY-SWALLOW 1 
 
 RUFOUS SWALLOW 1 
 
 CRAG-SWALLOW * 5 
 
 HOOPOE 12 
 
 ROCK-DOVE 60 
 
 TURTLE-DOVE 1 
 
 ASIATIC TURTLE-DOVE .... 10 
 EGYPTIAN TURTLE-DOVE . . 26 
 EMERALD SPOTTED DOVE . . 1 
 
 CHUKAR PARTRIDGE 27 
 
 KEY'S PARTRIDGE 40 
 
 FRANCOLIN 22 
 
 QUAIL 88 
 
 STONE-CURLEW 5 
 
 [* Pale Crag Swallow (Cotyle obsoleta, Cab.) ?] 
 
390 EXTRACTS FROM < 4 JOURNEY IN THE EAST: 
 
 WHITE-TAILED PLOVEE .... 1 
 
 SPUR-WINGED PLOVER .... 25 
 
 GOLDEN PLOVER 8 
 
 RINGED PLOVER 6 
 
 KENTISH PLOVER 1 
 
 CREAM-COLOURED COURSER . 1 
 
 BLACK-HEADED PLOVER .... 2 
 
 TURNSTONE 6 
 
 COMMON SNIPE 19 
 
 JACK SNIPE 4 
 
 SANDERLING 2 
 
 PURPLE SANDPIPER 2 
 
 PYGMY CURLEW 2 
 
 DUNLIN 15 
 
 SCHINZ'S SANDPIPER 3 
 
 TEMMINCK'S STINT 3 
 
 RUFF 1 
 
 TEREK SANDPIPER 13 
 
 MARSH-SANDPIPER 2 
 
 WOOD- SANDPIPER 7 
 
 GREEN SANDPIPER 2 
 
 BAR-TAILED GOD WIT 5 
 
 BLACK-TAILED GODWIT .... 1 
 
 AVOCET 1 
 
 COMMON STORK '. . . 9 
 
 GREY HERON 8 
 
 PURPLE HERON 3 
 
 Grand Total, 
 
 LITTLE EGRET 2 
 
 BUFF-BACKED HERON .... 22 
 
 SQUACCO HERON 1 
 
 NIGHT-HERON 7 
 
 PAINTED SNIPE 10 
 
 MOORHEN 41 
 
 MALLARD 2 
 
 GARGANEY TEAL 4 
 
 SHOVELLER 2 
 
 WHITE-EYED DUCK 13 
 
 TUFTED DUCK 1 
 
 YELLOW-LEGGED HERRING- 
 GULL 26 
 
 HERRING-GULL 9 
 
 GREAT BLACK-HEADED GULL 7 
 BLACK-HEADED GULL .... 10 
 MEDITERRANEAN BLACK- 
 HEADED GULL 1 
 
 TERN, sp. ? 2 
 
 COMMON CORMORANT 14 
 
 PYGMY CORMORANT 1 
 
 ROSEATE PELICAN 4 
 
 DALMATIAN PELICAN 2 
 
 LACE LIZARD (96 centim. 
 
 long) 1 
 
 LARGE SNAKE 1 
 
 LARGE BLACK LIZARD .... 2 
 
 1020 Head. 
 
SKETCHES 
 
 OF 
 
 SPORT IN HUNGARY. 
 
 AUTUMN 1880. 
 
 I HAD long wished to make myself acquainted with some of 
 the interesting sporting districts of Hungary, and on my last 
 autumn trip I had both leisure and opportunity to do so. I 
 also managed to find a small party of keen sportsmen, who 
 were ready and willing to join my short but interesting 
 excursion. 
 
 We arranged to visit two different parts of the country, 
 one of which, in consequence of a kind invitation from Counts 
 Eudolf and Otto Chotek, was to be the splendid hunting- 
 grounds of Slavoni'a and Dalmatia, the other the fine but less 
 known forests of the Marmaros belonging to the State. 
 
 On the morning of the 1st of November, my brother-in- 
 law Duke Leopold of Bavaria, the Grand Duke of Tuscany, 
 Count Bombelles, and I left the station of Grodollo, and about 
 noon reached the wharf of the Danube Steam Navigation 
 Company at Buda-Pest. On the deck of the steamer i Marie 
 Valerie,' which we had chartered for the short time to be 
 
392 SKETCHES OF SPORT IN HUNGARY. 
 
 devoted to our first journey, we met Count Hans Wilczek 
 and the painter Pausinger; so our party was now complete, 
 and in a few minutes the vessel got under weigh. Besides 
 some jagers we also took with us the son of Hodek the 
 naturalist, who had already accompanied me during my first 
 trip down the Danube in 1878. 
 
 We soon made ourselves at home on board the comfortable 
 vessel, and after a hasty lunch went on deck to observe the 
 country through which we were so rapidly passing. The 
 scenery was all familiar, yet how different it had looked 
 in that glorious springtide when nature in the full bloom 
 of her beauty had greeted our small but pleasant shooting- 
 party. Two years and a half had passed since that time, 
 and heavy grey clouds, leafless trees, bare fields, and a cold 
 north-easter had taken the place of spring. The Danube 
 alone remained steadfast, and in quiet profound majesty still 
 patiently rolled its waters towards the far east. 
 
 There was but little life on the river, the waterfowl had 
 flown to other regions, and nothing but dusky birds of prey 
 and magpies showed themselves on its banks. In the evening, 
 however, the scene became more smiling and pleasant, the 
 principal reason being that the further south we pushed the 
 warmer it became, especially late in the afternoon. Large 
 flights of Ducks and a flock of Lapwings flying southwards on 
 their winter migration also lent some ornithological interest 
 to this stretch of the journey, while the sinking of the fiery 
 globe of the sun through the narrow bands of cloud delighted 
 all of us, my friend Pausinger in particular. It was one of 
 those lovely evenings such as are only to be seen in easterly 
 lands, and more especially on the plains of beautiful Hungary. 
 
 After passing a long time amidst the monotony of civilized 
 life and the perpetual uninspiriting grey of the west, one feels 
 a longing to return to those primitive regions, where alone 
 one can gaze upon the grandeurs of the glorious colour and 
 
SKETCHES OF SPORT IN HUNGARY. 393 
 
 the ever beautiful effects with which nature has dowered 
 the east. 
 
 Splendid it is indeed when the low heavy clouds are robed 
 in crimson as the sun sinks behind the hills in ablaze of gold, 
 and the purple of the twilight fades into the deep blue of 
 night, which already broods mysteriously over the broad 
 pusztas, and a thin veil of mist settles on the gliding waters 
 of the great river ! 
 
 Flocks of hundreds upon hundreds of crows were flying 
 from the plain to their roosting-places, long strings of geese 
 with plaintive cries were hastening southwards in their usual 
 V-shaped formation, and, just as it was getting dark, we 
 reached Mohacs, where we stopped for the night, resuming 
 our journey at dawn. 
 
 When I awoke day had already broken, so I hurried on 
 deck to look at the districts which I knew so well. It was a 
 sharp but fine morning, a thin mist was floating over the 
 water, and the sun was making vain attempts to warm this 
 poor earth. With Pausinger for my companion I gazed upon 
 the beautiful scenes around me, and as we were passing the 
 already described marsh of Hullo, with its gigantic reed-beds 
 swaying to and fro in the wind like yellow waves, we saw a 
 fine picture of bird-life. A huge Eagle was sitting on the 
 summit of an old dead tree which rose from the reeds, and 
 another was circling high above us on the outlook for plunder. 
 I fired a pistol, and all at once the whole of the great swamp 
 became alive with flocks of birds flying hither and thither 
 over the reeds. 
 
 On getting beyond the bend at the junction of the Drave 
 the high steep banks of the Slavonian side appeared, and 
 Ospreys, an Imperial Eagle, and huge imposing Vultures gave 
 us opportunities for making some ornithological observations. 
 
 At noon we reached Cerevic, and were all heartily glad 
 to see this village again with its two churches and its shining 
 
394 SKETCHES OF SPORT IN HUNGARY. 
 
 white houses perched among the steep slopes and gardens of 
 the Slavonian bank, as well as the Fruska-Gora beckoning 
 to us from afar, and the wide low-lying plains of Hungary on 
 the other side of the river. 
 
 Our vessel steamed slowly up and put into the landing- 
 place, where the friendly inhabitants of the place welcomed 
 us with shouts of " Zivio !" the firing of guns and the ringing 
 of bells, and the two kind proprietors of the Fruska-Gora 
 came on deck to escort us to the carriages which were waiting 
 close by. 
 
 Count Rudolf Chotek wished my brother-in-law, the Grand 
 Duke, and myself to visit the nightly roosting-place of a 
 colony of Eagles, so we got into the carriages for the short 
 bit of the road that leads deep down into the valley, while the 
 ponies, most of which were of Bosnian breed, followed us 
 under the superintendence of my old acquaintance Petrovics, 
 the manager of the stables. 
 
 The deeper we penetrated into the labyrinth of wooded 
 mountains the more beautiful was the scenery, and I was soon 
 convinced that this splendid region has especial charms not 
 only in spring but also in autumn. We halted at a turn of 
 the road, and mounting the ponies continued our way under 
 the guidance of the excellent keeper Dolezal and the forester 
 Kafka, two old acquaintances with whom I had rambled 
 through these districts a couple of years ago. 
 
 The ponies almost sank in a sea of rustling leaves and we 
 made but slow progress, but at last reached our destination, 
 where the Grand Duke and Pausinger were posted on one 
 side of a meadow, and my brother-in-law on the other. I, 
 however, had to make a detour in order to get to the place 
 allotted to me. 
 
 While there, a very heavy fourteen-pointed stag, appeared 
 in front of me within a few paces. The wind was good and 
 the noble animal was browsing quietly, but the Hungarian 
 
SKETCHES OF SPORT IN HUNGARY. 395 
 
 game-laws protected him, and I confined myself to watching 
 him attentively. 
 
 He was a true wild stag reared in the open forest, with 
 horns such as one no longer sees in the woods of central 
 Europe, where the deer are huddled together within a small 
 area and have degenerated to miserable shadows of their 
 former selves. It is only in more eastern countries, where the 
 woods have not been turned into promenades, that real Red 
 Deer are still to be found. 
 
 The following day my brother-in-law and I breakfasted 
 while it was still quite dark, and then left the shooting-lodge. 
 He drove back along the greater part of the valley, and I 
 walked after one of the keepers, who led me along a steep 
 slope through a thick wood. 
 
 My guide, a dark-looking fellow whom I had previously 
 known, strode silently in front of me wrapped in his long 
 grey cloak his expressive eyes, tanned visage framed by 
 black ringlets, powerful muscular frame, easy movements, 
 and noiseless way of gliding through the cover being all 
 thoroughly characteristic of the fine strong race of the 
 Southern Slavonians. 
 
 A splendid hiding-place near an exposed bait had been 
 prepared for me, and almost before daybreak a pair of large 
 Ravens appeared, which flew to the lure without much cere- 
 mony and began to enjoy themselves heartily. Suddenly 
 they croaked hoarsely and cast frightened glances towards 
 the edge of the wood hard by, and on looking in that direc- 
 tion I saw a wolf peeping slyly out. 
 
 I cautiously took up my rifle, hoping that the fellow would 
 feel appetized for a little breakfast, in which case I would 
 willingly have served him with some lead; but my expecta- 
 tions vanished on seeing his worship, who was probably 
 returning from his nightly raid with a full stomach, move on 
 at a quiet trot and vanish from my sight into the wood. 
 
396 SKETCHES OF SPORT IN HUNGARY. 
 
 A quarter of an hour later the renewed croaking of the 
 Ravens notified the proximity of a large bird of prey, and I 
 soon heard the rush of powerful pinions and the noise made 
 hy an eagle as it settled heavily on one of the neighbouring 
 trees; so I quietly took up my gun and cocked it. 
 
 More disturbance among the branches and a couple of dull 
 thuds warned me that there must be two big birds near the 
 exposed carcass; and taking a cautious look through a natural 
 loophole, I saw to my delight a great Sea-Eagle, and a few 
 paces further off an extremely large Vulture. Both were 
 trying to get at the dainty meal ; but no sooner did one of 
 them make a move towards it, than the other sprang in front 
 of him and checked his further advance. 
 
 It was comical to see the enormous Vulture hopping up 
 and down with its bare bluish turkey-like neck, and its 
 plumage ruffled and puffed out with rage ; while the Sea- 
 Eagle, on the contrary, drew in its feathers close to its body, 
 and bending its head backwards uttered its angry " glik, 
 glik " with widely opened beak. 
 
 Taking a rapid survey of the situation, I fired at the vulture, 
 and the distinctly audible thud of the bullet told me that I 
 had hit it, and when the smoke cleared away the bird was 
 flapping its huge wings in its last convulsions. 
 
 On jumping out of my ambush to hide it, I saw two other 
 vultures and the eagle which had been scared by the shot 
 soaring in the pure ether, so I dragged the exceptionally 
 large and heavy bird into my retreat and awaited further 
 visits. 
 
 Another half-hour went by before the anxious croaks of 
 the Ravens, who had meanwhile returned, indicated the 
 approach of a bird of prey; and in a few moments I saw an 
 eagle pitch upon a beech tree, where it rested quietly for 
 several minutes and then dropped deliberately from the branch, 
 frightening away the Ravens. 
 
SKETCHES OF SPORT IN HUNGARY. 397 
 
 As soon as I heard the heavy beats of the eagle's wings and 
 caught sight of it in the high grass I fired, killing the bird 
 dead, and on hurrying up I found a splendid old Imperial 
 Eagle. 
 
 The Ravens were still flying round the confines of the 
 place, so I sent some shot after them, hut missed, the distance 
 being too great ; and as it was now time to depart, I fired a 
 ball at a vulture which was circling high over my head. It 
 seemed as if the bullet had grazed either its wing or its body, 
 for the bird turned in the air and fell so far that both I and 
 my jager thought it was already ours ; but it recovered, and 
 flapping up again flew away in a straight line over the hills. 
 
 We now had to hasten home, for a fox hunt had been 
 arranged for the same day ; so a sapling was quickly procured 
 to be used as a carrying-pole, and hanging my spoil upon it 
 we marched down the valley, my jager shouldering one end 
 and I the other. 
 
 I have often carried Griffon and other vultures, and even 
 on one occasion a Lammergeyer, besides all the different 
 species of European eagles, but none of them ever seemed to 
 be so heavy as this vulture, and I was much delighted with 
 my booty. 
 
 On that day my brother-in-law and the Grand Duke had 
 but little luck, and unfortunately returned empty-handed. 
 
BEAR-SHOOTING 
 
 TRANSYLVANIA. 
 
 AUTUMN 1882. 
 
 OK the 21st of September our small party of sportsmen 
 arrived at the castle, situated near the village of Gorgeny 
 St. Imre, but there found unfortunately that the weather was 
 still like summer, the heat great, and the trees and bushes yet 
 green and in full leaf, a state of matters that appeared to 
 indicate that it was rather too early for bear-shooting. We 
 determined, however, to begin on the 22nd, for the trackers 
 had found the traces of two or three bears in the neighbourhood 
 of the fields and villages. 
 
 It rained in torrents, the ground was very sodden, and the 
 thickets of the lower woods, besides being almost impenetrable, 
 were dripping wet. Consequently the beaters drove very 
 badly, and possibly a bear may have remained lying quite 
 undisturbed in the first beat, which was especially thick. 
 Three covers were tried one after another, but all with the 
 same negative results, the tracks of two small bears on the 
 paths being all that MQK seen during the day. 
 
400 BEAR-SHOOTING IN TRANSYLVANIA. 
 
 A violent storm, succeeded by a striking change of the 
 temperature, now brought the summer to a close. Cool days 
 followed, the foliage changed its colour, and autumn quickly 
 made its appearance. On the morning of the 23rd we ob- 
 served with pleasure how very much colder it had become, 
 while favourable reports of tracks came from various localities, 
 and the first woodcocks were seen in the Gb'rgeny valley. 
 
 The beat selected adjoined the ground of the preceding 
 day, and, though rather small, was very thickly wooded with 
 young trees. The guns were posted, as they invariably are 
 when driving these lower woods, on a narrow path where 
 there was very little room for shooting. The beaters had 
 already come out at the centre and the right wing of the line 
 without having seen anything whatever; but on the left they 
 were still in the cover, and suddenly set up a tremendous 
 yelling. A young sportsman, Herr v. M., thinking that the 
 beat was finished, left his post, but hardly had he got up to 
 his neighbour when a big black bear broke just in front of 
 the beaters, and crossed at the very spot which he had just 
 quitted. There it stopped for a moment in the middle of the 
 path, but vanished into the opposite thickets before the 
 astounded sportsmen could unsling their rifles and fire. 
 
 We now held a quick consultation as to what was to be 
 done, and decided to station ourselves on a hill in a rather 
 open copse, and to drive the wood into which the bear had 
 crossed along the slope. Unfortunately many of the beaters, 
 and even some of the keepers, did not know the ground, as it 
 lay over the March in the estate of Baron K., and was usually 
 driven in another way; so that they made a mistake, and 
 brought the bear out at a place where it was only heard but 
 not seen by the outside guns. The next three beats of the 
 day, which were made in pouring rain, were blank, in spite 
 of our having found the fresh tracks of three bears on the 
 soaking wet roads. 
 
BEAR-SHOOTING IN TRANSYLVANIA. 401 
 
 On the 24th we amused ourselves during the middle of the 
 day with a little woodcock-shooting. The localities most 
 affected by the long-bills in that part of the country are the 
 large damp pastures, on which grow nothing but detached 
 birch and alder bushes, each bush being separated from the 
 next by a few yards of meadow. Nowhere does one find a 
 regular thicket, and as the ground is, moreover, very uneven 
 it is very difficult to divide it into beats and to post the guns. 
 The Woodcock, too, seldom fly much above the bushes, which 
 are about the height of a man, so that it is necessary to be 
 very careful, not only of the beaters, but also of one's neigh- 
 bours, and many birds escape without being shot at. 
 
 On that day we found between thirty and forty cock, but 
 only bagged ten. We also shot a couple of Jays and two 
 hares rare and much- prized animals in Transylvania. A 
 fine Spotted Eagle, which came sailing along quite uncon- 
 cernedly in one of the beats, also received a heavy dose of 
 small shot, but though its plumage was much cut up it 
 managed to get away. 
 
 On the 25th we arranged to try for bears in a side valley 
 close to Gb'rgeny, which being divided into natural beats is 
 one of the easiest bits of ground to drive in that locality. 
 The left slope of this valley is long, rather steep, but not 
 high, and is densely wooded, while the villages and meadows 
 at its base, and the broad plateau of pastures and fields 
 above it, prevent the bears from leaving the covers during 
 the day, and when it is well driven they must come to the 
 guns. 
 
 We divided it into three beats, and began with the middle 
 one, which was the thickest, the guns being posted along a 
 path partly among the bushes and partly in a copse. 
 
 Nothing was seen but some fresh tracks of a largish bear, 
 which had probably withdrawn from the woods frightened by 
 the noise, for they were not there in the morning, so at the 
 
 2D 
 
402 BEAR-SHOOTING IN TRANSYLVANIA. 
 
 approach of twilight we returned from this interesting but 
 unsuccessful hunt. 
 
 Following the wishes of several of the gentlemen, we be- 
 took ourselves early on the 26th to the virgin forests higher 
 up the mountains, where we saw splendid woods but no bears. 
 In the three beats, which were made in the most wonderful 
 old beech woods, a Wild Boar, a Stag, a Eoebuck, and a good 
 many Hazel-hens were encountered, some of them by us and 
 some by the beaters, and there were also a few traces of 
 bears. 
 
 The 27th was also devoted to the old woods, but fortunately 
 to those parts of them which lay nearer to the fields. The 
 first beat was quite blank, but the second, where there were 
 a great many hazels, and which was driven from the edge of 
 the forest, was more successful. 
 
 We were standing in a ravine full of marvellous old trees, 
 when towards the end of the beat a large Eagle-Owl flew 
 close past me, and soon afterwards a dark-coloured two-year- 
 old bear came down the slope between Count M. and Baron J. 
 On reaching the bottom it stopped, receiving from the Baron 
 at the same instant a shot low down in the shoulder, upon 
 which it turned straight towards the Count, who missed it 
 while it was going at full tilt. As it then held on its way 
 without stopping, and the sportsman had slipped in turning 
 quickly to change his gun, his jager, who was standing beside 
 him, felt it to be his duty to roll over Master " Petz " with 
 a high shoulder-shot, and hardly had the animal regained its 
 feet, when a dose of slugs in the neck, at a distance of not 
 more than five paces, brought its tough life to a conclusion, 
 and it was carried home in triumph. 
 
 As the reports which came in on the 28th were again very 
 favourable, we drove the opposite side of the same valley that 
 we had tried on the 25th, selecting for our first beat a cover 
 lying near meadows, pastures, and woods of high oak trees. 
 
BEAR-SHOOTING IN TRANSYLVANIA. 403 
 
 We were standing on a road where there was not too much 
 room for shooting, when just at the beginning of the heat a 
 very large roebuck came to me ; but I of course allowed it to 
 pass, and soon afterwards two shots were fired in rapid 
 succession from the right wing of the line of guns. During 
 the last minutes of the drive I also heard something moving 
 rapidly about between my brother-in-law and myself, and 
 immediately the beaters made a terrific noise. Two wolves 
 were there which had probably winded the guns and pre- 
 ferred breaking back to going forward, although the beaters 
 were very close together. 
 
 On hastening to the right wing I learnt that first Count N. 
 and afterwards Baron J. B. had let drive at a bear. Near the 
 place where the first shot had been fired we found a great 
 deal of blood, and close behind the line of guns lay the bear 
 itself, a dark-coloured animal, from two to three years old, 
 quite dead, with both balls planted in its shoulder. 
 
 For the second beat we took a rather higher and thinner 
 wood, and again the guns stood on a somewhat narrow path. 
 In the middle of this drive a tolerably large grey bear again 
 came towards Count N., but changing its direction before he 
 could shoot at it, passed in front of Baron J. so covered by 
 the bushes that he was unable to fire. At last it sprang 
 across the path near young Herr v. M., who gave it a ball, 
 but unfortunately not in a fatal place. 
 
 Towards the end of the beat a large bear broke by Count T. 
 at the narrowest place, where the thickets on each side only 
 left a small lane, so that he could get nothing but a very un- 
 certain shot, and probably either missed the animal altogether 
 or only wounded it slightly. 
 
 We now determined to try the beat into which the bear 
 had crossed. This was the broadest on that long chain of 
 heights, and was connected with the great forest itself by a 
 somewhat thinly wooded ridge. On this ridge the guns were 
 
 2D2 
 
404 BEAR-SHOOTING IN TRANSYLVANIA. 
 
 posted, while the beaters had to wait on the path where the 
 sportsmen had been stationed in the previous drive, until a 
 given time had elapsed. 
 
 Thinking that Count T. might have wounded the bear I 
 gave orders that my Transylvanian hounds were to be let 
 loose at the beginning of the beat, and a merry hunt soon 
 began in all directions, for the dogs separated after foxes, 
 numbers of which came out by the line of guns; while the 
 beaters and the keepers, imagining that the wounded beast 
 was in front " of them, set up a tremendous yelling, which, 
 together with the blasts of the horns, formed a wild concert. 
 
 The drive must have been more than half over when some 
 shouts, which rose above the general din, undoubtedly indi- 
 cated that a bear was near. Immediately afterwards I heard 
 the movements of a heavy animal, but at the same time 
 plainly perceived that it was making towards my brother-in- 
 law, who was posted fifty yards from me at the most, there 
 being only a little ridge between us. In a few moments 
 there came a shot, after which I heard nothing but a few 
 heavy bounds. A minute went by, during which my atten- 
 tion was strained to the utmost ; then two shots sounded in 
 quick succession from some of the posts lower down the line, 
 and the beaters soon raised a diabolical noise. 
 
 When the beat was over I found that the large black bear 
 which Count T. had shot at had not been encountered, so it 
 must have crossed over the ridge to the adjoining forest 
 before we had got to our places. A smaller lighter- coloured 
 animal had, however, come to Count T. in the middle of the 
 beat, who drove it back, in order that one of the other guns 
 might get a shot at him ; the same thing had also been done 
 by Herr v. P. and the painter M. 
 
 Master " Petz," who had thus been repeatedly baulked, 
 now broke back to the beaters, who successfully turned him; 
 then it was that he had come very much out of breath, and 
 
BEAR-SHOOTING IN TRANSYLVANIA. 405 
 
 with his tongue hanging out, to my brother-in-law, who most 
 likely gave him a shot low down in the shoulder. From that 
 point he made a slight curve through the beat, and came out 
 by Baron S., who missed him with both barrels; but by this 
 time he had had about enough of it, so bursting impetuously 
 through the line of beaters, he plunged down the steep hillside 
 followed by one of my dogs. 
 
 We found a good deal of blood at my brother-in-law's post, 
 where the first shot had been fired, and with others of the 
 party I now followed up the trail, which led us down to the 
 valley, where some labourers had seen the bear, and then 
 unfortunately uphill again into the first beat of the day. To 
 go on would have been useless, 'and we could only hope to get 
 a second shot at the wounded beast by making another drive. 
 
 As the bear was not very hard-hit we thought that it would 
 never stop in the first beat through which so many men had 
 passed, so we took the most outlying wood of this chain of 
 heights, in the direction of the main valley; but this beat, alas! 
 was unsuccessful, as was also the first, which we made over 
 again as a precautionary measure. 
 
 When the beat was finished we again took up the trail 
 where we found plenty of blood, and at first even some 
 splinters of bone; but on seeing that the wounded animal had, 
 after descending the slope and crossing a brook, held on up 
 the steep hillside, we gave up the pursuit, and sent a couple 
 of trackers to follow it up, who returned in the evening 
 equally unlucky. 
 
 The third beat was blank ; in the fourth, which was not a 
 very large cover, a bear passed near Baron K., but out of 
 shot and often concealed by the bushes. The cunning beast 
 must then have found a spot where no gun was posted, for it 
 got away unseen. 
 
 On the 29th we tried the lower woods, and began by taking 
 the beat into winch the bear had crossed without being shot 
 
406 BEAR-SHOOTING IN TRANSYLVANIA. 
 
 at on the 23rd ; this time, however, we did not stand on the 
 hillside, but on the main road above. 
 
 I had hardly been a quarter of an hour at my post when I 
 heard a bear moving slowly by in front of me, not more 
 than twenty yards off. I put up my gun and followed him; 
 but though Master " Petz " kept before me like a shadow, 
 the foliage was so thick that there was not a hand's breadth 
 of open space, and it would have been impossible to make a 
 certain shot. 
 
 For some minutes I lost sight of him, and only heard his 
 heavy tread in front of my neighbour; but he soon came back 
 again, and now passed before me rather faster; but again it 
 was impossible to shoot. However, when he had vanished for 
 the second time, I consoled myself with the idea that he would 
 end by bolting across the path near my post, though unfor- 
 tunately my expectations were not realized. 
 
 Towards the close of the beat a large black bear broke back 
 through the beaters, and a small two-year-old crossed the 
 path close to Baron S., the second gun on my left, who rolled 
 it over with a well-aimed ball through its head. 
 
 We next drove an adjoining cover, where a medium-sized 
 bear crossed the little footpath near Baron A. B. It received 
 a ball probably in the intestines, and responded to the shot 
 with loud growls ; but as it was raining rather hard the 
 traces of blood, which, after all, were but slight, could not be 
 followed long, so we determined to drive the copse-wood which 
 was connected with this beat. 
 
 The wounded bear w r as not encountered, but an uninjured 
 and somewhat larger one crossed the path close to my neigh- 
 bour Count M., and even halted at the edge of the opposite 
 cover ; but it was unluckily so directly in a line with the next 
 gun that it could not be fired at. We had therefore met 
 with four bears on this one day. 
 
 On the 30th the rain fell in torrents, the mist hung low 
 
BEAR-SHOOTING IN TRANSYLVANIA. 407 
 
 and the sky was covered with grey clouds. We went out 
 notwithstanding to make the same beats in the valley where 
 two bears had been shot at on the 25th, and where the trackers 
 had announced that there were fresh traces. 
 
 The first beat taken on this occasion was the one nearest to 
 the fields and the main valley, the guns being posted on the 
 slope of the hill among the high wood and on the little 
 meadows. Unfortunately we had a thoroughly bad wind, 
 and so it happened that at the very beginning of the beat the 
 last guns on the right wing heard a beast go by which they 
 could not see, and soon afterwards a bear passed at a good 
 speed and out of range in front of an old gentleman, Herr 
 v. M. It did not, however, leave the beat, but crossed back 
 into it over some meadows. 
 
 In this wretched weather, with all the bushes dripping wet, 
 the beaters drove badly, their line broke in the middle, and 
 they came up to the guns a quarter of an hour too soon. 
 
 Several of us were standing together at my brother-in-law's 
 post when there arose a great shouting on the left flank, and 
 soon afterwards a large wolf coming from below burst through 
 the assembled beaters and instantly vanished among the 
 bushes. .It passed so near to one of the men that he struck 
 at it with his stick. 
 
 We now tried another beat, but as the rain kept getting 
 heavier, and the thoroughly drenched beaters came out of the 
 cover in disconnected batches, we left off shooting and turned 
 homewards. 
 
 On the 1st of October we decided to go after woodcock. 
 The cold weather had driven them down from the hills, and 
 there were certainly great numbers of them, for we found 
 more than a hundred within a small area. Wherever one 
 turned a woodcock got up ; but unfortunately the ground was 
 still more hilly, and the difficulties of shooting and placing 
 the guns still greater than on the first day; so that we only 
 
408 BEAR-SHOOTING IN TRANSYLVANIA. 
 
 killed twenty-nine Woodcock, two Hares, one Sparrow-Hawk r 
 one Goatsucker, and three Jays. 
 
 On the 2nd of October we could only devote a small part 
 of the morning to shooting, as we had to leave in the after- 
 noon. We therefore chose the nearer ground, which we had 
 shot over on the first occasion, and where we now found a 
 great many Cock, and killed seventeen of them, besides one 
 Hare and a Sparrow-Hawk. This brought our shooting in 
 Transylvania to a close for the time being. 
 
 I had unhappily not selected the right season, for we had 
 come at least a week too early, and ought to have waited 
 until about the middle of October. It was only during the 
 last days of our shooting that the bears began to leave the 
 virgin forests higher up, and to betake themselves to the out- 
 lying woods, and one could very well see how from day 
 to day they were changing their quarters, for more were 
 reported by the trackers, and more were seen and encountered 
 by us. 
 
 A telegram which I received from Transylvania on the 
 12th of October further confirmed my view of the matter, for 
 on the llth my neighbour Baron K. shot an outlying wood 
 situated a few miles from my march, and met with seven 
 bears in the course of the day. Count T. killed a large 
 female and a medium-sized one. A young male fell to old 
 Herr v. M., and a fairly well-grown female to a keeper, 
 while two were missed and one escaped without being shot at. 
 
 Still we had reason to be well satisfied with our shooting 
 trip, though it was unfortunately rather premature, for three 
 Bears had been killed and four wounded, while the guns had 
 seen four others, but had allowed them to pass without firing, 
 and one had broken back through the beaters. 
 
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES 
 
 Off 
 
 ORNITHOLOGY. 
 
 I. 
 
 ORNITHOLOGICAL research is a pursuit which I have often 
 followed very keenly, and though I am well aware how slight 
 and unimportant this collection of notes is, I solace myself 
 with the hope that under much mud and sand there may lie a 
 grain of gold which more able naturalists than I may consider 
 valuable and capable of being turned to account. 
 
 I will begin by devoting a few words to the group of the 
 Raptorial birds. 
 
 I have had frequent opportunities of both seeing and 
 studying that huge and imposing bird the Cinereous Vulture 
 ( Vultur drier eus) in a state of freedom, and first met with 
 it on a very mild snowless December day shortly before 
 Christmas. I was shooting foxes, with some other gentlemen, 
 in the large forest of St. Kiraly, a few miles from the village 
 of Godollo in Central Hungary, when, just as the beaters were 
 entering the cover, a large bird of prey rose slowly from the 
 ground, and flying into the wood about two hundred paces 
 from my post vanished from my sight. I knew that it was a 
 
410 MISCELLANEOUS NOTES 
 
 Cinereous Vulture, having often seen that species in con- 
 finement. 
 
 On the same day, some hours later, I was driving through 
 another part of the same forest when I saw a Cinereous 
 Vulture sitting on the dead top of a gnarled old oak. It 
 allowed the carriage to come up without moving, and did not 
 fly off until a second trap, which was closely following us, 
 reached the tree. Next day, however, there was nothing 
 more to be seen of this rare visitor. 
 
 The Cinereous Vulture only occurs in the woods of the 
 Godollo estate at rare intervals. According to the perfectly 
 trustworthy statements of the head forester Dittrich, it is 
 always to be seen when an epidemic breaks out among 
 the cattle. The Hungarian peasants have a bad habit of 
 throwing the dead beasts outside the villages and of burying 
 them either in a very slovenly fashion or not at all. This 
 dainty food attracts the Vultures ; and it once happened that 
 during a great murrain, some years ago, a keeper saw twelve 
 of these birds collected round a carcass at the edge of a 
 wood. 
 
 In September of the year 1879 there occurred among the 
 cattle an epidemic which was quite unimportant and confined 
 to a single village. Again one of the keepers saw five 
 Cinereous Vultures sitting on the old dead oaks of a thinly 
 wooded hillside above that very village. 
 
 This last case seems to me worthy of attention, and I can- 
 not help asking myself how the Cinereous Vultures which 
 appeared in the Godb'llo district knew of this trifling outbreak 
 of a disease which merely prevailed in one village ; for in 
 our country the true habitat of this bird only begins in Sla- 
 vonia on the right bank of the Danube, while throughout 
 Southern Hungary it is of very rare occurrence. Between 
 this latter region, however, and the woods around Godollo 
 there still intervenes a considerable distance. 
 
ON ORNITHOLOGY. 411 
 
 I consider this to be a very interesting question, and further 
 researches may very materially increase our knowledge of the 
 instinct of birds, their wanderings and the extent of ground 
 they traverse in the pursuit of prey. In this latter respect, 
 especially in the case of the raptorial birds, we seem to draw 
 the line rather too tightly. 
 
 In the spring of 1878 I had frequent opportunities of 
 observing the Cinereous Vulture at its nest. In the splendid 
 woods of Syrmia it breeds everywhere, and starting from the 
 village of Cerevic on the right bank of the Danube I made, as 
 already related, a series of excursions among the wonderful 
 forests of the Fruska-Gora. 
 
 Everywhere I met with Cinereous Vultures. I saw them 
 cruising high aloft, looking out for plunder, sitting on the old 
 oaks, gorged, and also busy at their nests, but never more 
 than eight of them together. 
 
 In those districts the Cinereous Vulture is a true forest- 
 bird as regards its nesting and roosting-places, for both are 
 situated in the midst of woods many miles in extent. Its food 
 it seeks beyond the wooded mountains, among the bare stony 
 hills that slope partly northwards to the Danube and partly 
 southwards to the valley of the Save, and I am also quite 
 convinced that the Cinereous Vultures which breed in the 
 Fruska-Gora range into the Bosnian and Servian mountains 
 in search of food, the great wing-power of this bird allowing 
 me to draw this conclusion with safety. 
 
 This vulture likes to rest oil rocks during the afternoon, 
 and where they are scarce appears to search for them, for we 
 found in the midst of the Fruska-Gora woods only one very 
 small group of rocky pinnacles, which were, however, crowded 
 with vultures in the afte'rnoon, while the incredible quantities 
 of droppings, castings, and feathers lying about them showed 
 that the spot must be a favourite resort of these huge 
 raptorial birds. 
 
412 MISCELLANEOUS NOTES 
 
 The Cinereous Vulture generally places its nest on the dead 
 upper branches of old oaks. Leafy trees it avoids, as they 
 would render the flying to and fro almost impossible, for these 
 are movements which it always executes but slowly and 
 with difficulty. The nest itself is bigger than that of the 
 largest eagle, and seems to me to be more carefully and 
 solidly built, while the mud which is always plastered upon 
 its outer edge and the great branches of oak which form its 
 foundation give the whole structure a grey appearance. 
 
 The Cinereous Vulture shows great anxiety about its brood, 
 and is far more heedless of danger than any of the eagles; and 
 both males and females take turns in the business of incuba- 
 tion, a habit I have never noticed amongst the eagles. That 
 this vulture does so, however, I know from personal observa- 
 tion. Its behaviour at the nest is also characterized by a 
 certain degree of recklessness, for one can hardly get it to rise, 
 and when frightened off it flies back in a few minutes and 
 again creeps into its dwelling. Every time, before leaving or 
 returning, the huge bird slowly erects itself upon the edge of 
 the nest, looks round with outstretched neck, and then, with 
 the assistance of its wings, settles itself inside in the clumsiest 
 fashion. 
 
 I have personally observed five Cinereous Vultures' nests, 
 four of which were placed on enormous oaks and one on an 
 old wild pear-tree. At all of them the birds only left the 
 nests after they had been much disturbed, and one always had 
 to shout, hammer the trunk of the tree, and throw up bits of 
 stick. At one nest I had such remarkable evidences of this 
 vulture's want of caution, that I think they are worth 
 detailing. 
 
 On reaching the place a forester and I tried to drive away 
 the devoted mother from her brood by shouting, stamping, 
 breaking branches, and throwing up the pieces, but all to no 
 purpose ; and it was not until I had missed the protruding 
 
ON ORNITHOLOGY. 413 
 
 head of the bird with a bullet that it leisurely rose and flew off. 
 The slow, heavy way in which it did so is shown by the fact 
 that I had plenty of time to change the rifle for a gun that 
 was lying on the ground; the two charges of shot, however, 
 took no effect, being stopped by the thick foliage. I was 
 still standing in the open near- the tree and looking about for 
 a good hiding-place, when the great bird came rushing up, 
 and so quickly that it at once vanished into its dwelling. 
 Again I drove it out with an unsuccessful rifle-shot, yet 
 within five minutes at the most the vulture appeared again 
 above the trees, took a few sweeps round, and once more 
 alighted on the edge of the nest ; but before it had settled 
 itself on the eggs it noticed me, and flew off ere I could get 
 a shot. A quarter of an hour now elapsed, both birds circling 
 aloft with hoarse croakings. Suddenly the female, which was 
 recognizable by its size, left its spouse and flew straight to 
 the nest ; but before it could get there I killed it with my 
 shot-gun. 
 
 I will add one more observation which I had several oppor- 
 tunities of making, and which seems to me rather striking : 
 it is that I found a singular enmity existing between the 
 Cinereous Yulture and the " Stein " Eagle, which even gave 
 rise to fierce fights, especially at the nest of the former. 
 " Stein " Eagles came flying past four of the Cinereous Vul- 
 tures' nests which I visited, circled above them, and swooped 
 after the parent birds, when they hurried up with cries of 
 alarm. Directly these bold eagles showed themselves, one of 
 the vultures returned to the nest and tried to cover its brood 
 with its own body, while in their aerial encounters it was 
 always the great vulture which fled from its valiant but much 
 smaller relative. 
 
 This behaviour of the vulture at the approach of an eagle 
 induced me to think that the latter might be trying to take 
 the eggs of the former. I cannot, however, say anything 
 
414 MISCELLANEOUS NOTES 
 
 definite on this point, and therefore only permit myself to 
 draw attention to it. 
 
 At one nest I witnessed a battle which reached a pitch that 
 I should never have believed possible. I was sitting one 
 afternoon under an old oak that bore on its upper branches 
 the nest of a Cinereous Vulture. Both the vultures had made 
 a few circles round my hiding-place, and had then disappeared 
 down a wooded valley, probably in search of plunder. I must 
 have been watching patiently for a good half -hour when I 
 heard a loud rushing sound above me. The noise increased, 
 and suddenly I saw a great mass, composed of the closely 
 involved wings, heads, and feet of two birds, fall straight down 
 to the nest and at once vanish within it. At^first I did not 
 know what to make of this phenomenon, but hardly had the 
 birds reached the nest when dust and twigs fell from it, and a 
 great disturbance made me aware that a fight was going on. 
 
 After a few moments there appeared, at short intervals, the 
 great wing of the Cinereous Vulture, its bare head, a smaller 
 wing, and presently the head and foot of a " Stein " Eagle. 
 Unfortunately all this happened so quickly that it was impos- 
 sible to get a safe shot at the portions of the birds' bodies of 
 which I caught such momentary glimpses. Suddenly there 
 was a creaking of the nest, the whole structure swayed, and a 
 Cinereous Vulture fell out over its edge down the trunk of 
 the tree on to one of the lower branches. There the heavy 
 bird caught hold and tried to extend its wings; but availing 
 myself of that moment, I sent a charge of heavy shot into the 
 middle of its breast, and it continued its fall dead. 
 
 No sooner had the shot rung through the wood than a 
 powerful " Stein " Eagle left the nest with easy flight, but 
 my second barrel, which I now let drive, unfortunately failed 
 to bring down the bold robber. 
 
 A forester belonging to the district, who knew how to dis- 
 
O^ ORNITHOLOGY. 415 
 
 tinguish the various birds of prey very well, had been awaiting 
 my return at a clearing about half a mile away, and before I 
 related my experiences he told me that, shortly before the two 
 shots, a Cinereous Vulture and a " Stein " Eagle had followed 
 each other high aloft and then, commencing to fight, had 
 descended towards my hiding-place. 
 
 I am perfectly sure that the Cinereous Vulture was the 
 owner of the nest, but what caused the fight I do not 
 know. It seemed, however, to be that the " Stein " Eagle 
 was certainly the stronger and more courageous bird, for it 
 had forced its way right into the dwelling of its huge 
 adversary. 
 
 I have rarely had an opportunity of seeing the Griffon 
 Vulture ( Vultur fulvus) in the open, and have never managed 
 to kill it. On several occasions, however, I observed it in 
 various parts of Slavonia, but always when it was soaring at a 
 very great height. The districts which I visited were gene- 
 rally wooded and had but few rocks, and rocks are what this 
 vulture must have before it feels at home. 
 
 Many naturalists even maintain that the Griffon Vulture 
 only builds on rocks ; but this is incorrect, for where they are 
 altogether wanting it puts up with big trees. It is, however, 
 quite true that in such wooded districts it is of very rare 
 occurrence. In the above-mentioned forests round Cerevic 
 we found only one nest of this bird; it was placed on a 
 large oak, and the female was killed by Eugen v. Homeyer as 
 she was flying up to it. 
 
 That the Griffon Vulture is now carrying out a definite 
 migratory movement in far greater numbers than the 
 Cinereous Vulture is an undoubted fact. Large flocks of 
 this species have already been often observed in Bohemia, 
 near Pardubitz for example in the year 1877 ; and when the 
 natural-history collections in the schools of small provincial 
 
416 MISCELLANEOUS NOTES 
 
 towns or the sporting trophies in country-houses are examined, 
 one very frequently finds in the western provinces of the 
 kingdom stuffed specimens of the Griffon, but very seldom 
 of the Cinereous Vulture. What is the reason of this ? 
 
 From what I have seen and heard, I believe that I have 
 good grounds for maintaining that the Griffon Vulture is now, 
 as already said, engaged in a vast migration, and is occupied 
 in extending the area of its distribution. 
 
 Certain species of animals change their habitats in the 
 course of time, but their reasons for so doing are as yet 
 unknown to us, and the investigation of these causes offers 
 splendid employment to students of the animal world. 
 
 According to my ideas, this vulture is drawing nearer 
 and nearer to the Alps. It has already taken up its abode in 
 the Karawanken to the south of Klangenfurt, and from there 
 it will spread further towards the north and west. In the 
 eastern and central Alps it is, as it were, replacing the Bearded 
 Vulture, which has now, alas ! almost entirely disappeared. 
 
 I may also mention, as an interesting fact, that the Egyptian 
 Vulture (Neophron percnopterus) regularly breeds in Switzer- 
 land, and that one or two of its nests are situated on a 
 mountain close to Geneva. In the museum of that town I 
 saw specimens that were killed in that locality, and one of 
 the Curators informed me that this bird still breeds there 
 .every year and invariably on the same mountain. 
 
ON ORNITHOLOGY. 417 
 
 II. 
 
 I AM in a position to furnish some notes on our European 
 eagles which may not, perhaps, be wholly devoid of interest ; 
 and 1 will begin with the " Stein " Eagle, as it is the species 
 that I have chiefly studied. 
 
 The "Stein" Eagle (Aquila fulva) is now-a-days considered 
 one of the rarest raptorial birds of our country, and even in 
 the works of the greatest naturalists one may read that this 
 powerful eagle has been driven from all other districts and 
 is now to be found almost exclusively in the Alps. These 
 statements I dispute. The " Stein " Eagle has not yet become 
 so uncommon, although there are but few places sufficiently 
 quiet for it to breed in. Among the inaccessible precipices 
 of many of the Alpine valleys its nest is safe from all 
 disturbance ; and it may here and there be found breeding in 
 certain of the ravines of Switzerland, Tyrol, Salzburg, and 
 Styria. These nests are heard of, as the mighty bird of 
 prey carries on its depredations over a large tract of 
 country, and it is therefore imagined that the Alps are 
 the only localities in which it occurs. This is, however, 
 quite incorrect, for though, thanks to the inaccessible preci- 
 pices, isolated nests do exist in the Alpine regions, still the 
 number of the " Stein" Eagles which specially frequent those 
 mountains is extremely small, much smaller than it is in 
 those lowlands that are tolerably well fitted for shy birds to 
 live in. 
 
 In the Alps every peasant is a practised shot, and every 
 sportsman considers the eagle the noblest of game, so that 
 wherever the mighty robber appears he is exposed to the 
 
 2E 
 
418 MISCELLANEOUS NOTES 
 
 most constant pursuit. I have ranged through our Alps in 
 the most varied directions, and have spent entire days high 
 up in the mountains, and I have, at the outside, not met with 
 more than four " Stein " Eagles ; but, on the other hand, I 
 have both seen and carefully observed many birds of this 
 species in divers flat districts of the kingdom, and have even 
 shot some of them. Excepting, however, the high moun- 
 tains, I know of no other locality within our realms where 
 they would breed. 
 
 I imagine that most of their nests are situated in the loftier 
 parts of the Carpathians, the Alps of Transylvania, and in the 
 forests of Eastern Prussia, Russian Poland, and other Russian 
 provinces. There must be places where this species can breed 
 quite undisturbed, for the number of young ones seen in 
 spring and summer, as well as the pairs and the solitary 
 adults encountered in winter, is very considerable. One 
 need, however, have sharp eyes, skill, and perseverance to 
 find out whether these eagles are passing through a given 
 district. 
 
 Like all other large birds of prey, the " Stein " Eagle only 
 begins to breed in its third or fourth year, and is from the 
 moment of its leaving the nest up to that time occupied 
 in long journeys and in ranging through the most distant 
 localities. 
 
 Its powers of flight are very great, and its wanderings 
 are limited by no other laws than those of hunger and 
 its fear of man, which increases with age. This being 
 the case, whither does not this swift powerful bird travel ! 
 There is, for example, not a single tract in the whole kingdom 
 unfrequented by the " Stein " Eagle. In one locality it is 
 seen more commonly, in another more rarely, but everywhere 
 a thorough search can and will disclose its presence, at all 
 events occasionally during the year. There is a current idea, 
 especially among sportsmen, that this eagle only visits the 
 
ON ORNITHOLOGY. 419 
 
 lowlands in the depth of winter, when hunger drives it down 
 from the mountains. This is quite a mistake, for though the 
 adult birds are still busy at their nest in the beginning of 
 summer, and are therefore confined to certain localities, the 
 young ones which have not yet paired range about as freely 
 in summer as in winter. 
 
 I had opportunities of seeing a great many " Stein " Eagles 
 in Syrmia, especially in the range of the Fruska-Gora. Their 
 lesser relatives, the beautiful Imperial Eagles, breed in those 
 splendid wooded valleys, but they themselves do not; for, 
 despite our thorough searching, we did not find a single nest 
 of this species. Young unpaired birds belonging to it were, 
 however, flying about the woods in great numbers, and we 
 saw some of them every day, although it was just the breeding- 
 season of the birds of prey. 
 
 In order to strengthen what has been already said about 
 these eagles being found in all parts of the kingdom, I may 
 mention that in Bohemia, where, at any rate, agriculture has 
 already made very great progress, the hall of almost every 
 large country-house is adorned with one or two " Stein " Eagles 
 killed on the estate ; and that even on the extensive shootings 
 of the open country round Prague sportsmen know this great 
 raptorial bird, not from books alone but from personal 
 observation, and can describe it accurately. 
 
 I will say nothing about the Riesen- and Erzgebirge and 
 the great Bohmer-Wald, for what has been already stated 
 applies to them ; but I may mention that in the woods round 
 Biirglitz and Lana, which belong to Prince Fiirstenberg, the 
 " Stein " Eagle is of very common occurrence, especially in 
 winter, and I have seen stuffed specimens which were killed 
 in those districts ; it even returns there so regularly that 
 attempts have already been made to kill it at a lure. In 
 Moravia, too, it is very common, this being the natural result 
 of the nearness of the Carpathians. 
 
 2E2 
 
420 MISCELLANEOUS NOTES 
 
 Of Lower Austria I can speak from my own experience 
 and from many personal observations, for in this part of the 
 country I was even lucky enough to kill a very large 
 " Stein " Eagle. In the whole neighbourhood of Vienna it 
 is one of the regularly recurring sights, and in all the pre- 
 serves among the auen of the Danube, as well as in the 
 Wiener- Wald and the open country, most of the keepers have 
 tales to relate of what has happened to them in their encounters 
 with these eagles. Several have already been shot in the 
 little pheasant-preserves near Laxenburg, and between 1840 
 and 1850 many of these noble birds were killed in the 
 Imperial park, which they used to frequent as long as there 
 was a large slaughter-house close beside the wall near Upper 
 St. Veit. Even now, young eagles may be seen cruising 
 above the meadows, attracted by the abundance of game. 
 Thus, for instance, in July 1878 a " Stein " Eagle took up 
 its abode within the park for three weeks, and in the 
 middle of September I saw one circling high above that 
 locality. 
 
 Certain spots are specially affected by these eagles, because 
 they are well situated, abound in game, and are quiet. To 
 such localities they come year after year, and often remain 
 a considerable time. There is, for example, a fir- wood near 
 Gaiiserndorf, in Lower Austria, which, being well stocked 
 with hares and rabbits, is a regular hunting-ground of the 
 " Stein " Eagle. In autumn, when work in the fields is over 
 and large flights of wild geese pitch on them every evening, 
 the eagles also appear, and stay for days and even weeks. 
 Others then relieve them, but there are often a good many 
 there at the same time, and so it goes on until the middle of 
 March. 
 
 This locality is well peopled ; several villages lie in its 
 immediate neighbourhood ; roads and railways run past it ; 
 the wood is not large, and the only positions which afford the 
 
ON ORNITHOLOGY. 421 
 
 birds an outlook are a few detached trees and boundary 
 heaps ; yet from one spot two or even three eagles are often 
 seen flying over the snow or sitting on the trees, waiting 
 for the hares to run past. 
 
 In Hungary the " Stein " Eagle is common enough in all 
 the districts where there is a large head of game. I know 
 one locality very well, which is yearly visited by this bird, 
 and is, I might almost say, one of its winter-stations, and can 
 therefore give some details about it. 
 
 Round Godollo, about an hour from Pest by rail, the 
 woods and heaths are stocked with incredible numbers of 
 red deer, some roe, and plenty of small game. In summer 
 the eagles frequently pass over the forests without halting 
 there. In autumn, on the other hand, they appear and often 
 stay until almost the end of March. The reason for their 
 so doing is quite clear to me, for from the beginning of 
 September up to about the middle of January the red deer 
 are being continually driven, and owing to their great 
 abundance and the pronounced disincli nation of the Hun- 
 garian keepers to make a proper search for the wounded 
 animals, a great deal of game is left lying in the woods, and 
 the eagles find a superfluity of enticing food. 
 
 Throughout three autumns and winters I have employed 
 myself in making observations at this favourite resort of the 
 eagles. One circumstance which I could not account for was 
 the great variation in the time when the birds first showed 
 themselves. In 1875 the first " Stein " Eagle appeared 
 somewhat after the middle of October, and remained a 
 long time. In 1876 heavy snow fell in Central Hungary 
 in the beginning of November, and in spite of the cold 
 having set in so early the first eagle only came to the woods 
 about Godollo on the llth of November. In the autumn of 
 1877, October was singularly mild, the trees were still in 
 full leaf, and the country had by no means an autumnal 
 
422 MISCELLANEOUS NOTES 
 
 look, yet I nevertheless, found some of these birds in their 
 customary haunts by the middle, and shot one on the 24th of 
 that month. 
 
 When the " Stein " Eagle finds a suitable district, it stays 
 there a long time, often for one or two months. It takes 
 up a fixed position, selects a certain tree as its roosting- 
 place, to which it returns every evening. It avoids remaining 
 for any length of time in the hunting-grounds of another of its 
 species, and merely flies over them rapidly. One finds, how- 
 ever, that a couple often keep faithfully together long after 
 the breeding-season, and that they hunt and sleep in company 
 throughout the winter. The same thing may be observed 
 among young birds, probably children from the same nest ; 
 they remain together for years, until their pairing-time also 
 comes. 
 
 Hunting in company is much more conducive to success, 
 and so it even happens that the " Stein " and the Sea-Eagles 
 become fast friends and remain together day and night. This 
 I have personally observed. A large pale yellow Sea-Eagle 
 and a male " Stein " Eagle appeared together one day in a 
 wood near Godollo, and frequented the same district for three 
 weeks. They were to be seen at all hours, and always 
 together. I encountered them almost daily, until at last 
 the " Stein " Eagle fell to my gun before the eyes of its 
 companion. 
 
 Strictly speaking, there is only one wood at Godollo to 
 which the eagles always resort, and this is St. Kiraly, the 
 most easterly of all. Their reason for selecting it is its great 
 quietude and the numbers of deer which are there crowded 
 into a small space. One comes across eagles in all the other 
 adjoining woods, especially on fine days, when they extend 
 their excursions ; but for roosting, and as a special residence, 
 they always make choice of that wood. 
 
 In the afternoon I often saw from one spot three and even 
 
ON ORNITHOLOGY. 423 
 
 four of these birds sitting on the dead tops of the old oaks 
 after a successful hunt. The more the deer are pursued 
 the greater is the number of eagles that appear, and if the 
 trouble was taken to lay out a deer every week at a particular 
 spot, and the birds not shot at, one could within a short time 
 collect a very large number of eagles in this single preserve. 
 In 1876 I exposed a deer in front of my hut on four occa- 
 sions, and spent four momings at the place, killing three 
 " Stein " Eagles and wounding one Sea-Eagle, which, unfor- 
 tunately, got away. 
 
 I have observed that the " Stein " Eagle also comes to 
 carrion even when in quite a high condition, but this it does 
 very reluctantly and only if much pressed for food. I have 
 only once shot one of these birds at a dead horse, and on that 
 day the ground was covered with several feet of snow, while 
 the temperature had fallen below zero. 
 
 One may say that this eagle is, as a rule, very fastidious, 
 for as long as hunting promises to be successful it disdains all 
 inferior food. If a deer is killed in the afternoon and laid 
 in front of the decoy-hut just as it is getting dark, without 
 its being gralloched or any trace of human hands left upon 
 it, one can make sure of seeing a " Stein " Eagle on the 
 following day. In the early morning, often before daybreak, 
 it appears at the place ; and the way to make still more 
 sure of a meeting with the bold robber is to place an Eagle- 
 Owl near the dead game, and then jealousy and an innate 
 hatred of its nocturnal foe is added to its greediness for the 
 feast. In this way I have killed six of these eagles, two of 
 them in one day, and even within one hour. 
 
 It is a mistake to think that the " Stein " Eagle is an ex- 
 cessively shy and cunning bird, for, conscious of its powers, 
 it is bold, quick, and impatient, and can therefore be easily 
 deceived and lured into danger. 
 
 When it is quietly sitting on a tree and becomes aware of 
 
424 MISCELLANEOUS NOTES 
 
 the dangerous presence of man it flies off fast enough ; for it 
 is not lazy, and is as active as ever even after a nieal. On 
 the other hand, its keen love of hunting and its bold disposi- 
 tion often lead it to follow up game until it gets quite close to 
 people. The same sort of thing takes place at the owl and 
 the decoy-hut. The instant that it catches sight of the foe 
 or the bait it dashes at them, and before it thinks of the 
 possible danger it is there, yet whenever anything seems 
 the least suspicious it vanishes with equal rapidity. A quick 
 shot will therefore find it easier to kill three " Stein " Eagles 
 than one of the heavy, lazy, but sly Sea-Eagles. 
 
 The great number of eagles killed by Draxler, who was 
 equally celebrated both as a singer and a shot, will serve as a 
 proof that this bird has not become so very rare. Besides 
 many Sea-Eagles and other birds of prey this indefatigable 
 sportsman also bagged a large number of " Stein " Eagles, all 
 shot, so far as I am aware, from his well-known hut at 
 Marchfeld, close to Vienna. 
 
 As further evidence of the truth of my statements I may 
 mention that, though I had but little time to devote to the 
 tedious sport of eagle-shooting, I killed during three winters 
 twelve " Stein " Eagles in a comparatively short time. 
 
 I may now be allowed to jot down a few remarks on the 
 Golden and " Stein " Eagle question, which has of late been 
 so often discussed in scientific circles. 
 
 What is Aquila chrysaetus ? This was the question that 
 so often forced itself upon me when I turned over the works 
 of so many naturalists and then saw, either in the open or in 
 collections, the bird described as the Golden Eagle. 
 
 All the specimens which we call chrysaetus are invariably 
 only colour-varieties of the true " Stein " Eagle. In every 
 large museum one finds specimens which are pointed out 
 by the Curators as rarities and true Golden Eagles, yet after 
 all they are not so. 
 
O^ ORNITHOLOGY. 425 
 
 The " Stein " Eagle varies much in plumage, and in this 
 variation age plays an important part; but one transition and 
 three main forms of its plumage, and even of its build, can also 
 be clearly distinguished, and they are dependent on the loca- 
 lity of the nest from which the bird has flown. No stress 
 can be laid on the very variable size of individuals of all these 
 forms, for that is caused by alimentary conditions during the 
 youth of the bird. 
 
 The south-west, north-west, and central European " Stein " 
 Eagles may be included in the first group, those of South- 
 eastern Europe in the second, and those that belong to the 
 north-eastern and northern parts of the continent in the third; 
 while between the second and third groups one finds an 
 intermediate, or what may be called a transition form. 
 
 The third form is the Golden Eagle of the old writers Nau- 
 mann and Brehm, and so clearly and definitely do these great 
 naturalists describe it, that it can easily be recognized. It 
 exists, but what to call it, and whether to elevate it to specific 
 rank or not to do so, is the point on which the whole question 
 hinges. My own opinion is that as an individual species it 
 can no longer stand unless two more new species are to be 
 created, and then we should have three species of " Stein " 
 Eagles. For this the differences are too slight, for they are 
 not nearly so important as between Aquila imperialis and its 
 Spanish relative A. adalberti. That is why one speaks of forms 
 and not of species, for there is only one species of " Stein " 
 Eagle, but it is split up into three forms according to the 
 region in which it lives. As an example of this practice 
 with regard to many birds, I may instance the case of Halia- 
 etus albicilla. There is a great difference in size between the 
 Sea-Eagles of Northern and Southern Europe, but yet it 
 would never occur to any one to make two species out of 
 them. 
 
 I have had fewer opportunities of observing the Imperial 
 
426 MISCELLANEOUS NOTES 
 
 Eagle (Aquila imperial! s), the lesser relative of the " Stein" 
 Eagle. In vain I searched for it in the great virgin forests 
 of Southern Hungary north of the Draueck, as well as in the 
 woods to the west of the Danube below Mohacs. Not once 
 did I even see it circling aloft ; I was, however, told by the 
 keepers that isolated couples often built their nests in the 
 great oak woods to the south-west of Mohacs, but, as I have 
 already said, I could not personally verify the statement. 
 
 It was some distance above Futak that I first saw the 
 Imperial Eagle. The bird was cruising over the Danube, 
 and from the steamer I observed several others of the same 
 species as they were setting out in the morning from the 
 wooded mountains of Slavonia towards the plains of the 
 Hungarian side of the river, in search of plunder. In the 
 true Syrmian mountains of the Yrdnik or Fruska-Grora there 
 are many nests of the Imperial Eagle ; but there it selects 
 the low outlying hills and the woods bordering the plains in 
 preference to the beech-forests which cover the higher moun- 
 tains, and though I certainly found a few nests among the 
 mountains, I met with it more frequently at lower elevations. 
 
 The reason of this is pretty clear : the ziesel forms its 
 chief food, an observation that was also made by Brehm on 
 the steppes of Siberia. One can easily see what a vital 
 necessity this little rodent is to the Imperial Eagle, and as it 
 is, of course, only found among fields, meadows, and heaths, 
 the eagles prefer to settle in the woods of the cultivated 
 country and the outlying hills. 
 
 The seven nests of this eagle which I saw were all placed 
 on oaks, some of them on thin saplings, for while the other 
 eagles, even the small ones such as the Osprey, the Pygmy, 
 and the Spotted, all show fastidious caution in picking out old 
 and lofty trees on which to construct their dwellings, the 
 Imperial appears to content itself with any tree that it hap- 
 pens to find. The nest itself, compared with those of other 
 
ON ORNITHOLOGY. 427 
 
 raptorial birds, is not large strikingly small indeed, consider- 
 ing the size of its owner, and built in what I should call 
 a very slovenly manner. 
 
 At all the nests of the Imperial Eagle I found whole colo- 
 nies of Tree-Sparrows, which fluttered round the abode of 
 their mighty landlord, chirping loudly. I have also observed 
 them at the nests of the Sea-Eagle, but not in such numbers. 
 
 The Imperial Eagle is shy and knows how to get out 
 of the way in good time ; it is, however, by no means 
 difficult to kill it at the nest, for it does not exhibit the 
 great and often marvellous circumspection of the Sea-Eagle. 
 It is true that at one's first approach it leaves its abode 
 sooner and more quickly than that bird, but it soon appears 
 again and flies straight back to it ; quite oblivious of the 
 sportsman. 
 
 This species is very common in the large woods of stunted 
 trees which extend over the perfectly level country near Titel, 
 above the junction of the Theiss with the Danube. There it 
 is, so to speak, the characteristic bird of the district, and there 
 also its principal food is the ziesel, which is so destructive to 
 the fields that it inhabits in multitudes. 
 
 In that locality I saw an Imperial Eagle's nest at the edge 
 of a large wood, and not more than three hundred paces dis- 
 tant from a road on which there was plenty of traffic. It 
 was placed on a low slender oak, and the birds being accus- 
 tomed to the sight of people were naturally very tame, so 
 that we had only to wait a few minutes before we killed the 
 old and finely plumaged female. 
 
 In the beginning of May I still found Imperial Eagles 
 engaged in the building of their nests. Others were sitting 
 on their eggs, and some even had young. These eaglets, 
 however, were still in down, and so small that it would 
 have been impossible to rear any of them. At one nest, 
 which was situated in a remote valley of the Fruska-Gora 
 
428 MISCELLANEOUS NOTES 
 
 mountains, I saw the male busily bringing food to the sitting 
 female. 
 
 The immature birds that have not yet begun to pair fly 
 about hunting, like the " Stein " Eagles already described, but 
 their excursions are naturally much more limited in extent 
 than those of their larger relatives, for the Imperial Eagle is 
 not cosmopolitan ; it has a well-defined range, and is a bird 
 of the South. The precise boundaries of the area of its distri- 
 bution I have not, however, been able to determine, as I have 
 hitherto only investigated the most northerly of the regions 
 .which it inhabits. 
 
ON ORNITHOLOGY. 429 
 
 III. 
 
 To the Spotted Eagle (Aquila ncevia) I can only devote a few 
 words, as I have but seldom had an opportunity of studying 
 it. It is unobtrusive and not very striking, and therefore 
 often escapes observation, although the whole of our country 
 lies within the area of its distribution. 
 
 In its wanderings, which extend far to the west, it passes 
 through the more western provinces of the kingdom com- 
 monly enough, avoiding the high mountains, for large plains 
 are its special hunting-grounds. 
 
 In Lower Austria, Moravia, and Bohemia it is a regular 
 and tolerably frequent visitor, and if we were to observe 
 more carefully, this interesting bird would be much oftener 
 seen, and it would be possible to give more precise data 
 about its journey ings and the localities in which it takes 
 up its quarters. 
 
 With us the Spotted Eagle only breeds in Galizia, Central 
 and Southern Hungary. In Germany it inhabits the 
 northern and eastern provinces. My own observations of it 
 have been confined to Hungary and Slavonia. I first saw it 
 on the island of Adony, south of Pest : there the bold robber 
 was circling over a heronry, followed by the frightened cries 
 of the old birds. Nowhere did I find it in the great auen 
 south of Mohacs and north of Draueck, for its true dwelling- 
 places are the dry woods among the fields and plains. 
 
 This bird was, as might have been expected, very common 
 in the Keskend wood, which lies to the south-west of Mohacs, 
 and is a few miles distant from the Danube. That is a 
 locality which exactly suits it, as, it is an oak wood of good- 
 
430 MISCELLANEOUS NOTES 
 
 sized trees, in the middle of a broad plain, and affords every- 
 thing that the Spotted Eagle can desire. The keepers told us 
 that it often breeds there ; but we were not lucky enough to 
 find a nest ourselves, though we often saw the birds flying 
 through the trees or circling aloft, either singly or in little 
 companies. 
 
 In Slavonia I saw Spotted Eagles hunting about the 
 wooded valleys of the Fruska-Gora mountains on several 
 occasions, and was much surprised to find this characteristic 
 bird of the plains among those thickly wooded and somewhat 
 high mountains. The fact may be explained by the 
 proximity of the great Hungarian plains, as well as those of 
 the Save further to the south, which must, according to our 
 united observations, be regarded as the daily hunting-grounds 
 of all the birds of prey nesting in the Fruska-Gora. In 
 one of the valleys of these mountains we even found a nest 
 of the Spotted Eagle, which the keepers pointed out as being 
 the abode of a Kite. 
 
 I found this species most abundant near the village of 
 Futak, on the left bank of the Danube. There it was really 
 the characteristic bird of the little oak woods, which were 
 surrounded by fields and heaths. We came across four 
 inhabited nests of it within a small area, and I noticed several 
 of these eagles flying about among the isolated clumps of 
 wood. The nests which I myself saw were placed on the 
 upper branches of medium-sized oaks, and were large and 
 strongly built, their form reminding us of those of the 
 Common Buzzard. The breeding females were all sitting 
 hard, and it was only after repeated tapping at the trunks 
 of the trees that they quitted their dwellings with a quick 
 gliding flight. 
 
 I several times saw Spotted Eagles in the woods at Kovil, 
 near the mouth of the Theiss ; but favourable as the nature of 
 the district appeared to be, I did not succeed in finding a 
 
ON ORNITHOLOGY. 
 
 431 
 
 single nest. I only observed one paired couple, and they 
 were probably still employed in building. 
 
 I will, in conclusion, give the measurements of three 
 Spotted Eagles killed in one district, as it may be interesting 
 to compare them with those of Aquila clanga, Aquila nipa- 
 lensis, and other specimens of ncevia from various localities. 
 
 
 Length. 
 
 Breadth. 
 
 Wing. 
 
 Tail. 
 
 Beak. 
 
 Tarsus. 
 
 Middle toe. 
 
 
 cm. 
 
 cm. 
 
 cm. 
 
 cm. 
 
 cm. 
 
 cm. 
 
 cm. 
 
 I. 
 
 59-5 
 
 155-5 
 
 47 
 
 23 
 
 5-2 
 
 9-3 
 
 5-5 
 
 II. 
 
 63 
 
 164-5 
 
 49-3 
 
 24 
 
 5 
 
 9-5 
 
 5-5 
 
 III. 
 
 65-8 
 
 162-6 
 
 47-2 
 
 24 
 
 4-7 
 
 10 
 
 5-2 
 
 The Pygmy Eagle (^Aquila pennata) , though apparently a 
 feeble little fellow, is a noble eagle from top to toe. It has 
 undeniably been less observed than any of our Central Euro- 
 pean birds of prey, and is therefore still very imperfectly 
 known. All parts of our native land, excepting the Alpine 
 regions, come within its range, and it may be found in most 
 of the districts of Central Europe, but is nowhere common. 
 It demands quiet and large woods, for immunity from all 
 disturbance and the pursuit of man are more necessary to it 
 than to many other raptorial birds. All the facts connected 
 with its existence plainly show how easily it falls a prey to 
 mankind, and this is the reason why we find it quite common 
 in the extensive woods of Hungary, Poland, Kussia, the 
 Principalities of the Danube, Turkey and Spain, but already 
 rare in the western provinces of Austria, and in Germany and 
 France. It still, however, occurs in all tracts of country 
 which gratify its demands, and if scarce has still nowhere 
 entirely disappeared. Plenty of practice, perseverance, and 
 good eyesight are the only requisites for the detection and 
 observation of the Pygmy Eagle in our woods. 
 
432 MISCELLANEOUS NOTES 
 
 It was long a matter of dispute whether Aquila pennata 
 (the Booted Eagle) ought to be separated from Aquila minuta 
 (the Pygmy Eagle) or not. Brehm persistently adhered to 
 the view that they should be divided into two species, and 
 many naturalists agreed with him. In the first edition 
 of his ( Thierleben ' one may still read of the two species. 
 In the second edition there is only one Pygmy Eagle, the 
 two species having been fused. Until recently I also was 
 impressed with the idea that they should be separated, and 
 held firmly to that conviction. The observations, however, 
 which I have had opportunities of making have taught me 
 to know better. 
 
 The Pygmy Eagle varies considerably in size, but what 
 raptorial bird does not? If new species were to be made 
 according to relative sizes, more ornithologists, especially the 
 learned gentlemen who have to do with museums and collec- 
 tions, would have the opportunities they so greatly desire of 
 splitting species, of giving new names, and of making out 
 that they have discovered new birds. One must go out into 
 the open, and study the ways and habits of a bird, in order 
 to form a proper conception of it, and there it will soon be 
 apparent how much its size and plumage may vary, but how 
 permanent are its habits. 
 
 The first Pygmy Eagles which I had an opportunity of 
 observing were particularly small specimens, and I felt sure 
 that I had made the acquaintance of Aquila minuta. A little 
 later I killed a specimen quite exceptionally large, and was 
 convinced that I had before me the Booted Eagle (Aquila 
 pennata). I afterwards often saw eagles of this species at 
 home and abroad, stuffed and in skins, while a great many, 
 killed near Vienna, passed through my hands. The large 
 specimens I always took to be pennata, the small ones 
 minuta. 
 
 It was not until 1880 that I had a chance of seeing and 
 
ON ORNITHOLOGY. 433 
 
 studying a comparatively large number of Pygmy Eagles in 
 Hungary, and on several occasions I saw that the forms 
 which I had before supposed to be Booted Eagles and 
 Pygmy Eagles respectively were represented by a single 
 pair. The habits of the larger birds were the same as those 
 of the smaller, and the variations of colour were also equally 
 common to both. 
 
 In speaking of the colour of this bird I must mention that 
 I have always met with two leading forms, and a third 
 which is only characterized by slight distinctions. The first 
 has the pale plumage with the white breast and underparts, 
 the light brown back, &c. : that is the best known, and, 
 according to my experience, the most common. The second 
 has the uniformly coffee-brown plumage, which varies much 
 in depth of shade among different individuals. The third has 
 the quite dark, almost black-brown dress, which is very rarely 
 met with in our country, and is (according to Louis Bureau 
 in France, and Brehm in Spain) the commoner among the 
 Pygmy Eagles of Western Europe. Among the many Spanish 
 Pygmy Eagles which I saw in the exceptionally rich collection 
 of skins at the British Museum, I also found some specimens 
 with this perfectly dark plumage. 
 
 The mistaken idea that the pale bird is the male, and the 
 dark the female, is still pretty widely spread ; and one of the 
 many extremely interesting points connected with this bird 
 of prey is the very fact that the variations of its colouring, 
 which differ just as much as the plumage of the cock Caper- 
 caillie does from that of the hen, are subject to no law known 
 to us. 
 
 Few European species offer so much material for study as 
 the Pygmy Eagle, and as in Austria, especially in the eastern 
 parts of the country, it is still tolerably common, Austrian 
 ornithologists ought to devote themselves to the study of this 
 bird. 
 
 2F 
 
434 MISCELLANEOUS NOTES 
 
 The finding of the Pygmy Eagle in extensive woods pre- 
 sents, as I have already said, certain difficulties. The dark 
 birds especially require a very practised eye to prevent their 
 being confounded with the Common Buzzard. In the imme- 
 diate neighbourhood of Vienna it is not really so rare as one 
 imagines, for in some parts of the Wiener Wald it even 
 breeds every year, and during its migrations one sees it in 
 parks and quite unimportant patches of wood, while it has 
 been repeatedly killed in the pheasant preserves at Laxenburg 
 and in the vicinity of Hietzing. In spring I often saw from 
 one spot several of these eagles going through their aerial 
 evolutions above the quiet wooded valleys of the Wiener 
 Wald, the character of these woodlands appearing to possess 
 peculiarities specially attractive to the Pygmy Eagle, for they 
 always frequent them as a resting-place during the time of 
 migration, and in the breeding-season one or two pairs 
 habitually nest in the Imperial park at Hiitteldorf. 
 
 The chain of the Fruska-Gora mountains, which has just 
 the same character as the Wiener Wald, is also a favourite 
 resort of the Pygmy Eagle, for there the beech and oak woods, 
 which are only interrupted by isolated little meadows, seem to 
 suit it quite as well as the large forests of the open country. 
 
 In the Wiener Wald this bird can be most easily observed 
 during the early morning hours of fine June days, when it 
 comes flying out of the woods low over the ground, and 
 settles among the small glades in order to catch mice, and 
 more especially grasshoppers. There I have seen and ob- 
 served it for days together almost every year. I never saw 
 it in the auen of the Danube at Vienna, and I was also 
 told by the keepers that it rarely comes to those woods, and 
 only on migration. The character of the auen does not suit 
 it, for I saw it but twice in the great forests near Apatin 
 and the neighbourhood of the Draueck. On the first occasion 
 a single bird was flying about ; on the second I was patiently 
 
ON ORNITHOLOGY. 435 
 
 watching under a Sea-Eagle's nest when a pair appeared, one 
 of which was in the light, the other in the dark plumage. 
 
 In the large Keskend wood, several times alluded to, we 
 found a pair of these birds still employed in building their 
 nest, and single individuals were also flying about in that 
 locality. In the Fruska-Gora, as I have already said, I saw 
 Pygmy Eagles several times every day, sometimes solitary, 
 sometimes paired." The light-coloured birds were the more 
 common, the dark rarer, but still of regular occurrence. 
 
 I have never seen so many of these graceful little eagles 
 crowded into such a comparatively small area as in the Kovil 
 and Sacer forests, in the district near the junction of the 
 Theiss. There I had opportunities of seeing them at all times 
 of the day, and also found some of their nests. In the beginning 
 of May, several of the females were already sitting closely on 
 their eggs, others were busy with the building of their nests, 
 and here and there pairs were flying about, seeking suitable 
 sites for their habitations. On the 3rd of May I found a dark- 
 coloured female sitting so hard that I with difficulty forced 
 her to leave her abode. 
 
 At the nest, as well as on all other occasions, the Pygmy 
 Eagle exhibits great confidence towards man and is not diffi- 
 cult to kill. Its behaviour in the woods is awkward, I might 
 say almost Owl-like. It sits quietly on the lower branches of 
 an old beech or oak for a long time, and not until one comes 
 close up to it does it flutter away low down between the stems 
 of the trees with a noiseless irregular flight. Quite different, 
 however, is its conduct when it is out hunting or amusing 
 the sitting female with an exhibition of its powers of flight: 
 then the Pygmy Eagle shows that it is a true member of 
 the group of noble eagles, for without any apparent move- 
 ment or beating of its wings it soars high over the woods and 
 hills, and now and then folds its pinions and drops like an 
 arrow to the earth. 
 
436 MISCELLANEOUS NOTES 
 
 The Pygmy Eagle has a fine melodious voice : I might 
 really speak of it as the singing eagle ; for the varied notes 
 which it utters constitute a song, short indeed, but still not a 
 call, and more like the utterances of many of the song-birds 
 than the shrill whistle of the other raptorial birds. 
 
 I had often heard this song of the Pygmy Eagle, but at 
 first never imagined that the pretty notes proceeded from a 
 bird of prey until I chanced to see the beautiful creature 
 perched on a dead branch with open beak and inflated throat, 
 warbling its ecstatic love-song to its sitting mate. 
 
 I believe that I am right in thinking that, like its larger 
 relatives, it only pairs after several years, for during each 
 breeding-season I saw solitary individuals ranging carelessly 
 through the woods in pursuit of sport and plunder. 
 
 Its nest much reminds one of that of the Spotted Eagle 
 or of the Common Buzzard, and, as with them, the structure 
 is distinctly large compared with the size of the bird. I 
 believe that only in the rarest instances does the Pygmy 
 Eagle have recourse to nest-building ; and that, wherever 
 it can do so, it turns the Spotted Eagles and Buzzards 
 out of their dwellings, as it naturally prefers their nests, 
 and that where it can find nothing better it appropriates 
 the slovenly constructed abodes of the Kites instead of 
 making a nest of its own. I have twice found and killed 
 Pygmy Eagles at nests which on both occasions were proved 
 to belong to the Common Kite. It was in the Wiener Wald 
 that this first happened. I had found a Kite's nest, had ob- 
 served the splendid pair of birds for some days, and had even 
 fired an ineffectual shot at them, when one afternoon, as I was 
 again sitting under the nest, there appeared, instead of the 
 Kite, a beautiful light-coloured Pygmy Eagle. It flew noise- 
 lessly to the tree where the nest was placed, settled on the 
 edge of the Kite's dwelling, towards the interior of which it 
 was stretching out its head, when a shot brought it down. 
 
ON ORNITHOLOGY. 437 
 
 On the second occasion I went through a somewhat similar 
 experience in the Fruska-Gora. An accomplished forester, 
 well acquainted with birds, conducted me to a Kite's nest, 
 where I tried to drive out the occupant by hammering at the 
 trunk of the tree, but it was not until after repeated attempts 
 that a handsome Pygmy Eagle flew out and fell to my shot. 
 A few days before, the forester had frightened out the female 
 Kite, and on the very day wh'en I found the Pygmy Eagle as 
 an interloper in the nest the pair of Kites were anxiously 
 circling over the spot. Both the nests of these Kites were 
 placed on oak trees in very similar situations. 
 
 Near Kovil I found a dark-coloured female Pygmy Eagle 
 in a particularly large nest. The male, decked in the beauti- 
 ful pale plumage, was perched close by, and when I approached 
 fluttered anxiously from tree to tree without flying far away, 
 even after its mate had been shot. 
 
 It is difficult to furnish detailed and connected information 
 about the Pygmy Eagle, for one only sees it now and again, 
 and it is only when favoured by good luck that one has an 
 opportunity of studying this highly interesting bird. 
 
 In the beautiful uninhabited mountains close to the splendid 
 lake of Butrinto, in Albania, I have seen the bold, powerful, 
 and equally interesting BonehTs Eagle (Aquila bonellii) 
 cruising about, but it unfortunately never came well within 
 shot. I hope, however, that on some future occasion I may 
 be able to record some particulars concerning this bird. 
 
438 MISCELLANEOUS NOTES 
 
 IV. 
 
 THE many opportunities that I have had of studying the 
 great Sea-Eagle (Haliaetus albicilla), the largest of all our 
 eagles, lead me to believe that I can furnish some notes con- 
 cerning it which may not be wholly uninteresting to many 
 of my readers. 
 
 The Sea-Eagle is the best known eagle of our country, 
 although it breeds in so few of its districts; for it is very 
 widely distributed, and one may safely say that, with the ex- 
 ception of the Alps, every part of Austria is yearly visited 
 by this bird in the course of its wanderings. It is the com- 
 monest of our eagles, but in most places merely appears at 
 certain seasons of the year, and there are only a few southern 
 localities where it is more than a winter bird, a passing guest 
 on its travels. 
 
 The western parts of Austria are for the Sea-Eagle merely 
 winter-quarters. It visits them on its long journeys, which 
 begin in autumn and continue until about the middle of 
 March. It may be met with during the winter months 
 throughout Central Europe, excepting the high mountains. 
 These it shuns, or at most just touches them on its migrations. 
 During my many rambles through all the Alpine districts of 
 Austria I never saw a Sea-Eagle, and have only heard of one 
 being killed within the last few years. It was shot in the 
 range of the northern limestone Alps, and was a very power- 
 ful young bird, which frequented the shores of the lake of 
 Gmunden and the most northerly spurs of those mountains 
 for three weeks. From time to time it flew a little way up 
 the Traun, towards the interior of the hills, and after doing 
 much damage among the ducks and other waterfowl of the 
 
ON ORNITHOLOGY. 439 
 
 lake, it was caught in a trap near Ebensee, but was so slightly 
 injured that it was quite fit to be an ornament of the Zoolo- 
 gical Gardens at Schonbrunn. 
 
 The Sea-Eagle is not, 011 the whole,'very critical in its 
 choice of winter-quarters. It prefers large rivers and streams, 
 and also selects districts where lakes and ponds will provide 
 it with food, remaining close to them until they are quite 
 frozen ; but from that moment it may be seen away in the 
 interior of the plains, far from all water. Fish certainly form 
 its chief diet ; but in winter, as soon as these fail, it pursues 
 all sorts of game, from the doe of the Roe Deer down to the 
 smallest vertebrate animal. It is indeed so fond of hares and 
 rabbits that it even forsakes the waters and spends a long 
 time in localities where these animals abound. 
 
 Most of the Sea-Eagles build their nests on the shores of 
 the northern seas, in Norway, Sweden, on the coasts of the 
 German Ocean and the Baltic, in the great forests of Russia 
 and Northern Germany, and in Mecklenburg, especially on 
 the island of Riigen, which is one of their well-known 
 breeding-places. It has also several favourite resorts along 
 the large rivers of Southern Russia near the Black Sea, but 
 never nests in Central Europe proper. The only spots in our 
 own country where it now breeds are situated in Southern 
 Hungary, the Banat, and on the Danube down to the Servian 
 frontier. 
 
 In spring the Sea-Eagles are of course busy at their nests, 
 and until the young are fully fledged do not begin their 
 travels, which at first only extend over a limited area in the 
 neighbourhood of their breeding-places, the greater journeys 
 commencing towards the middle of October, and in mild 
 autumns even later. 
 
 Many of these eagles naturally remain on the sea-coasts, 
 chiefly on those of the northern waters, but numbers of 
 them come down into the interior of Europe, and there 
 
440 MISCELLANEOUS NOTES 
 
 range about, following the upward course of the rivers; 
 while others, especially those which nest in Southern Europe, 
 extend their journeys to Asia Minor and Egypt, and there 
 pass the winter. Their autumn migrations are quite irre- 
 gular, for they are not true birds of passage, and seek no 
 milder climate, but, like all the eagles, travel about in search 
 of hunting-grounds. One day they spend in northerly, 
 another in more southerly districts, just as their hunting 
 necessitates ; and this is the reason why we find the Sea-Eagle 
 in all parts of Central Europe, even more frequently than the 
 " Stein " Eagle. Although the latter nests in the heart of 
 our continent, in the Swiss Alps, Spain, the Pyrenees, and so 
 many of the extensive forests of Europe, still the Sea-Eagle, 
 which sets up its abode further from us, is a much commoner 
 bird, for its numbers are far greater. The number of eggs 
 which it lays is also almost invariably larger, for a nest of the 
 " Stein " Eagle is rarely tenanted by more than one young 
 bird ; but it is not uncommon to see three Sea-Eaglets in a 
 single eyrie. Fish being the principal food of the Sea-Eagle, 
 it is naturally in a position to bring up its young much more 
 easily, and its cunning wary habits also enable it to avoid 
 more dangers than the dashing " Stein " Eagle. Seldom are 
 more than two, at most three, of the latter birds seen at the 
 same moment, while on the northern coasts of Europe, as 
 well as at their breeding-places in Southern Hungary, the 
 former may be met with in companies of seven or eight, or 
 even more. In all well- watered localities, where excessive 
 cultivation does not make its free robber-life impossible, it is a 
 winter resident ; but there are certain districts which, by 
 reason of their special qualifications, yearly harbour great 
 numbers of these birds. There they pass a shorter or longer 
 time, and are always replaced by others. The auen of the 
 Danube, close to Vienna, are, for example, one of their 
 favourite winter resorts, and in former times especially, when 
 
ON ORNITHOLOGY. 441 
 
 there was more game and they were able to find abundance 
 of food on land in the event of the ice holding, eight to ten 
 Sea-Eagles often appeared on the Lobau, where they were 
 concentrated within a small area. In the evening they roosted 
 on the tall elms and white poplars, and a great many were 
 then shot by the keepers. Things have, however, changed 
 since that time, but three or four still come to the auen in 
 the immediate neighbourhood of Vienna every year, and there 
 spend the winter. The March is also one of the chief lines 
 of this eagle's migration. From Germany they come to 
 Moravia, follow that river up to the Danube, and there hunt 
 about up and down. From the March they also make ex- 
 cursions away over the Marchfeld, straight to the Danube. 
 
 In January and February they are seen in almost every 
 part of Lower Austria north of the Danube. The little fir- 
 woods near Ganserndorf form one of the headquarters and 
 favourite roosting-places, to which they come every year, 
 especially when the ice on the rivers makes fishing impossible. 
 There they try to make up for their deprivations by hunting 
 hares and rabbits, and many are then killed at the Eagle-Owl 
 huts round Ganserndorf, Wagram, and even as low as 
 Aspern. I need only refer to the numbers of Sea-Eagles 
 that the celebrated eagle-hunter Draxler used to shoot from 
 his hut at Ganserndorf, where I myself once saw near the 
 railway two of these birds following each other close to the 
 ground. The Sea-Eagle is also a common yearly visitor in 
 the neighbourhood of the Neusiedler Lake, where it hunts 
 the ducks in the reed-beds and does great havoc among the 
 fish, for it is one of the most arrant robbers of these creatures, 
 and does immense damage to the fishermen. 
 
 Similar localities also exist in Hungary, where it may be 
 met with in winter almost daily. I have frequently observed 
 it in the woods at Godollo, and in October, when its first 
 great hunting-trips begin, have often seen one or two every 
 
442 MISCELLANEOUS NOTES 
 
 day, and for many consecutive days. They fly high above 
 the woods, and none of them settle, for they are still travelling 
 from river to river in search of hunting-grounds, and the 
 most that any of them do is to circle round and try to appease 
 their hunger with a hare. After the commencement of their 
 migratory season these eagles quite disappear from that 
 neighbourhood for some time, for they have all reached the 
 places where they can find their favourite food ; they are 
 then on the lakes and rivers. 
 
 Not untilthe great cold sets in do they return to the 
 woods ; then one often sees them in the forest which I 
 mentioned when treating of the " Stein " Eagle, from two to 
 four being frequently assembled at one spot. Sometimes, 
 however, when the weather is mild Sea-Eagles may be sought 
 for in vain in the woods of Grodollo ; one or two may halt 
 there perhaps for a few hours about the middle of December, 
 but that is all. In severe winters they are, on the contrary, 
 visitors upon whose appearance one can safely count. In 
 1875 I there lured with horseflesh, and was fortunate enough 
 to kill, a very pale-yellow coloured Sea-Eagle, which had 
 been ranging for some time through a particular wood. Soon 
 afterwards another very old bird appeared and went about 
 for nearly a month with a " Stein " Eagle, which I finally 
 killed before its eyes. 
 
 The same sort of thing takes place at the commencement 
 of the mild weather, towards the middle or end of March, as 
 in October. There then comes a succession of days when 
 Sea-Eagles may be met with in almost every district of 
 Central Europe. That is the time when they are flying to 
 their breeding-places. In the neighbourhood of Vienna, 
 which throughout the winter is well stocked with them, I 
 only remember to have seen one during the breeding-season. 
 It was a very pale-coloured old bird, and made its appearance 
 in the Imperial Park at the beginning of June. It devoured 
 
ON ORNITHOLOGY. 443 
 
 several young wild pigs and little Mouflon lambs, and dis- 
 appeared after staying about a week. During the day it 
 generally sat on the banks of the two ponds that lie close 
 together, or on a great elm that stands in the middle of a 
 meadow, but always kept so cautiously out of the way of any 
 one who tried to approach it with a gun, that nobody ever 
 succeeded in getting a shot at it. The crows and jackdaws 
 worried it incessantly, and it often took wide flights round 
 the meadows only to shake off its pursuers. 
 
 What I have already said of the " Stein " Eagle, namely 
 that it may be found everywhere, even in districts where one 
 least expects it, naturally applies, in a far greater degree, to 
 the Sea-Eagle ; and it is, in my opinion, not only the com- 
 monest eagle, but even one of the most widely distributed 
 and most abundant of all the European raptorial species. It 
 is really quite a common ordinary bird, astonishing only from 
 its size to those who have seen but few eagles. In winter, as 
 I have already said, it visits all parts of the country, even the 
 most civilized and densely populated, nor does it become 
 alarmed at being constantly pursued, for its quiet cunning 
 always enables it to escape at the right moment. 
 
 During the winter it is met with throughout Germany, 
 and the same may be said of our thickly peopled provinces. 
 In Bohemia, for example, where the " Stein " Eagle is ac- 
 counted a great rarity, the Sea-Eagle yearly appears in con- 
 siderable numbers. On the ponds of the southern parts of 
 that country, notably in the district of Wittingau, several are 
 killed every season ; and in all the Bohemian country houses 
 one finds among the sporting trophies various Sea-Eagles 
 which are habitually pointed out with pride as " Stein " 
 Eagles. In Bavaria, also, especially on the southern lakes, 
 it is very common during the cold weather, and in the auen 
 of the Isar it occurs almost throughout the winter. It is, 
 as already said, easy to find everywhere, but very hard to 
 
444 MISCELLANEOUS NOTES 
 
 kill, except when nesting, and it is not until the districts 
 where it breeds are visited that one finds out how numerous 
 Sea-Eagles are, even at the present day. 
 
 Keepers living on the Danube not far from Draueck have 
 told me that in July, when the fledgling eagles are making 
 their first excursion along the river, and are still very awk- 
 ward at hunting and fishing, they congregate in the auen 
 among the smaller arms of the Danube, so that when the 
 water subsides, after the yearly spring inundations, they may 
 catch the fish that are swimming about in the shallows. At 
 that time incredible numbers of old and young Sea-Eagles 
 are said to collect within a small area; and if the keepers 
 knew what to do with them, and did not grudge their am- 
 munition, they could, by hiding themselves on one of the 
 arms of the river, kill, in a single morning, ten or twelve of 
 these birds as they fly up and down the water. 
 
 The young Sea-Eagle is not particularly shy, for it does 
 not yet know what danger is, and being clumsy and heavy 
 dislikes changing its position often, and so allows itself to be 
 closely approached ; but the old bird, that has already travelled 
 much and has, while ranging about the most varied districts 
 of Central Europe, often heard the shot sing past him, is one 
 of the wariest of creatures. Most of these old winter visitors 
 can only be killed by employing the Eagle-Owl, and some of 
 them even understand the owl and the decoy-hut, and scru- 
 pulously avoid both. I have seen Sea-Eagles sitting a few 
 hundred paces from a carcass and constantly looking at it, 
 but never allowing themselves to be deluded into coming 
 down to it. The easiest but most unsportsmanlike way of 
 getting hold of them is by poison, laying out poisoned rabbits, 
 for instance, by the banks of rivers. By this means Sea- 
 Eagles are destroyed every winter along the Danube between 
 Vienna and Pressburg. 
 
 The change in the colour of its plumage which every Sea- 
 
ON ORNITHOLOGY. 445 
 
 Eagle makes during its life is interesting, and I believe that 
 this bird attains an extraordinary age, very much greater than 
 is usually imagined. For several years it flies about in a 
 dark dress, almost as brown as that of the " Stein " Eagle, 
 and with a bluish beak and somewhat darker feet. It is then 
 that Sea-Eagles are mistaken for " Stein " Eagles, and are 
 even sent to museums as such. The first change of plumage 
 takes place very slowly, the back remaining dark longest. 
 The earliest part to colour is the breast, and in most cases the 
 bird only becomes adult when it has fully assumed the light 
 dress, i. e. after several years. 
 
 I have seen some of these eagles, and I even kiUed one 
 myself, in a most remarkable transition state of plumage. It 
 was really quite spotted and was accompanied by a perfectly 
 dark-coloured, and therefore much younger, bird. I shot it 
 at a dead horse, in the middle of the breeding-season, but it 
 had no nest and was in its prentice years. I saw another 
 with somewhat similar plumage, which already had a nest ; 
 it was clad in the pale dress, with the exception of some 
 isolated dark feathers, and its beak was still blue-grey. The 
 older the bird, the lighter is the beak and the whole plumage. 
 
 Among the Sea-Eagles that range about in winter indi- 
 viduals are often seen which, at a distance, appear quite white. 
 The tail, at first dark, always becomes paler in course of time, 
 and begins by being banded like that of the so-called Golden 
 Eagle, but one feather after another blanches, until at last in 
 old age the whole becomes brilliantly white. 
 
 In our country the only breeding-grounds yearly visited 
 by the Sea-Eagle are situated in the southern parts of 
 Hungary (at least I know of no other frequented nesting- 
 places), and every year the advance of civilization is driving 
 them further back. Thirty or forty years ago, as we learn 
 from the writings of several of the earlier ornithologists, Sea- 
 Eagles still nested in considerable numbers on the island of 
 
446 MISCELLANEOUS NOTES 
 
 Adony, which is only two hours and a half distant from Pest, 
 and was also formerly noted for its large heronries ; while not 
 much earlier there were nests of this eagle in the " aueri " near 
 Vienna. It is constant persecution and especially the cut- 
 ting down of its favourite nesting-trees that have driven it 
 so far away ; and I believe that, given a fair amount of quiet 
 and a cessation of all pursuit, a few eagles might easily be 
 induced to nest again, even in the immediate vicinity of our 
 capital. 
 
 According to the information that I have hitherto re- 
 ceived, the Sea-Eagles' nests nearest to Vienna at the present 
 time are situated south of Mohacs, on an island formed by 
 the broad arm of the Danube known as the Bega Canal. 
 There I found three inhabited nests of this bird ; and even they 
 are doomed to destruction, as the woods of that island have 
 recently been put under scientific management. On seeing 
 these nests I was astonished at finding the dwellings of three 
 pairs of Sea-Eagles on an island traversed by roads, easily 
 approachable on every side, and protected by its greater 
 elevation from all inundations. I was also told by the keepers 
 that several years ago there existed quite a large colony of 
 these birds on this island of Bega and the surrounding 
 auen, but that every year they had retreated before the 
 increasing wood-cutting and the herds of cattle consequent 
 thereupon. 
 
 In the woods of the auen, some hours' walk south of 
 Apatin, there still exist breeding-places of the Sea-Eagle, 
 which exceed the wildest expectations of the ornithologist. 
 Within a few days some of my friends and I had opportunities 
 of observing nineteen inhabited nests of this species. How 
 many more there were which we did not find might be in- 
 ferred from the numbers of these eagles which were ranging 
 about in search of food for their young. 
 
 In Southern Hungary (by which I mean the district north 
 
ON ORNITHOLOGY. 447 
 
 of Draueck, and close to it) all the nests of the Sea-Eagle are 
 situated in the thickest woods of the auen, where they are 
 protected hy a network of the arms of the Danube and hy 
 the yearly spring-floods. There I never found a nest in the 
 dry inland woods, not even in those lying near the region of 
 the auen. It was, however, otherwise in Slavonia, where 
 the Danube is hemmed in by hills on the right bank, while 
 on the left there is but a narrow strip of auen, which 
 affords very insufficient breeding-grounds for the Sea-Eagle. 
 In that part of the country it places its nest at a considerable 
 distance from the river, and not only in the inland woods, 
 but also in the mountain-valleys of the Fruska-Gora. 
 
 Of the nineteen nests which we visited, two stood exposed 
 on the very tops of the trees, all the rest on horizontal 
 branches, more or less close to the main stem, three being on 
 secondary boughs, the rest quite close to it. Six were built 
 on oaks, five on black and five on white poplars, two on 
 beeches, and one on a wild pear-tree. The sizes of the nests 
 varied very much according to their age, and we could easily 
 tell the newly constructed ones by their smaller bulk and the 
 freshness of their materials. The old nests, which must have 
 decorated the trees for a great many years, were more than 
 six feet and half in diameter, and of a grey weathered colour. 
 Every year the nest becomes somewhat larger, for the eagle 
 always makes a few repairs before it begins to breed. The 
 biggest that I saw stood on the highest point of an old 
 pear-tree visible from afar ; it had been taken possession of 
 by a very 'old pale-coloured individual, and was a veritable 
 stronghold of its mighty occupant. 
 
 The Sea-Eagle selects thick high trees for its dwelling, and 
 it is only when compelled by sheer necessity that it puts up 
 with a thin stem. 
 
 In a perfectly dry deciduous wood, a few miles from the 
 village of Kovil, near the junction of the Theiss, I found an 
 
448 MISCELLANEOUS NOTES 
 
 inhabited nest on a weak oak sapling in the middle of a 
 young cover. The whole forest was, in consequence of the 
 miserable sandy soil, composed of very poor trees. This, the 
 only Sea-Eagle's nest in that wood, was skilfully built to lean 
 against the stem and the thickest branch of the tree, and from 
 the nature of the above circumstances was so small in pro- 
 portion to the size of its owner, that one could observe all the 
 movements of the already well-grown eaglet in the swaying 
 fabric. 
 
 Excepting two of them, all the other Sea-Eagles' nests that 
 we saw were peopled with whole colonies of Tree-Sparrows 
 impudent birds that hopped about without caring either for 
 the young or the old eagles, and a perfectly unruffled friendship 
 seemed to exist between the mighty lords of the nests and the 
 little parasites. Nor did these eagles appear to trouble them- 
 selves in the least about other smallish birds, for I often saw 
 Turtle-Doves, little Hawks, Thrushes, &c. quietly sitting on 
 the nesting-trees, and close under one of them was breeding 
 a Wild Duck. 
 
 During my sojourn in those districts in the end of April 
 and the beginning of May, all the Sea-Eagles' nests contained 
 young birds in various states of development. In some they 
 were very large and already feathered, in others very small 
 and still in down ; but even birds of the same nest differed 
 greatly in size. Three taken from one eyrie were so unlike 
 each other that the largest was at least twice as big as the 
 smallest. We had four nests taken, only one of which con- 
 tained three young birds, the others two. One eaglet we 
 found squatting on the ground, under the nest, but its good 
 condition showed us that even there it had been faithfully fed 
 by its parents. 
 
 I managed to collect a good many notes on the behaviour 
 of the Sea-Eagles when breeding, but they were confined to 
 the period when the nests already contained young birds, for 
 
ON ORNITHOLOGY. 449 
 
 I never had an opportunity of observing a sitting female. 
 The hen bird passes the night in her nest and the male rests 
 on an adjacent tree. Early in the morning both fly off in 
 search of plunder, either alternately or together, and generally 
 return to give the young their first meal about seven o'clock. 
 They then stay near the nest for some time, and afterwards 
 regularly set out on their hunting-expeditions, remaining 
 away for several hours, provided the young have attained a 
 certain age. About the beginning of the afternoon there 
 comes a time of repose, when they are generally to be found 
 near their nest. Towards evening they resume their hunting 
 with renewed vigour, and carry it on until the setting of the 
 sun warns them that it is time to roost. On cold rainy days the 
 female remains several hours longer in the nest during the 
 morning, in order to keep her young warm ; and before the 
 bursting of a storm the careful mother hurries back and sits 
 closely in the nest. This I have myself observed near Apatin, 
 before the commencement of a downpour that was like a 
 waterspout. We only found females at six of the nests, and 
 always under the above conditions. Most of them sat lightly, 
 and were either frightened away by the noise of our approach 
 or by a gentle tapping on the stem of the tree. In but one 
 nest did I find the female sitting so hard that she could only 
 be frightened off by a constant hammering at the tree and a 
 throwing up of branches, and that was on a rainy disagree- 
 able morning. 
 
 If the Sea-Eagle thinks itself perfectly safe, it relaxes, in a 
 marked degree, the great and peculiar caution which it 
 otherwise displays, and when it returns from hunting, laden 
 with booty, flies straight to its dwelling, within which it 
 at once disappears. After placing the food before its young, 
 it again leaves the nest, and often either plays about low 
 over the trees, near the spot where the observer is stationed, 
 or settles on a dead branch to preen its feathers. There is, at 
 
450 MISCELLANEOUS NOTES 
 
 a certain distance from every nest, a particular tree with dead 
 upper branches, on which the eagles rest, and which is exclu- 
 sively used for that purpose. If, however, the Sea-Eagle has 
 detected any one near its abode, there is an instant end to its 
 carelessness, and it circles high and low over the place, 
 uttering the incessant cries of warning by which it seeks to 
 summon up its mate, that they may examine the neighbour- 
 hood in company, and not be absent for an instant from the 
 spot where danger threatens. Every movement of the dis- 
 covered enemy is responded to by renewed screams, nor do 
 they for a moment relax their precautions until the danger 
 has entirely vanished. Should another Sea-Eagle come into 
 their territory, they at once hunt it out, but in a playful 
 manner, for among the eagles on the ^Danube such serious 
 encounters do not take place as certainly occur elsewhere, as 
 the pairs breed too close together, and the extent of ground 
 which each couple regard as their own is very small. I twice 
 found these birds nesting hardly six hundred paces from each 
 other. 
 
 Four of the Sea-Eagles observed by us brought fish to their 
 young, some of which were still alive. This is not remarkable 
 in the auen, where the nests are often situated close to the 
 water; but in the Fruska-Gora, where we also found two of their 
 eyries, we thought it interesting to see live fish in the claws of 
 the eagles. These birds must have traversed at least three or 
 four miles in a straight line from the Danube, over the bare 
 outlying hills, before reaching the woods of the Fruska-Gora. 
 Yet there one of my companions saw an eagle carrying two 
 fish at the same time, one of which it threw into the nest, and 
 then settled upon a branch, holding the other in its claws. 
 There it was killed, and about half an hour afterwards the 
 second eagle came up, perched on a branch, escaped uninjured 
 from a shot fired at it, and let fall a fish, which was picked up 
 by the jagers. The observer then left the nest, but returning 
 an hour later, found that the fish which had been lying on the 
 
ON ORNITHOLOGY. 451 
 
 branch had disappeared, and as it could not be discovered on 
 the ground, the female must have returned, picked it up, and 
 carried it to the young. 
 
 We found, as already mentioned, only two Sea-Eagles' 
 nests in the Fruska-Gora; but, on the other hand, we saw 
 large numbers of this species flying about in company with 
 the Cinereous Vultures and the " Stein " and Imperial Eagles. 
 We were also fortunate enough to see two interesting proofs 
 of the courage displayed by this bird towards man. One of 
 my friends wounded a female Sea-Eagle at a dead goat. It 
 flew down the valley hard-hit, and a keeper was sent after it, 
 who soon found the bird and gave it a finishing shot. While 
 he was still busy with the slain creature, there came a great 
 rush over his head, and he saw a large Sea-Eagle, which had 
 probably noticed its dead comrade, and, furious at the sight, 
 was levelling fierce assaults at the hated intruder. The eagle 
 dashed down so close to him that the otherwise perfectly 
 fearless man had to seek shelter under a thick tree. The 
 second instance of a similar attack happened at a nest which I 
 myself visited. I had been lucky enough to kill the female, 
 had soon afterwards missed the male, and had then sent a 
 climber to take out the young ones ; but hardly had the man 
 clambered up to the nest when the eagle appeared in a great 
 state of excitement, and swooped down close above his head. 
 
 Within a few days nine young Sea-Eagles were taken out 
 of the nests, and we reared them under very unfavourable 
 circumstances, but nevertheless brought them all home alive ; 
 this gave me an opportunity of learning how tough the 
 nestlings of the Sea-Eagles are, and what strong constitutions 
 they have. A space in the open air enclosed by boards and 
 boxes, some hay for a soft bed, a diet consisting of the rem- 
 nants of the bodies of the skinned birds, and often of whole 
 animals with their skin and hair, were all the comforts that I 
 could offer my nine eaglets ; but they all throve splendidly, 
 grew apace, and some even passed from down to feathers 
 
452 
 
 MISCELLANEOUS NOTES 
 
 without sickness. They would, without any particular care, 
 have become strong young rascals, when I transferred them 
 to other hands ; but, as I afterwards heard, the close sunless 
 cages and the food of the Zoological Gardens soon finished 
 off most of them. 
 
 I have found this to be the case on several occasions, 
 and young birds of prey in confinement can only be saved from 
 certain death by a mixed diet of flesh and bones, with feathers 
 or hair. In a great many zoological gardens they are, how- 
 ever, unhappily killed by being studiously fed with pure 
 flesh, whereas they need other substances for the formation of 
 bone. It was remarkable how quickly my young Sea-Eagles 
 got used to people and dogs, and how confident they became. 
 
 I will, in conclusion, give the dimensions of twelve Sea- 
 Eagles which 1 measured myself, and which my friends and 1 
 shot in Southern Hungary and Slavonia during the end of 
 April and the beginning of May. 
 
 Sex. 
 
 Length. 
 
 Breadth. 
 
 Wing. 
 
 Tail. 
 
 Beak. 
 
 Tarsus. 
 
 Middle toe. 
 
 cm. 
 
 cm. 
 
 cm. 
 
 cm. 
 
 cm. 
 
 cm. 
 
 cm. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 cJ- 
 
 84 
 
 212 
 
 60 
 
 29 
 
 7-9 
 
 9 
 
 7 
 
 (? 
 
 91 
 
 228 
 
 63 
 
 30 
 
 8-7 
 
 9-5 
 
 8-5 
 
 3. 
 
 83 
 
 214 
 
 60 
 
 29-5 
 
 8-5 
 
 9-5 
 
 7-9 
 
 ? 
 
 91 
 
 235 
 
 64 
 
 31 
 
 9 
 
 9-9 
 
 8-3 
 
 J. 
 
 93 
 
 233 
 
 64 
 
 31 
 
 9 
 
 9-8 
 
 8-5 
 
 rf. 
 
 83 
 
 213 
 
 60 
 
 28-5 
 
 8-7 
 
 8-5 
 
 8-9 
 
 d. 
 
 87 
 
 240 
 
 68 
 
 28-8 
 
 9 
 
 10 
 
 9 
 
 ? 
 
 95-5 
 
 232 
 
 66 
 
 28-5 
 
 9 
 
 10 
 
 8-5 
 
 ?. 
 
 96 
 
 234 
 
 69 
 
 28 
 
 7-2 
 
 9-5 
 
 10-3 
 
 J. 
 
 87 
 
 239 
 
 63 
 
 32 
 
 8-8 
 
 9 
 
 9-3 
 
 ? 
 
 95 
 
 213 
 
 61-5 
 
 30 
 
 8 
 
 9 
 
 7*5 
 
 c?. 
 
 84 
 
 214 
 
 60-5 
 
 30 
 
 8 
 
 9 
 
 7-5 
 
ON ORNITHOLOGY. 453 
 
 In four very old and perfectly similar birds the iris was 
 sulphur to lemon-yellow in colour, the beak waxy yellow, 
 the cere somewhat the same, but more inclined to citron- 
 yellow, the feet citron-yellow, and the nails black. A fifth 
 showed brownish spots, especially on the under part of the 
 eye, the iris being sulphur-yellow. 
 
 The Sea-Eagle of Southern Europe differs from the 
 Northern Sea-Eagle both in size and colour, but is indis- 
 putably the same bird, and there seem to be no grounds what- 
 ever for making two species of them. They are, however, 
 distinct races, such as are often produced among other mem- 
 bers of the animal-world by different conditions of life and 
 climate. 
 
 In the rich collection of the British Museum I found skins 
 of Haliaetus albicilla in all plumages and from the most 
 widely separated countries. The northern specimens from 
 Scotland, Iceland, Scandinavia, and the north of Russia were all 
 markedly larger than those from the South of Europe, Asia 
 Minor, and the north of Africa ; and the colouring of the 
 former was much more pronounced, being darker in the 
 young plumage, lighter in the old, and in many cases almost 
 white. 
 
ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES 
 
 FROM 
 
 SPAIN. 
 
 i. 
 
 THE BEAEDED VULTURE 
 
 (Gypaetus barbatus). 
 
 AFTER many difficulties we succeeded in finding a nest of the 
 great Bearded Vulture ( Gypaetus barbatus) in the mountains 
 of Spain. 
 
 I had rambled with some fellow-travellers through several 
 tracts of that country where it was said to be tolerably 
 common, but nowhere had we managed to see one of these 
 interesting birds, not to speak of finding a nest. At last, 
 after a great deal of trouble, we were enabled to explore an 
 eyrie of this Vulture-Eagle in the mountains of the Sierra 
 Nevada, by the help of a German resident in Granada. 
 Setting out from that town, we went a long way up the valley 
 of the Genii, then turned aside into a narrower valley, and after 
 a ride of nearly five hours reached a little hacienda (or farm, 
 as we should call it), situated at a considerable elevation on 
 the side of a big hill. 
 
456 ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES 
 
 These mountains, which reminded us of our Central Alps, 
 consist of detached chains of large rounded forms, each con- 
 siderably higher than the one in front of it, and the one on 
 which we were was the outermost of the snow-clad giants that 
 make up the long Sierra Nevada range. On the other side of 
 the valley, and just opposite the house where we had dis- 
 mounted, was a .precipitous wall of rock which formed the 
 base of a hill. In this cliff were several holes and clefts, and 
 there, according to the peasants, herdsmen, and hunters, was 
 situated the nest of 4 the ' Quebranta-huesos,' as the Bearded 
 Vulture is called in Spain. Not placing much reliance, how- 
 ever, on the ornithological knowledge of these people, we 
 made them give a precise account of the bird they had seen, 
 and, rightly enough, the most delightful description of the 
 plumage of an old Bearded Vulture rang like music in our ears. 
 
 On examining. the cliff with the glass we soon discovered 
 the hole which served as the dwelling of this mighty bird, for 
 underneath it everything was white with the droppings of the 
 young. 
 
 Now came the main question : How were we to get near the 
 nest ? One of my fellow-travellers, myself, and some Spaniards 
 started off at once, and, passing through some olive-yards, 
 reached the valley at the foot of the mountain; but before we 
 could get to the foot of the cliff we had to ascend a somewhat 
 high and steep slope of loose stones, such as one finds on our 
 Alps. This being surmounted, I looked about for the best 
 way of getting close enough to the nest, and found a cleft in the 
 rock, or chimney as our mountaineers call it, that permitted 
 us to climb within a few yards of it, but just at the last a pulpit- 
 like projection separated it from the nearest approachable 
 place. 
 
 As it would have been impossible to make a hiding-place 
 for one's self there, we rounded the projection by passing 
 along the bottom of the cliff, and then found a capital place 
 
FROM SPAIN. 457 
 
 where, by crouching close up against the rock, we should be 
 immediately under the nest and about sixty yards from it. 
 
 I now got the Spaniards, whom we had brought for the 
 purpose, to make a screen of rosemary bushes, which, when 
 propped up against the rock, afforded good cover. While we 
 were still at work, a proud " Stein " Eagle wheeled about 
 above us, a Griffon Vulture flew slowly over the mountains, 
 and Lesser Kestrels and numbers of Sand-Martins fluttered 
 round, uttering cries of affright and exhibiting great anxiety 
 about their nests, which were in the crannies of the rock near 
 the hole occupied by the Bearded Vulture. 
 
 1 had sat down under the screen, and the Spanish hunter 
 was just throwing a few more bits of bush over me, when the 
 bird appeared. I could not see it from my hiding-place, but 
 the hunter whispered to me that it was flying up along the 
 slope of the hill close below us. I only heard its cry, a deep 
 grunting sound, very much reminding me of the call of Aquila 
 imperialis or Aquila adalberti. The Spaniard now hurried 
 down the hill, and only my companion and I remained quietly 
 in our ambush, crouching close to the rock and looking 
 steadily towards the nest. I soon observed the young bird 
 raise itself on the edge of its dwelling and petulantly shake 
 its wings. It was already a fine big fellow, with its body 
 feathered, but its head still covered with down. Ten minutes 
 had hardly passed when we saw a great shadow glide over the 
 ground. The Bearded Vulture was there, but covered as we 
 were by the twigs of our screen we could only get an instan- 
 taneous glimpse of the bird that we had been looking for so 
 long. It swept twice past our ambush and then flew to the 
 nest. 
 
 The way in which the Bearded Vulture returns to its 
 nest is quite different from that of the vultures and much 
 more like that of the eagles ; for, with stiffly extended 
 wings, outstretched feet, head carried vertically but its tail 
 
458 ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES 
 
 horizontally, it shoots in like an arrow. We could therefore 
 only get a very hurried glance at this wonderful and highly 
 interesting picture, and it would have been quite impossible 
 to fire while the bird was going at such a rate. The hole, 
 too, was very large and its mouth quite circular, so that it 
 could at once vanish into its dwelling without having to 
 settle on the rock even for an instant. Its long tail, however, 
 protruded, and one could see by its movements that it was 
 busily engaged in placing food before its young one. 
 
 I now stepped out of my hiding-place and looked about for 
 good standing ground among the stones, so that I might make 
 a steady shot. I then shouted out, but it was so occupied 
 with the feeding of its offspring that it paid no attention to 
 my summons ; and it was only after repeated shouts that the 
 long tail vanished into the hole, and in. its place there appeared 
 the goat-like head with its bristly beard and gleaming eyes 
 and the yellow breast of the Bearded Vulture the strangest, 
 rarest, and noblest bird of prey that inhabits the mountains 
 of Europe. Without waiting a second I fired my first barrel, 
 and it fell, plunging past me towards the valley. I gave it the 
 second barrel ; and making another effort, it spread its wings, 
 flew a few hundred yards further, and then, towering to a 
 little height, flapped its wings together and fell dead, rolling 
 down over the loose stones. 
 
 Hardly had we dragged up the slain bird and got our 
 ambush into good order again, when the circling of the other 
 Bearded Vulture high overhead warned us to keep perfectly 
 quiet. After a lapse of ten minutes I suddenly heard the cry 
 of a Raven, and cautiously looking out through the twigs of 
 the screen, I saw one of those birds with its easy flight play- 
 ing round the great Gypaetus. They both flew close past us, 
 and immediately disappeared behind a projecting rock ; but 
 in a few moments I again heard the rush of wings, and before 
 I had time to get my gun to my shoulder, the Bearded 
 
FROM SPAIN. 459 
 
 Vulture had already plunged into its hole. Again I saw the 
 long tail protruding, and again it was only after repeated 
 shouts that it turned itself round. The first shot brought it 
 down the cliff, but, extending its wings, it recovered its 
 balance and flew towards the valley in an opposite direction 
 to that taken by the first bird. The second shot broke one of 
 its legs, which hung down, and over an olive-yard, a few 
 hundred paces from us, its wings suddenly drooped and it 
 fell to the ground like a stone. 
 
 Hurrying down the slope I found my splendid booty 
 already surrounded by the herdsmen, and, laden with the two 
 Bearded Vultures, we now returned to the hacienda. I was 
 thus lucky enough to bag a paired couple of these rare, beau- 
 tiful, and very interesting birds of prey in less than half an 
 hour. 
 
 The same afternoon we again clambered to the same place, 
 and sent some hunters and herdsmen up the cliff to take the 
 nest. A peasant from the neighbourhood of the hacienda, who 
 climbs for nests every year, undertook to descend the dangerous 
 and very difficult cliff by a rope-ladder and to bring down 
 the young bird in a basket. We waited under the rock 
 to have the materials of the nest thrown out to us, and a bit 
 of goatskin, some feathers, old bones, and mouldy remains of 
 plants came down in this fashion. The nest of this bird is 
 very carelessly constructed, or, to speak more accurately, 
 there is no regular nest, and the young one sits on the bare 
 rock simply surrounded by the feathers and remnants of food 
 which happen to collect in the course of its existence. 
 
 The plucky Spaniard had a great deal of difficulty in taking 
 out the young Bearded Vulture, for the hole went back a long 
 way and the bird retreated into it; but he at last managed to 
 get it into the basket, and it passed from its rocky castle 
 into our possession. It was already quite large and strong, 
 and its plumage was in the transition-stage between down 
 
460 
 
 ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES 
 
 and feathers. During the last fortnight that I had it in 
 captivity it grew remarkably fast, was in capital health, 
 devoured great quantities of flesh, and was already beginning 
 to lay aside all fear of man. It even got quite used to the 
 dogs, of which it at first had the greatest dread. 
 
 Both the old Bearded Vultures were magnificent birds, in 
 the beautiful orange dress with grey-brown backs, grey- white 
 foreheads, black stripes over the eyes, and black bristly 
 beards. Irides pale copper-yellow ; cornea reddish brown- 
 yellow; beaks horn-blue with a reddish tinge ; feet lead-colour. 
 
 Dimensions. 
 
 Sex. 
 
 Length. 
 
 Breadth. 
 
 Wing. 
 
 Tail. 
 
 Tarsus. 
 
 Middle toe. 
 
 
 cm. 
 
 cm. 
 
 cm. 
 
 cm. 
 
 cm. 
 
 cm. 
 
 d- 
 
 111-1 
 
 256 
 
 81 
 
 51 
 
 8-5 
 
 8-6 
 
 ? 
 
 112 
 
 264 
 
 82 
 
 51 
 
 8-5 
 
 8-8 
 
 In order that our great and sudden success may not delude 
 the reader into thinking that the Bearded Vulture is a 
 common bird in Spain, I may simply say that there, as well 
 as in all high mountains, whether situated in Central or 
 Southern Europe, Northern Africa, or Central Asia, it is 
 very much the reverse. I have rambled through the ranges 
 of the north-east of Spain, Central Spain, and those near the 
 east -coast, have clambered about the Sierra Nevada for a 
 whole day, and have sat for a long time on the summit of a 
 high hill opposite Mulhacen, the loftiest mountain of that 
 chain (which bears the name of Quebranta-huesos, after the 
 Bearded Vulture), without once catching sight of this rare 
 species. The only three specimens that I have hitherto seen in 
 a state of freedom are the two old ones that I shot and the 
 
FROM SPAIN. 461 
 
 young one that we took out of the nest. One of my acquaint- 
 ances, too, who for more than twenty years has been hunting 
 after birds of prey in Spain, has only killed one Bearded 
 Vulture during the whole of that period, and for that success 
 he was indebted to a chance encounter during the winter. 
 
 All the hunters of the Sierra Nevada told me that the 
 Bearded Vulture still exists among the Sierras, but that it has 
 become rarer, and that I fully believe. An equally persistent 
 pursuit of it has quite put an end to the breeding of this 
 noble bird in our Austrian Alps ; and in Switzerland also its 
 existence has almost become a matter of history. This will, 
 sooner or later, be the case in Spain, for the herdsmen dislike 
 it as a neighbour and try to destroy its nest, or at any rate to 
 scare away the old birds, and only a few days before my arrival 
 they demolished one of its abodes by throwing stones at it. 
 
 The common occurrence of the Bearded Vulture in Spain, 
 to which even some books testify, is, therefore, quite out of the 
 question ; and when Howard Saunders, in his ' Catalogue des 
 Oiseaux du midi de 1'Espagne,' which he laid before the 
 Societe Zoologique de France, in speaking of the Gypaetus 
 barbatus, says : " Un ou deux couples se trouvent sedentaires 
 dans toutes les montagnes, mais c'est dans la Sierra Nevada 
 que ce beau rapace devient presque abondant," he is altogether 
 wrong, and if his statement was founded on any observations 
 at all they must have been very faulty. 
 
462 ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES 
 
 II. 
 
 THE GRIFFON VULTURE 
 
 (Vultur fulvus). 
 
 IN my paper on the Cinereous Vulture I devoted a few words 
 to the interesting Griffon Vulture, but I have since had many 
 more and much better opportunities of seeing this grand bird 
 in a state of freedom. I do not, however, even now pretend 
 to furnish an exhaustive treatise on this widely distributed 
 species, but simply feel impelled to communicate the results of 
 my observations in order to furnish materials for other 
 naturalists. 
 
 The Griffon Vulture is the most generally and most widely 
 distributed of all the European members of its group. It is 
 found breeding in the southern provinces of our native 
 country, and during migration it visits all parts of the 
 kingdom, perhaps even more frequently than one imagines. 
 
 In Slavonia, Transylvania, Dalmatia, Bosnia, and especially 
 in the Herzegovina it is considered one of the commonest 
 birds. Barren rocky mountains are among the chief requi- 
 sites for its frequent occurrence, but woods it does not 
 frequent, though it does not so scrupulously shun them as 
 most naturalists have hitherto maintained. The brothers 
 Sintenis found it breeding on trees, and I also know of an 
 instance where a pair of these birds nested on a pine-tree in 
 the midst of a large forest in Slavonia. These occurrences 
 are, however, quite exceptional, and the Cinereous Vulture 
 may be met with in the forests of Slavonia and the other 
 regions of the Lower Danube much more frequently than 
 the Griffon Vulture; the latter, indeed, is but rarely to be 
 seen. 
 
FROM SPAIN. 463 
 
 The Griffon Vulture is now carrying out one of those 
 great migratory movements observable in the case of so many 
 representatives of the animal world. In the course of last 
 year whole flocks were repeatedly seen in Northern Hungary, 
 Bohemia, and Lower Austria, and single specimens were 
 frequently obtained. Nor are they merely longer hunting- 
 journeys that this bird is undertaking, but it is its regular 
 habitat which it keeps pushing further north. In Carinthia 
 and certain parts of Tyrol it already breeds, and it extends its 
 excursions in search of plunder as far as the neighbourhood 
 of Salzburg with great regularity, there replacing the Bearded 
 Vulture, which is already almost extinct. 
 
 Throughout the Iberian peninsula it is the commonest of 
 all the raptorial birds, and soars over the snow-fields of the 
 highest mountains and the scorching stony wastes of the 
 plains in equally large numbers. Excepting in the verdant 
 " huertas " of the park-like scenery to be found at Valencia, 
 Granada, and Murcia, this bird may be seen everywhere, for 
 Spain is the land of the Vulture, and its many lofty Sierras 
 offer the very nesting-places that these great raptorial birds 
 love, while the desert-like plains lying between the mountains 
 serve them as splendid hunting-grounds. 
 
 It is in the best cultivated parts of the country that the 
 Griffon Vulture is most uncommon, and these are the districts 
 of Barcelona, Valencia, and the whole east coast. In the 
 south, on the contrary, from Malaga to the rocky mountains 
 about Gibraltar, there stretches a territory well stocked with 
 these birds. 
 
 In the immediate neighbourhood of Granada I saw very 
 few, and in the Sierra Nevada, which is the special head- 
 quarters of the Bearded Vulture in Spain, I found that it 
 was very sporadic. On the other hand, the Sierra de Honda, 
 which rises between Granada and Malaga, abounds with them, 
 the lofty precipices of this wild limestone range affording 
 
464 ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES 
 
 splendid positions for their dwellings, and the train, as it rattles 
 through a long narrow rocky valley, is constantly sur/ounded 
 by these vultures. 
 
 Opposite one of the small stations there rises a high and 
 perfectly perpendicular cliff, where every hole, cleft, and cranny 
 is occupied with nests, and among many pairs of Griffon 
 Vultures I found several couples of Egyptian Vultures and 
 one nest of the " Stein" Eagle. 
 
 With the glass I watched the lively stir at the nests, where 
 the halfgrown young were sitting upright on the edges of 
 their abodes, and the old birds were majestically flying to and 
 fro, or perching on the protuberances of the rocks to digest their 
 meals. This interesting place might truly be called a vulture 
 colony. 
 
 I found no Griffon Vultures in the immediate neighbour- 
 hood of Seville or on the " marismas " of the Guadalquiver, 
 for there the character of the whole district does not in the 
 least meet the requirements of these great birds. I saw them, 
 however, throughout Central Spain, especially in the stony 
 barren surroundings of Madrid. Along the Manzanares, 
 just outside the town, and over the royal preserves of the 
 Casa de Campo, I noticed many of them returning to the 
 Sierra Guadarrama from their hunting-excursions, in company 
 with Cinereous and Egyptian Vultures. 
 
 Between Madrid and the high mountains there lies an 
 elevated plateau covered with miserable oakwoods, and there 
 I laid out a carcass as a bait for the vultures. Some of the 
 Cinereous Vultures which nest in these woods, and afterwards 
 a few Egyptian Vultures, Eagles, Black Kites, and Ravens, 
 came to the place, but only one Griffon Vulture dropped 
 down to the bait, although I saw numbers of them flying to 
 the mountains at a great height. 
 
 I think 1 may safely assume that this species is far more 
 generally distributed over the entire country at other periods 
 
FROM SPAIN. 465 
 
 of the year, for during spring, when it is breeding, it is chiefly 
 confined to the rocky mountains, and does not wander so far 
 from its nest. At another time one could certainly have 
 collected a large number of Griffon Vultures at a carcass 
 anywhere else, even in the wooded Pardo ; but at the season 
 that I rambled through these regions I was compelled to visit 
 the breeding-places near the high mountains, in order to see 
 them at a great banquet. 
 
 Behind the famous palace of the Escorial there rises a high 
 ridge strewn with great masses of stone. It is a spur of the 
 true Sierra Guadarrama, and the vultures cross it every 
 morning as they come from the mountains to look for plunder 
 in the plain between the Escorial and Madrid. I therefore 
 thought it would be a good plan to expose a carcass on this 
 widely visible height, and, concealing myself in a hut made 
 of stones, I awaited the interesting spectacle. After a little 
 while a few Egyptian Vultures appeared, then came some 
 Black Kites and Ravens, and shortly afterwards a Cinereous 
 Vulture. Hardly had these birds arrived when a troop of 
 Griffon Vultures descended with heavy beats of their wings. 
 The shots fired frightened them away; but they were quickly 
 succeeded by fresh arrivals, for vultures follow each other, 
 and as soon as one settles at a carcass others keep plunging 
 down, generally coming from the same direction as the first. 
 
 It was interesting to see how clumsily these great birds 
 hopped round the carrion, tugged at the entrails, and trailing 
 great pieces after them, flapped off to the nearest rocks, where 
 they quarrelled and fought. There were one or two Cinereous 
 among the ten to twenty Griffon Vultures; but the former 
 went about with greater vigour and assurance, and violently 
 thrusting themselves between their yellow-plumaged relatives, 
 always hopped straight up to the carcass, tore out huge pieces 
 of flesh and flapped away with them. When scared by too 
 much shooting, the vultures settled on the stones and rocky 
 
 2H 
 
466 ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES 
 
 projections about a hundred yards off, and there quietly awaited 
 the moment of our departure, when they doubtless continued 
 their meal. 
 
 In the wooded spurs of the Sierra Guadarrama I had also 
 an opportunity of observing the Griffon Vulture in an 
 interesting locality. Crossing the aforesaid barren ridge 
 above the Escorial, one reaches a wooded mountain district, 
 the character of which quite recalls certain portions of the 
 Bohemian or Saxon Switzerland, and in no other part of Spain 
 have I found a mountain formation like that of these ranges, 
 which rise gradually from the plain of Avila towards the 
 desolate loftier regions of the Sierra Guadarrama, and are 
 covered with fir-woods and decked with isolated little patches 
 of cultivation. Wooded hills of this sort cannot be a perma- 
 nent resort of the Griffon Vultures, but in order to reach 
 from their true dwelling-places the plains which furnish them 
 with their booty they must cross them; and so even there 
 one may in the afternoon see many vultures flying one after 
 another at a great height, and all pursuing the same direction 
 towards the high mountains. 
 
 Among the wooded summits of these charmingly beautiful 
 outlying hills rises a sharp rocky pinnacle with bare pre- 
 cipitous sides, and at its base there is a steep slope of loose 
 stones, some large masses of rock, and a few old firs. It 
 is known as the Pena Blanca, and is a most remarkable 
 point, which serves as a rendezvous and resting-place for 
 many of the large birds of prey. In two adjacent clefts of 
 the rock a pair of Egyptian Vultures and a couple of Pere- 
 grines were also dwelling, while in an old fir-tree close under 
 it I found the nest of a Pygmy Eagle, while the cliffs were 
 quite whitewashed with the droppings of the vultures. 
 
 On one face of this rock the herdsmen showed me a niche 
 which is said to have served as the roosting-place of two 
 Bearded Vultures for years; and on another were the clefts, 
 
FROM SPAIN. 467 
 
 crannies, and ledges which the Griffon Vultures always use 
 as halfway halting-places on their way to the true Sierra 
 Guadarrama. A Spaniard who accompanied me pointed out 
 a spot marked with droppings as the nesting-place of one of 
 these birds ; but this, as I had an opportunity of assuring 
 myself, was a mistake, and the projecting ledge was merely 
 one of their most favourite resorts. 
 
 During the afternoon I crouched under the cliff, well 
 concealed by a large stone ; and presently a Griffon Vulture 
 came flapping along, pitched on the rock, and settling itself 
 comfortably was beginning to preen its feathers, when I 
 frightened it off by firing an unsuccessful shot at it with ball. 
 In a few minutes a second appeared at the same spot, and I 
 tried shot; but the distance was too great, and the hard-hit 
 bird, leaving the place with its feet hanging, quickly disap- 
 peared behind the nearest hill. It was joined by a comrade, 
 who came back and circled cautiously round the place. No 
 long interval elapsed before another vulture flew straight to 
 the rock, and had hardly settled itself to its satisfaction in a 
 broad niche, when 1 sent a bullet through the middle of its 
 breast, and it fell rattling down over the stones. It proved 
 to be a very pale-coloured and extremely old specimen. 
 
 I now left the place to turn my attention to some nests; 
 but as soon as I got a few hundred paces from the rock, 
 I saw two more vultures alight upon it, and in the far 
 distance I observed many others, all coming up in the same 
 direction. 
 
 In the striking primary rock formations of the Sierra de 
 Gredos I had also repeated opportunities of observing Griffon 
 Vultures among other surroundings, namely, high up among 
 the snow-fields. During a long and difficult ride from the 
 village of Bohoyo, when we followed the course of a stream 
 through a splendid valley and finally reached the ridge of the 
 mountain, I constantly saw vultures soaring aloft or sitting 
 
468 ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES 
 
 on the rocks; and on the highest elevations near the Almanzor 
 peak, Griffon Vultures were flying only a few yards above 
 the snow-fields, and crossing the ridge from one side of the 
 Sierra to the other, both in the morning and the afternoon. 
 One morning I was standing on a high point of an extensive 
 tract of snow, where I could overlook both the slopes of this 
 lofty but narrow range. From the valleys and the ravines 
 the vultures came twisting up to the crest of the mountain, 
 and glided with noiseless flight over the snow of the oppo- 
 site slope down to the other valleys. They followed each 
 other, and there were so many of them that I soon got tired 
 of counting. In the same locality one of my attendants 
 found a nest of this bird in a high precipice, not far from the 
 snow-line. During the middle of the day I saw the vultures 
 quietly sitting in the shady places of the cliffs and rocks half- 
 way up the mountain. 
 
 In Northern Spain I found incredible numbers of Griffon 
 Vultures near the celebrated Picos de Europa, in the mountains 
 by Eiva de Sella and Santander. In those splendid limestone 
 ranges, with their picturesque forms, white summits, pleasant 
 valleys, and luxuriant beech- woods, Bears, Wild Cats, Wolves, 
 Chamois, Capercaille, Bearded Vultures, and many other 
 stately representatives of the animal world still dwell undis- 
 turbed; and those truly magnificent districts are the only 
 places in all Spain which remind us northerners of the Alps 
 of our own country. 
 
 While driving from Biva de Sella through the grand 
 mountain valleys to the place of pilgrimage at Cobadonga, I 
 observed vultures flying about everywhere ; but as these 
 valleys are wooded from the bottom up to a great height, and 
 have absolutely the character of our limestone Alps, the 
 Griffon Vulture only finds suitable dwelling-places in the 
 highest regions above the zone of the woods. 
 
 When I first arrived in that part of the country its appear- 
 
FROM SPAIN. 469 
 
 ance would never have led me to imagine that it could hold 
 so many vultures; but on the following morning I passed 
 through some high valleys and saw green Alps with Alpine 
 huts just like those of our own highlands. That very night a 
 Bear had eaten a cow close to a hut, and I observed at a 
 distance numbers of Griffon Vultures, with a few Egyptian 
 Vultures and Ravens, flying round the remnants left by the 
 animal after his feast. Concealing myself behind a fence, I 
 watched vulture after vulture leave the place and fly across a 
 deep valley to the opposite mountain-ridge, where numbers of 
 them were cruising about a high cliff, in which they probably 
 had their nests; many, however, sailed away down the valley. 
 As I wanted to see how soon I could again collect them at 
 a carcass, I purchased a sheep at the nearest hut, and led it 
 to a rocky elevation visible from afar, and situated on a little 
 meadow surrounded by great stones. There I killed it, 
 and concealed myself in a shelter rapidly constructed with 
 boughs and stones. In a few minutes an Egyptian Vulture 
 appeared and at once began its meal ; a little later 1 heard 
 the rush of heavy wings, and saw a huge shadow gliding 
 up over the ground, immediately followed by an old finely 
 coloured Griffon Vulture, which settled on a large stone 
 near my ambush. I gave it a ball through the breast, and 
 as I was proceeding to drag my booty into the hiding- 
 place, a second flew past a few yards above me and looked 
 at its slain comrade. This bird I also brought down with 
 the shot barrel of my combination gun. A torrent of rain 
 then fell like a waterspout, and obliged me to return with 
 my spoils to the nearest hut, which was within five minutes' 
 walk. Hardly had the sky cleared again and the sun burst 
 through the clouds, when I observed a vulture circling over 
 the carcass; so I hurried back to the place under cover of the 
 stones, and on reaching it looked out from behind them, 
 and saw that the sheep and its surroundings were covered 
 
470 ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES 
 
 with vultures. Every second fresh arrivals came plunging 
 down from above, and I quickly began to number them. In a 
 few minutes there were seventy-five Griffon Vultures and one 
 Egyptian Vulture on that one spot; but almost before I had 
 finished counting, the birds left the place one after another 
 and flapped heavily about. Of the sheep there remained 
 nothing but some spots of blood, a little wool, and its bones, 
 which lay scattered in all directions. 
 
 This feast of the vultures was a singular and interesting 
 scene, and the cracking of bones, the hoarse croaks of the 
 birds, the rushing sound of their wings, the snapping of their 
 great beaks, and the way in which they pulled and hauled at 
 the entrails and extremities of the sheep, and quarrelled and 
 fought, created a peculiar and deafening noise. I fired several 
 times at them as they were flying round about, but they were 
 too far off, and only a few feathers fell; yet even these shots 
 did not disturb them, and most of them merely flapped from 
 one stone to another. 
 
 For several minutes a young Bearded Vulture, still in the 
 dark plumage, was soaring high above the Griffon Vultures, 
 and a " Stein " Eagle, allured by the noise of the vultures' 
 feast, also came to the place and settled on the dead branch 
 of a stunted tree which grew out of the rocks. I finished it off 
 with my rifle, and afterwards the vultures gradually flew 
 away in various directions. On my way back I saw some 
 of these great birds low down, and even observed many of 
 them among the high cliffs of the main valley near the little 
 town of Riva de Sella on the sea-coast. 
 
 Throughout Spain the Griffon Vulture is more or less a 
 perfectly common bird, I might even say a characteristic 
 creature of this wild, stony, thinly populated country. The 
 observer will find no difficulty in seeing it at any hour of the 
 day, though generally at a great distance. At the nest, how- 
 ever, it is not easy to study it closely, for its dwelling is 
 
FROM SPAIN. 471 
 
 almost always situated in the most inaccessible precipices. 
 The only certain way to watch these birds near at hand and 
 to obtain them is by decoying them with a carcass; and in 
 Spain one can in suitable places get near them in this way at 
 any hour of the day, and without great precautions such as 
 are necessary with eagles. The hiding-place of the observer 
 does not even require to be particularly well concealed, for 
 gormandizing is the one idea and the sole occupation of these 
 vulgar birds. 
 
 To attract vultures - quickly to a carcass, one must expose it 
 on some high position which is visible from afar, for they 
 follow each other, and in a few minutes the enticing bait is 
 detected and all of them plump down to the ground. The 
 one thing to avoid is the laying out of the lure in a deep 
 valley or any particularly low-lying spot, for the vultures like 
 to have an open look-out during their feast, and fear being 
 surprised in a moment of laziness and torpor after their gorge. 
 We once laid out six horses in a deep valley of the Sierra de 
 Honda; but though there were nests all about, and the vultures 
 made great sweeps round the place high in the air, they 
 nevertheless resisted their gluttonous instincts and forbore to 
 descend into the narrow ravine. 
 
 When in Spain, I daily saw numbers of living Griffon 
 Vultures, and many either freshly killed, in skins, or set up 
 in collections, and it always struck me that the Spanish bird 
 was paler and altogether more beautiful in colour than that 
 of the East. The white of the head, neck, and ruff is purer 
 and more brilliant; the breast, belly, back, and shoulders are 
 yellower and of a clearer and finer tint. I simply make this 
 modest remark in the hope that some other traveller wander- 
 ing through Spain with an eye for the bird-world may 
 confirm it by further observations. 
 
472 
 
 ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES 
 
 I will, in conclusion, give the measurements of one Slavo- 
 nian and four Spanish Griffon Vultures. 
 
 Length. 
 
 Width. 
 
 Wing. 
 
 Tail. 
 
 Tarsus. 
 
 Middle toe. 
 
 cm. 
 
 cm. 
 
 cm. 
 
 cm. 
 
 cm. 
 
 cm. 
 
 
 Vul 
 
 tur fulvus 
 
 from Slav 
 
 mia. 
 
 
 108 
 
 266 
 
 74 
 
 32 
 
 11 
 
 10-5 
 
 Vultur fulvus from Cobadonga in Northern Spain. 
 
 115 
 
 257 
 
 70 
 
 34 
 
 9-8 
 
 11 
 
 115 
 
 256-8 
 
 70 
 
 33-9 
 
 9-7 
 
 11-1 
 
 Vultur fulvus from the Sierra de Guadarrama. 
 
 113-2 
 
 267-2 
 
 75 
 
 34-5 
 
 11 
 
 11-8 
 
 Vultur fulvus from the Escorial. 
 
 102 
 
 267 
 
 72-5 
 
 32 
 
 11-5 
 
 11-5 
 
FROM SPAIN. 473 
 
 III. 
 
 THE CINEREOUS VULTURE 
 
 ( Vultur cinereus). 
 
 THE Great Cinereous Vulture is in Spain one of the rarer 
 birds, and inhabits only a few districts of that country, for 
 it is the vulture of the great woods, and of these there are 
 not many in barren sunburnt Spain. I have myself only 
 met with it in two localities. In the extensive royal park of 
 the Pardo, which stretches from the Sierra Guadarrama 
 almost up to the gates of Madrid, it nests among the ever- 
 green oaks; and when I laid out a carcass there many of these 
 gigantic birds appeared, five or six of which settled on the 
 nearest oaks and carefully examined the surroundings. 
 
 Of all the places that I visited in Spain, the Pardo is the only 
 one where the Cinereous is commoner than the Griffon Vul- 
 ture, for in all the other parts of the country the former is 
 rare, the latter very abundant. In the fir-woods on the spurs 
 of the Sierra Guadarrama it is said to nest every year. This 
 information I received from a perfectly trustworthy source, 
 but I never saw it there myself, much less its nest. 
 
 In the Sierra de Gredos I saw one sitting on a rock at no 
 great distance, but it was the only bird of the kind that I 
 observed in those mountains. 
 
 During my many excursions in Southern Spain, which 
 lasted all day long, I never came across a Cinereous Vulture. 
 According to Lord Lilford, however, there are many nests of 
 it in the large woods between Seville and Cordova. This I 
 can say nothing about, never having visited that district. 
 
474 ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES 
 
 In no part of Northern Spain did I see it ; even in the 
 wooded mountain valleys of the range of the Picos de Europa 
 it does not appear to occur; and this is very surprising, for the 
 extensive beech-woods of that region would afford it excellent 
 nesting-places. 
 
 In Portugal I saw in museums stuffed specimens which 
 had been killed in that country, but there, too, it seems to be 
 uncommon. In Spain it is undoubtedly most abundant in 
 the neighbourhood of Madrid. 
 
 The behaviour of this vulture at a carcass is very re- 
 markable. Dealing heavy blows with its beak and wings it 
 hops in among the Griffon Vultures when they are already 
 greedily eating, drives them quickly apart, tears off a great 
 piece of flesh, and goes off with it to a considerable distance, 
 flapping along close to the ground. If there is but a single 
 Cinereous among many Griffon Vultures, then the former, 
 which is undeniably the nobler and less greedy bird, retains 
 all its cautiousness and shyness, and seems to put no trust in 
 its yellow-plumaged relatives ; for long after they have been 
 comfortably feasting, it keeps examining the surroundings 
 from some elevated position. If, however, several Cinereous 
 Vultures come to a carcass at the same time, they are bolder, 
 for each relies on the wariness of the others, and the Griffons 
 get the worst share of the meal even when there are more 
 of them. 
 
 According to my idea the Spanish Cinereous Vulture is 
 darker than our bird, the latter having a great deal of 
 brownish bkck in its plumage, while the former seems to me 
 to be as black as a Raven. In size they are pretty much 
 alike, and I give for comparison the measurements of one 
 Spanish and five Slavonian specimens. 
 
FROM SPAIN. 
 
 475 
 
 Sex. 
 
 Length. 
 
 Breadth. 
 
 Wing. 
 
 Tail. 
 
 Tarsus. 
 
 Middle toe. 
 
 cm. 
 
 cm. 
 
 cm. 
 
 cm. 
 
 cm. 
 
 cm. 
 
 
 
 Vultur cir 
 
 lereus from 
 
 the Escoi 
 
 ial. 
 
 
 rf. 
 
 106 
 
 250 
 
 76 
 
 36-5 
 
 12-5 
 
 11 
 
 Vultur cinereus from Slavonia. 
 
 <r. 
 
 105 
 
 265 
 
 75 
 
 38-5 
 
 12-5 
 
 9-5 
 
 5. 
 
 111 
 
 284 
 
 82 
 
 40 
 
 13 
 
 10-5 
 
 rf. 
 
 103-6 
 
 280 
 
 76 
 
 40-5 
 
 12-2 
 
 11 
 
 rf. 
 
 104 
 
 270 
 
 78 
 
 37-5 
 
 13 
 
 9 
 
 ? 
 
 109 
 
 287 
 
 76-5 
 
 33 
 
 13 
 
 11 
 
476 ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES 
 
 IV. 
 
 THE EGYPTIAN VULTURE 
 
 (Neophron percnopterus). 
 
 IN order that the entire group of the European Vultures 
 may be included in my remarks, I have still to append my 
 notes on Neophron percnopterus, the Egyptian Vulture. 
 
 Never having had an opportunity of observing this vulture 
 in a state of freedom in Eastern Europe, I was all the more 
 eager to study it in Spain. There it is the commonest and 
 most generally distributed bird of prey, and, excepting in the 
 highly cultivated district of Barcelona, is everywhere to be 
 found, though never in great numbers. Still detached pairs 
 inhabit all parts of the country, in just the proportion that 
 each district admits of. 
 
 The Egyptian Vulture is the bird of Islam, for its way of 
 living adapts itself to that of the Mohammedans. Where the 
 Crescent still holds sway, there it also is at home ; and where, 
 as in Spain, the Orientals once dwelt, and only their vices 
 and none of their many virtues now remain as a remembrance 
 of better days, there also the Egyptian Vulture is in its true 
 element. There is no bird whose habits are, on close inspec- 
 tion, found to be more repulsive than those of the Neophron. 
 In its whole being, too, there is but little that reminds one of 
 the raptorial birds, and even its appearance is in keeping with 
 its way of living, while its flight is a curious blending of that 
 
FROM SPAIN. 477 
 
 of the Vulture and the Stork, but much more suggestive of 
 the latter. An old finely coloured male is a smart-looking 
 bird, and at first attracts attention; but the observer is soon 
 disgusted and wearied, for at every step he sees this lazy 
 dirty fellow. 
 
 I found the Egyptian Vulture in the highest of the Spanish 
 mountains, in the plains, by the sea-coast, among woods, and 
 on the outer houses of the towns. The nests which I saw 
 were situated in cliffs, and when circling round its dwelling 
 or sailing along the rocks, apparently without effort or the 
 slightest movement of its wings, there are moments when, 
 thanks to its pointed tail, the shape of its wings, and the 
 carriage of its head, it reminds one of the Bearded Vulture. 
 The Spaniards are, therefore, not altogether so wrong in giving 
 to both birds the same name of " Quebranta-huesos." 
 
 I never saw the Egyptian Vulture in the immediate neigh- 
 bourhood of Barcelona, and the people of that place were 
 quite unacquainted with it. We met with the first at 
 Valencia, but from that point found it everywhere throughout 
 the country. 
 
 As we ran into the station of the Spanish capital I noticed 
 an Egyptian Vulture placidly sitting on a stone and allowing 
 our train to pass it. In the Gasa de Campo, on the other side 
 of the city, I also saw some of these birds close to the houses, 
 and in the woods of the Pardo several came to a carcass in a 
 few minutes. 
 
 At Murcia I shot a very finely coloured specimen which 
 was sitting on a dead horse close to the town. A whole pack 
 of half-wild dogs had surrounded this carcass, but a couple of 
 Egyptian Vultures and a Raven pushed in among them and 
 drove them apart with blows from their beaks. In Cartagena 
 I observed these Vultures in a part of the town which has 
 lain in ruins since the time of the last civil war. 
 
478 ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES 
 
 In the Sierra de Bonda and the Sierra Nevada it is quite a 
 common bird. In the latter mountains I found it at a con- 
 siderable elevation and near the nest of a Bearded Vulture. 
 I also saw it everywhere in the plain of Granada. 
 
 At the town of Tangiers, on the north coast of Africa, it is 
 of course very common. 
 
 On the Guadalquivir, where the dunes and the well-wooded 
 banks of the river afford it fewer suitable resorts, I hardly 
 ever observed it; and in the plain between Zeres della Fron- 
 tera and Seville, and the immediate neighbourhood of these 
 towns, it was everywhere exceedingly rare. 
 
 I have travelled so little in Portugal that I can say nothing 
 definite about it in that country, but I saw it in museums 
 and do not doubt that it is there abundant. 
 
 In the range of the Picos de Europa, in Northern Spain, 
 I found it from the sea-coast up to the loftiest regions above 
 the limit of the woods, and it was equally plentiful in the 
 mountains of the interior near Avila, the Sierra Guadarrama, 
 and the Sierra de Gredos, as well as in the intervening plains. 
 In the latter I saw it close to the snow-line, and on the utterly 
 barren spurs of the former I found it in great numbers 
 near the Escorial, a fact which may be accounted for by the 
 peculiarly favourable lie of these mountains. 
 
 The habits of this Vulture are, so far as I have been able 
 to observe them, unusually variable and entirely dependent 
 upon the locality occupied by each individual. Immediately 
 outside the gates of the towns it descends to the level of 
 a very low domestic creature, and lives upon carrion and 
 filth, while on the mountain-tops, near the perpetual snow, it 
 strikes the observer as being a noble bird of prey. One 
 characteristic it retains under all conditions of life, and that 
 is a gluttonous love of an enticing repast, which makes it 
 
FROM SPAIN. 479 
 
 heedless of all danger. None of the other European Vultures 
 can be so easily lured to a carcass ; and in Spain, whenever I 
 wanted to shoot vultures at a bait, the Egyptian was always 
 the first to appear, often sailing round us low down and 
 examining the carrion, while we were still employed either 
 in laying it out or in giving the finishing touches to our 
 ambush. On no occasion, however, did I notice more than 
 five or six of them at a vultures' banquet, for they never 
 occur in such numbers as the Griffons ; but, on the other 
 hand, a few never failed to come. 
 
 I believe that this bird does not daily undertake such long 
 excursions in search of plunder as its larger relatives, and 
 that it has but a limited beat; so that when a carcass is 
 exposed the Egyptian Vultures belonging to the place imme- 
 diately appear; while in many promising localities, which 
 are generally tenanted by the large vultures, there are days 
 when one does not find a single bird at home, and only after 
 hours of waiting are they seen returning from a distant 
 feast. In most parts of Spain the small, and therefore more 
 easily satisfied, vulture finds sufficient nourishment every- 
 where; for, quite independently of the fact that abundant food 
 is almost daily afforded them by the dead domestic animals 
 in the neighbourhood of human settlements, and especially 
 by the bodies of the murdered horses that are thrown outside 
 the gates of the towns after bull-fights, the people of Spain 
 take absolute pains to poison the air with smaller offal and 
 dirt of all kinds; so that, owing to this total absence of clean- 
 liness, it is easy for the vultures to carry on a sort of scaven- 
 gering of the village streets every morning. I found such 
 evident traces of this unpleasant industry on the beak and 
 feet of an Egyptian Vulture, that from that time I never in- 
 terfered with them again, though I could have shot plenty of 
 them; but after killing and measuring three specimens, I 
 
480 ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES 
 
 allowed all the rest to live, for it is a pity to take away life 
 wantonly, and the skinning of them would have been a re- 
 pulsive business. 
 
 When in the north of Spain I had an opportunity of ob- 
 serving an Egyptian Vulture quietly feeding at a carcass. 
 It came a few moments after I had withdrawn into my 
 hiding-place, and instantly began by thrusting its head into 
 the belly and among the entrails of the beast. At first it 
 tore out great pieces, bolted them at once, and from time to 
 time drew itself up and stared about, dripping with blood; 
 but after an incredible amount of flesh had vanished down 
 the throat of this gluttonous bird, it commenced pulling at a 
 long entrail of the sheep, and hopping backward with short 
 jumps, tugged and swallowed at the same time, stuffing till it 
 could stuff no more. It then exerted its full strength, broke 
 the entrail, flapped away a few paces, and, after ruffling its 
 feathers and shaking itself, began to digest its meal with 
 evident satisfaction. It had, doubtless, hurried so much in 
 order that it might have an undisturbed enjoyment of the 
 banquet before the arrival of its larger relatives. 
 
 The Egyptian Vulture builds in cliffs, generally in a per- 
 fectly unapproachable place, its nest being situated in a hole, 
 cranny, or rift, but almost always in a position where it is 
 protected by an overhanging part of the rock. The hollow 
 of the nest is large and its exterior very loosely put together, 
 a few twigs placed one upon another, feathers, sheep's wool, 
 the hair of goats and pigs, and all sorts of animal refuse, such 
 as bones, bits of skin, and even the dry dung of cattle, being 
 the materials that form the dirty stinking abode of this carrion 
 bird. I saw from a distance several of its nests in high cliffs, 
 but only found one that was fairly approachable, and that 
 was placed in a precipice of the Pena Blanca rock, among the 
 spurs of the Sierra G-uadarrama. 
 
 Just as I got under the nest the old bird was bringing food 
 
FROM SPAIN. 
 
 481 
 
 to the young, and I fired as it was clambering over the edge 
 of its dwelling, but unsuccessfully, the height being too great. 
 To get a look into the nest I had to clamber up by a crack in 
 the rock, and on reaching it had a good deal of difficulty in 
 taking out the young bird, for there was but one, about 
 the size of a Wood-Pigeon, and still in down. The interior 
 of the nest had a disgusting appearance, filled as it was 
 with all sorts of decaying substances that were crawling with 
 maggots, while a most pungent stench proceeded from the 
 dwelling of this filthy bird. 
 
 The young Egyptian Vulture was more delicate than a 
 Bearded Vulture and a " Stein " Eagle of the same age, for 
 it could not stand long journeys, and died in a few days. 
 
 In conclusion, I annex the measurements of three Spanish 
 specimens: 
 
 Sex. 
 
 Length. 
 
 Breadth. 
 
 Wing. 
 
 Tail. 
 
 Tarsus. 
 
 Middle toe. 
 
 cm. 
 
 cm. 
 
 cm. 
 
 cm. cm. 
 
 cm. 
 
 
 Neophron percnop 
 
 terus from 
 
 the Pardo at Madric 
 
 L 
 
 rf. 
 
 9. 
 
 65 
 68-5 
 
 162-5 
 163 
 
 50 
 49 
 
 27-5 
 
 26 
 
 9-5 
 9 
 
 5-2 
 
 6 
 
 Neophron percnopterus from Puensanta at Murcia. 
 
 8-. 
 
 68-5 
 
 163 
 
 50 
 
 28 
 
 9 
 
 6-5 
 
 I may perhaps be permitted to say a few more words (a 
 few are unfortunately all that I can say) about the king of 
 the bird- world, the great Bearded Vulture. 
 
 After killing the two specimens in the Sierra Nevada I 
 rambled through the south of Spain, where I neither saw it 
 
 2i 
 
482 ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES 
 
 in the Sierra de Honda, nor of course among the flat sur- 
 roundings of Seville, or on the banks of the Guadalquivir. 
 
 As I visited no part of Portugal except the immediate 
 neighbourhood of the capital, I can say nothing about its 
 occurrence in that country from my own observation ; while 
 in the large Royal Museum at Lisbon where the collections, 
 in pleasing contrast to all those of Spain, are quite up to the 
 mark of modern science every stuffed Bearded Vulture that 
 I saw came from the latter country. Prof. Barboza du Bocage, 
 the keeper of the museum, who is so well known to all orni- 
 thologists, also told me that it is one of the greatest rarities 
 in Portugal, having only been occasionally seen in the moun- 
 tainous parts of the country near the Spanish frontier, while 
 its nest has never been found. 
 
 In the range of the Picos de Europa, in the north of 
 Spain, I discovered an abandoned nest situated on a lofty 
 precipice that rose from a high desolate mountain valley 
 clothed with luxuriant beech woods, and inhabited by bears 
 and izards (Spanish chamois). According to the informa- 
 tion that I received from the herdsmen, this nest had been 
 occupied the year before by a pair of Bearded Vultures; and 
 from what these men said I could easily see that they knew 
 how to distinguish this species from the other raptorial birds. 
 I inspected the nest, which was placed in a hole just like the 
 one that I had found in the Sierra Nevada. 
 
 In the same mountains above Cobadonga, and not far from 
 the abandoned nest, I one morning saw a very dark-coloured 
 young bird not more than a year and a half old. It was with 
 a large flock of vultures that were circling round the last 
 remnants of a dead cow ; but it always kept rather higher up 
 than the Griffon Vultures, and when I approached it was the 
 first to go. On my proceeding to lay out a sheep as a bait 
 it appeared again with many of the other birds, circled con- 
 stantly round the carcass at a considerable height, and looked 
 
FROM SPAIN. 483 
 
 down at the feasting vultures. As soon as I saw that it 
 would come no lower, but that it was sweeping round in 
 widening circuits, I fired. Some feathers fell, and it plunged 
 down the valley severely wounded ; but not being able to see 
 the exact place where it had fallen, all our searching was 
 unfortunately unsuccessful. That was the only Bearded 
 Vulture I met with in the north of Spain. 
 
 I also saw a splendid old bird, with bright yellow plumage, 
 on the Sierra de Gredos, in the interior of the country. It 
 glided away over a snow-field, took a wide sweep along the 
 ridge of the mountain, and after passing close to the spot 
 where I was lying in wait for ibex, it finally vanished down 
 a rugged valley. The natives of these mountains knew the 
 Bearded Vultures well, but could give me no information 
 about their nests. 
 
 In the spurs of the Sierra Guadarrama I was shown a 
 resting-place of this bird on the rock of Pena Blanca, situated 
 in the midst of those low wooded hills. The niche in the 
 rock was certainly plastered with droppings, but I thought it 
 looked more like a favourite resort of the Griffon Vultures, 
 and that the mountains were too unimportant for the Bearded 
 Vulture. When climbing about the rocks, however, late in 
 the afternoon I observed two of these birds playfully circling 
 aloft one being very large, old, and with bright yellow under- 
 parts; the other smaller and rather darker. I gazed for a 
 long time at the splendid creatures as they tumbled about 
 and swept round, the wooded hill-tops, behind one of which 
 they at last disappeared. 
 
 Those were the last Bearded Vultures that I observed in 
 Spain; but one of my attendants saw two others, which came 
 within shot of him several times while he was waiting for me 
 not far from an ambush on the ridge above the Escorial, 
 where I was watching for vultures. 
 
 In Malaga I was fortunate enough to procure a live Bearded 
 
 2i2 
 
484 ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES 
 
 Vulture. It was an adult that had already been long in 
 confinement, and was so tame that it quietly allowed itself 
 to be touched. Its plumage as it generally does in cap- 
 tivity had lost the beautiful bright yellow, and both breast 
 and belly had turned silver-grey, while the dark black feathers 
 had also become greyer. I saw a similar specimen in the 
 Jardin des Plantes at Paris. 
 
 Both my captive Bearded Vultures, the old bird as well as 
 the young one, bore the sea-voyage quite well, but in rough 
 weather they took no food. The diet that suited them best 
 was dead creatures of all sort, with the skin, hair, or 
 feathers left on, which go to form their castings. Bones, 
 however, are their favourite delicacy, and my old bird 
 crushed the strongest beef-bones with incredible strength. 
 One day I put a live rabbit into his cage. Like lightning 
 he seized the poor beast with one foot, but did not squeeze it 
 in the least, for he was quite sated, and only wanted to play 
 with it. The game, however, turned out a somewhat grim 
 one : for with his sharp beak he worked up and down the 
 unlucky rabbit, and literally shore the whole fur from its body 
 right up to its forehead. This he swallowed, and then let 
 the animal slip out between the bars of the cage, clean-shaved, 
 but otherwise uninjured. 
 
 My Bearded Vulture was perfectly tame and quite com- 
 posed under all circumstances. I never saw him either excited 
 or frightened. He did not pay the slightest attention to dogs, 
 even when they came close up to him, nor was he alarmed at 
 the bustle on deck, and when anybody approached him he 
 seemed particularly pleased and at once stretched out his head. 
 In the repose and deliberation of his movements he struck 
 me as differing greatly from the many eagles which I have 
 either kept myself or seen in confinement; for he had none of 
 the vivacity or irritability which is daily exhibited even by 
 
FROM SPAIN. 485 
 
 quite tame young eagles, and appeared to look with disdain 
 on all that went on around him. 
 
 The Bearded Vulture stands alone, no other raptorial bird 
 really resembles it. The Egyptian Vulture comes nearest to 
 it in its flight and the form of its tail, but differs from it 
 so greatly in all other respects that the two birds cannot be 
 said to have any true common characteristics such as exist 
 among individual species of the other groups of raptorial 
 birds. Its place appears to be between the eagles and the 
 vultures, and it is, in my opinion, equally unlike and equally 
 distant from both. Its flight is not at all like that of the 
 vultures, and is also quite different to that of the eagles. 
 In that respect, as well as in its habits and behaviour, it more 
 resembles the large falcons ; while its attitude, either when 
 sitting on rocky pinnacles or shooting swiftly along, low over 
 the ground, and the way in which it tumbles about when 
 playing high in the air, remind one only of the latter birds. The 
 observer who has never before met with a Bearded Vulture 
 will at once recognize it, for, in spite of its size, it can never 
 be mistaken for an eagle or a vulture. At a distance, indeed, 
 it always looks to me like a large Peregrine; but when it is 
 near and its full size is apparent, it presents quite a new 
 picture to the ornithologist, being totally unlike any other 
 bird ; for its goat-like head, with the black stripes above the 
 eyes, bristly beard that can be seen far away, long body 
 carried horizontally when flying, cuneate tail, long narrow 
 wings, and the mixture of hoary grey, black, and bright 
 yellow in its plumage, unite in giving it an extraordinary, 
 I might almost say a dragon-like, appearance. 
 
 The sight of a Bearded Vulture involuntarily suggests the 
 thought that here must be a creature that does not belong to 
 the fauna of the present day, but is a gradually expiring 
 relic of an earlier epoch. And so it really is. Species indis- 
 
486 ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES 
 
 putably change in the course of time, and new forms replace 
 those that are dying out. The Ibex and the Bearded Vulture 
 two representatives of the ancient Alpine fauna of Europe 
 are perishing together. Both are children of the highest 
 mountains, dependent on conditions of utter freedom and 
 repose, and both have retreated before the all-destroying race 
 of man into a few isolated mountain-ranges, where even the 
 last survivors are approaching the period of their final ex- 
 tinction. 
 
 The Lammergeier of the Austrian and Swiss Alps has for 
 some years past become a matter of story ; it once dwelt 
 there: and the same will ere long be the case in Spain. In 
 the Balkan peninsula it is always one of the greatest rarities, 
 and soon only the mountains of the Atlas and a few of the 
 Asiatic ranges will harbour the bird, which in former years 
 was the emblem of our own Alpine world. In the Austrian 
 dominions the last of the Bearded Vultures now live in Tran- 
 sylvania and the mountains at the Iron Gates; but rare as 
 they are even there, it would still be possible to find a 
 nest by careful observation, and I have already received 
 skins from those districts. 
 
FROM SPAIN. 487 
 
 V. 
 
 THE "STEIN" EAGLE (Aguila fulva) AND 
 THE SPANISH IMPERIAL EAGLE (Aguila 
 
 adalberti). 
 
 HAVING already treated of the " Stein " Eagle, I can only 
 add the few short notes that I have collected concerning its 
 occurrence in Spain. 
 
 There it is much rarer than I imagined, for although that 
 country is so well provided with high mountains and rocks, 
 and seems to offer it splendid places of residence, one is never- 
 theless much mistaken in expecting to find it everywhere. 
 
 I never met with it in the plains, and in many of the 
 mountains it occurred either very sparingly or not at all. 
 On the well-known range of Monserrat, for instance, where 
 the towering precipices would afford it excellent nesting- 
 places, I saw no " Stein " Eagles, and 'even the herdsmen 
 could tell me nothing about them. 
 
 In the royal park of the Pardo at Madrid one appeared 
 near a carcass, but only circled once round the place and then 
 immediately flew far away. In the neighbourhood of Murcia 
 rise some barren bright yellow mountains perfectly devoid of 
 vegetation, and there a friend of mine found a nest on a low, 
 easily accessible cliff; but though he waited a whole day for 
 the return of the old bird, he only saw it cruising in the 
 distance. 
 
 Isolated nests of this eagle exist in the Sierra de Ronda; 
 a certain proof of this being that I received from a peasant a 
 young bird in the down, just taken from a nest in that 
 
488 ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES 
 
 locality. In the Sierra Nevada I caught sight of it, but only 
 in the distance : and one of my attendants found a nest, but 
 could not possibly get to it owing to the steepness of the 
 cliff. 
 
 In Portugal I saw stuffed specimens in collections, and 
 learned from trustworthy sources that it bred there in suit- 
 able localities ; a nest was even said to have been situated at 
 no great distance from Lisbon. 
 
 In the range of the Picos de Europa, in the north of Spain, 
 I observed several of these birds wheeling about over the 
 valleys. I also found a nest in an inaccessible precipice, and 
 while still making ineffectual attempts to get to it, the old 
 bird flew over me several times within a few yards; but I 
 could never manage to use my gun, as I had to hold on to 
 the rock with my hands. When I was going back, and by 
 an easier way, it again flew towards me, and settled close by 
 on a dead tree that projected from the cliff, from which 1 
 brought it down with a ball. 
 
 I never saw this eagle in the Sierra de Gredos, which is so 
 full of precipices, snow-fields, and alpine forms of the grandest 
 description, nor did I receive any trustworthy information 
 about it from the natives of that district. 
 
 In the wooded spurs of the Sierra Guadarrama I only saw 
 it a long way off; but one of my attendants was lucky enough 
 to find a nest, and shot the female, a splendid and very large 
 specimen. I was delighted at the finding of this nest, as it 
 afforded an opportunity of distinctly refuting an erroneous 
 opinion entertained even by many naturalists. People in 
 general believe that the " Stein " Eagle nests exclusively in 
 rocks ; others allow that in places where there are no rocks 
 it builds on trees, but that it only does so from necessity. 
 This is quite a mistake ; the " Stein " Eagle nests just as 
 readily on trees as on rocks, but the former must be high 
 and situated in a secure retreat seldom visited by man. In 
 
FROM SPAIN. 489 
 
 more inhabited districts this shy bird naturally chooses inac- 
 cessible precipices in preference to trees as being safer. 
 
 In the forests of the Sierra Guadarrama it is by no means 
 obliged to build on trees, for it is only a short flight to the 
 rocks of that high snowy range, while the high projections of 
 the Peiia Blanca in the midst of the woods would also afford 
 it excellent nesting-places. Nevertheless, my attendant found 
 a nest on an old fir-tree, not far from the above rock, killed 
 the female, and unfortunately missed the male. This was the 
 last " Stein " Eagle that we met with in Spain, for on the 
 heights near the Escorial no eagles came to the lure. 
 
 I think I am right in asserting that there are more birds 
 of this species in the eastern parts of our native land than 
 in the whole Spanish peninsula. Their shyness, however, 
 increases the difficulty of finding them out and of studying 
 them in a strange country, for their habits being so erratic, 
 one only meets with them accidentally; their eyries, too, when 
 not on trees, are, as a rule, situated in such inaccessible preci- 
 pices, that the taking of them is the most difficult and 
 dangerous of tasks for the collector of eggs or young birds ; 
 even the nests of vultures are easier to get at. It is also 
 hard to acquire any definite information about this eagle 
 from the natives, as it goes by a different name in most parts 
 of Spain ; in the north the herdsmen call it " Aquila pinta." 
 In whatever part of the country it occurs, it is always the 
 most dreaded of the raptorial birds, and the peasants have far 
 more tales to tell of its depredations than of the Bearded 
 Vulture's. 
 
 The Spanish " Stein " Eagle has the plumage of the true 
 Aquila fulva form, being very dark, with a white tail tipped 
 with black, precisely the reverse of the northern " Stein " 
 Eagle, the so-called chrysaetos, and I always found that the 
 Spanish eagles of this species which I saw in museums were 
 very uniform in colour. 
 
490 ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES 
 
 I subjoin measurements of two Spanish specimens : 
 
 Sex. 
 
 Length. 
 
 Breadth. 
 
 Wing. 
 
 Tail. 
 
 Tarsus. (Middle toe. 
 
 cm. 
 
 crn. 
 
 cm. 
 
 cm. 
 
 cm. 
 
 cm. 
 
 c?. 
 
 Aqu 
 
 83 
 
 ila fulva f 
 200 
 
 rom Cobadonga, Nor 
 50 34 
 
 th Spain. 
 11 
 
 7-5 
 
 ? 
 
 Agi 
 91-4 
 
 til a fulva : 
 214-6 
 
 from the S 
 66 
 
 ierra Guac 
 36-2 
 
 iarrama. 
 11 
 
 8-2 
 
 I managed while in Spain to collect some notes about the 
 Aquila imperialis and the Aquila adalberti of that country; 
 and before making a few remarks with regard to the eventual 
 union or separation of these so-called species, I will mention 
 in what districts and under what circumstances I saw them. 
 
 When I laid out a carcass for the vultures in the Royal 
 preserves of the Pardo at Madrid, a very light-brown, almost 
 yellowish bird, about the size of an Imperial Eagle, appeared 
 almost simultaneously with the Cinereous Vultures. It made 
 a few sweeps round the place, and then pitched on the ground 
 near a vulture. It was just the colour of a Sea-Eagle, but its 
 flight, bearing, and feathered feet at once showed me that it 
 was a " noble " eagle. Before I could fire it rose, to follow a 
 vulture that was flying off with a large lump of flesh. Two 
 more of these eagles, coloured precisely like the first, very 
 soon arrived. They sailed round our ambush, settled on the 
 nearest trees, and hung about the place for fully half an hour 
 without coming down to the bait, so that I had an opportunity 
 of observing them perfectly. Their cry was a sort of grunt- 
 ing sound, and quite reminded me of the call of the Sea- 
 Eagle not the sharp nervous scream of that bird, so familiar 
 to every sportsman who has often lain in wait under its nest, 
 
FROM SPAIN. 491 
 
 but the deep guttural note that it utters, when, believing itself 
 to be in perfect security, it either circles round its dwelling 
 or hunts about on misty November days. 
 
 These two eagles screamed incessantly, both flying and 
 sitting, and it was the first time that I had ever heard an eagle 
 do so when at a carcass. After a while a third bird joined 
 them, but soon left its comrades and came rushing down a 
 few yards from our hiding-place. I killed it with my shot- 
 gun, whereupon the Vultures, Black Kites, Ravens, and 
 Magpies rose in affright from the ground and the neighbour- 
 ing trees, and the two other eagles also sailed off to the 
 depths of the woods in ever-widening circles. 
 
 For two whole days I rambled through the preserves of 
 the Pardo, but never again did I manage to see an eagle of 
 this species, and it was in the pine-woods near the coast that 
 I first got a distant glimpse of another similarly light-coloured 
 bird. I also found in a low pine-tree a nest about the size of 
 an Imperial Eagle's, which, according to the Spaniard who 
 was with me, belonged to the "Aquila carnielita," as this 
 pale-plurnaged bird is called. 
 
 In no other part of Spain did I come across it, but when 
 riding in Morocco through a valley, girt with rocky hills 
 covered with dense bushes, I saw a light-yellow eagle fly 
 slowly away close to the ground, about a hundred paces off, and 
 one of my attendants observed another at a different place. 
 
 I have now mentioned all the occasions on which I saw 
 this doubtful species in the open, but I also noticed stuffed 
 specimens of it in the collections at Madrid, Valencia, and 
 Lisbon. These were generally in the same immature plumage, 
 but some were darker. I could never quite make up my 
 mind on the question, and therefore direct the attention of 
 the next ornithologist who travels in Spain to the subject. 
 
 Aquila adalberti or leucomela was discovered by Doctor R. 
 
492 ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES 
 
 Brehm of Madrid, in 1860, who laid down the following 
 characters : 
 
 I. The white extended further in the region of the shoulder 
 than in the Imperial Eagle, so that the broad white band 
 reaches along the humeral and cubital parts of the wing 
 including the digital. 
 
 II. The general colour of the plumage is darker. 
 
 III. In the young bird, on the contrary, the feathers of the 
 underparts are less distinctly striped. 
 
 Besides the eagle which is distinguished by these charac- 
 teristics, and which we will for the sake of brevity call 
 Adalbert's Eagle, the true Aquila imperialis also appears 
 to exist in Spain, for there I have seen eagles in collections 
 which I should without any hesitation have called Imperial 
 Eagles, and which, in point of fact, did not differ from the 
 Imperial Eagles of our own country in the slightest degree. 
 It must, however, be very rare in Spain, for during my 
 numerous expeditions into the interior of the country I did 
 not see one of these birds. 
 
 As regards this so-called Adalbert's Eagle, I am by no 
 means sure that the species can be retained. Every one 
 who has been much engaged in the study of the raptorial 
 birds, and especially of the eagles, knows that the members 
 of that group vary in plumage according to climate and 
 habits of life, and to show that one speaks of many forms 
 of each species, it is only necessary to cite the cases of the 
 " Stein " Eagle and the Common Buzzard ; nor is this all, 
 for even individual examples of these forms exhibit marked 
 differences in size and plumage. Greater caution must 
 therefore be exercised in making new species of the raptorial 
 than of any other group of birds. 
 
 The dark Aquila adalberti is, in my opinion, Aquila im- 
 perialis a little deeper in colour and with a somewhat larger 
 
FROM SPAIN. 493 
 
 shoulder-patch, but still one and the same bird as the Imperial 
 Eagle of Slavonia or Southern Russia. It is a finely-marked 
 colour variety, and not even a Spanish or South-west Euro- 
 pean form of the bird; for these regions contain Imperial 
 Eagles which are absolutely identical in colour with those of 
 our own country, and, according to my own observations, the 
 difference between the two is not so great as between the 
 true " Stein " Eagle and the form known as the Golden 
 Eagle. 
 
 I must now proceed to speak of the light-yellow eagle, 
 which is considered to be an immature bird. In Spain I saw 
 only these light-coloured specimens, and none in the transition 
 stage ; all were equally pale, and in Africa it was the same. 
 If, therefore, it is an immature state, it is strange that I never 
 met with an adult individual, but invariably with young birds, 
 which were all exactly alike in both countries. Again, allow- 
 ing it to be the immature plumage, these individuals must, as 
 they all had the same shade of feathering, have been born in 
 the same year, and this would undoubtedly have been a most 
 remarkable coincidence. 
 
 If, in addition to the eagles already known in Spain, 
 another species has just been discovered, or still remains to be 
 discovered, it is, or will be, not a dark but a very pale bird. 
 It is possible that an Aquila adalberti, or whatever it may be 
 called for names are of no consequence does exist in Spain; 
 but it will eventually prove to be the light-brown eagle, which 
 up to the present time has been considered immature, instead 
 of the dark bird which has hitherto borne the above name. 
 There may, however, still be a new undescribed African species 
 whose range extends into the middle of Spain, for that 
 country already agrees in many points with the neighbouring 
 continent as regards all the divisions of the animal-world ; 
 but, so long as this is still undetermined, I shall hold the 
 
494 
 
 ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES 
 
 dark Aquila adalberti to be a colour-variety of Aquila im- 
 perialis, and the light-coloured bird to be the immature state 
 of the same species. 
 
 I give for comparison the measurements of the eagle that 
 I killed at Madrid, and of seven Slavonian Imperial Eagles. 
 
 Sex. 
 
 Length. 
 
 Breadth. 
 
 Wing. 
 
 Tail. 
 
 Tarsus. 
 
 Middle toe. 
 
 cm. 
 
 cm. 
 
 cm. 
 
 cm. 
 
 cm. 
 
 cm. 
 
 
 Aquila im^ 
 
 oerialis (adalberti) ft 
 
 om the Pardo at Ma 
 
 drid. 
 
 *. 
 
 79 
 
 194 
 
 57-5 
 
 33 10 
 
 6-5 
 
 
 Aquila imperialis from Slavonia. 
 
 c?. 
 
 80-5 
 
 196 
 
 62 
 
 31-2 
 
 9-2 
 
 7 
 
 ?. 
 
 86 
 
 213 
 
 58 
 
 32 
 
 8-5 
 
 8 
 
 tf". 
 
 81 
 
 203-1 
 
 60 
 
 29-8 
 
 9-5 
 
 6-5 
 
 2. 
 
 82 
 
 210-5 
 
 62 
 
 32-5 
 
 9-5 
 
 6 
 
 ?. 
 
 82 
 
 223-5 
 
 61-5 
 
 31-5 
 
 10 
 
 6-5 
 
 d 1 . 
 
 81-5 
 
 204-5 
 
 61-5 
 
 31-5 
 
 10 
 
 7 
 
 *, 
 
 75 
 
 184 
 
 57 
 
 29 
 
 9-2 
 
 5-5 
 
FROM SPAIN. 496 
 
 VI. 
 
 BONELLI'S EAGLE (Aguila bonelli) AND 
 THE OSPKEY (Pandion Jialiaetus). 
 
 BONELLI'S Eagle is indisputably one of the rarest European 
 birds of prey, for, although the area of its distribution ex- 
 tends over the entire southern part of our continent and some 
 portions of Asia, as well as along the north coast of Africa, it 
 is everywhere extremely uncommon. 
 
 According to earlier records it seems to have occurred in 
 all the provinces of Spain ; but though I have hunted after it 
 frequently, and taken a great deal of trouble to catch sight of 
 it, I have only had two opportunities of doing so. 
 
 When riding along the fortifications on the slope of the 
 rock of Gibraltar I saw a Bonelli's Eagle. It flew low over 
 us, and was a beautifully coloured old bird, with dark back and 
 wings and pure white underparts. I was told by the English 
 officers that its nest was situated on a cliff that fell abruptly 
 down to the sea, and that it had for years been protected from 
 all pursuit. On reaching the highest point of the rock I was 
 shown this well-known eyrie, which is described by that 
 . excellent ornithologist Colonel Irby, in his work on the birds 
 of Gibraltar. 
 
 It was placed on a projecting part of a very high cliff, and 
 we could, from where we stood, get a very good slanting 
 view of its interior. It was well constructed of branches, 
 broom, and grass, and the two almost full-fledged young that 
 it contained were hopping about lustily, and clambering to 
 its edge with outstretched wings. 
 
 This nest is occupied every year, and there is no other on 
 
496 ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES 
 
 the whole rock, nor did we find one in any other part of the 
 peninsula; while the many ineffectual attempts to procure a 
 specimen which I made in all parts of Spain proved that the 
 bird was extremely rare. 
 
 From morning until night I used to ramhle about the 
 mountains, plains, marshes, and sea-coasts I may safely say 
 through every zone of that country, but I only once managed 
 to catch a distant glimpse of a Bonelli's Eagle. This was in 
 the range of the Picos de Europa, where the rare bird circled 
 for a few minutes over a bare mountain summit, near the 
 nest of a " Stein " Eagle. 
 
 I believe that I am right in saying that, excepting the 
 Sea-Eagle, Bonelli's is the rarest of all the resident eagles 
 of Spain. It is perhaps more abundant in Southern Italy 
 and Greece, but in Spain the frequency of its occurrence is 
 much over-estimated by many naturalists. 
 
 I have in various countries had many opportunities of 
 observing the Osprey, which may safely be said to be the 
 most widely and evenly distributed eagle in the whole world. 
 
 Water and plenty of fish are all that it demands from a 
 district before settling in it. It fishes just as readily in the 
 sea as in fresh water, and adapts its nest to the nature of the 
 locality where it is fishing. In treeless steppes it builds on 
 the bare ground; and by the sea in the steepest precipices, as 
 well as on the lowest coral-reefs. In well-wooded countries 
 it selects tall thick trees, but in the high mountains the most 
 inaccessible places in the rocks. Everywhere its nest retains 
 the same character, being built of very coarse materials, and 
 being, in comparison with the not very great size of the bird, 
 always disproportionately large. In our woods one may in- 
 stantly recognize it by its very peculiar shape and its dirty 
 grey colour. Large trees, such as old oaks or half-withered 
 pines, are always chosen, and the bird invariably places its 
 
FROM SPAIN. 497 
 
 nest on the dead topmost twigs, or at any rate on the upper- 
 most branches, 
 
 In Austria the Osprey occurs everywhere, even in the most 
 cultivated districts, provided they contain large rivers, ponds, 
 or lakes, to supply it with food everywhere, that is, during 
 migration and when the young birds begin their wanderings. 
 When breeding, however, it is only to be found in certain 
 districts, which not only furnish it with the necessaries of 
 life, but where it is also sufficiently out of the way of man 
 and animals. 
 
 In Bohemia I have either found it on all the larger rivers 
 and ponds during the time of its migration, or have seen 
 specimens of it in country houses and collections. The many 
 extensive lakes of the southern part of the country afford it 
 suitable resorts, which it visits when migrating or when it 
 leaves its nest to go fishing. Every year a few pairs nest in 
 the forests, far away from any large river, and even a good 
 many miles from the ponds of the plains. These nests are 
 situated in the extensive woods of pine and spruce among the 
 higher hills, which are *little frequented by man. This bird 
 and the Pygmy Eagle are now the only eagles that breed 
 in Bohemia. 
 
 In the plains of Lower Austria the Osprey occurs almost 
 everywhere, and is found on the Danube from spring to 
 autumn with great regularity. In the lonely auen between 
 Vienna and Pressburg it is even very common ; and during 
 both the time of its migration and throughout the summer 
 some young birds that are not yet ready to breed frequent 
 the river, and may be seen taking regular flights along the 
 main stream and its arms, or lazily sitting on the sandbanks, 
 among the various marsh and waterfowl. The Osprey is such 
 an inoffensive fellow, and lives so exclusively on fish, that 
 none of these birds are the least shy of him, but, on the 
 contrary, live peaceably in his company. 
 
 2K 
 
-498 ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES 
 
 Curiously enough this eagle now never breeds in the auen 
 of the Danube, which offer it such splendid fishing-grounds, 
 for I only know of one nest there, and that has been deserted 
 for many years. 
 
 Sea-Eagles and Kites are the most malicious tormentors of 
 the poor Osprey, for they worry it incessantly during the 
 whole time that it is breeding, and also rob it of its cleverly 
 gained booty ; indeed, I believe that the great numbers of 
 Kites which nest in the auen of Lower Austria have driven 
 the Ospreys to settle elsewhere. 
 
 This applies, in a still greater degree, to the Hungarian 
 auen, for in the great maze of woods between Mohacs and 
 the Draueck, where all the requirements of the Osprey exist 
 in great abundance, I only found two of its nests and saw 
 very few of these birds flying up and down the numerous 
 branching arms of the Danube. There, again, the quantities 
 of Sea-Eagles, added to the goodly numbers of the Black 
 Kites, are the drawbacks that prevent the Ospreys from 
 taking up their quarters in those districts. I went one day 
 from the auen of the Danube to the* Keskend wood, a large 
 but perfectly dry oak forest, some hours' drive from the 
 river, and had on the way already caught sight of some 
 Ospreys fishing along the small streams that flowed to the 
 Danube ; but in this forest, far away from all marshes and 
 rivers, I found several of their nests, close to each other, near 
 the eyrie of a Short-toed Eagle, and surrounded by the 
 dwellings of the Black Storks, which were very common in 
 that locality. It was beautiful to see the Osprey among the 
 Storks as they flew to and fro over the oaks. 
 
 In many of the Alpine districts I found this eagle quite 
 common ; in others, however, it either did not occur at all or 
 was very rare. In the Alps it shows a preference for the 
 neighbourhood of mountain-lakes, and this is the reason why 
 
FROM SPAIN. 49 
 
 it is so abundant in the ISalzkammergut. There the Traun, 
 Wolfgang, Mond, and Atter lakes are its favourite haunts, 
 and it usually builds on the cliffs which rise straight above 
 the water. Every year there are several nests at the Traunsee, 
 one or two quite close to the lake, the others in a narrow 
 valley which runs between the well-known Traunstein and 
 the rocky Gassenkegel, and which keeps decreasing in width 
 until it finally becomes a mere ravine among the ragged 
 chamois mountains. There the nests are situated in the 
 abrupt precipices high above the region of the trees; and 
 some years ago, when out after chamois in August, I saw 
 several young Ospreys circling together round the lofty 
 pinnacles of the rocks. 
 
 The birds that live on the Traunsee make regular excur- 
 sions along the shores of the lake, where one frequently sees 
 them close to the steamer. They also fly daily and with 
 absolute punctuality up and down the Traun, often ascending 
 the river almost as far as Ischl. Every year one could easily 
 shoot several of them from the Ebensee road, for they come 
 from the luke to hunt in the river at the same time every 
 day. 
 
 It is beautiful to see the active Osprey hovering like a 
 hawk high above the water, and keeping in a fixed position, 
 as if held by a charm, until it suddenly plunges into the 
 foaming mountain-stream with such arrowy speed that the 
 water closes over it, and the next moment it flies off with a 
 slim trout in its claws. 
 
 Nor is it only on the large rivers that the Osprey hunts, 
 but it also seeks its prey in the very narrow valleys of the 
 high mountains, especially during migration. In April, for 
 example, I once found it busily catching fish on the Murz 
 in the Murzthal, not far from Neuberg. In Spain I never 
 
 2K2 
 
500 ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES 
 
 saw this eagle in the interior; but 1 once observed it flying 
 up and down over the sea at the rock of Gibraltar, where, as 
 I was informed by the English officers, it breeds every year, 
 not far from the well-known nest of Bonelli's Eagle. 
 
 According to my experiences few birds of prey are less shy 
 when breeding than the Osprey, for it sits hard and readily 
 allows one to come close under the nest. It also feeds its 
 young with regularity and pretty often, so that it can easily 
 be killed from an ambush. One of my friends twice drove an 
 Osprey from its nest within half an hour, missing it both 
 times, but breaking one of its primaries on the second occa- 
 sion. Not more than ten minutes afterwards I stole up to the 
 nest and found the bird again setting on its eggs, nor would 
 it leave its dwelling until the tree had been repeatedly struck; 
 but this time its fate was sealed. There was another Osprey 's 
 eyrie situated among the nests of the Black Storks ; to it I 
 drove in a noisy Hungarian cart, pulled up under the nest, 
 and while still sitting in the vehicle shot the eagle, which was 
 circling round low down. 
 
 The shooting of this bird, however, except in the breeding- 
 season, is a very uncertain affair, for it never stoops to the 
 Eagle-Owl, but only occasionally settles on a neighbouring 
 tree or flies over the place at a considerable height ; while it 
 often passes by without deigning to glance at the owl. It 
 is also useless to attempt to shoot it from a decoy, as it 
 never touches carrion; so the method generally employed by 
 sportsmen is simply to lie in wait for it, for, as already 
 mentioned, these eagles fly up and down the rivers fishing, 
 and keep to certain hours with great punctuality. One may, 
 therefore, get a close easy shot from a good hiding-place. 
 In conclusion, I subjoin the measurements of two Osprey s 
 shot by myself. 
 
FROM SPAIN. 
 
 501 
 
 Sex. 
 
 Length. 
 
 Breadth. 
 
 Wing. 
 
 Tail. 
 
 Tarsus. 
 
 Middle tee. 
 
 cm. 
 
 cm. 
 
 cm. 
 
 cm. 
 
 cm. 
 
 cm. 
 
 
 
 Pandion 
 
 haliaetus from Hung 
 
 ary. 
 
 
 ? 
 rf. 
 
 61 
 57 
 
 168 
 160 
 
 51 
 49 
 
 24-5 
 22 
 
 5 
 
 4-8 
 
 6-3 
 
 5-8 
 
ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES 
 
 FROM 
 
 THE EAST. 
 
 EGYPT, up to the Nubian frontier, and Palestine were the 
 countries that I travelled through and investigated to the 
 best of my ability. It is, however, no exhaustive account of 
 their faunas that is now presented to the reader, but a simple 
 statement of my observations. 
 
 The task I have undertaken may be divided into two 
 sections the first being a list of all the species killed either 
 by my fellow travellers or myself, with my remarks concern^ 
 ing them ; the second a collection of notes relating to thQ. 
 birds which we undoubtedly saw but failed to secure. I 
 ought, however, to begin by saying that the journey took 
 place at a time when many of our migrants had already left 
 their winter-quarters, a fact that will account to naturalists 
 for the absence of a string of species which one would cer- 
 tainly expect to find in Egypt during the winter months. 
 
 In the enumeration of the birds observed I have followed 
 Brehm's system, and have only had to insert five species that 
 are not included in his t Thierleben.' 
 
504 ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES 
 
 Precise measurements were taken of all the specimens 
 obtained, but these I will, with a view to economy of space, 
 omit. 
 
 1 . COCCYSTES GLANDARIUS. Great Spotted Cuckoo. 
 
 Only twice observed: first at the village of Ermaut in 
 Upper Egypt, flitting to and fro among the high leafy trees; 
 the second time also in Upper Egypt, at Sohag, where it was 
 sitting on the mud wall of a garden close to the town. 
 
 2. CERYLE RUDIS. Pied Kingfisher. 
 
 First seen between Alexandria and Cairo. In many places 
 these Kingfishers were flying over the canals and water- 
 courses close to the line, or were perched on the telegraph- 
 wires. Near Cairo it was less common, but further south we 
 found it in all favourable situations, such as the reedy and 
 rocky shores of Lake Birket-el-Karun, in the province of 
 Fayum, and everywhere on the Nile, the canals, and the 
 sluggish streams, even within the towns of Upper Egypt ; 
 most common where both shallow water and suitable perches 
 were to be found. In such places as many as ten were often 
 congregated within a small area. Also sometimes noticed on 
 the iresh water streams in the neighbourhood of the Suez 
 Canal and Lake Menzaleh, but not so common there as else- 
 where. Only once seen in Palestine, in the valley of the 
 Jordan, where it was fishing and hovering in its usual way 
 over a marsh covered with thick bushes. 
 
 3. MEROPS ^GYPTIUS. Blue-cheeked Bee-eater. 
 
 This strikingly beautiful bird was never seen in Lower 
 Egypt or anywhere near Cairo. The first and most northerly 
 specimens were observed in the garden of the railway-station 
 of Abouksor-Fayum, where they were, as usual, collected 
 together in a small flock. Everywhere found along the Nile, 
 
FROM THE EAST. f>05 
 
 in Upper Egypt, in suitable situations, in the choice of which, 
 however, it appears to be very particular. Gardens with solitary 
 palms, thick bushes with places for perching on, after the 
 fashion of the Bee-eaters, and especially telegraph-wires are 
 among its requirements. So little does this taine bird shun 
 mankind and his dwellings, that even repeated shots do not 
 frighten it away from its favourite resorts. I saw one paired 
 couple at Kom-el-Emir, on a hedge near the bank of the Nile : 
 otherwise they were always in flocks of as many as thirty 
 individuals. They fluttered round the trees like butterflies, 
 and flitted from one suitable spot to another. 
 
 4. CYPSELUS PALLIDUS. Egyptian Swift. 
 
 This bird is very critical in the selection of its haunts and 
 is less frequently found than one anticipates ; but where it does 
 settle it congregates in great numbers. Its dwelling-places 
 are in the steep mountains bordering the valley of the Nile, 
 principally in the northern parts of the country. I found it, 
 for instance, in great swarms on the rocks of the quarry in 
 the Mokattam hills near Cairo. 
 
 5. CYPSELUS PAKVUS. Little Grey Swift. 
 
 This is the characteristic Swift of Upper Egypt, and may 
 be found in all suitable situations. It is very common, for 
 example, at the ruins of Karnak. In the mornings I saw 
 great numbers of them hunting gnats over the waving corn- 
 fields in true Swift fashion. 
 
 6. FALCO BARBARUS. Barbary Falcon. 
 
 I observed a pair of these beautiful falcons on the island of 
 Bezire-Karun at Lake Birket-el-Karun, where they circled 
 all day long round the rocks of the highest point of the 
 island ; otherwise they were very rare, and never seen except 
 
506 ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES 
 
 near mountains. The only specimen that occurred in 
 Palestine was killed at Baisan, in the valley of the Jordan. 
 
 7. FALCO CENCHRIS. Lesser Kestrel. 
 
 From Alexandria up to Assuan the Lesser Kestrel is not 
 only common, but one of the commonest birds, and may be 
 seen everywhere in the towns, among the ruins, in the rocky 
 mountains, and in the palm-groves. In Palestine it is on the 
 whole not so numerous as in North Africa, and is confined to 
 isolated localities that are adapted to it, such as the rocky 
 gorge of the monastery of Mar-Saba, near the Dead Sea, 
 where I found quite an enormous colony of them breeding. 
 
 8. ASTUR NISUS. Sparrow-Hawk. 
 
 Only once seen. It came flying up over the steppe of the 
 Jordan valley, and circled a few times above a deep gorge 
 covered with thick bushes, in which we were then hunting 
 wild boars. 
 
 9. AQUILA NIPALENSIS. Steppe-Eagle. 
 
 Never observed in Africa. In Palestine, on the contrary, 
 it is the commonest of the large noble eagles. In a narrow 
 mountain valley between Jaffa and Jerusalem I saw many of 
 them cruising about, and at a distance took them at first for 
 Imperial Eagles. Many were also observed between Jerusa- 
 lem and Bethlehem, and especially between Bethlehem and 
 Mar-Saba. All these eagles were flying in small and often in 
 large companies of as many as twenty together ; they seemed 
 to be on migration, or, to speak more correctly, on the search 
 after good localities for feeding on the great black lizards and 
 gigantic grasshoppers. According to my observations the 
 large insects and the reptiles which are everywhere so abun- 
 dant in Palestine form the sole food of all the eagles. In the 
 valley of the Jordan I saw the first paired couple of Steppe- 
 
FROM THE EAST. 507 
 
 Eagles flying along the mountain-ridges. The breeding- 
 season seemed to be just beginning, for next day one of these 
 eagles, while chasing another, flew so low over our caravan 
 that I brought it down with small shot. 
 
 10. AQUILA PENNATA. Pygmy Eagle. 
 
 In Africa I saw and shot a Pygmy Eagle of the quite dark, 
 almost black variety. It was in the palm-groves near the 
 town of Sohag, where, crowded on a few trees, large numbers 
 of Crows, Ravens, Kites, Night-Herons, Falcons, and Pigeons 
 assemble every evening for their night's rest. It was dark, 
 but still I could see that it was not a Kite. The bird was 
 already fast asleep on the bottom branches of a low tamarisk. 
 
 In Palestine I saw such numbers of Pygmy Eagles that I 
 could not believe my eyes. They were on migration, and 
 every day, in all parts of the country, one could see them 
 flying in large flocks, often as many as sixty in loose order, 
 but still following each other. I also several times noted the 
 curious fact that this Eagle travels in company with the 
 Stork, not merely following the huge flocks of those birds, 
 but even mixing with them. Both hunt after reptiles and 
 insects, and seek the best places for feeding during migration. 
 In the Jordan valley we once saw a great many Pygmy 
 Eagles perched on the low trees and bushes in company with 
 the Short-toed Eagles. 
 
 11. PANDION HALIAETUS. Osprey. 
 
 One sees this Eagle on the Nile every day, on the large 
 lake of Birket-el-Karun it is even very common. Ospreys 
 flew round the shores of the island Bezire-Karun the whole 
 day long, and in the afternoon often as many as ten together 
 sat resting for digestive purposes on the rocky coast, in com- 
 pany with the flocks of Herons, Gulls, and Pelicans. It was 
 also often observed on the lake of Menzaleh and along the 
 
508 ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES 
 
 Suez Canal, but only once in Palestine, in the Jordan valley, 
 close to the Dead Sea. 
 
 12. ELANUS MELANOPTERUS. Black-winged Kite. 
 
 This beautiful bird of prey was first observed at Beliane on 
 the Nile, and from thence to the Nubian frontier was every- 
 where seen in suitable localities. By the 1st of March it had 
 already paired, and was hunting its prey in couples. Single 
 trees near villages, little gardens and palm-groves, telegraph- 
 poles, mud heaps and walls among the waving corn-fields, 
 embankments by canals, and solitary trees by the sides of 
 pools are the favourite haunts of these birds. They have no 
 fear of man, and one can walk right up to them and shoot them 
 within a few paces ; even when missed, they circle round the 
 sportsman, inquisitively, but without taking alarm, and pre- 
 sently settle down quite close to him. In its flight and in its 
 restless butterfly way of fluttering about, the Black-winged 
 Kite is undeniably a most peculiar bird of prey. 
 
 13. MILVUS ATER. Black Kite. 
 
 In company with the Parasitic Kite, the Black Kite is 
 distributed over the whole of Egypt, but is not so common as 
 the former, nor so bold in its behaviour in the towns. It 
 certainly flies about the houses, and especially the towns on 
 the banks of the Nile, still it does not come so close to men 
 and dogs as its relative. The Parasitic Kite is always the 
 first at a carcass, and the Black Kite does not follow it until 
 a few minutes later. In Palestine one comes across the 
 Black Kite only, and here and there a Common Kite. 
 
 About Jerusalem and on the Jordan I saw many Black 
 Kites, but not such numbers of them as in Africa. 
 
 14. MILVUS MIGRANS. Parasitic Kite. 
 
 This bold bird, which is to be seen in wearisome abundance 
 
FROM THE EAST. 509 
 
 in all towns, especially in Cairo, on the roofs, minarets, 
 gardens, and walls, is in Egypt really a domestic creature. 
 One hears its tittering cry everywhere, and it is so worrying 
 that it can only be compared to the buzzing of a fly. This 
 bird is always the first to come to carrion, and does not allow 
 itself to be driven away even by the large Vultures. When 
 I left Africa, towards the end of March, the Parasitic Kites 
 were already sitting on their nests among the towns and 
 gardens. 
 
 y, 
 
 15. CIRCUS PALLIDUS. Pallid Harrier. 
 
 This beautiful bird is rare throughout Upper Egypt, where 
 only solitary specimens are seen; but it is somewhat commoner 
 in Lower Egypt, near Cairo, and the Suez Canal towards the 
 end of March. We there found it on the bush-covered 
 pastures, and it was also occasionally observed in Palestine. 
 
 16. CIRCUS ^RUGINOSUS. Marsh-Harrier. 
 
 In incredible numbers throughout Egypt and Palestine, in 
 all corn-fields, pastures, rush and reed beds, and the bushes by 
 the shores of lakes. 
 
 17. CIRCAETUS GALLICUS. Short-toed Eagle. 
 
 Never observed in Africa, and confined in Palestine to the 
 Jordan valley, but there seen in astonishing numbers on the 
 low bushes and trees. 
 
 18. BUTEO FEROX. Long-legged Buzzard. 
 
 Throughout Egypt this large Buzzard is everywhere to be 
 found, but always solitary. One sees it sitting among the 
 fields, on walls, and on heaps of mud and dung. On the cliffs 
 of the mountains bordering the Nile I found two paired 
 couples. In Palestine I only saw two, one in the valley of 
 
510 ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES 
 
 the Jordan, the other between Nazareth and Jaffa. This bird 
 is unusually confiding in its behaviour towards man. 
 
 19. NEOPHRON PERCNOPTERUS. Egyptian Vulture. 
 
 More or less common throughout Egypt, and everywhere 
 distributed in Cairo and its neighbourhood. Near the towns 
 of Upper and Lower Egypt one sees it sitting "on the sand- 
 banks along the Nile watching for stranded carrion. Both 
 within and without the towns this Vulture is very audacious, 
 but can perfectly distinguish the Europeans, who murder 
 everything, from the Arabs, who protect it because it cleans 
 the neighbourhood from carrion and dirt. In Palestine it is 
 common, and even in the uninhabited districts of the Jordan 
 valley is the unfailing attendant of every encampment. There 
 it is much tamer than in Egypt, and we saw Carrion Vultures 
 going about among the tents looking for kitchen scraps. 
 
 20. NEOPHRON PILEATUS. Pileated Vulture. 
 
 The Pileated Vulture was observed in Upper Egypt. We 
 had laid out a carcass on a sandbank of the Nile for the pur- 
 pose of shooting large Vultures. At first several Egyptian 
 Vultures appeared, and soon afterwards three of these birds ; 
 but they were the only ones seen during the whole journey. 
 
 21. VULTUR FULVUS. Griffon Vulture. 
 
 The first Griffon Vultures which I saw in Africa were at 
 Cairo. There these great birds of prey may be observed 
 circling over the town almost daily. They came with great 
 regularity from the Mokattam hills to the city, and I once saw 
 them at a carcass in quite incredible numbers. Frightened 
 by the constant pursuit of the Europeans, they neither pass 
 the night nor nest in the precipices of those hills, but, accord- 
 ing to reliable observations, fly off every evening as far as the 
 Akaba mountains on the Eed Sea, near the town of Suez, and 
 
FROM THE EAST. 511 
 
 daily appear at midday over Cairo. The latter part of this 
 statement I can endorse. 
 
 They are also frequently to be seen on the sandbanks of the 
 Nile, especially in the neighbourhood of high mountains. At 
 certain places, such as Medinet Abu, opposite Luxor, one 
 meets with great numbers of them. In Palestine I saw soli- 
 tary specimens between Jaffa and Jerusalem, but round the 
 latter town hundreds daily collected to look for carrion. They 
 always flew from the same direction in a sort of travelling 
 procession, and I observed this flight to Jerusalem from 
 Bethlehem, Mar-Saba, and the Dead Sea ; for all these birds 
 came from the high barren mountains on the left side of the 
 Dead Sea. 
 
 22. ATHENE NOCTUA. Little Owl. 
 
 Very common among gardens and groves in and about the 
 towns of Upper Egypt. 
 
 23. MONTICOLA CYAXA. Blue Rock-Thrush. 
 
 Very common throughout Egypt among mountains, ruins, 
 and even near towns. In Africa this species is distinguished 
 by its great tameness, whereas in Southern Europe it is con- 
 sidered one of the most shy of birds. 
 
 24. SAXICOLA LEUCURA. Black Chat. 
 
 This beautiful bird was only observed near Assouan, in the 
 cemetery among the desert mountains. Two specimens were 
 killed the first in the ordinary plumage, the second with a 
 white forehead. 
 
 25. SAXICOLA CENAKTHE. Wheatear. 
 
 Seen throughout Egypt, but nowhere common. It seeks 
 the same food and frequents the same localities as in Europe. 
 
512 ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES 
 
 26. SAXICOLA KUFESCENS. Black-eared Chat. 
 
 Nowhere common in Egypt ; most frequently seen in the 
 neighbourhood of the Suez Canal. 
 
 27. SAXICOLA STAPAZINA. Russet Chat. 
 
 Not common in Egypt, but isolated individuals were to be 
 found everywhere. In Palestine it frequented the same loca- 
 lities as the Wheatear. 
 
 28. SAXICOLA LEUCOMELA. Pied Chat. 
 
 Somewhat rare in Egypt. In Palestine everywhere in 
 suitable spots. In the desert mountains between Bethlehem 
 and the Red Sea even very common. 
 
 29. Ixos XANTHOPYGIUS. Yellow-vented Bulbul. 
 
 This remarkable bird was daily observed in the Jordan valley 
 while we were boar-hunting among the dense bushes of the 
 broad watercourses. As I was not acquainted with the species, 
 I sent a specimen to Herr v. Homeyer, who determined it as 
 Ixos xantltopygius, and as it had no German name called it 
 "GelbbauchigeBuschdrossel" (Yellow-bellied Bush-Thrush). 
 It occurs in some of the Greek islands, especially in the Cy- 
 clades. These birds were very local, and were always found 
 among the same sort of bushes or in the thick rushes and high 
 grass. They had already paired and were extremely shy. 
 
 30. CRATEKOPUS SQUAMICEPS. Palestine Bush-Babbler. 
 
 Found in the same districts of the Jordan valley and under 
 the same conditions of life as the Bush-Thrush, but in much 
 greater numbers. In its way of living and its general beha- 
 viour it somewhat resembles the Cuckoo, and is, moreover, 
 very shy. The young birds were already fledged, and were 
 flying from bush to bush in small companies of eight to ten. 
 This species was also new to me, and was determined by 
 
FROM THE EAST. 513 
 
 Homeyer, and as a German name was again wanting he 
 christened it the " Geschuppter Drossling " (Little Crested 
 Thrush). A similar form appears to be found in the Sierra 
 Nevada in Spain, but I have never personally observed it. 
 
 31. AEDON FAMILIAEIS. Grey-backed Warbler. 
 
 In Egypt common, but local, among thickets on level 
 ground. In Palestine only among dense bushy tracts in the 
 valley of the Jordan, but there very abundant. 
 
 32. CISTICOLA CURSITANS. Fantail Warbler. 
 
 Very common in the green fields of the cultivated country 
 both of Lower Egypt and the valley of the Nile in Upper 
 Egypt. 
 
 33. ACROCEPHALUS TURDOiDES. Great Sedge-Warbler. 
 
 Everywhere common in the wet reedy tracts of Egypt and 
 Palestine. 
 
 34. ACROCEPHALUS MELANOPOGON. Moustached Warbler. 
 
 Common on the islands of Lake Menzaleh, which are 
 thickly covered with low bushes, and also among the brush- 
 wood of the Jordan valley. 
 
 35. ACROCEPHALUS AQUATICUS. Aquatic Warbler. 
 Very common among the thick bushes and reeds on the 
 
 islands of the Nile between Cairo and the sea. Everywhere 
 else very isolated and rare. 
 
 36. ACCENTOR MODULARIS. Hedge-Accentor. 
 
 The only specimen seen was observed among the large 
 cacti which, together with many other Southern plants, fringed 
 the bank of a rapid stream at the foot of the high mountain 
 of Skopos on the island of Zante. 
 
 2L 
 
514 ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES 
 
 37. MOTACILLA ALBA. White Wagtail. 
 
 Very common and often congregated in flocks of consider- 
 able size on Lake Menzaleh, Lake Birket-el-Karun, the 
 whole valley of the Nile, and all the moist ground in Egypt 
 that was suitable for Wagtails. 
 
 38. MOTACILLA FLAYA. Grey-headed Yellow Wagtail. 
 
 The only specimen was seen in the island of Zante near a 
 hut by a pool at the foot of Mount Skopos, and not far from 
 the sea-shore. 
 
 39. MOTACILLA RAYII. Yellow Wagtail. 
 
 Seen in great abundance along the whole Nile and on 
 Lake Menzaleh. It frequented ground covered with thick 
 bushes in the neighbourhood of water as well as the fields of 
 the cultivated country. 
 
 40. ANTHUS PRATENSIS. Meadow-Pipit. 
 
 On green meadows and fields near the banks of the Nile. 
 Several large flocks were observed on migration. 
 
 41. ANTHUS CAMPESTRIS. Tawny Pipit. 
 
 Only seen at Zante, where large flocks were observed on 
 the steep hillsides of the island, especially on Mount Skopos, 
 and also on the open ground among the rosemary bushes. 
 
 42. GALERITA THECL^:. Egyptian Crested Lark. 
 
 Throughout Egypt the commonest lark of the cultivated 
 country. Very abundant in the well-tilled plain between 
 Jaffa and Latrun. Less numerous in the Jordan valley, but 
 still not rare. 
 
 43. CERTHILAUDA DUPONTII. Dupont's Lark. 
 
 Seen in considerable numbers, but only among the bushes 
 
FROM THE EAST. 515 
 
 and scattered pastures of the islands near the Barrage of the 
 Nile. 
 
 44. CALANDRITES BRACHYDACTYLA. Short-toed Lark. 
 
 In large flocks on the islands near the Barrage, but never 
 met with elsewhere. 
 
 45. AMMOMANES DESERTI. Desert-Lark. 
 
 This lark is rather common in the barren rocky mountains 
 at Assnan, and of regular occurrence throughout Egypt in 
 stony barren tracts. 
 
 46. AMMOMANES CINCTURA. Gould's Desert-Lark. 
 
 Occasionally seen in several of the desert mountains of 
 Upper Egypt, but nowhere common. 
 
 47. EMBERIZA HORTULANA. Ortolan Bunting. 
 
 Often observed in flocks on the grassy mountains. They 
 assembled in great numbers on the detached clumps of bushes, 
 and were probably on migration. 
 
 48. EMBERIZA C^SIA. Cretzschmar's Bunting. 
 
 Of regular occurrence throughout Palestine, and even 
 common in districts where there are thick bushes and large 
 masses of rock. 
 
 49. PASSER ITALLE. Italian Sparrow. 
 
 The commonest Sparrow both in Egypt and Palestin'e in 
 many of the localities that abound in ruins, debris, and thick 
 bushes. 
 
 50. PASSER HISPANIOLENSIS. 
 
 Everywhere very abundant in Upper Egypt, especially 
 among the ruins on the island of Phike. 
 
 2L2 
 
516 ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES 
 
 51. ERYTHROSPIZA GITHAGINEA. Desert-Bullfinch. 
 
 Rather common in all the desert districts of Upper Egypt 
 and in places which are either stony or hut sparsely covered 
 \vith hushes. Often in flocks of four or five individuals. 
 Observed even in the cultivated country, but only among 
 ruins and old walls. 
 
 52. AMYDRUS TRISTRAMI. Tristram's Grakle. 
 
 This remarkable dusky black-blue bird, with rusty-brown 
 wings, was only once seen and observed in a ravine near the 
 monastery of Mar-Saba. It nests in the cliffs in the neigh- 
 bourhood of the monastery, and all day long one sees it in 
 great numbers either sitting on the roofs, towers, and walls 
 of the old buildings or flying round them. The Greek monks 
 have so tamed these Grakles that every day, at the same hour, 
 they come to the call of a brother of the order who feeds 
 them with bread. We had great difficulty in obtaining a 
 specimen, for the monks permit no one to shoot them. I sent 
 the bird to Herr v. Homeyer for identification. 
 
 53. STURNUS VTJLGARIS. Common Starling. 
 
 Only in the first days of our journey and again at the end 
 of February did we meet with the common Starling in Lower 
 Egypt. At the lake of Birket-el-Karun great flocks of them 
 pass the night in the bushes along the shore. 
 
 54. CORVUS CORAX. Raven. 
 
 Throughout Egypt in all suitable places in the towns. 
 Among the desert-mountains, in the desert itself among the 
 old ruins, at the large lakes, and on the sandbanks of the 
 Nile our Raven was frequently observed. In the interior of 
 the temple of Edfu a pair were nesting in the covered and 
 almost perfectly dark hall of the building. On the Red Sea 
 and in the Arabian desert Ravens were also observed. They 
 
FROM THE EAST. 517 
 
 are fond of the sea-shore on account of the mussels. In Egypt 
 this bird is much less shy than with us, but still not nearly 
 so tame as in Asia. I saw it everywhere in Palestine, on the 
 mountains, the steppes, and in the valley of the Jordan. A 
 pair were nesting on the ancient city-wall of Jerusalem near 
 our camp, and the impudent birds stole the kitchen-scraps 
 from among the tents. On the Greek islands and in Dalmatia 
 it is everywhere common. The African bird is somewhat 
 smaller than the European, and its plumage, which is deci- 
 dedly bluer, has a beautiful sheen. The Asiatic is like our 
 own in all respects. 
 
 55. CORVUS CORNIX. Hooded Crow. 
 
 In Egypt everywhere common in the cultivated country 
 from Alexandria to Assuan. Fledged birds of the year were 
 seen in Upper Egypt on the 1st of March. In appearance 
 and habits the Hooded Crow of Africa resembles our own 
 bird, but lacks its extreme shyness and cautiousness ; near 
 the towns it is almost domesticated. In Palestine I observed 
 it in the cultivated country between Jaffa and the mountains, 
 and also near Jerusalem. 
 
 56. GARRULUS MELANOCEPHALUS. Syrian Jay. 
 
 This species, which is almost identical with our Jay, was 
 only observed twice ; on both occasions in the olive-gardens 
 of Latrun and Jerusalem. It is still more shy and active 
 than our bird, and only differs from it in its note and the 
 blackness of its head, the rest of its plumage being very 
 nearly the same. 
 
 57. LANIUS MERIDIONALIS. Southern Grey Shrike. 
 
 Only seen in Palestine in the Jordan valley, but there in 
 astonishing numbers on tracts covered with low trees and 
 dense thickets. In the beginning of April the young of the 
 
518 ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES 
 
 year were already fledged. This bird is less shy than any of 
 the other Shrikes. The first that we bagged for our collec- 
 tion was a full-grown specimen, which I simply knocked 
 down from a bush with my hunting-knife, for, being in pur- 
 suit of large game, we did not wish to fire any unnecessary 
 shots. 
 
 58. LANIUS RUFUS. Woodchat Shrike. 
 
 Only in the thickets of the Jordan valley, but there often 
 observed. 
 
 59. LANIUS NUBICUS. Masked Shrike. 
 
 Very sporadic in the whole of Lower Egypt. Common in 
 Upper Egypt, and there not critical in the choice of its 
 resting-places, but generally found on hedges, in gardens, 
 palm-groves, and among bushes. Exceptionally tame. In 
 Palestine only in the Jordan valley, and there very rare. 
 
 60. HIRUNDO RUFULA. Cave-Swallow *. 
 
 Very abundant throughout Egypt, where it takes the place 
 of our Chimney-Swallow. 
 
 61. HIRUNDO RUFULA. Rufous Swallow. 
 
 Near the rock-monastery of Mar-Saba and on Mount Tabor 
 I found a Swallow of the same size as our House-Swallow, 
 with white breast and underparts, and rusty-brown spots on 
 the neck and back, and, not recognizing it, sent it to Herr v. 
 Homeyer, who determined it as Hirundo rufula. It differs 
 entirely from the Egyptian Cave-Swallow, which bears the 
 same name, and for which it cannot be mistaken. The error 
 probably originates from an inaccurate knowledge of the two 
 species. 
 
 * [Probably Hit-undo riocourii, Audouin. Oriental Chimney-Swallow.] 
 
FROM THE EAST. 519 
 
 62. COTYLE RUPESTRIS. Crag-Swallow. 
 
 Very common throughout Egypt and Palestine in suitable 
 localities, such as cliffs and even large masses of rock in the 
 mountains of the desert. Where there are no rocks it con- 
 tents itself with ruins and buildings, the pyramids of Gizeh 
 for example. 
 
 63. UPUPA EPOPS. Hoopoe. 
 
 Throughout Egypt one of the commonest and tamest birds, 
 both in the towns and the cultivated country. Less abun- 
 dant in Palestine, where localities suited to it are much 
 rarer. 
 
 64. COLUMBA LIVIA. Rock-Dove. 
 
 Common throughout Egypt and Palestine, wherever high 
 cliffs with holes in them offer it suitable dwelling-places. In 
 Egypt, however, incredible numbers of semi-wild Rock-Doves 
 are generally found crowded together in little towns of dove- 
 cots, which are specially built for them for the sake of their 
 eggs, but chiefly for their guano. These birds, nevertheless, 
 never change either in size or colour. 
 
 65. TURTUR AURITUS. Common Turtle-Dove. 
 
 Isolated specimens were seen, but only in the valley of the 
 Jordan. 
 
 66. TURTUR ORIENTALIS. Asiatic Turtle-Dove. 
 
 Only found in the low trees and bushy tracts of the valley 
 of the Jordan, but there in great numbers. These birds had 
 already paired, and the males were executing their aerial 
 evolutions more skilfully than any pigeons I have ever seen. 
 Their peculiar call resounded all day long, and they were, on 
 the whole, very shy and wary. 
 
520 ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES 
 
 67. TURTUR SENEGALENSIS. Egyptian Turtle-Dove. 
 Very common throughout Egypt in cultivated ground, on 
 
 all roads and clumps of trees, but especially in gardens, even 
 within the towns. 
 
 68. CHALCOPELIA AFRA. Emerald-spotted Dove. 
 
 Only once seen at Kom-el-Emir, in Upper Egypt, where a 
 pair of these strikingly small and beautiful pigeons were 
 sitting on a mud-heap among the fields near the Nile. At 
 my approach one flew away ; the other remained, and fell to 
 my gun. This pigeon is really a native of Nubia and the 
 interior. 
 
 69. CACCABIS SAXATILIS. Rock-Partridge *. 
 
 The first specimens, a paired couple, were observed between 
 Jaffa and Jerusalem. Between Latrun and Jerusalem we 
 saw more of them among the hills that were covered with 
 bushes and large masses of rock. About Jerusalem, Bethle- 
 hem, and the road to the Dead Sea this beautiful partridge 
 occurred everywhere ; but as the natives are always after it, 
 it was nowhere common. In the valley of the Jordan it 
 chiefly frequents the broad watercourses that run from the 
 mountains and across the plains down to the river. These 
 watercourses are filled with large stones and impenetrable 
 thickets; and in these favourable localities many partridges are 
 to be found, and a good bag of these by no means shy birds 
 can easily be made. The Asiatic bird is, indeed, precisely the 
 same species as the Rock-Partridge of the Balkan peninsula 
 and the Greek islands, but it is larger and finer in colour. 
 
 70. CACCABIS PETROSA. Cliff- Partridge |. 
 
 The first specimens were seen on the barren mountains 
 
 * [" Steinhuhn." The Red-legged Partridge of Palestine is now gene- 
 rally considered to be the eastern species Caccabis chukar.'] 
 
 t [" Klippenhuhn." This undoubtedly refers to Hey's Partridge (Am- 
 moperdix heyi).~\ 
 
FROM THE EAST. 521 
 
 between Bethlehem and the Dead Sea, where, however, it was 
 very scarce. In the valley of the Jordan this graceful hird 
 and the Rock-Partridge live together in the same localities, 
 but the former is the more abundant. 
 
 71. FRANCOLINUS VULGARIS. Francolin. 
 
 First found among thick bushes near the halting-place of 
 Abd-el-Kader in the middle of the Jordan valley. On the 
 Upper Jordan, within a day's journey of the Lake of Tiberias, 
 this bird was extremely abundant in the marshy well- watered 
 neighbourhood of the village of Beisan. Pairs of them were 
 met with on damp ground that was well covered with grass, 
 very dense underwood, and a few reeds. The Francolin 
 allows one to come quite close to it, and only takes wing at 
 the last moment. The hens appeared to be sitting, as but 
 one was flushed. All morning, afternoon, and evening the 
 monotonous love-song of the cocks was heard in every direc- 
 tion, and only ceased in the scorching heat of the midday 
 hours. This cry, which is continued until the sportsman is 
 quite near, much facilitates the pursuit of this beautiful game- 
 bird. 
 
 72. COTURNTX COMMUNIS. Common Quail. 
 
 When we arrived in Lower Egypt at the end of February 
 we found that the Quail had not yet come. In the beginning 
 and up to the middle of March the whole valley of the Nile 
 was full of them, but we had neither the time nor the inclina- 
 tion to go specially after these birds. In the latter half, and 
 particularly the last few days, of March, Quail were very 
 numerous in Lower Egypt. At the beginning ef April we 
 found them throughout Palestine, even among the rocky 
 hills where there was no cover, and they were incredibly 
 abundant in the grassy and wooded districts of the valley of 
 the Jordan. There, we were obliged to shoot them for 
 
522 ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES 
 
 our ill-stocked larder, and there I even found fledged birds 
 of the year. 
 
 73. (EDICNEMUS CREPITANS. Stone-Curlew. 
 
 The Stone-Curlew occurs throughout Egypt in suitable 
 localities, old walls near water being its favourite resorts. I 
 found a great many of them in the ruins of an ancient mosque 
 at Cairo. There, as well as in most of the Egyptian towns, 
 its monotonous cry is nightly heard. It even inhabits the 
 upper part of the well-preserved Shu bra palace in consider- 
 able numbers. It also dwells among large stones and bare 
 rocks near water, on the island in the lake of Birket-el-Karun 
 for example. On the Nile it frequents the sandy islands that 
 are sparingly covered with bushes. In Palestine we saw a 
 pair on the barren mountains above the Dead Sea, and a flock 
 or' more than ten on the steppe near the Jordan. Unless we 
 made a special search for this bird we seldom met with it, but 
 as soon as it began to get dark we heard its call almost nightly, 
 both in Egypt and Palestine. 
 
 74. CHETTUSIA LEUCURA. White-tailed Plover. 
 
 Some of these beautiful birds were observed on the shores of 
 Lake Birket-el-Karun. 
 
 75. HOPLOPTERUS SPINOSUS. Spur-winged Plover. 
 
 From Alexandria to Assuan in all suitable localities near 
 water. On the banks of the Nile especially one sees great 
 numbers of these handsome birds every day ; also on fields, 
 meadows, and sandbanks, in gardens, by pools and canals, 
 it may be observed either singly or in flocks of as many as 
 twenty or even more. It is not shy, and one could slaughter 
 a hundred in a few days. 
 
FROM THE EAST. 523 
 
 70. CHARADRIUS FLUVIATILIS. Little Ringed Plover. 
 
 Very common at Lake Birket-el-Karun and the well- 
 watered districts near the Suez Canal; generally in large 
 flocks, but also solitary. 
 
 77. CHARADRIUS HIATICULA. Ringed Plover. 
 
 Found in considerable numbers at pools, in suitable situa- 
 tions on the Nile, both in Upper and Lower Egypt, and on 
 the great lagoons. 
 
 78. CHARADRIUS CANTIANUS. Kentish Plover. 
 
 Only seen at the Red Sea, where it was pretty common. 
 
 79. CURSORIUS GALLICUS. Cream-coloured Courser. 
 
 Only once found in the desert on the shore of the Red 
 Sea. 
 
 80. HYAS JEGYPTIACA. Black-headed Plover. 
 
 Of regular but not quite common occurrence on the banks 
 of the Nile in Upper Egypt. We saw only paired couples, 
 which chiefly frequented the sandbanks and the crumbling 
 sides of the river. 
 
 81. STREPSILAS INTERPRES. Turnstone. 
 
 Only seen at Lake Menzaleh, but there in large flocks, 
 often composed of various species of Sandpipers. In the 
 evening these birds kept uttering their incessant cries while 
 hovering round the numerous islands, which are surrounded 
 by sandy shores and covered with low bushes. 
 
 82. GALLINAGO GALLINARIA. Common Snipe. 
 
 In all suitable swamps on the marshy shores, and often 
 even the sandy banks of the river, both in Upper and Lower 
 Egypt. On an ancient freestone reservoir in the ruins of 
 
524 ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES 
 
 Karnak I found two kinds of Sandpipers and two Common 
 Snipe resting on the bare stone, being probably tired with a 
 long journey, and in a little marsh near Ismailia I met with 
 this bird in great abundance. In Palestine I saw several 
 solitary individuals among the bushes and mountain-streams 
 of the Jordan valley. 
 
 83. GALLINAGO GALLINULA. Jack Snipe. 
 
 Only in the true marshes of Lower Egypt, and even there 
 not common. 
 
 84. CALIDRIS ARENARIA. Sanderling. 
 
 Regularly seen on the Lakes and the Nile, but nowhere 
 common. 
 
 85. TRINGA MARITIMA. 
 
 Only observed on the shores of the Red Sea, but there in 
 great flocks. 
 
 86. TRINGA SUBARQUATA. Pygmy Curlew. 
 Frequently seen on the Red Sea, but nowhere else. 
 
 87. TRINGA ALPINA. Dunlin. 
 
 Very often observed in all suitable places, such as lakes, 
 pools, canals, and the banks of the Nile, both in Upper and 
 Lower Egypt. 
 
 88. TRINGA SCHINZII. Schinz's Sandpiper. 
 
 Often seen in large flocks on the banks of the little islands 
 of Lake Menzaleh. 
 
 89. TRINGA TEMMINCKII. Temminck's Stint. 
 
 Several large flocks, and also some single birds, of this 
 species were observed on the islands of Lake Menzaleh and 
 the salt-water marshes near Ismailia. 
 
FROM THE EAST. 525 
 
 90. MACHETES PTJGNAX. Kuff. 
 
 A few were seen on the islands of Lake Menzaleh, which 
 was very rich in Sandpipers, but nowhere else. 
 
 91. XENUS CINEREUS. Terek Sandpiper. 
 
 Very common at Lake Birket-el-Karun, and at pools and 
 suitable places along the Nile in Upper Egypt up to the 
 middle of March; later it was nowhere to be seen. 
 
 92. TOTANUS STAGNATILIS. Marsh-Sandpiper. 
 
 Observed singly at Lake Menzaleh, and by watercourses 
 in the valley of the Jordan in Palestine. 
 
 93. TOTANUS GLAREOLA. Wood-Sandpiper. 
 
 Met with in large numbers on the marshy ground at 
 Ismailia. It was probably on migration. 
 
 94. TOTANUS OCHROPUS. Green Sandpiper. 
 
 Several times observed on the shores of Lake Birket-el- 
 Karun. 
 
 95. LIMOSA RUFA. Bar-tailed Godwit. 
 
 Seen on various occasions at Lake Birket-el-Karun, on the 
 Nile, in Upper Egypt, and on the islands of Lake Menzaleh. 
 
 96. LIMOSA ^GOCEPHALA. Black-tailed Godwit. 
 
 A few were observed On the pools and sandy banks of one 
 of the islands of Lake Menzaleh. 
 
 97. EECURVIROSTRA AVOCETTA. Avocet. 
 
 A flock of ten was observed at Lake Menzaleh. They 
 were flying restlessly from one side of the island to the other. 
 This was the only place where this bird was seen. 
 
526 ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES 
 
 98. CICONIA ALBA. Common Stork. 
 
 Observed daily in Upper Egypt at the beginning of March 
 in great flights of at least several hundred individuals. They 
 were flying up-stream along the mountains bordering the 
 Nile. We also saw large flocks standing on the sandbanks 
 of the river. I never observed single birds in Egypt. In 
 Palestine I saw, during the last days of March, the fields and 
 meadows between Jaffa and the mountains, full of Storks 
 looking for food. At Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and in the 
 mountains of Mar-Saba I daily observed flights of hundreds 
 upon hundreds, all flying in a northerly direction. During 
 the entire time that we were travelling through the valley of 
 the Jordan, the grassy steppe-covered mountains that border 
 it, as well as the bottom of the valley, were crowded with 
 Storks. We often found them even in very arid localities. 
 In the evening they always collected at certain spots, where 
 there were trees and high bushes, in such numbers that these 
 roosting-places really seemed to be quite covered with them. 
 The first arrived at sunset, the last left at sunrise. Both 
 these trees and the ground round about them were coloured 
 with their droppings. We also met with Storks on the fields 
 near Nazareth, and between that place and the sea, but never 
 in such numbers. 
 
 99. ARDEA CINEREA. Grey Heron. 
 
 In astonishing numbers at Lake Birket-el-Karun, and on 
 the Nile these herons were standing close to one another on 
 every patch of sand and all along the banks the whole way 
 up to Assuan. 
 
 100. ARDEA PURPUREA. Purple Heron. 
 
 Rather common on Lake Birket-el-Karun, but observed 
 nowhere else in Egypt. Seen in the Jordan valley, not only 
 on the river itself, but also among the great stones and dense 
 bushes of the watercourses, yet nowhere common. 
 
FROM THE EAST. 527 
 
 101. ARDEA GARZETTA. Little Egret. 
 
 This heron was tolerably common at the lakes of Birket- 
 el-Karun and Menzaleh, but was never seen elsewhere. 
 
 102. ARDEA BUBULCUS. Buff-backed Heron. 
 
 From Alexandria far into Upper Egypt one of the com- 
 monest birds in all fields and gardens, even near the outer 
 houses of Cairo, and by the banks of the Kile and canals. 
 Large flocks follow the fellaheen as they plough, and keep 
 within a few paces of them, while all grazing herds are sur- 
 rounded by these birds, which have almost become domesticated. 
 
 103. ARDEA COMATA. Squacco Heron. 
 
 Only once seen among large flocks of Buff-backed Herons 
 on a wet plot of the Shubra gardens near Cairo. 
 
 104. ARDEA NYCTICORAX. Night-Heron. 
 
 First observed in a grove of palms at Keneh, in Upper 
 Egypt, where these herons pass the night. At Cairo I found 
 a very large colony of them nesting on a clump of pines 
 which ornament an artificial mound in the Shubra gardens. 
 Along the Jordan valley we saw several of these birds among 
 the thickets of the watercourses, and in the middle of April 
 we found them among the pine woods and bushes of the 
 island of Lacroina in Dalmatia. 
 
 105. REYNCH^EA CAPENSIS. Painted Snipe. 
 
 Great numbers of these beautiful and incredibly tame birds 
 were seen on a narrow little bit of the great marsh at Is- 
 mailia. They rise within a few paces, and fly only a short 
 distance, their flight being truly rail-like, but rather lighter 
 than that of our Water-Rail, and instead of running off and 
 cleverly concealing themselves, they wait for the sportsman 
 to come up again. 
 
528 ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES 
 
 106. FULICA ATRA. Coot. 
 
 In prodigious numbers, both on Lake Birket-el-Karun and 
 Lake Menzaleh. 
 
 107. ANAS BOSCHAS. Common Mallard. 
 
 Single birds were observed on both the above lakes, but 
 nowhere else. 
 
 108. ANAS QUERQUEDULA. Garganey Teal. 
 
 Several specimens were on various occasions met with at 
 Lake Birket-el-Karun, and a paired couple on an island near 
 the Barrage; otherwise these ducks were nowhere observed. 
 
 109. SPATULA CLYPEATA. Shoveller. 
 
 Very scarce on Lake Birket-el-Karun and on the Nile; on 
 Lake Menzaleh pretty common. 
 
 110. FULIGULA NYROCA. White-eyed Duck. 
 
 We found these ducks in astonishing numbers at many 
 places on Lake Birket-el-Karun, where the shore was covered 
 with high reeds. On the Nile and on Lake Menzaleh they 
 were no longer to be met with by the middle of March. 
 
 111. FULIGULA CRISTATA. Tufted Duck. 
 
 Isolated individuals were observed on Lake Birket-el- 
 Karun, nowhere else. 
 
 112. LARUS MICHAHELLESII. Yellow-legged Herring-Gull. 
 
 The commonest Gull of the Adriatic and Ionian Seas. In 
 February seen everywhere and all day long throughout the 
 Mediterranean, the Suez Canal, and the great lagoons, but 
 never met with on the Nile. 
 
 113. LARUS FUSCUS. Herring-Gull.* 
 
 Local in the Adriatic and among the Greek islands; rather 
 * [" Heringsmove." L. aryentatus?'] 
 
FROM THE EAST. .529 
 
 common in the harbour of Corfu, and very abundant in that 
 of Zante; rare at Alexandria, Lake Menzaleh, and the Suez 
 Canal. 
 
 114. LARUS ICHTHYAETUS. Great Black-headed Gull. 
 
 Rather common on Lake Birket-el-Karun, sometimes seen 
 on the Suez Canal, but never on the Nile or Lake Menzaleh. 
 
 115. LARUS RIDIBUNDUS. Black-headed Gull. 
 
 Very plentiful at all times of the year on the Adriatic and 
 Ionian waters; also abundant throughout the Mediterranean, 
 in the harbours of Alexandria and Port Said, on the Suez 
 Canal, and on the lakes of Birket-el-Karun and Menzaleh. 
 
 116. LARUS MELANOCEPHALUS. Mediterranean Black- 
 headed Gull. 
 
 Several solitary specimens were observed on Lake Men- 
 zaleh. 
 
 117. GRACULUS CARBO. Common Cormorant. 
 
 In large numbers on Lake Birket-el-Karun ; on Lake 
 Menzaleh pretty numerous ; very common on the Suez Canal, 
 the Bitter Lakes, the Red Sea at Suez, and on all suitable 
 coasts of the Mediterranean, Ionian, and Adriatic seas. 
 
 118. CARBO PYGM^EA. Pygmy Cormorant. 
 
 Very common in a brackish lagoon of the island of Corfu 
 near the town. There it lives in company with the large 
 Cormorants, Herons, Gulls, Ducks, and Divers. It is not 
 very shy ; never met with elsewhere. 
 
 119. PELECANUS ONOCROTALUS. Roseate Pelican. 
 Rather common at Lake Birket-el-Karun and all along the 
 
 Nile. In incredible numbers on Lake Menzaleh. In Pales- 
 
530 ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES 
 
 tine I saw a very large flock of Pelicans that came flying 
 across the Dead Sea, and circled for a long time over a great 
 fire that we had made to assist us in boar-hunting. These 
 were the only Pelicans seen in Asia.- 
 
 120. PELECANUS CRISPUS. Dalmatian Pelican. 
 
 Seen singly or in large flocks on Lake Birket-el-Karun, 
 but never observed elsewhere. 
 
 The list of the birds obtained, measured, and therefore 
 thoroughly studied is now complete, and it only remains 
 to devote a few words to the species which were not killed. 
 In enumerating these I will not follow any system, but will 
 give the precedence to those about which I have most to 
 record. 
 
 To commence with the Waterfowl, most of the European 
 geese and ducks had, as I have already said, returned to their 
 homes when my journey in Africa began; and the sporting 
 districts of Egypt are, moreover, completely ruined by a 
 yearly invasion of European, and, more particularly, of English 
 sportsmen. I saw many ducks, even more than I had ex- 
 pected, both on the Nile and the Lakes, but they sought safety 
 in flight while we were still a long way off and before I 
 could distinguish the species to which they belonged. A 
 large Diver, also, that I met with several times at Lake 
 Menzaleh would never let me come near enough. 
 
 I found it utterly impossible to bag a specimen of the 
 beautiful Egyptian Geese, formerly so common, but now so 
 very perceptibly reduced in number. I only saw these 
 handsome birds on the Nile, never on the lakes. The Purple 
 Gallinule, too, seems to have already become very scarce. 
 
 I met with enormous numbers of Flamingoes on Lake 
 Menzaleh, but they very seldom fly into the interior of the 
 country, and we only saw one of them on the Upper Nile. 
 
FROM THE EAST. 531 
 
 Having already been unlucky with these shy birds in other 
 countries, I was not surprised at failing to obtain any. The 
 great flocks of Flamingoes, however, though containing many 
 hundreds of individuals, were not nearly so large as the 
 swarms of Pelicans. 
 
 I must mention, as an interesting fact, that we saw the 
 Pomatorhine Skua (Lestris pomatorhinus) in the harbour of 
 Zante during rough weather. This was the second time that 
 I had observed this northern Gull in the Mediterranean, 
 having first noticed it in the western part of this sea, on 
 which occasion I was fortunate enough to secure the rare 
 specimen. I also repeatedly saw the Mediterranean Shear- 
 water (Puffinns ku/ili) along the coasts of Greece and 
 Dalmatia. 
 
 The Waders were the birds which we had the best and 
 most frequent opportunities of observing during our journey : 
 for in the first place Africa and also Western Asia, though in a 
 lesser degree, possess a long list of residents belonging to this 
 group; and, secondly, the northern species take their de- 
 parture later than the generality of the swimming birds, and 
 we therefore met with many of them still in their winter- 
 quarters. The lagoons of Egypt and the flat sandbanks of 
 the Nile also afford splendid resorts for the members of this 
 Order. 
 
 At the end of February I still saw the Woodcock in Africa, 
 for our dogs put one up in a large sugar-cane plantation in the 
 province of Fayum. 
 
 A considerable number of the raptorial species of birds 
 were killed, but unfortunately many more were only seen. 
 The "Stein" Eagle (Aqidla fulva) I twice observed in the 
 mountainous districts of Palestine. The Imperial Eagle 
 (Aquila imperialis) very seldom, but am sure that I once saw 
 it flying over the oak woods of Mount Tabor. The Larger 
 Spotted Eagle (Aquila clanga) I repeatedly met with, but 
 
 2M2 
 
532 ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES 
 
 only in Africa, where I noticed it sitting on the islands of 
 Lake Menzaleh, while it was common on the banks of the 
 Nile and among the fields of the cultivated districts of Upper 
 Egypt. 
 
 The Pygmy Eagle has already been treated of among the 
 specimens obtained, and I w r ill only add that two of the speci- 
 mens had the very dark, almost black dress, while the third 
 exhibited the true transition stage of plumage coffee-brown 
 varied with striations and whitish spots. Among the many 
 Pygmy Eagles that we saw I also noticed some in the per- 
 fectly white dress of the true pennata, by which that form 
 used to be distinguished from minuta. 
 
 As I was one day sitting waiting for jackals in the ravine 
 below the monastery of Mar-Saba, in Palestine, an eagle flew 
 along the upper edge of the rocks, which, from its size and 
 plumage, I could only take to be Bonelli's Eagle (Aquila 
 bonellii), a bird well known to me. 
 
 On the banks of the Nile I observed the Sea-Eagle (Haliae- 
 tus albicUla) on several occasions, but, singularly enough, 
 always young birds in the dark plumage. There could have 
 been no mistake, for I examined some with the field-glass 
 when they were not more than two hundred paces off. 
 
 I never saw the Cinereous Vulture (Vultnr cinereiis) in 
 Africa ; but in Palestine I observed two in the oak woods of 
 Mount Tabor, and also fancied that I detected some amongst 
 a flock of Griffon Vultures in the mountains bordering the Red 
 Sea. Of this, however, I cannot be sure. 
 
 The great Sociable Vulture (Vultur cwricuJarifi) , which 
 only a few years ago was a regular inhabitant of Upper 
 Egypt, has now almost entirely disappeared. I saw two 
 among some Griffon Vultures ; they were all sitting on a 
 sandbank near the carcass of a buffalo that had been washed 
 up by the Nile. 
 
 My attention was drawn to them by the way in which they 
 
FROM THE EAST. 533 
 
 differed from the other vultures, both in size and colour, and 
 I examined these rarities with the glass when but a short 
 distance from them. We stopped the steamer and tried to 
 stalk the wary birds, but our attempt was unhappily quite 
 unsuccessful. 
 
 I never saw the Bearded Vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) 
 either in the Arabian mountains or in those of Palestine, 
 though it appears to be not so very rare in both ; but I ob- 
 served this splendid Vulture-Eagle in the rocky range that 
 marks the boundary of the desert in the province of Fayum. 
 I had already heard that it does occasionally, but very rarely, 
 visit the frontier mountains of Egypt in its wanderings, and 
 was therefore delighted at seeing an immature bird in the 
 dark plumage circling several times above the rocks of the 
 inland of Bezire-el-Karun. 
 
 I had also two opportunities of observing the Egyptian 
 Eagle- Owl (J3ubo ascalaphus), which in Northern Africa 
 takes the place of our Eagle-Owl (Bubo maximus), but is 
 somewhat smaller and very variable in colour. I first saw 
 this beautiful bird at the pyramids of Gizeh, while we were 
 making the Arabs beat them for jackals. Just as the drive 
 was almost over one of these owls left the third small pyramid 
 and flew warily off into the desert, but it was unfortunately 
 so far from me that I could not get a good shot. I again 
 met with it at Medinet Abu, and could easily have killed it. 
 I was sitting one evening at the foot of the high desert 
 mountains, when shortly after sundown an owl came from 
 the hills and flew towards the plain, passing me quite close 
 and low. My keen love of sport, however, overcame my 
 ornithological instincts, and not wishing to spoil one of my 
 usually successful night expeditions after the larger beasts of 
 prey, I did not fire. 
 
 I never met \vith the European Bee-eater (Merops apiaster) 
 in Egypt, though I went up to the Nubian frontier, which 
 
534 ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES. 
 
 shows how far into the interior this bird goes for its 
 winter-quarters. When I left Egypt, at the end of March, 
 the Bee-eaters had not yet appeared ; but I heard from a 
 friend that three days after my departure they had arrived 
 in swarms, and that the greatest number had been seen in the 
 Shubra gardens not far from the town. A few days later, in 
 the first week of April, I had repeated opportunities of ob- 
 serving these birds in the valley of the Jordan, where paired 
 couples were hovering about the high crumbling earthy 
 banks of the streams, while the many nest-holes indicated 
 that colonies of them bred there every year. 
 
 The Roller (Coracias garrula) was not observed in Africa; 
 but in the valley of the Jordan I saw a good many, almost 
 all, paired couples. They generally frequented the same 
 breeding-places as the Bee-eaters, and lived in company with 
 them. 
 
 I was lying in wait for jackals in the rocky valley of Mar- 
 Saba, below the monastery, when, soon after sunset, I noticed 
 some birds flitting like butterflies along the cliffs, and at times 
 climbing up the bare rocks and disappearing one after another 
 into the clefts and crannies to sleep. Having often observed 
 the Wall-creeper (Ticliodroma muraria) in the Alps, and 
 knowing its appearance perfectly, as well as its characteristic 
 habit of coming- every evening to a particular cliff, where, 
 after a few flying and running manoeuvres, it seeks its 
 rest, I was sure that these birds were Wall-Creepers ; but, 
 though the cliff was not far from my post, the increasing 
 darkness prevented by seeing the colours of their plumage. 
 
ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES 
 
 FROM 
 
 JANUARY IST TO APRIL 30TH, 1882. 
 
 ALTHOUGH the Notes that I now publish are but loose leaves, 
 not well-arranged matter, and have been collected at various 
 times and in various localities, they may perchance contain 
 some observations not wholly devoid of interest. 
 
 From the 12th to the 31st of January I saw Sky-Larks 
 (Alauda arvensis) almost daily in the neighbourhood of 
 Prague. In fine weather they sang as they mounted aloft, 
 but when it was cold and stormy they congregated in large 
 flocks on the newly-ploughed fields. 
 
 At the end of January I killed in the same district a Jack 
 Snipe (Gallinago gallinula) on the bank of a frozen reed- 
 covered pond. It was not a sick bird, but lively and in good 
 condition. 
 
 During the past autumn the Rough-legged Buzzard (Buleo 
 lagopus) was far less abundant than in former years, but 
 remained in the neighbourhood of Prague throughout the 
 winter. It commenced its return journey in the beginning 
 of March, but in the latter days of that month I still saw 
 several in their usual haunts. 
 
536 ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES. 
 
 The Jackdaw (Corvus monedula) wintered this year on the 
 towers of Prague in far larger numbers than usual, and by 
 the beginning of March the first pairs were already to be seen 
 tidying up their nests with fresh twigs. The Book ( C. frugi- 
 legus) also passed almost the entire winter with us, and went 
 about the fields in large flocks. 
 
 I saw single specimens of the Fieldfare (Turdus pilaris) 
 round Prague throughout the winter. In the districts of 
 Northern Bohemia, where this thrush nests, I observed it in 
 large flocks of fifty to sixty. On March 3rd and on April 
 13th, during very warm weather, I found considerable num- 
 bers congregated in the plains near Laxenburg, south of 
 Vienna, and being struck by this late appearance of the Field- 
 fare in a district where it never breeds I killed a specimen 
 in order to make sure of the species. 
 
 During December the Common Mallard (Anas boscJtas) 
 did not leave a little lake near Prague until it was completely 
 frozen over, and several individuals reappeared at the first 
 thaw in the end of February. In the middle of March I 
 already found paired couples on the brooks and ponds of 
 Northern Bohemia. 
 
 I observed the Shoveller (Spatula dypeata) on migration 
 at the .same time, and found on little ponds a few stra}' birds, 
 which, curiously enough, were all females. 
 
 The Long-tailed Duck (Harelda glacialis) came to the 
 Danube this winter in extraordinary numbers, and the last 
 stragglers did not leave until the beginning of March. I 
 still saw some on the large lakes of Southern Bohemia on 
 March 10th. 
 
 During the first weeks of March the Coot (Fulica atra) 
 appeared on the small pools near Prague, and at the end of 
 that month I already found several full clutches of eggs. 
 
 The first Black-headed Gulls (Larus ridilnndus) were 
 observed on the Moldau at Prague in the middle of March, 
 
ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES. 537 
 
 and on March 21st and the following days I saw many of 
 them in Northern Bohemia, where they were looking for 
 insects on the fields and flying about the large ponds in 
 flocks. No paired couples were noticed at that time. 
 
 In Northern Bohemia, after a long spell of unnaturally 
 warm weather, there came on March 22nd a pretty severe 
 snowfall, with a sudden fall in the temperature, and the 
 strong north-east wind seemed to have a great influence on 
 the migration of the birds, for on a little stream that flows 
 through woods and meadows, and that usually harbours as 
 resident birds only a few pairs of Mallards, I found on 
 March 22nd a Double Snipe (Gallinago major), and soon 
 afterwards a Bittern (Botaitrus stellar is). Both seemed to 
 be much tired with a long journey, and rose very slowly 
 before the dogs. The Bittern is extremely rare in this 
 locality, and few of the keepers knew it. 
 
 The Wood-Pigeon ( Coluniba palumbus) was first observed 
 near Prague at the end of February. On the 14th of March 
 I saw large flocks both of this bird and of the Stock-Dove 
 ( C. cenas) in the meadows of the Danube below Vienna, and 
 also found paired couples of the two species in their customary 
 haunts. 
 
 The Woodcock (Scolopax rusticola) came to the neighbour- 
 hood of Vienna in the beginning of March, and was un- 
 usually scarce both in the auen of the Danube and in the 
 Wiener Wald,for the dryness of the ground and the hot weather 
 drove them quickly to their breeding-places. Even when we 
 were out shooting, these birds, which are generally so sluggish 
 during the day, were singularly active. I saw some that 
 were flushed rise high in the air, wing their way over woods 
 and valleys, and disappear for good. 
 
 On March 20th I found many Woodcocks in the woods 
 west of Prague, where they breed every year in the damp 
 valleys among the dense pine-forests and birches. According 
 
638 ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES. 
 
 to the keepers the flight had been going on regularly, both 
 morning and evening, for eight days, and they were more 
 plentiful than in most years. I often heard Woodcocks 
 later on, and on the 20th of April still found six of them on 
 passage at one place, while some were calling on the 25th, 
 even as early as half-past four. 
 
 I fancy that this season these birds travelled quickly over 
 the dry deciduous woods, and instead of stopping in them for 
 some time, as they generally do in March, flew straight to 
 their breeding-places among the damp coniferous forests. 
 
 From what the keepers told me, the Cormorant (Pliala- 
 crocorax carbo) appeared on the Danube below Vienna earlier 
 than usual. On March 14th I found all the paired birds at 
 their nests, to which they were busily giving the final touches, 
 and by the 10th of April the females were sitting hard. 
 
 For several years past I had now and then noticed a white- 
 bellied bird among the crowd of Cormorants. This year I 
 again saw this singular individual, which seemed to have no 
 nest, and I managed to shoot it on one of the arms of the 
 river close by. The whole of the underparts, beginning from 
 the bill, were pure white, with the exception of a few black 
 spots, and the back, top of the head, and uppersides of the 
 wings were shot with silver-grey, the undersides of the wings 
 being reddish brown. Careful comparison showed that in all 
 the measurements length, breadth, wings, bill, tail, tarsus, 
 middle toe this singular bird was distinctly smaller than the 
 ordinary Cormorant. 
 
 It is for experts to determine whether in the case of this 
 specimen we have to do with an abnormal bird or possibly 
 with one of the two closely allied species. 
 
 The Grey Herons (Ardea cinerea) came this year to their 
 breeding-grounds in the auen of the Danube, near Vienna, 
 earlier than usual. On March 14th I found them already 
 busy with the building of their nests, and by April 10th 
 
ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES. 5:]9 
 
 most of the females were sitting, but not so hard as the 
 Cormorants. 
 
 On March 28th, when looking for Blackcock in a clearing 
 of one of those high-lying wooded districts near Prague 
 which are quite destitute of any large streams or marshy flats, 
 three Herons, tired with some long journey, came slowly 
 flying along at sunrise, one after another, and close to the 
 ground. I knocked down the leader, but in spite of the shot 
 the two others settled in an adjacent field of young corn. It 
 was a cold morning, and a succession of snow-showers were 
 being brought up by a strong west wind. The Herons were 
 flying from a south-easterly direction and were battling 
 against the wind. 
 
 In the neighbourhood of Prague I saw the first Starlings 
 (Sturnus vulgans) at the end of February. On March 21st 
 I arrived at a shooting-lodge situated at the edge of a great 
 forest in Northern Bohemia. During the first part of the 
 afternoon the temperature was very high, the weather quite 
 like spring, and pairs of Starlings were sitting in front of my 
 window on the numerous nest-boxes. Towards evening there 
 was a heavy storm, succeeded by a very decided change of 
 temperature. The next morning brought with it cold showers 
 of rain, and the Starlings had all left their breeding-places, 
 and were flying about the fields in large flocks. On the 
 following day the country was covered with snow, and it kept 
 getting colder and colder. I w r as out of doors the whole day, 
 but did not see a single Starling, for they had begun to 
 beat a retreat. Two days afterwards the weather improved, 
 the temperature rose, the sun shone pleasantly, and on looking 
 out of my window in the morning I again saw the Starlings 
 busily employed at their breeding-boxes. 
 
 The Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) also seems to have been 
 much influenced in its breeding by the mild weather of the 
 present year, for close to Prague on the evening of March 
 
640 ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES. 
 
 3rd I saw a cock settle on its usual trusting-place, which it 
 frequented every evening for a long time, and where it 
 drummed later on. 
 
 In consequence of this overwarm March weather the 
 drumming-time of the Capercaillie began unusually early, 
 was several times interrupted by the change of weather, and 
 passed off in a very irregular fashion. On the 22nd, 23rd, 
 and 24th of April I had personal opportunities of observing 
 that almost all the cocks had ceased calling in the well- 
 stocked grounds, and that was generally just the height of 
 the season. 
 
 On February 23rd, during pretty cold weather, I met with 
 the Blackcock ( Tetrao tetrix) in packs of from twenty to 
 thirty, not far from Prague. In the morning these birds 
 were on the fields near the woods, as they usually are in 
 winter, and on several occasions some cocks began to call for 
 a few moments. 
 
 By February 27th the large packs had already broken up, 
 and at daybreak the cocks were drumming at the usual places, 
 as if it were really spring, and from that day up to the present 
 time they have continued to drum uninterruptedly in the best 
 possible way. 
 
 In the immediate neighbourhood of Prague, where there is 
 quite an extraordinary head of Blackgame, I had previously 
 killed some old cocks that had several of the brown feathers 
 of the hen, generally on the back, but sometimes even on the 
 breast ; and this year I had various opportunities of doing so 
 again. It must be remembered that these were not the 
 grey-brown feathers that one finds on cocks of the year, but 
 that they were of a bright brownish yellow, just like those of 
 the hen. The birds, too, were old cocks with well-curved tail- 
 feathers, and were drumming, surrounded by their wives. 
 Almost all these abnormal specimens had some white feathers 
 on the chin ; and this I have hitherto only noticed in the 
 
ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES. 541 
 
 woods in the western vicinity of Prague, where there is a 
 remarkably large stock of Blackgnme. Perhaps it may be 
 regarded as one of the degenerations arising from over- 
 population. 
 
 The first Swallows (Hirundo rustica) were seen flying 
 about the banks of one of the arms of the Danube on April 
 16th, and the following day I saw some of them in Vienna. 
 Arriving in Prague on the 19th I could not, in spite of 
 diligent observation, discover any Swallows, nor was it until 
 the 21st that I met with some on the Moldau south of the 
 city, and a few days later found them in the villages of 
 Northern Bohemia, though in very small numbers. 
 
 Up to the present date I have only once seen the Martin 
 (Chelidon urbica) this year, and that was on April 16th, when 
 1 observed a large flock flying at a great rate up-stream along 
 the bank of the Danube, near Vienna. 
 
 This winter seems also to have affected the movements of 
 the birds of prey. Several Sea-Eagles (Hallaetus albicilla) 
 made their ordinary annual appearance in November, among 
 the auen of the Danube below Vienna, and left before the 
 middle of March, this being the period that the Sea- 
 Eagles generally visit Lower Austria. From March to 
 November there are usually none of them 1o be seen in that 
 region ; but this year it was different, for on April 10th, as I 
 was stealing along an arm of the Danube to watch the Cor- 
 morants fishing, a Sea-Eagle suddenly dropped from a tree a 
 few hundred yards aw^ay, hunted up and down the water 
 several times, and soon afterwards perched upon a silver 
 poplar well furnished with dead branches. 
 
 I stalked up as carefully as possible under cover of the 
 wood and managed to reach the edge of a little open, within 
 sixty to seventy paces of the tree. An old but very small 
 male was sitting on a branch looking towards the water, 
 and a perfectly enormous female was lazily resting beside 
 
542 ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES. 
 
 him, both having the pale yellow plumage and the white tail 
 indicative of great age. 
 
 On my attempting to cross the open they rose, and at my 
 shot the female sank towards the water, but flew over it to 
 a high tree near by, about halfway up which it settled ; the 
 male, however, kept rising into higher regions, circling round 
 the place where its mate had disappeared, and in a few 
 minutes disappeared in a southerly direction. I then went 
 after the wounded bird, and three times found it sitting on 
 the ground, but never succeeded in getting near enough to 
 kill it with shot. 
 
 It is very exceptional to meet with an old pair of Sea- 
 Eagles in April at any other place than the immediate neigh- 
 bourhood of their nest, and they most certainly no longer 
 breed in the auen of the Danube between Vienna and Press- 
 burg ; my astonishment was therefore all the greater when 
 on the 16th of April I several times saw three different 
 Sea-Eagles at the same spot, either sitting on the bank of 
 the arms of the river or flying about hunting and fishing. 
 With the help of a field-glass I could perfectly well make 
 out that these were distinct individuals, for, in the first place, 
 they were of different sizes, and, in the second, they varied 
 in their plumage, one having the full adult feathering, but 
 not so pale as that of the pair that I saw on the 10th, 
 while the others were younger one being in the tawny 
 transition dress, the other in the dark brown garb of the 
 very young bird. 
 
 This year the auen of the Danube were also unusually rich 
 in Ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) ; but they were all immature 
 birds that were not yet breeding, for I never found a nest of 
 this species in that district. The first two I observed on 
 March 14th, and on the 6th, and especially on the 16th, of 
 April I saw many of them flying about fishing. 
 
 On March 14th I noticed a Montagu's Harrier (Circus 
 
ORNITHOLOGICAL KOTES. 543 
 
 cineraceus) ; on April 10th several, as well as some Marsh- 
 Harriers (C. ceruginosus}. 
 
 Up to the 14th of March the Black Kite (Milvus ater} had 
 not been met with at Vienna, but by April 10th they were 
 already flying about in pairs. On the 16th of the same 
 month both the Black and the Common Kite (M. regalis) 
 were busy finishing their nests, while the Common Buzzard 
 (Buteo vulgaris) was already sitting hard. 
 
 On the evening of April 22nd I heard the first Cuckoo 
 (Cuculiis canorus) calling in a large forest in the north of 
 Bohemia, and after that day their notes resounded everywhere 
 with extraordinary frequency. 
 
 On April 24th I saw, in the same district, the first Hoopoe 
 ( Upupa epops) , also a great flock of Common Storks ( Ciconia 
 alba) upon a meadow at the edge of a wood; and on the 25th 
 I heard before sunrise the call of the Quail ( Coturnix dactyli- 
 sonans) in a wood near Prague. 
 
 Both at Vienna, as well as in the various districts of 
 Bohemia, I was much struck with the great abundance of the 
 Corn-Bunting (Emberiza miliaria). The White Wagtail 
 (Motacilla alba] I this year saw for the first time at Vienna 
 on the 12th of March, and at Prague on the 18th. 
 
 Before concluding these fugitive notes I will add a few 
 more observations made during the winter and the beginning 
 of spring in a couple of gardens situated in the middle of 
 the town of Prague. One of these spots lies on a steep 
 slope, and is open towards the Moldau on the south-east, shut 
 in on the north by high houses, and in all other directions by 
 the buildings lower down at the bottom of the hill. The 
 other is surrounded by houses on the south and south-west, 
 and open towards the north and the west. There are fields 
 near it, but no real wood for far and wide, nothing but a few 
 patches of garden-ground with low bushes. 
 
 I here found no confirmation of the idea that in severe 
 
544 ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES. 
 
 winters birds overcome all their fear of man and come into 
 the gardens of the town ; for in the winter of 1878-79, which 
 was so very hard, both these gardens were uncommonly poor 
 in birds, while during the very mild one just past I compiled 
 a list of species which, considering the position of the locality 
 where they were seen, is remarkably full. 
 
 Before enumerating them I will divide the period of ob- 
 servation into two sections, namely, from January 1st to 
 March 1st, and from March 1st to April 30th. I should also 
 mention that I killed with a small collecting-gun some 
 specimens which struck me as being particularly dark. These 
 birds were all so blackened by the smoke of the town that 
 they looked quite peculiar. This blackness, which yielded, 
 however, to an application of soap, occurred chiefly among 
 the Sparrows and Woodpeckers. 
 
 From January 1st to March 1st I observed the Great 
 Spotted Woodpecker (Picus major], much blackened, the 
 Middle Spotted Woodpecker (P. medius), the Grey-headed 
 Green Woodpecker (P. canus], the Goshawk (Aster palinn- 
 barius), the Sparrow-Hawk (A. nisus], the Robin (ErytJiacus 
 rubecula), the Blackbird (Turdus mcrula\ the Common Wren 
 (Troglodytes parvulus], the Gold en -crested Wren (Regulus 
 cristatus) , the Fire-crested Wren (/?. ignicapillus] , the Crested 
 Lark (Alauda cristata], the Chaffinch (Fringilla Calebs) , up to 
 the beginning of February only females, afterwards males. 
 Also the Siskin (Chrysomitris spinus), the Common Sparrow 
 (Passer domesticus) , much blackened ; the Tree-Sparrow 
 (P. montanus), the Greenfinch (Coccothraustes vulgaris], the 
 Bullfinch (Pyrrhula europcea) , the Hooded Crow (Corvus cor- 
 nix], the Rook (C.frugilegus), the Jackdaw (C. monedula), 
 the Great Tit (Parus major], the Blue Tit (P. cceruleus), one 
 specimen of the Coal Tit (P. ater], the Marsh-Tit (P. paint- 
 tris), the Crested Tit (P. cristatus), the Long-tailed Tit 
 
ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES. 545 
 
 (Acredula caudata), the Nuthatch (Sitta ccesia), the Creeper 
 ( Certhia familiaris). 
 
 The above birds remained from March 1st to April 30th, 
 with the exception of the following : the Green and Grey- 
 headed Green Woodpeckers, the Common Wren, the Fire- 
 crested Wren, the Siskin, the Bullfinch, the Coal, Marsh, and 
 Long-tailed Tits. There came, in addition, on April 3rd the 
 Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (Picus minor), a bird that I had 
 never before observed in Bohemia, and which was perfectly 
 black from the smoke ; on April 19th the Wryneck (lynx 
 torquilla) ; after the end of March, the Kestrel (Falco tinnun- 
 culus) ; after the middle of April, the Redstart (Ruticilla 
 pltcenicurus), the Black Redstart (R. tithys) ; after the begin- 
 ning of March, the Song-Thrush (Turdus musicus] and the 
 Redwing ( T. iliacus) , both of which arrived together, but stayed 
 a very short time, the Hedge- Sparrow (Accentor modularis), 
 the Yellows-Hammer (Emberiza citrinella), the Greenfinch 
 (Ligurinus chloris), large flocks of the Goldfinch (Carduelis 
 elegant)^ which only remained for one day, the Serin Finch 
 (Serinus hortulanns), and the Swallow (Hirundo rustica). 
 
 The Shrikes, the Flycatchers, and our best songsters, the 
 Warblers, were still absent, at any rate from the gardens in 
 Prague ; but some miles south of the town, by the banks of 
 the river Sazawa, which are thickly covered with willow 
 bushes, I saw on April 28th a few Great Reed- Warblers 
 (AcJ-ocephalus turdoides) and Reed- Warblers (A. arundinaceus) , 
 ind on the meadows several Whinchats (Pratincola rubetra) 
 and one Stonechat (P. rubicola), while the Wheatear (Saxi- 
 cola cenanthe) was everywhere flitting about the stony slopes 
 of the hills. 
 
[ 540 J 
 
 ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES 
 
 FROM 
 
 MAY IST TO 31ST, 1882. 
 
 IN continuation of my first series of notes I will now cite 
 some further dates in the order in which they were set 
 down. 
 
 On May 1st I saw, close to Prague, a good many Sand- 
 Martins ( Cotyle riparia) flying ahout a large deep sand-pit, far 
 from all water. 
 
 On May 2nd, as I was waiting for the coining of the Caper- 
 caillie cocks at the edge of a young plantation of pines that 
 adjoined a high beech-wood, a Woodcock flew past, uttering 
 its note loudly. This was at half-past six in the evening, and 
 it was therefore still quite light. I soon afterwards saw the 
 first White-collared Flycatchers (Muscicapa albicollis). The 
 weather was rainy and mild, and the vegetation was very for- 
 ward even in that raw district, the beeches and larches being 
 clad in the richest green. 
 
 After being silent for eight days the cock Capercaillies 
 again began calling lustily ; previously they had only been 
 heard here and there, so that it was generally believed that 
 the drumming-time was already over ; on May 2nd and 3rd, 
 however, it was going on in the woods just as merrily as 
 during the height of the season. For several years past I 
 
ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES. 547 
 
 have had opportunities of observing that the cocks continue 
 to drum just as long as the hens are at the regular spots. 
 Then comes the time when the latter wander away to their 
 breeding-places and begin to lay : almost all the cocks 
 are then silent, generally for nearly a week, but when the 
 hens are sitting hard there follows another short but very 
 lively period of drumming (" Nachbalz "). 
 
 This observation was completely borne out in many parts of 
 Bohemia during the present year. For instance, on May 3rd 
 I saw at one spot several cocks calling very well ; but they 
 began unusually early, while it was still quite dark, and soon 
 left off. 
 
 I was just ' springing ' a Capercaillie when a cock suddenly 
 flew up almost noiselessly, and, settling on a young pine-tree 
 close by me, immediately began to call softly. First came an 
 indistinct confused clucking (" Glocken " *), then instead of 
 the " Hauptschlag " * and the " Schleifen " * there followed 
 a peculiar snoring sound. 
 
 This call was familiar to me, and I soon recognized it as 
 that of the Hybrid Grouse, and attempted to get near the bird ; 
 but though for half an hour I examined the dense foliage of 
 the young pine from all sides, I could not discover the cock, 
 which kept on uttering his comical song until he at last 
 vanished as quickly as he had come. However, as he flew 
 away across the valley, I caught a momentary glimpse of him 
 between two trees, and saw that he was not large enough for 
 a Capercaillie. None of the keepers knew of this cock, and I 
 have heard nothing more of him, so it would seem that he was 
 only a visitor. 
 
 The Blackcocks are this year enjoying a particularly long 
 drumming-season, for, induced by the mildness of the winter 
 to begin calling early, they have now been carrying on their 
 
 * [There are no English equivalents for these divisions of the sounds 
 made by the Capercaillie when drumming.! 
 
 2x2 
 
648 ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES. 
 
 battles and love-affairs at the regular places for eleven weeks. 
 They commence to call soon after three o'clock, but leave 
 off altogether between five and six, especially on warm 
 mornings. The old pugnacious cocks already show the 
 effects of this prolonged "Balz," for their necks are bare 
 and the gloss of their plumage is worn off, while the heiis 
 all appear to be breeding, as they no longer come to the 
 trysting-places. 
 
 On May 4th a somewhat strong but very mild south wind 
 was blowing, which continued throughout the night of the 
 5th, and after two fine days brought up clouds and stormy 
 weather with passing showers of heavy rain. 
 
 Before three o'clock on the morning of the 5th I was walk- 
 ing along the edge of the wood that lies nearest to Prague, 
 and from which an almost unbroken stretch of fertile fields 
 runs right up to the town, when I suddenly heard the cry of 
 the Eagle-Owl (Biibo maxitnus). I stole up to the place 
 whence the sound came ; but unfortunately the shy bird would 
 not let me get within range, but flew away over the fields 
 when I w r as about eighty yards from it. 
 
 Soon after this, as I was sitting in a Blackcock hut hard by 
 I heard the call of the Nightjar (Caprimulgus europwus). It 
 kept sounding its disagreeable note until a few minutes before 
 sunrise, when it was relieved by the Nightingale (JLmcinia 
 philomela), while as soon as the sun was up the song of the 
 Oriole (Oriolus galbula) resounded from all the higher 
 woods. These three birds I now heard for the first time 
 this year, and I also greeted as a fresh arrival the Turtle- 
 Dove (Turtur auritus), which, singularly enough, was silent 
 all that morning. 
 
 Both the last-mentioned species are very abundant in the 
 neighbourhood of Prague, but generally only in the clumps 
 of trees about the fields and in the large gardens. I never 
 suw so many of them in the thick woods as on May 5th, and 
 
ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES. 549 
 
 they were probably brought in by the southerly gale of the 
 4th and the following night. This observation was confirmed 
 a few days later. 
 
 During the middle of the day I also saw the first Swifts 
 (Cypselus apus) at the cliffs on the river Beraun, and on the 
 6th observed them in Prague. Next day I heard Turtle-Doves 
 cooing in a little wood among the fields, and saw the males 
 performing the most beautiful aerial evolutions before their 
 mates. In the thickets I noticed the Whitethroat (Sylvia 
 cinerea) and the Lesser Whitethroat (/S. garrnla)', among the 
 flowering elder-bushes of the little gardens near the above 
 wood I remarked the Icterine Warbler (Hypolais icterina), 
 and in the reed-bed of a pond the Marsh- Warbler (Acro- 
 cephalus palustris). There I also saw a Wagtail not 
 the Grey Wagtail (Motacilla sulphured), which I met with 
 daily on the woodland streams of this district, but another 
 species with a shorter tail and somewhat different plumage. 
 A good many of them were going about the reeds and flitting 
 from one tall stem to another. I also flushed a wonderfully 
 handsome Little Bittern (Ardea minuta), as well as several 
 paired couples of Garganey Teal (Anas qucrquedula), the 
 females rising from their nests. 
 
 A trustworthy keeper, in detailing his observations to me, 
 stated that some days ago he had seen an Osprey (Pandion 
 haliaetus) fishing, and afterwards swooping at the ducks 
 on the above-mentioned pond ; nor would the bird leave 
 the place until it had been twice hit. This is the first 
 time since I came to this part of the country that I have 
 heard of the appearance of the Osprey in that district, 
 where three little ponds are the only waters within a wide 
 radius. 
 
 On May 8th I passed a couple of days at a farm-house 
 situated on the borders of the woods already alluded to. There 
 I found that the manager had a small collection of birds 
 
550 ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES. 
 
 killed in the neighbourhood, and stufted by a keeper. Among 
 many very common inhabitants of the district I noticed a 
 Pygmy Eagle (Aquila minuta) in the dark plumage, also a 
 Ited-legged Falcon (Falco vespertinus] and a Pomatorhine 
 Skua (Lestris pomatorhinus). The appearance of this Gull 
 in our part of the country is one of the rarest occurrences ; 
 it was shot in March 1872 on a very small pool that lies 
 among the meadows, but is close to the woods, and not far 
 from the village of Dolan on the Peklover ground. With the 
 exception of some very small brooks there is no other water in 
 the neighbourhood, the nearest large river being the Moldau, 
 which is a good many miles away. 
 
 In the wood which was on May 5th so full of Golden 
 Orioles and Turtle-Doves, I had on the 8th an opportunity 
 of verifying my conjecture that it was the south wind that 
 had brought such numbers of these birds, for although both 
 species were still to be found, there was only the usual 
 sprinkling of them. 
 
 As soon as it began to get dark I heard the cry of the 
 K ightjar, and creeping close up to the bird I was able to 
 observe its very curious behaviour as it sat on the branch of 
 a dead oak, with its wings drooping, its tail spread out like a 
 capercailhVs, and its body distorted. In this peculiar position 
 it: uttered its note, while it changed its perch several times, 
 flitting from tree to tree and immediately recommencing its 
 love song. 
 
 The Tawny Owl (Syrnium aluco) was also calling hard by 
 in a high fir- wood bordering on the fields, and by imitating 
 the squeak of a mouse I decoyed the bird into my neigh- 
 bourhood, where it flew from one tree to another, took long 
 turns out over the fields, and finally came back quite close to 
 me, inquisitively trying to find out the spot from which the 
 noise proceeded. 
 
ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES. 551 
 
 On tha morning of May 9th, which was cold and rainy, with 
 a strong westerly gale, I heard a Woodcock loudly sounling 
 its note while flying, as early as four o'clock. The Blackcock, 
 too, were drumming pretty lustily and later than usual, 
 but still only before sunrise and for a very short time. I also 
 saw a pair of Kestrels (Falco tinnunculus) constantly circling 
 round some thick firs. With rushing flight they mounted 
 high aloft, screaming loudly and playfully pursuing each 
 other, and as they vanished several times into a dense fir 
 tree I imagine they must have had a nest there ; the 
 branches, however, were so matted that I could not satisfy 
 myself on this point, though I certainly thought I heard 
 the hungry cries of the young hawks. This would have been 
 unusually soon, and only to be accounted for by the very 
 early spring. 
 
 I must also record the interesting fact that, up to May 1 1th, 
 I had not seen a single Red-backed Shrike (Lanius collurio) ? 
 though, while rambling about the neighbourhood of Prague, 
 I searched the localities which I knew to have been the 
 favourite haunts and breeding-grounds of this bird in former 
 years, and I had already noted that it arrived near Vienna 
 during the end of April and at Prague in the beginning 
 of May. 
 
 On May 12th I saw a little falcon sitting on a telegraph- 
 wire by the highroad south of Prague, and being struck by its 
 very small size, I shot it. It turned out to be a Red-legged 
 Falcon in the plumage of the second year, a somewhat rare 
 bird in this district. 
 
 On May 13th I saw the first Flycatcher (Muscicapa grisola) 
 in a garden at Prague, and on the 14th several in the same 
 place ; also some young Blackbirds fully fledged, and a pair 
 of Garden-Warblers (Sylvia hortensis) at their already 
 finished nest. 
 
552 ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES. 
 
 On May 15, as I was returning from the pursuit of Black- 
 cock on a shooting lying some eight miles to the west of 
 Prague, I saw a Shrike sitting on a young ash, and never 
 having here observed the Lesser Grey Shrike (Lanius minor), 
 which, according to Brehm, only frequents districts where 
 deciduous woods prevail (and one certainly could not say 
 they did so here, for there was only a sprinkling of little 
 clumps of oaks and beeches among the extensive forests of 
 pine and fir), I shot the doubtful bird, and found myself in 
 the possession of a beautifully-coloured specimen of the above 
 species. 
 
 Early in the morning of the same day, even before three 
 o'clock, I heard for the first time this year the Corn-Crake 
 (Crex pratensis) calling in a field of young corn surrounded 
 by woods ; and a keeper, in whose observations I place the 
 fullest confidence, told me that a few days ago a whole flock of 
 small Snipe or Sandpipers appeared on a pond near Prague 
 and remained there for two days. He did not, however, 
 know what they were. The birds kept to the marshy edges 
 of the pond, and when any one approached they rose 
 together and settled again on the opposite side. To what- 
 ever species of the large family of Sandpipers they may 
 have belonged, the fact of their appearance for two days 
 in the form of a migrating flock in the height of the 
 breeding-season is very remarkable. 
 
 On the 16th I saw the first Red-backed Shrike among some 
 detached bushes near the old fortifications of Prague. It was 
 a handsome male, and the next day there was a female at the 
 same place. 
 
 On the 17th the first Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla) appeared 
 in a garden near the town, where I also observed a single 
 Icterine Warbler, and everywhere the young of the common 
 Sparrow full-fledged. 
 
ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES. 553 
 
 On the 19th I noticed in the same place the first Pied 
 Flycatcher (Muscicapa atricapilla). 
 
 I must also mention as a remarkable fact that the Martin, 
 which used to be so common in the neighbourheod of Prague, 
 is this year very rare ; the first came very late, and they are, 
 up to the present time, quite sparingly distributed. The Red- 
 backed Shrike is also much less abundant than in former 
 years. I certainly see a few every day, but in places where 
 several pairs used to live close together there are now only 
 one or two individuals at the most. 
 
 In one of the gardens inside Prague that I have so often 
 mentioned in my previous paper a pair of Turtle-Doves have 
 now established themselves ; and there I also observed the 
 Great Tit (Par us major) and the Long-tailed Tit (Acredula 
 caudata) at their nests. 
 
 On the 22nd I found a nest of the Reed-Warbler (Acro- 
 cephalus arnndinaceus) , with five eggs, in a low willow-bush 
 on the bank of the river Beraun, and near the town of the 
 same name. 
 
 On the 24th I came across several pairs of the Common 
 Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos) at their nests on the little 
 islands in the same locality that are covered with willows ; and 
 I also saw a couple of Stonechats (Pratincola rubicola) on a 
 meadow surrounded by bushes, near the bank of the river. 
 This is by no means a common bird here. 
 
 The late appearance of the Red-backed Shrike this year is 
 worthy of note. Some days ago I thought that it had chosen 
 another line of migration and had strayed away from its 
 usual haunts, for from the 16th to the 22nd of May I noticed 
 remarkably few ; but now fresh arrivals are showing them- 
 selves from day to day, and in all the localities upon which I 
 am able to keep a watchful eye the suitable spots will soon 
 be stocked with the usual number of these birds. 
 
554 ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES. 
 
 The abundance of Turtle-Doves, Quail, and particularly of 
 Corn-Crakes strikes me as singular, the last-mentiened bird 
 occurring even in localities not quite suited to its habits. The 
 Nightingale is also exceptionally common in the few places 
 near Prague that afford it good accommodation, for with us it 
 altogether avoids the coniferous woods and only frequents 
 the thick leafy bushes on the sides* of streams and damp 
 hillsides, where it lives in close companionship with other 
 members of its group. 
 
 On the 23rd 1 saw three fully-fledged Tawny Owls and some 
 Hooded Crows of the year. 
 
 On the 27th I found a very handsome old male of the Little 
 Bittern on a steep slope thickly covered with hazels, beyond 
 the Beraun. 
 
 On the evening of the 28th, as I was walking through a 
 pine-wood near the fields, a Woodcock suddenly flew close up 
 to me, and fluttered round several times. I had probably 
 gone too near its nest. 
 
 On the 30th I observed a pair of Barred Warblers (Sylvia 
 nisoria) by the bushy margin of a little irrigation-ditch in a 
 garden near Prague. Several pairs of Red-backed Shrikes 
 inhabited the same locality, and I saw an old male strike 
 down from a tree a young but full-fledged Sparrow, which he 
 was beginning to devour on the ground, when my sudden 
 appearance drove off the robber, and allowed the Sparrow, 
 which was only slightly wounded, to fly off into the nearest 
 bushes. 
 
 I will conclude by devoting a few more words to the 
 Blackcock. 
 
 The drumming-season of this bird, which in the districts 
 that fell under my observation had lasted a long time, came to 
 an end in the middle of May. But in one part of the ground, 
 where almost all the nests both of the Partridge and the 
 
ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES. 555 
 
 Blackgame appear to have been destroyed by tremendous 
 torrents of rain, the hens have suddenly returned to the 
 trysting-places, and the love-songs of the cocks are ringing 
 out again just as lustily as in the ordinary season. 
 
 From half-past three in the morning until five or six 
 o'clock one sees the brave champions fighting and challenging, 
 so that in this locality the Blackcock have been drumming on 
 the regular spots close to the shooting-screens from a week 
 before the commencement of the legal shooting-season in the 
 end of February up to its close on the 31st of May, and will 
 very liKely continue to do so well into June. 
 
BONELLI'S EAGLE 
 
 BOHEMIA. 
 
 AMONG the sporting trophies in Prince Fiirstenberg's castle 
 of Lana, about sixteen miles west of Prague, I saw a stuffed 
 Eagle which I at once took to be Aquila bonellii ; but although 
 I had often observed this southern bird in its native haunts, 
 seen it in collections, and received many skins of it, I did not 
 wish to announce the interesting fact simply on my own 
 authority. 
 
 The valuable specimen was, however, most kindly placed 
 at my disposal for a few days, and I hastened to send it to 
 Eugeii von Homeyer at Stolp, since his decision would hardly 
 be questioned by any naturalist, and he replied that it cer- 
 tainly was a Bonelli's Eagle in the first plumage. 
 
 I must now give the data concerning it just as they were 
 communicated to me : 
 
 The Eagle was killed by a keeper named Franz Kratina, 
 between the 20th and 31st of July, 1866. He shot it in the 
 hayfields on the Finkova, about three o'clock in the afternoon. 
 It came flying from the Maxthal in the direction of the black 
 
558 BONELLrS EAGLE IN BOHEMIA. 
 
 spruce on the Finkova, and settled on the ground close to the 
 solitary oak below the nursery garden. On seeing the large 
 bird some of the mowers began calling out to the keeper. 
 This disturbed the Eagle, and it flew away over the Max thai 
 towards the Tummer wood. About half-past three it came 
 back again from the Maxthal to the Finkova, and settled on 
 me of the high pines at the edge of the meadow, below the 
 road now known as the Maxweg. There Kratina stalked and 
 shot it. 
 
 These are the full details of the occurrence just as they 
 were sent to me. 
 
 I must conclude by saying that, soon after the bird was 
 killed, it passed through the hands of the well-known ornitho- 
 logist, Dr. Fric, of Prague, who also determined it as Bonelli's 
 Eagle. 
 
ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES 
 
 IN 
 
 TRANSYLVANIA. 
 
 DURING the end of July and the beginning of August 1882 I 
 found time to carry out a long-projected trip, and made the 
 Transylvanian Alps the scene of my shooting excursions and 
 ornithological studies. 
 
 The journey from the frontier of Hungary and Transylvania 
 to the railway-station near the town of Hatszeg lasted from 
 sunrise until ahout two o'clock in the afternoon ; but though 
 1 kept a careful watch out of the windows of the carriage, I 
 saw but little of the bird-world. On the bare hilly tracts of 
 country sparsely covered with steppe-grass, which give many 
 parts of the interior of Transylvania such a melancholy 
 character, great numbers of Magpies and Tree- Sparrows 
 were flying about the stunted acacia-hedges near the solitary 
 huts; but these, together with some Havens (Corvus corax}, 
 Imperial Eagles (^4 quila imperialist Spotted Eagles (A.ncevia), 
 occasional Black Kites (Milvus ater) } somewhat more nume- 
 rous Buzzards (Buteo vulgaris), Common Kites (Milvus re- 
 galis), Kestrels (Falco tinnunculus) , and a few Crested Larks 
 
560 ORNITHOL O GICAL SKETCHES 
 
 (Alauda cristata), were all the birds I observed, for the 
 speed at which we were travelling of course prevented my 
 detecting the smaller species. On getting further south, 
 where marshes run through broad valleys bounded by prettily 
 wooded hills, I noticed a few White Storks ( Ciconia alba), one 
 Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea), several Larger Spotted 
 Eagles (Aquila clang a), and the above-mentioned Eagles, but 
 more rarely than before. 
 
 The plain of Hatszeg, which was the immediate goal of our 
 journey, is perfectly flat, damp, thickly clothed with vegeta- 
 tion, and intersected by numerous watercourses. On three 
 sides it is surrounded by low but very steep hills, poorly 
 wooded with stunted oaks, and quite bare in parts ; but on 
 the fourth the great mountains of the Transylvanian Alps, 
 and in particular the splendid Retyezat, rise abruptly from 
 the plain and form an imposing background. 
 
 I was obliged to hurry through this plain, which doubtless 
 contains much that is worthy of attention, for time was 
 pressing, and I had to go up into the mountains. My rapidly 
 collected notes can therefore be by no means considered as 
 exhaustive. 
 
 Such very common birds as Sparrows, Larks, Swallows, 
 Common Buntings, White Wagtails, &c. were extremely 
 abundant; but I unfortunately could not devote myself to the 
 numerous and probably interesting small species with which 
 the luxuriant meadows and field-woods of this little-known 
 district are doubtless stocked. 
 
 At the castle where we lived I found a pair of Lesser 
 Kestrels (Falco cencliris), and every evening there was an 
 assemblage of Magpies in the garden such as I had never 
 before seen. For a whole half-hour they came flying up to the 
 thick bushes from all sides, arriving singly but in uninter- 
 rupted succession, and soon hundreds were congregated 
 within a small space of not more than a hundred yards long 
 
IN TRANSYLVANIA. 561 
 
 by fifty broad, where they were screaming and quarrelling 
 for the best roosting-places. Not far from this spot an 
 equally large number of Hooded Crows assembled to sleep 
 together on three tall poplars in the middle of the village of 
 Szt. Maria Boldogfalva. 
 
 On the banks of the stream I saw the Grey Wagtail 
 (Motacilla sulphured) ; and among the fields Quail were 
 calling everywhere, some of which I flushed, and on August 
 7th I killed a bird of the year full-grown and in perfect 
 plumage. 
 
 On the stubble-fields I saw an extraordinary number of 
 Lesser Spotted Eagles (Aquila ncevid) and also some of the 
 Larger Spotted (A. clangci). These birds allowed us not 
 only to drive but even to walk close past them, and in this 
 way I shot an old specimen of the former. 
 
 A few Common Kites and Kestrels, one Common Buz- 
 zard, one Short-toed Eagle (Circaetus gallicus), Great Grey 
 Shrikes (Lanius excubitor), Red-backed Shrikes (L. col- 
 lurio), Turtle-Doves (Turtur auritus), and Hoopoes (Upupa 
 epops) complete the list of the birds that I noticed while 
 driving over the plain. 
 
 Near Malomviz, at the foot of the high mountains, I laid 
 out a carcass as a future bait for eagles or vultures ; but as I 
 came down to the plain from the highest regions of the 
 Retyezat for just a single day, I had little time to visit 
 the decoy-hut, and only spent two hours there, vainly waiting 
 for the appearance of birds of prey. Just as we were leaving 
 the place, however, and were only a few hundred yards from 
 the carrion, a very large Griffon Vulture ( Vulturfulvus) flew 
 over our heads, and we saw in the distance an eagle, which 
 we could not manage to identify. 
 
 I must now preface my remarks on the Transylvanian Alps, 
 the special region that we explored, by a short description of 
 their leading features. 
 
 2o 
 
562 ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES 
 
 All high mountains have certain common characteristics, 
 and so the Retyezat may perhaps remind travellers of the Alps; 
 yet in many respects one might call it a blending of the 
 Central-European Alps, the Balkans, the mountains of the 
 Karst, and in its lower parts also of the Hungarian Carpa- 
 thians, while in some of its deep glens, whose lofty sides are 
 clothed with deciduous woods up to a great height, I found a 
 resemblance and often even an exact likeness to the mountains 
 of the north-west provinces of Spain, and to those of no other 
 range that I have ever visited. 
 
 The hills of this chain also exhibit many evidences of their 
 southerly position and their connection with the great group 
 of the South-European highlands. This struck me most 
 forcibly in the distribution of the vegetation. The zone of 
 the oaks reaches a long way up, even on to the steep heights. 
 Then come regular woods of birches mixed with Scotch firs, 
 and succeeded by enormous beech-forests, which give place to 
 white and common spruces. Not until these have attained their 
 limit does the Siberian cedar appear in conjunction with a 
 few creeping pines, and where trees of a high habit of growth 
 are no longer found there extend the great regions of the 
 cliffs, the bare stony slopes, and the impenetrable thickets 
 of creeping pine with, singularly enough, a sprinkling of 
 juniper bushes. All these zones, too, are not narrow belts, 
 but broad virgin forests ; and these mountains are not subject 
 to the rules which apply to the northern Alps, such as 
 those of North Styria and Upper Austria, for at the elevation 
 where the poor scattered spruces of the latter tail off among 
 the creeping pines there are in the Transylvanian Alps the 
 most luxuriant oak-woods, and instead of the bare rocks 
 and nothing else which confront the traveller at about 4000 
 feet, we here have forests of beech and a growth of spruces 
 reaching as high as 6000 to 7000 feet. This is indicative of a 
 southerly position, for where the woods are not destroyed 
 
IN TRANSYLVANIA. 563 
 
 trees are everywhere to be found growing at a much greater 
 elevation in the mountains of Southern Europe than in the 
 Northern Alps. 
 
 It can hardly be considered strange that these circum- 
 stances should exercise an influence on the bird-world, and 
 that the various species should here occupy regions quite 
 different to those which they frequent in the Alps of Central 
 Europe. 
 
 After this cursory sketch of the general character of the 
 district I will now proceed with my ornithological notes. In 
 order to reach the lake of Zenoga, which lies near the summit 
 of the Retyezat, we had to travel eight hours from the last 
 village, which is situated on the edge of the plain, just at the 
 feet of the steep mountains, and half of this time was spent in 
 riding along a wonderfully beautiful mountain- stream, where 
 a good many Dippers ( Cinclus aquations) , Grey Wagtails, and 
 a few Common Wrens (Troglodytes parvulus) were flitting 
 about the banks and stones. 
 
 The Dippers were all of the brown variety, considered by 
 some naturalists to be a distinct species, their heads being 
 brown, their underparts rusty brown, and the white of their 
 breasts less extended than in the ordinary form. 
 
 These three were the only species that I saw for a long time, 
 for the virgin forests of the Transylvanian Alps are just as 
 destitute of bird-life as those of Hungary and the northern 
 part of the country. The beautiful Ural Owl (Si/rnium ura- 
 lense) is also said to occur in them ; but it is certainly rarer 
 than in the Northern Carpathians, where I have repeatedly 
 seen it, and in both ranges the Hazel-Grouse exists in con- 
 siderable numbers. 
 
 After riding for about two hours I saw the first birds of 
 prey, namely several Short-toed Eagles, and later on a 
 good many Cinereous and Griffon Vultures, with one or two 
 ." Stein " Eagles (Aguila fulva) . In the zone of the beeches 
 
 2o2 
 
564 ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES 
 
 I also observed a few stray Rock-Doves (Coluniba /ma), and 
 heard the cries of the Great Black Woodpecker (Picus mar- 
 tins) and the Jay (Garrulus glandarius), while the deep 
 silence of the coniferous woods was somewhat enlivened by 
 the Ring-Ouzels {Turdus torquatus), which were pretty com- 
 mon, as well as by the Chaffinches (FrinaiUa ccelebs) and the 
 Bramblings (F. montifringilla) , the latter, singularly enough, 
 being in somewhat large flocks. 
 
 At the upper verge of the spruces, and especially among 
 the Siberian cedars, the Nutcracker (Nudfraga caryocatactes) 
 is always to be found, but never abundantly ; and on the 
 alpine meadows, among the creeping pines, there were plenty 
 of Water-Pipits (Anthus aquaticus) and also a few Wheatears 
 (Saxicola cenanthe); while in both the very high-lying conife- 
 rous woods and the region of the creeping pines I saw a good 
 many Missel-Thrushes (Turdus viscivorus) and some Caper- 
 caillies (Tetrao urogallus), but only cocks, which in the 
 breeding-season are reported to take up their quarters at 
 a lower elevation. 
 
 I must here say a few words about the Transylvanian 
 Capercaillie, in the hope of attracting the attention of other 
 observers and naturalists to this interesting bird. 
 
 It is much smaller and also somewhat darker than the 
 Capercaillie of Central Europe, the difference being so great 
 that one notices it even when it is flying ; and a Bohemian 
 keeper who accompanied me mistook a cock of this species 
 for a Blackcock, a bird that never occurs in the Transylvanian 
 Alps. My belief that it is really a very striking variety is 
 not, however, founded on casual glimpses of it in the woods, 
 but on an examination of stuffed specimens, both cocks and 
 hens, which have been killed on the Retyezat. 
 
 From the information that I obtained from the most 
 enthusiastic of the Transylvanian sportsmen concerning the 
 amours of this little Tetrao urogalloides, for such I consider 
 
IN TRANSYLVANIA. 565 
 
 it to be (in the Carpathians the Bobak of the Ural also 
 replaces the Marmot of the Alps), it appears that the cocks 
 very rarely sit on trees during the breeding-season, but that 
 several generally meet together on the ground or, by prefer- 
 ence, on small patches of snow, and there pour forth their 
 love-songs. This is why the shooting of Capercaillies in 
 Transylvania _is-not managed in the Bohemian or Styrian 
 fashion by what is known as " springing," but usually by 
 means of a screen of branches such as are placed near the 
 drumming-places of the Blackcock. 
 
 On the very highest parts of the mountains there also seems 
 to be a small grey game-bird well known to all the Transyl- 
 vanian sportsmen, and said to be a Common Partridge. I once 
 saw one, but it vanished so quickly among the creeping 
 pines that I cannot with certainty say what it was ; from the 
 glimpse that I caught of it, however, I took the doubtful bird 
 to be the Rock-Partridge (Caccabis saxatilis) *. On the 
 margin of the Zenoga lake, which is far above the limit of 
 the tree-growth, I also saw one morning a Common Snipe 
 (Gallinago gallinaria) among the bare stones : this poor 
 creature must have been storm-driven into these inhospitable 
 regions. 
 
 I everywhere found the Raven (Corvus corax) at the 
 loftiest elevations, and also saw a Saker Falcon (Falco lania- 
 rius), for, knowing the species as I do, I could give no other 
 name to the bird which flew close past me, although this 
 would be the first time that it has ever been found in the high 
 mountains and at an elevation that was even above the tree- 
 growth. Possibly, however, it was only a Lanner (Falco 
 feldeggii) ; at any rate, it was one of the true Falcons. 
 
 There were astonishing numbers of " Stein " Eagles, the 
 birds of the year, which at this season hardly ever fly about 
 
 * [The Common Partridge (Perdix dnerea) is certainly not uncommon 
 in those localities ; but no red-legged species has been hitherto obtained.] 
 
566 ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES 
 
 alone, but generally in couples or with their parents, being 
 quite remarkably abundant. The Cinereous Vulture was also 
 very common ; the Griffon Vulture the commonest bird of 
 these mountains ; and one saw both species everywhere and 
 all day long. 
 
 I am glad to say that the Bearded Vulture (Gypaetus 
 barbatus), the king of the bird- world, still inhabits the 
 Retyezdt in considerable numbers, and though in its other 
 haunts its days are almost numbered, the extent of our 
 Transylvanian Alps, the scantiness of their population, and the 
 difficulty of getting about them will make them a safe asylum 
 both for this and the other great raptorial birds for a long 
 time to come. 
 
 I observed the first Bearded Vulture among the barren 
 heights near Lake Zenoga, where I was riding with some 
 other gentlemen, when the imposing bird sailed slowly towards 
 us, so that I could perfectly well see its black bristly beard 
 and the orange-yellow of its plumage a sign of great age. 
 On the same day I also saw two birds of the year in the first 
 grey-brown dress, both of which flew close past me ; while a 
 fourth, which I noticed just at the edge of the tree-growth, 
 was singularly large and in adult but not very deep orange 
 feathering. One of my jagers also found two of them, together 
 with several Cinereous and Griffon Vultures, at the carcass of 
 a horse which had been killed by a bear during the night. 
 
 The Wall-creeper (Twliodroma muraria), as I have 
 learned from pretty trustworthy sources, also occurs in these 
 mountains. 
 
 As may be seen from these notes, the district of Retyezat 
 is, with the exception of the raptorial birds, poor in species ; 
 and in this respect the Transylvanian Alps perfectly agree 
 with the other Carpathians. Its primeval forests are, as I 
 had many opportunities of observing, strikingly devoid of 
 animal life, and even in the loftier regions I did not find 
 
IN TRANSYLVANIA. 567 
 
 the birds that I certainly expected, while the rich field for 
 study which the Alpine fauna of Central Europe opens up to 
 the wandering ornithologist is non-existent in these eastern 
 regions. 
 
 To this unfortunately rather meagre account of my summer 
 excursion tojthe Alps of Transylvania I will add a few notes 
 on what I saw during the autumn in the central part of the 
 country. 
 
 From the railway-station at Maros- Vasarhely I drove along 
 a good road up the great valley of the Maros to Szasz-Regen. 
 Both right and left were the well-tilled fields of the broad 
 vale, which was enclosed by the gentle slopes of a slightly 
 wooded chain of hills. Of ornithological interest there was 
 nothing. Hooded Crows, Rooks, and Jackdaws were very 
 abundant, and there were a few Magpies and some very occa- 
 sional Turtle-Doves. I also saw several Red-backed Shrikes 
 (Lanius collurio), although it was already the 21st of 
 September ; two days later, however, they had quite disap- 
 peared. Of the other small birds there were only the com- 
 monest kinds. At Szasz-Regen our road turned eastwards 
 into a neighbouring valley, and we soon reached Gorgeny 
 Szt. Imre, the end of our journey. 
 
 The districts through which I now rambled for fourteen 
 days may be divided into two strongly marked types of 
 country. First, the low but steep chain of hills reaching down 
 to the valley of the Maros, all of which are clothed with almost 
 impenetrable deciduous woods, formed partly of stunted trees 
 and partly of young covers, here and there broken by little mea- 
 dows on which wild fruit-trees grow luxuriantly. Secondly, 
 the sharply defined regions of the higher wooded mountains, 
 with their long lofty ridges and their many square miles of 
 uninterrupted virgin forests, consisting of beeches with 
 a very slight admixture of conifers. Through the broad 
 valley flows the Gorgeny, a clear mountain-stream well 
 
568 ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES 
 
 stocked with trout and much frequented by Dippers ; while 
 woods of huge lofty oaks, rich green marshy meadows, and 
 extensive flats covered with alders and birches give it a 
 pleasant appearance. 
 
 In detailing my unfortunately very scanty bird-notes, I 
 will begin with the virgin forests. These I merely skirted, 
 and never went to their upper parts, the only raptorial bird 
 that I observed being a very large Eagle-Owl (Bubo maximus) , 
 for to my great astonishment I did not see a single Ural 
 Owl. The Nutcracker, however, was tolerably abundant, 
 even as low down as the edge of the meadows. There were 
 not many Jays and only a few Hazel-Grouse ; but I naturally 
 saw but few of the latter,/ as this year I did not visit the 
 localities of these primeval woods where both this bird and the 
 Capercaillie are so numerous. Of the small fry I only noticed 
 a pair of Three-toed Woodpeckers (Ptcoides tridactylus) and 
 a good many Common Wrens, Goldcrests, Firecrests, and 
 plenty of the ordinary species of Tits. 
 
 This about finishes my forest-notes, and although I saw 
 but little the woods seemed this year to be full of life in 
 comparison with the utter stillness which prevailed when I 
 rambled through them in the middle of last November, for 
 then there was quite a striking dearth of birds both in the 
 valleys arid the outlying hills, and this could not be said on 
 the present occasion. 
 
 In November I did not see one of the larger birds of prey, 
 but I now observed, both in the Gorgeny valley and the 
 deciduous woods of the lower hills, a good many Cinereous 
 Vultures, two Sea-Eagles (Haliaetus albicilla), some " Stein," 
 Larger and Lesser Spotted Eagles, and a great many Short- 
 toed Eagles, Common Buzzards, Goshawks (Astur palum- 
 barius), Sparrow-Hawks (A. nisus). Kestrels, Merlins (Falco 
 cesalon), and Peregrines (F. peregrinus), as well as several 
 
IN TRANSYLVANIA. 569 
 
 Ravens, while in the lower covers I found plenty of small 
 birds, all, however, belonging to common species. 
 
 During my stay in Transylvania the great variations of the 
 weather produced rapid changes over the whole face of 
 nature. WhenJ arrived I found perfect summer, the heat 
 being almost unendurable, the trees quite green and in full 
 leaf. The fauna, too, belonged to that season, for Red-backed 
 Shrikes, Turtle-Doves, and Hoopoes were, as already stated, 
 still there, together with numbers of Swallows and Martins. 
 Three days later violent storms, followed by cold heavy rains, 
 changed the situation, for in an incredibly short time the 
 foliage assumed its autumnal colours, and the summer birds 
 vanished, being replaced by quantities of Woodcocks, Missel- 
 Thrushes, Fieldfares;, Song-Thrushes, Redwings, and Bull- 
 finches, that were driven down from the mountains by the 
 frost. In the lower woods I also observed whole flocks of 
 Tits, all belonging to the common species, a great many 
 Blackbirds, a few Nightjars, and such hordes of Jays, espe- 
 cially in the oak-copses, as I had never before seen. I also 
 found great flocks of Wood-Pigeons and Stock-Doves in the 
 magnificent forests of ancient oaks, which were further 
 frequented by a considerable number of Jackdaws. 
 
 In the valley there were a good many small birds about the 
 gardens and roadsides, but they were all of the commonest 
 kinds, and I will only mention the abundance of Great Grey 
 Shrikes, the large flocks of Goldfinches, and the scarcity 
 of Magpies. In the south of Transylvania during the sum- 
 mer and in the Gorgeny valley during the autumn of last 
 year Magpies were numerous enough, as they usually are at 
 all seasons both in Transylvania and Hungary, but this year 
 there were hardly any of them here. The occurrence of the 
 Eagle-Owl down in the valley itself was also interesting, for in 
 the garden of the castle at Gorgeny, which is situated within 
 
570 ORNITHOLOGICAL SKETCHES 
 
 the village, one of these hirds sounded its call quite uncon- 
 cernedly early in the morning during the last days of 
 September. 
 
 I will conclude by devoting a few words to the Wood- 
 cock. When I arrived at Gorgeny on the 21st of September 
 the keepers reported that they had only seen one or two 
 Cock, and during the first days of our stay we found but 
 one while beating the lower woods, which seemed to be 
 quite shunned by the " longbills," although better-looking 
 places for them could not be imagined. In the main valley, 
 however, there was a not very extensive stretch of damp 
 pastures studded with birch and alder bushes, which did 
 not form regular thickets, but were separated from each 
 other by bits of open meadow\ On ground with such 
 scanty cover no sportsman would ever look for Woodcock, 
 yet on the 23rd of September the keepers reported that they 
 had seen some there, and when we went out next day we 
 found a good many within a small area at least forty 
 of them and a few Common Snipe. They had been driven 
 down from the mountains by the inclement weather ; and as 
 it grew still colder and more autumnal we again went out 
 on the 1st of October and found our expectations realized, 
 for we certainly met with far more than a hundred Cock 
 on a small piece of ground ; but there were only two or three 
 Snipe. On the following day the Cock were still more 
 plentiful ; but we could only shoot in the morning, as I had 
 to leave that neighbourhood at noon. 
 
 It was interesting to see how, before we began shooting, 
 these Woodcock districts were always surrounded by low- 
 circling birds of prey, which there found an easy booty. 
 Besides Goshawks, Falcons, and Larger and Smaller Spotted 
 Eagles, I saw a " Stein " Eagle diligently quartering the 
 ground, and one Larger Spotted Eagle was even foolish 
 
IN TRANSYLVANIA. 571 
 
 enough to pursue his own sport during our beat, and conse- 
 quently came dangerously near one of the guns. The small 
 shot, however, unfortunately did not quite manage to knock 
 down the powerful bird, and it went off with its feathers 
 much cut up tfncTits legs hanging. 
 
 I must now bring my ornithological sketches from Tran- 
 sylvania to a conclusion, and can only hope that they may 
 contain something which will be of interest to the 
 naturalist. 
 
A FEW 
 
 AUTUMN NOTES. 
 
 JANUAKY 1883, 
 
 ALTHOUGH I am well aware how little I have to offer, I will 
 now give some notes on the autumn migration of 1882. 
 
 This year a singularly large number of Owls passed through 
 the neighbourhood of Prague, a fact that may be ascribed to 
 the extraordinary abundance of the field-mice on the culti- 
 vated ground by the western bank of the Moldau, close to the 
 town. 
 
 On October 14th, as I was walking through a not very 
 large but extremely fine field of turnips, Owls rose at every 
 step, and after a feeble flight settled in them again ; so, 
 in order to see what species they belonged to, I shot one, and 
 found that I had killed an old light-coloured male of the 
 Short-eared Owl (Otus brachyotus). 
 
 In previous years I had merely seen isolated specimens of 
 this bird in our part of the country, and often none at all, 
 but on that occasion there were at least forty of them in that 
 one place. 
 
574 A FEW AUTUMN NOTES. 
 
 I may here devote a little more of my attention to the 
 Owls, and mention that on October 16th I found only a few 
 Long-eared Owls ( Otus sylvestris) in a large oak wood in the 
 same neighbourhood ; but that on the 17th I saw in a small 
 cover on the borders of a pond more than a hundred Long- 
 eared, with just a few Short-eared Owls. I was shooting 
 pheasants at the time, and from the reeds and scattered 
 bushes, as well as from the dense clumps of spruces and 
 Scotch firs, the Owls, frightened by the shots, rose in 
 flocks and flew round in wide circles. The whole ground 
 was covered with their droppings and castings, in which 
 one could easily see traces of the mice that they had 
 devoured. 
 
 On the 20th the Owls were just as numerous in the same 
 place, and remained so ; for the keeper of that preserve told 
 me that they were there every day, sometimes more of them, 
 sometimes fewer. 
 
 On November 4th I met with a large flock of Long-eared 
 Owls in a larger wood, but only among the thick spruces. 
 During October and the beginning of November I also found 
 the Short-eared Owl very common on the bare fields, 
 ploughed land, the borders of meadows, and in ditches. On 
 the 12th of the latter month I flushed many birds of both 
 species in a thin but rather extensive wood of deciduous 
 trees. On the 14th I found more than forty Short-eared 
 Owls and a few Long-eared in the above-mentioned little 
 cover near the pond, and also in a patch of acacia bushes 
 further off among the fields. The following days snow 
 fell heavily, and covered everything with a thick mantle; 
 and when I again visited the same place on the 20th the 
 keeper informed me that the Owls had vanished at the first 
 heavy snowfall, and I found only one of the Short-eared 
 species, which flew from a thick spruce in a languid sort of 
 way. It is strange that in the woods and little copses on 
 
A FEW AUTUMN NOTES. 575 
 
 the right bank of the Moldau and near Prague I saw no 
 Short-eared and only a very few Long-eared Owls, though 1 
 often rambled through them at that time. 
 
 On the 23rd andr 24th of November the weather was quite 
 spring-like, with a strong south wind. The snow melted very 
 quickly, and winter, which had shown itself so unmistakably, 
 again completely disappeared. 
 
 On the 25th I once more went to the spot so often men- 
 tioned, where to my no small surprise I found considerable 
 numbers of both species of Owl; and next day I saw several 
 in a wood near Pardubitz in the east of Bohemia, but they 
 were all Long-eared. On the 27th both species were very 
 abundant in a small patch of oaks a few miles north of Prague. 
 These birds must have been on migration, for I found many of 
 them in the surrounding fields, where the hollows, ditches, 
 mounds, and stone-pits afforded them but scanty cover, and 
 they were even on the ploughed land. 
 
 At the end of November I could no longer ramble about 
 the neighbourhood, for I had to travel for some days; and on 
 my return in the beginning of December I found that the 
 whole country was covered with deep snow, and that the 
 severe cold had brought on winter again. 
 
 On December 6th I met with a great many Owls of both 
 kinds in two little woods north of Prague. This surprised 
 me, for though the first snowfall had quite driven them away, 
 they had remained during the second, which was much 
 heavier and lasted longer. 
 
 It struck me as remarkable that at a time when there were 
 so many mice the Bough-legged Buzzard (Buteo lagopus) 
 should be so very uncommon. In other years, even when 
 comparatively few were ravaging the fields, the first of 
 these birds came at the end of October, while the main body 
 followed from the beginning to the middle of November, and 
 every year there were days when numbers of them might be 
 
576 A FEW AUTUMN NOTES. 
 
 seen in this part of the country, which is so very well suited 
 to them. 
 
 In 1882 all the conditions were fulfilled which would have 
 led one to expect an unusually large immigration of Rough- 
 legged Buzzards, and yet I never saw more than three on one 
 day. The first, however, appeared on October 18th, which 
 was exceptionally early. 
 
 This autumn Montagu's Harrier (Circus cineraceiis) stayed 
 with us longer than usual, for between November 15th and 
 20th, when plenty of snow had already fallen, I observed some 
 birds of this species on the great tracts of cultivated ground. 
 
 On November 22nd I still remarked several Kestrels (Falco 
 ttnnunculus)] while the Sparrow-Hawk (Astur nisus), the 
 Goshawk (A. palumbarius), and the Peregrine (Falco pere- 
 grinus) visited us in particularly large numbers, and were 
 everywhere to be met with among the covers and the clumps 
 of wood in the fields. 
 
 I was this year able to make interesting observations in con- 
 nection with the migration of various species of birds, and, if 
 I may make so bold a statement, I should say that there is no 
 fixed order in their times of departure. Many species left us 
 exactly at the times given by naturalists in their works the 
 Swallows and most of the small song-birds for instance. Not 
 so the Quail, some of which I saw in a turnip-field as late as 
 October 14th. The Corn-Crake also stayed much longer than 
 usual, for I still met with several at the end of October, and on 
 November 6th I killed an old bird among some thick bushes 
 in the middle of a wood. The Woodcock, too, were excep- 
 tionally abundant this year in the neighbourhood of Prague, 
 and at the end of October and the beginning of November 
 were everywhere to be found in the large woods. On 
 November 12th I killed one in a low little copse among the 
 fields, the weather being very cold and the ground frozen but 
 free from snow. 
 
A FEW AUTUMN NOTES. 577 
 
 In Eastern Bohemia I shot, on November 26th, a Jack 
 Snipe (Scolopax gallinula) in the middle of a wood of Scotch 
 firs, where thesoil was sandy and the nearest water was a 
 long way off. The poor bird must have been driven there by 
 the storm of that day and the previous night, for it lay quite 
 exhausted on a sandy path, and allowed me to approach within 
 a few yards of it. 
 
 The Lapwing ( Vanellus cristatus) also remained remarkably 
 long with us ; on November 10th, a few days before the 
 snow, I saw many on the great ploughed fields near Prague, 
 a locality frequented by large flocks of these birds every 
 autumn. During the time that the fields were covered with 
 deep snow I saw none ; but on the 23rd, when a strong south 
 wind freed the district from its white mantle in a few hours, 
 I observed in the afternoon a large flock of Lapwings flying 
 towards the south-east. 
 
 The Coot (Fulica atra) as well as the Moorhen (Stagnicola 
 chloropus) stayed on a pond near Prague up to November 
 12th, and only left their summer-quarters a day or two before 
 the water was entirely frozen over. At the same time a 
 large flock of Mallards (Anas boschas) appeared there, and 
 were afterwards joined by some Garganey Teal (A. quer- 
 quedula] . 
 
 I have now for several years observed this advent of fairly 
 large flocks of ducks on these small sheets of water before the 
 winter has quite begun ; and this time the cunning birds did 
 not allow themselves to be frightened away by the first snow 
 and frost, for on November 22nd, as I was walking past a much 
 smaller pool near the one above mentioned, I saw a large 
 flock of Mallards on its perfectly frozen surface, and three 
 days afterwards they were again contentedly swimming about 
 among the rushes. 
 
 The Sky-Lark and the Starling both left us in the middle of 
 November. 
 
578 A FEW AUTUMN NOTES. 
 
 This winter, which made its appearance with such sudden- 
 ness and severity, was trying to the birds, and Crows, 
 Crested Larks, Buntings, and Finches were to be seen 
 seeking a scanty subsistence among the villages. 
 
 During the thaw which swept away all the snow with such 
 rapidity I observed large flocks of Jackdaws on the neigh- 
 bouring fields and the towers of the town ; but now. in the 
 middle of December, there are but few of them. 
 
 The recommencement of the snow, accompanied by sharp 
 cold, drove the birds that were dispersed among the fields 
 and bushes into the roads of the villages and the gardens of 
 the town, so that even in the middle of Prague I saw Gold- 
 crests, Tits, Goldfinches, Yellow Hammers, Chaffinches, 
 Greater Spotted and Green Woodpeckers, the last-mentioned 
 bird looking for insects on the wall of a house. This second 
 and very unexpected heavy fall, which lay a foot deep over 
 everything, seemed fraught with much danger to the animal 
 world, for the Partridges behaved as they usually only do in 
 the depth of a severe winter, and sat huddled together on the 
 road, allowing people to go close to them, while those shot 
 just now are excessively thin, being mere skin and bone. 
 
NOTES 
 
 ON THE 
 
 HYBRID GROUSE. 
 
 I HAVE had such repeated opportunities of studying the 
 Hybrid or Middle Grouse (Tetrao medius) that I feel com- 
 pelled to jot down a few notes concerning this interesting 
 bird. 
 
 It is well known that naturalists have not yet conclusively 
 decided whether it is a cross between the Capercaillie ( Tetrao 
 urogallus) and the Black Grouse (Tetrao tetrix), or a third 
 and quite distinct species. Most ornithologists, however, 
 consider it to be a hybrid, but there are undoubtedly some 
 grounds for its acceptance as a distinct species. Let us first 
 examine the reasons which lead to the latter conclusion. 
 
 In Russia and Scandinavia the Middle Grouse is much 
 more abundant than with us, and even in our own country it 
 is commoner in those parts of the northern provinces where 
 the character of the forests is adapted to the requirements of 
 the wood-frequenting species of grouse than it is in similar 
 districts in the southern divisions of the country. In our 
 Alps, where Capercaillie have now been pretty carefully pre- 
 served for many years, on account of the sport they afford, 
 Hybrid Cocks are met with much more rarely than in Bohemia 
 and Galizia, or, according to good authority, than in Northern 
 
580 NOTES ON THE 
 
 Hungary, and during the last few years I have not seen more 
 than four or five of these birds that have been shot in Swit- 
 zerland or our Alpine districts. In Bohemia Hybrid Grouse 
 have recently been increasing in number a fact that cannot 
 be attributed to closer preservation of the ground, as the 
 shooting of Capercaillies has for many years been pursued 
 with the same keenness, and cocks which are so very aber- 
 rant both in appearance and call would have been instantly 
 detected by so many excellent sportsmen. 
 
 These remarks on the distribution of the Hybrid Grouse 
 suggest the theory that it is a distinct species belonging to 
 Asia and the north-east of Europe, which is now extending 
 its range westwards, the study of animal-geography teaching 
 us that this is characteristic of many other Asiatic species, 
 and especially of those belonging to the Grouse tribe. 
 
 The idea that Hybrid Cocks only occur where Capercaillie 
 are common and Blackgame are but rare visitors, or the re- 
 verse, is a mere illusion, and too much stress is also laid on 
 the variations in plumage among the individual cocks. 
 
 One speaks of the Hybrid Grouse as being of the Caper- 
 caillie or Blackgame type ; but a good many specimens have 
 already passed through my hands, some in the flesh, more in 
 skins, and I am bound to say that I never found any essential 
 differences between them, either in size or plumage, greater 
 than those due to age, and which occur among all the other 
 species of Wood-Grouse. The notes, too, of this bird when 
 drumming are always the same, and quite peculiar to it, 
 having no resemblance to those either of the Capercaillie or 
 the Blackcock. 
 
 In reply to all this naturalists adduce other and, I must 
 confess, more weighty arguments for considering it to be a 
 cross. The manner, for instance, in which its drumming is 
 conducted differs among various individuals. Some Hybrid 
 Cocks frequent the dense forests, where they utter their 
 
HYBRID GROUSE. 
 
 581 
 
 love-songs every day from the same tree, and these birds re- 
 gularly return to their roosting-places in the evening, and in 
 the morning conduct themselves just like the Capercaillies. 
 Others, on the contrary, repair every morning to a certain 
 drumming-place of the Blackcock, whether it be situated on 
 a heath, a clearing, a glade, or a moor ; there they drum in 
 company with their smaller relatives, fight with them gene- 
 rally very valiantly, and haunt the neighbourhood of the 
 spot throughout the day, especially in the evening, coiiducting 
 themselves in every respect just like the Blackcock. 
 
 Their plumage, too, however much it may, as a whole, look 
 like that of a special type, must, when viewed in detail, be 
 recognized as a blending of that of both parents, for the feathers 
 of the Capercaillie and the Blackcock are reproduced un- 
 changed in the plumage of the Hybrid. Only in the ruddy 
 sheen of the breast does it differ materially from the green of 
 the former and the blue of the latter ; and it is just this remark- 
 able reddish play of colour which is a constant characteristic 
 of all Hybrid Cocks. The beak and the feet, too, as well as the 
 whole appearance of the bird, undoubtedly form, both in size 
 and shape, a true intermediate stage between the Capercaillie 
 and the Blackgame. 
 
 It is, however, the study of the skeleton that, above all, 
 stamps the Tetrao medius as a cross; and I here give the 
 varying numbers of the vertebrae in three of these birds which 
 I got in Bohemia : 
 
 
 Vertebras of neck and back. 
 
 Caudal vertebras. 
 
 
 I. .. 
 
 16 
 
 6 
 
 22 
 
 II. .. 
 
 14 
 
 6 
 
 20 
 
 III. . . 
 
 14 
 
 7 
 
 21 
 
582 
 
 NOTES ON THE 
 
 The external and less important dimensions are not so 
 variable in proportion ; but I am only able to give those of 
 two of the cocks that I measured : 
 
 
 Length. 
 
 Breadth. 
 
 Wing. 
 
 TaH. 
 
 Beak. 
 
 Tarsus. 
 
 Middle toe. 
 
 
 cm. 
 
 cm. 
 
 cm. 
 
 cm. 
 
 cm. 
 
 cm. 
 
 cm. 
 
 I. .. 
 
 75-2 
 
 117-1 
 
 35 
 
 29 
 
 4-3 
 
 4-6 
 
 6 
 
 II. .. 
 
 70-5 
 
 109-2 
 
 33-2 
 
 21-5 
 
 4-1 
 
 6-2 
 
 6 
 
 I was fortunate enough to observe and kill two Hybrid 
 Cocks. The first I bagged in Southern Bohemia in a per- 
 fectly flat boggy district, only varied by a few small woods 
 among the fields. There the heaths and moorlands were well 
 stocked with Blackgame, but no Capercaillie were to be 
 found nearer than the thick woods a good many miles away. 
 This Hybrid Cock which had there taken up its position, 
 went about with the Blackcocks all day long, drummed at a 
 considerable distance from a little fir-wood upon the place 
 frequented by those birds, and visited the fields in the evening. 
 I had, however, but little opportunity of studying it, as I 
 killed it by a chance shot a few hours after my arrival in that 
 district. 
 
 I therefore unfortunately missed the sight of a Hybrid 
 Cock drumming on the ground like a Blackcock ; but on a 
 second occasion, when in Northern Bohemia, I was more 
 successful. This bird, which the keepers had long known of, 
 drummed on a tree just like a Capercaillie, and in a wood 
 not frequented by that species. After I had waited a long 
 time, and the sun had already risen, the cock at last began to 
 sing, at first low, then loud, the pitch of its song resembling 
 neither that of the Capercaillie nor the Blackcock, but in its 
 rhythm and its divisions reminding me of the former, while 
 the " Grlocken" or " Zahlen" was represented by a " kra, kra," 
 
HYBRID GROUSE. 583 
 
 rather clearly uttered at short intervals, which kept decreas- 
 ing, and wound up with a muffled croaking corresponding 
 to the principal note (" Hauptschlag"). 
 
 This moment I utilized for " springing in," and approached 
 it without any concealment, just as one does in the shoot- 
 ing of Capercaillie ; and when it was silent for a few 
 moments I imitated the call of the hen Capercaillie, and it 
 instantly recommenced its ugly song. Whether the Hybrid 
 Cock, Hke^he Capercaillie, neither sees nor hears at the 
 moment when it utters the " Hauptschlag " is hard to say; 
 but I certainly succeeded in getting so close to this bird, in 
 spite of the bright sunshine and the very slight cover afforded 
 by the thin wood, that I easily brought it down from the top 
 of a spruce-tree. 
 
 The special preference for certain localities that is shown 
 by these birds is an interesting fact. On the ground where I 
 killed my first specimen three of them have been shot during 
 the last few years ; and where I bagged the second, one has 
 been missed and another seen, while the very morning that I 
 obtained mine an acquaintance also killed one not far away. 
 For many years there have been no Capercaillies on that 
 ground, and the preserves have held nothing but Blackgame, 
 yet, curiously enough, that cock did not drum on the ground, 
 but on a tree in a thick wood, and the lucky sportsman, after 
 " springing " and killing it, saw a small hen that was perched 
 on a tree above him. This interesting bird he considered to be 
 a hybrid, and the forester stated that he had during the pre- 
 sent year seen two of these medium-sized hens on the ground 
 under his charge. Later on a Hybrid Cock again began 
 calling there, also from a tree, which was, however^ accord- 
 ing to the forester, situated near the fringe of the wood, for 
 the bird often left its high perch, fought among the Blackcock, 
 and after a few minutes returned to its tree. The same 
 forester also said that he saw in that wood a large hen 
 Capercaillie with five young ones just beginning to change 
 
584 NOTES ON THE HYBRID GROUSE. 
 
 their plumage, so that the cocks could be distinguished from 
 the hens, and that he at once recognized them as being 
 Hybrid Grouse. 
 
 It is a remarkable fact that both the cocks of the Caper- 
 caillie and the Blackgame fight shy of the Hybrid Cocks, 
 and that the latter can disturb the drumming-places of the 
 others and even spoil them for a whole season. The keepers 
 of both the shootings where I killed hybrids informed me that 
 these birds fight with the Capercaillie as well as with the 
 Blackcocks, and that, big as the former are, they are put to 
 flight by their smaller relatives. 
 
 Before concluding these unfortunately very incomplete 
 notes, I cannot refrain from urging all ornithologists and 
 lovers of nature to pay great attention to this very interesting 
 and still undecided question of the Hybrid Cock. Observa- 
 tions made in the open, external measurements of the various 
 parts of the body, notes on the skeleton and plumage, are all 
 still greatly lacking, while the main points which we must 
 try to establish are : 
 
 1. Whether Hybrid cocks and Hybrid hens are the parents 
 of the broods of Hybrid Grouse that are now met with ; or 
 whether it is not a hen Capercaillie or a Greyhen which leads 
 about these so-called young of the Hybrid Grouse. 
 
 2. Whether Hybrid cocks and Greyhens are not still ex- 
 clusively the parents of the Hybrid Grouse, and whether the 
 true Hybrid hen does not remain barren. 
 
 3. Whether the cock Capercaillie and the Hybrid hen, the 
 Hybrid cock and the hen Capercaillie, or the Blackcock and 
 the Hybrid hen do not interbreed. 
 
 These are the questions which seem to me the most im- 
 portant to decide in order that the vague theories which have 
 hitherto existed may be cleared up ; but I am well aware of 
 all the difficulties attendant on the study of so rare a bird in 
 the wild state. 
 
FURTHER NOTES 
 
 ON THE 
 
 HYBRID GROUSE 
 
 (Tetrao medius). 
 
 IN consequence of an invitation from Prince Rohan I had, on 
 the 23rd of April, 1883, the pleasure of being able to collect 
 some very interesting notes on the Hybrid Cock which has 
 been so much talked about of late years. 
 
 On both sides of the road that leads from Svijan-Podol to 
 Sobotka lies a region wooded with wretched firs that drag 
 out a miserable existence among sandstone, rocks, and fine 
 sand. These preserves are well stocked with Blackgame, but 
 110 Capercaillies are to be found until one has gone several 
 hours' journey to the further side of a wide, well-cultivated, 
 treeless plain. 
 
 Here I was told by the keepers that some years ago a hen 
 Capercaillie crossed over into this part of the ground, and 
 that since that time Hybrid Cocks had been seen every year. 
 Whether this statement was or was not based upon accurate 
 observation would be hard to discover, but it is quite certain 
 that both in 1880 and 1881 a Hybrid Cock was killed, and 
 one was missed in 1882, while in 1883 four of them were 
 drumming on this one piece of ground, and there was a 
 
586 FURTHER NOTES ON 
 
 fifth, quite a young one, which was, for the time being, 
 silent. This fact of there being five of these birds within 
 such a very small area is certainly a very rare occurrence. 
 
 On the whole the Hybrid game is increasing, for I know 
 of two cocks that have drummed in the district of Jung- 
 Bunzlau, of two others in the south of Bohemia, and of one 
 in the neighbourhood of Gmunden at the foot of the Alps, 
 on ground where two old Blackcocks, unattended by Grey- 
 hens, have now been going about among a very large stock 
 of Capercaillies for a considerable time a fact that may lead 
 to interesting results. In order to account for the increase 
 of the Hybrid Grouse, and by so doing for the cause and 
 manner of its origin, more materials ought soon to be col- 
 lected, and at least a certain amount of light be brought to 
 bear on this highly interesting zoological question. 
 
 To return, however, to our own special experiences. From 
 Svijan-Podol we drove to the ground, which was not far off, 
 and pulling up on the road I posted myself near the place 
 where two cocks had settled the previous evening, while my 
 brother-in-law went a little further on to two others. 
 
 All the four birds began calling about the same time, com- 
 mencing with a peculiar prolonged Woodpecker-like whistle 
 which I had never heard before, for in 1880 I had found 
 the cock in the height of its drumming when I approached 
 its perch. This whistle was followed by the singular song of 
 the Hybrid Grouse, which never varies, and is quite charac- 
 teristic of the bird, and the bars of which (" Verse ") follow each 
 other much quicker than they do in the case of the Caper- 
 caillie, there being no intervals, while the pitch is always the 
 same, and much higher than in the songs of our two other 
 Wood-Grouse. 
 
 The clear " Schlage " take the place of the so-called 
 " Zahlen," and a most remarkable croaking noise is substi- 
 tuted for the principal note ("Hauptschlag ") of the Capercaillie. 
 
THE HYBRID GROUSE. 587 
 
 I have satisfied myself that at the moment of its uttering this 
 sound the bird is just as deaf, if not deafer, than its larger 
 relative. 
 
 My brother-in-law brought down a cock from a very low 
 fir. I missed one after " springing " it a long time, just as it 
 flew off from the tree where it was drumming, in pursuit of a 
 hen ; but4ttckily it soon began again on the top of a little 
 rock, and there I laid it low. Beside it were standing two 
 hens, of which I shall speak later on. Both the other cocks 
 were silent after the shots. 
 
 The two birds that were bagged suggest very interesting 
 questions, for in many respects they do not agree with the 
 hitherto well-known and often-described Tetrao medius, and 
 it therefore seems advisable to preface the description of these 
 new specimens with a few words about the established type of 
 the Hybrid Cock. 
 
 As lately as 1880 I myself wrote : " One speaks of the 
 Hybrid Grouse as being of the Capercaillie or Blackgame 
 type ; but a good many specimens have already passed through 
 my hands, some in the flesh, more in skins, and I am bound 
 to say that I never found any essential differences between 
 them, either in size or plumage, greater than those due to 
 age, and which occur among all the other species of Wood- 
 Grouse." 
 
 Among other remarks about the Hybrid Cock, in his ' Thier- 
 leben,' A. E. Brehm has the following: "What makes it 
 especially remarkable is that the colour of the various indi- 
 viduals is extremely uniform, that is in all essentials." Then 
 follows the description of the early well-known type of the 
 bird. 
 
 Of the old authorities I will quote Christian Ludwig Brehm, 
 a highly esteemed ornithologist, and the father of our Brehm, 
 and also Johann Andreas Naumann. The former gives an 
 excellent description of Tetrao medius, from the rich material 
 
588 FURTHER NOTES ON 
 
 of which I will only extract a few of the more important 
 passages : 
 
 " Specific characters. Chin-feathers somewhat^ elongated ; 
 tail slightly forked ; height of the tarsus at least two inches. 
 
 " Distinctive description. The Middle Wood-Grouse (* Mitt- 
 lere Waldhuhn ') occupies an intermediate position between 
 the Capercaillie and the Black Grouse, both in form and size, 
 inclining, however, to the latter rather than to the former. 
 Hitherto only the male of this bird, which is so extremely 
 rare in Germany, has been known ; so that I have the greatest 
 pleasure in being able to give an accurate description of the 
 female. This bird has long been considered to be a hybrid 
 between the Blackcock and the hen Capercaillie, and at the 
 present day there is no lack of able naturalists who hold this 
 opinion, and support it, as we shall presently see, with 
 apparently weighty arguments. It has therefore a twofold 
 interest, both for the naturalist and the sportsman, and I 
 will take pains to treat of it accordingly. 
 
 "Old male. Much resembles the Blackcock in form, but 
 is larger, and has the tail only slightly forked. The beak and 
 nails are black; the iris brown ; the head, neck, breast, back, 
 and tail brilliant black, with a beautiful purple sheen ; the 
 belly dull black, with large white spots on the flanks and 
 vent ; the wings are blackish, sprinkled with brown and dark 
 grey, and have two white bands; the back, too, and the tail 
 are powdered with ash-grey. The tail is deep black, and 
 above the eye is a red patch, almost similar to that of the 
 Blackcock. Length 2 feet 5-6 inches." 
 
 Next come descriptions of the male after the first moult, 
 and of the female, then " detailed descriptions," from the 
 latter of which I will merely quote the following paragraphs: 
 
 " In the old male all the colours are finer, the red over the 
 eye more extended, the gloss on the head, neck, and breast 
 more sheeny, the white spots on the underparts fewer, the 
 
THE HYBRID GROUSE. 589 
 
 tail without white terminal bars, and all the parts of the body 
 larger and stronger. 
 
 fi From this description it is evident that the male of the 
 Middle Wood- Grouse closely resembles the Blackcock, so 
 closely, indeed, that Gmelin (Syst. i. p. 748) calls it ( Tetrao 
 tetrix, var. 7' The most striking differences lie in its tail, 
 which, compared with that of the Blackcock, looks as if it 
 had been clipped, and in its size. 
 
 " The young plumage of this Wood-Grouse is not yet 
 known." 
 
 The detailed description of the female would be too long to 
 quote in its entirety, but it contains certain passages which 
 are interesting to us at the present moment, and which I 
 must cite as briefly as possible. 
 
 Brehm writes : " The discovery of the female of our Middle 
 Wood-Grouse is not only of great importance for natural 
 history in general, but also for the specific status of the bird 
 itself; for although it has been known since the time of 
 Brisson and Linnseus, there has always been a great division 
 of opinion as to its being a distinct species. In the ' Mus. 
 Carls/ of Sparrm. (fasc. i. T. 15) there is a very good figure 
 of the old male under the name of ' Tetrao hybridus; Hybrid 
 Wood-Grouse.' Brisson, in his ' Orn.' v. i. p. 191, sp. 2 A, 
 calls it Tetrao minor pundatus; that is to say, the Small 
 Spotted Capercaillie ? ! Gmelin, in Syst. i. p. 748, considers 
 it to be a variety of the Blackcock, for he designates it as 
 Tetrao tetrix, var. y. Bechstein alludes to it as the Hybrid 
 Wood-Grouse (see his i Naturgeschichte Deutschl.' 2ed. 3 pt. 
 p. 1335). Leisler, at the end of the second volume of his 
 additions to Bechstein's ' Naturgesch. Deutschl.,' was, as far 
 as I know, the first to write of this Wood-Grouse as a distinct 
 species, and to publish a very accurate figure of the male 
 after its first moult. He is followed by Temminck, in his 
 i Naturgeschichte der Tauben und Hiihner,' and in his 
 
590 FURTHER NOTES ON 
 
 ' Manuel d'Ornith.' ed. 1, pt. ii. pp. 459-460, and by Meyer, 
 in his ' Vogel Liv- und Esthlands.' Nevertheless many 
 naturalists still hold the Middle Wood-Grouse to be a hybrid 
 between the hen Capercaillie and the Blackcock. Dr. Nilsson, 
 for instance, who emphatically declares that, after carefully 
 interrogating the Swedish and Finnish sportsmen, he elicited 
 the fact that the Hybrid Cock is only found where the cock 
 Capercaillies have been so thinned by over-shooting that the 
 hens have been obliged to betake themselves to the drumming- 
 places of the Blackcock, <fec. &c." 
 
 From this one sees how strongly the old authority, Brehm, 
 held the belief that Tetrao medius was a true species, and not 
 a cross, and the grounds which he gives for so doing are 
 good, if not, as it seems, quite unimpeachable. Seven pages 
 of his book are devoted to this discussion ; but from all the 
 excellent and very learned arguments that he adduces I will, 
 for want of space, only quote for my readers one passage 
 which bears very strongly upon the special case which we are 
 now considering. It runs thus : " And all the Hybrid Cocks 
 hitherto seen are so exactly similar in colour. Does this 
 agree with other observations on the colour of hybrids ? It 
 is evident that the Middle Wood -Grouse, if it be a cross, has 
 nothing of the mother about it, with the slight exception of 
 the head, the chin-feathers (' Bart '), and the size of the body ; 
 but even in all these parts it bears a certain resemblance to 
 the Blackcock. 
 
 " It really is a large Black-Grouse with a clipped tail, not 
 unlike that of the Greyhen. No special home can, however, 
 be assigned to the Middle Wood- Grouse, yet what does this 
 matter ? There are plenty of birds which are universally un- 
 common. The Lapp Owl (Strix lapponica) , for example, and 
 many others. Why should not the Middle Wood- Grouse be 
 everywhere rare and yet a distinct species ? Besides, Tem- 
 minck, in speaking of the Middle Wood-Grouse, explicitly 
 
THE HYBRID GROUSE. 591 
 
 says, l Nowhere so common as in Russia.' And a northern 
 bird it absolutely seems to be." 
 
 Brehm concludes by saying that the female under discus- 
 sion cannot possibly be a Greyhen on account of its beard, 
 and the much greater length both of its tarsus and its ali- 
 mentary canal. The sections in which he treats of its habitat, 
 behaviour, food, propagation, foes, the method of shooting it, 
 and usefulness and destructiveness, contain nothing especially 
 remarkable, and have been superseded by the results of later 
 investigations. 
 
 Naumann, in his work ' Naturgeschichte der Vogel Deutsch- 
 lands,' gives an excellent plate showing the Hybrid cock and 
 the Hybrid hen, the former presenting quite the characters 
 of the Tetrao medius, hitherto described in all works. 
 
 Under the head of " specific distinctions " Naumann says : 
 " The end of the tail somewhat notched, the feathers of the 
 chin somewhat elongated. 
 
 "Male. Black, with a purple sheen on the breast; tail 
 almost uniformly black. 
 
 "Female. Rust-coloured, banded with brown and black ; 
 two white bars across the wings." 
 
 Naumann goes on to say that Tetrao medius looks like an 
 abnormally large and somewhat darker Blackcock with a 
 shortened tail. The eleven cocks of which he treats were all 
 precisely alike. Beak black, horn-blue at the edges ; feet 
 strong and thickly feathered to the toes, this covering ex- 
 tending so far down that the short hind toe is hidden up to 
 the nail. This seems to me an important character, for we 
 find it given in all works as one of the chief distinctive marks 
 of Tetrao medius, and my experiences up to the present time 
 lead me to say the same. 
 
 In his accurate description of the old bird Naumann men- 
 tions the deep black and the steely-blue sheen of the head, 
 and the play of purple passing into violet on the breast. 
 
592 FURTHER NOTES ON 
 
 In the course of his remarks he also tells of a specimen 
 that was far more like a Capercaillie than any of the others, 
 and gives an exact description of its plumage. 
 
 Under the heading " Of its habitat " Naumann has, among 
 many other highly interesting remarks, the following : " As 
 I did not start with any practical experience of the rights or 
 wrongs of this question, never having had an opportunity of 
 studying these Hybrid Wood-Grouse in the open, but having 
 only had my doubts raised by the important differences exist- 
 ing among various stuffed specimens, I gave them a double 
 share of my attention, and finally convinced myself that 
 Tetrao medius cannot be a distinct species, but merely a 
 hybrid, with the Blackcock for its father and the hen Caper- 
 caillie for its mother. It has, moreover, always been main- 
 tained in Sweden that the Blackcock and the hen of the 
 Willow-Grouse not uncommonly cross, and that, most strange 
 to say, hybrids spring from this union." 
 
 The Swede Nilsson, under the title of " Hybrid Black- 
 game," brings forward most accurate and important notes, 
 and, among the many characteristic peculiarities of Tetrao 
 medius that he describes, also lays stress on the black breast 
 with its violet and purple sheen. 
 
 The contributions of this naturalist are supported by prac- 
 tical experience, and aim at the determination of the Hybrid 
 cock as a cross between the Blackcock and the hen Caper- 
 caillie. On this point he expresses himself as follows : 
 
 " I. Because, although the Hybrid Cock is yearly shot in 
 our country during the breeding -season, and is therefore 
 watched by the sportsmen, no one has ever yet known it to 
 have a drumming-place of its own, or seen it in broods or 
 with its own hens, but always either alone or on the drumming- 
 places of other birds. 
 
 " II. Because it is clearly proved that the hen Capercaillie 
 resorts to the drumming-places of the Blackcock and there 
 crosses with them. 
 
THE HYBRID GROUSE. 593 
 
 " III. Because hybrids between the Blackcock and the 
 Willow- Grouse are also found. 
 
 " IY. Because the Hybrid Cock has never been found in 
 any districts except those in which both Capercaillie and 
 Blackgame occur, and there only where the cock Capercaillies 
 have been soshot down as .to be almost exterminated." % 
 
 Nilsson further declaims against those naturalists, especially 
 Brehm, who seek to elevate Tetrao medius to specific rank, 
 and mentions the following interesting fact in the course of 
 his remarks : " There is also another important difficulty 
 which J must take into account: in Germany Capercaillie are 
 much more plentiful than Blackgame ; in Scandinavia, on the 
 contrary, the proportion is exactly reversed, for here one can, 
 on the whole, reckon that there are ten to twenty, or even 
 thirty, head of Blackgame to every Capercaillie." This, I 
 may add, is the case in most parts of Bohemia, especially in 
 those where Hybrid Cocks have hitherto been observed to be 
 most numerous, but in the Alps it is just the other way, and 
 how rare are the hybrids there ! 
 
 On the ground which afforded the two Hybrid Cocks, another 
 was killed two years ago from a screen at the drumming- 
 place of the Blackcock, all the rest while drumming by 
 themselves in the wood; and now and then one of this year's 
 birds appears among the Blackgame, disturbing them very 
 much in their love-affairs. 
 
 The two that were killed in the same neighbourhood in 
 1879 and 1880 are typical specimens of the true Hybrid Cock, 
 with the black beak, much feathered feet, violet sheen on the 
 breast, outer tail-feathers somewhat curved, &c. &c. Those 
 of the present year constitute two new forms, and immediately 
 after they were shot I jotted down the following notes. 
 
 Specimen A. 
 
 Beak large, yellowish grey. Neck dark blue, passing 
 into a violet sheen on the breast. Underparts dark, with a 
 
 2Q 
 
594 
 
 FURTHER NOTES ON 
 
 few pale feathers. Lower tail-coverts velvet-black, slightly 
 tipped with white. A white speculum on the wings. Tail 
 spotted with white. Upper tail-coverts long and marbled 
 with white. Tail like that of the cock Capercaillie, the outer 
 feathers not curved. Back brown, resembling the Capercaillie. 
 Eyes brown ; eyelids red, but not very strongly marked. 
 
 Specimen B. 
 
 Beak yellow, and neck grey like the Capercaillie cock. 
 Breast green. Underparts paler, greyish with many light 
 feathers. Lower tail-coverts shorter, grey like the Caper- 
 caillie. No white speculum on the wing. Tail quite black ; 
 upper tail-coverts short and shaded with grey. Tail stri- 
 kingly short, resembling that of the hen, the outer feathers 
 not curved. Back brown, like that of the Capercaillie. Eyes 
 brown ; eyelids red, not very strongly marked. 
 
 Chief characteristic : A somewhat and B very different 
 from the Hybrid Cocks that I have hitherto seen. 
 
 Measurements. 
 
 
 Length. 
 
 Breadth. 
 
 Wing. 
 
 Beak. 
 
 Tail. 
 
 Tarsus. 
 
 Middle toe. 
 
 
 cm. 
 
 cm. 
 
 cm. 
 
 cm. 
 
 cni. 
 
 cm. 
 
 cm. 
 
 Killed in 1883. 
 
 A. 
 B. 
 
 79 
 81 
 
 115 
 123 
 
 36-5 
 37-2 
 
 41 
 55 
 
 275 
 240 
 
 80 
 80 
 
 61 
 64 
 
 Killed in former years. 
 
 A. 
 B. 
 
 75-2 
 70-5 
 
 117-1 
 
 109-2 
 
 35 
 33-3 
 
 43 
 
 41 
 
 290 
 215 
 
 46 
 62 
 
 60 
 60 
 
THE HYBRID GROUSE. 
 
 595 
 
 Both those shot in 1883 had the feet only slightly 
 feathered. 
 
 I think that we have now before us the following scale of 
 the varieties^ the wood-frequenting Grouse : I. Urogallus ; 
 II. Almost pure Urogallus ; III. Reversion to Urogallus ; 
 IY. Thorough Hybrid Cock, i. e. medius, of the usual type ; 
 V. tetrix. 
 
 The following Table will make this evident at a glance : 
 
 
 1 
 
 Almost pure 
 
 Urogallus. 
 
 Eeversion to 
 Urogallus. 
 
 Medius. 
 
 1 
 
 
 Centimetres. 
 
 Length from the atlas to 1 
 the point of the sacrum J 
 
 50-2 
 
 49-5 
 
 47-2 
 
 43-8 
 
 32-4 
 
 
 Kilogrammes. 
 
 Weight of the whole 1 
 bird J 
 
 4-270 
 
 3-230 
 
 3-220 
 
 2-520 
 
 1-260 
 
 
 
 
 No. of vertebras : 
 Neck 
 
 2 
 1 
 6 
 
 2 
 1 
 6 
 
 2 
 
 1 
 6 
 
 3 
 1 
 6 
 
 J) 
 
 3 
 1 
 6 
 
 Atlas 
 
 Back. . 
 
 Pelvis 
 
 Tail 
 
 
 23 
 
 23 
 
 23 
 
 23 
 
 23 
 
 The interesting fact that the two Hybrid Cocks first killed 
 
596 FURTHER NOTES ON 
 
 in this district are of the true Tetrao medius type, while those 
 shot during the present year exhibit the transition-forms, 
 affords matter for much consideration. 
 
 According to the keepers, a hen Capercaillie appeared on 
 this ground some years ago, went about with the Blackcock, 
 and this was the origin of the first true Hybrid Cocks. 
 
 But how is it that the specimens last killed come nearer to 
 the Capercaillie ? This species certainly never pairs with the 
 Greyhen, and it is also hardly credible that a cock Capercaillie 
 would, during the drumming-season, leave its woods, which 
 were well stocked with hens, to fly for many miles over the 
 open country and settle in thin fir-woods absolutely unsuited 
 to it. 
 
 Is Tetrao medius, after all, a fertile or barren hybrid ? I 
 believe it to be fertile. Now, if its reproductive capabilities 
 be granted it is possible that a Capercaillie hen might be 
 fertilized by a hybrid bird, or even a hybrid by a hybrid; and 
 there is no saying whether such a union might not produce a 
 very singular form of reversion to the grandparents, in this 
 case to the Urogallus type. 
 
 One thing is proved Tetrao medius is not a true species, 
 but a cross, for such enormous differences can only occur 
 among hybrids. Hybrid hens also exist, and if the males 
 have reproductive powers the same must hold good of the 
 females. 
 
 At a distance of twenty paces at the most I saw two hens 
 on the ground near a Hybrid Cock, and their reddish colour 
 and peculiar size at once showed me that they were neither 
 Capercaillie nor Blackgame ; for I have had so much experience 
 in the pursuit of these birds in the most varied localities, and 
 have seen so very many of them, that I can quite rely on 
 the accuracy of my observation. The call of these hens was 
 also so different from that of both their ancestral species that 
 I was at once struck by its strangeness. 
 
THE HYBRID GROUSE. 597 
 
 I will, in conclusion, quote word for word one more passage 
 from the works of old Christian Ludwig Brehm : 
 
 " COMPARISON OF THE .FEMALES OF THE MIDDLE WOOD- 
 GROUSE AND THE BLACKGAME. 
 
 " Tetrao medius. (Female, about 9 months old.) 
 
 " Length 21 inches ; breadth 32 inches. 
 
 " Tail 5J inches long, and notched to a depth of 1 inch. 
 
 " The feet are so thickly feathered that only the point of 
 the nail of the hind toe projects from the feathers. 
 
 " Height of the tarsus 24 lines. 
 
 " The head is large, and in form somewhat resembles that 
 of the hen Capercaillie. 
 
 " The chin-feathers are elongated, so as to form a beard 
 15 lines long. The first six primaries are grey-black, with 
 paler specklings, but only on the outer web. 
 
 " The white base of the primaries begins at the seventh 
 and goes back to the eighth from the last. 
 
 " When the wings are folded they show two distinct white 
 bars, of w r hich the first or outer one is eight and the second 
 five lines broad. The ground-colour of the lower back is a 
 splendid blue-black with a bluish sheen traversed by narrow 
 wavy bars of a dark rust-colour. 
 
 " Tetrao tetrix. (Female, about nine months old.) 
 
 " Length 18 inches ; breadth 28 inches. 
 
 " Tail 4^ inches long, and notched to a depth of 1^ inches. 
 
 " The feet are not so closely feathered that the hind toe is 
 hidden in the feathers. 
 
 " The head is not large, and does not at all resemble in 
 form that of the hen Capercaillie. 
 
 " The feathers of the chin are not elongated. 
 
598 ON THE HYBRID GROUSE. 
 
 " The first six primaries are black-grey, with lighter speck- 
 lings on both webs. 
 
 " The white base of the primaries begins at the sixth and 
 goes back to the sixth from the last. 
 
 " When the wings are folded nothing of the first white? 
 bar is seen, and of the second little, only about two lines. 
 
 " The ground-colour of the lower back is pure black with 
 hardly any sheen, traversed by broad pale rust-coloured bars." 
 
 This precise comparison is very instructive, and ought to 
 be of material assistance in the elucidation of this question. 
 Full attention must now be devoted to the Hybrid Hen, and 
 the habits of both sexes of this cross ought to be studied as 
 closely as possible. It is unfortunately but little that I have 
 been able to contribute to the subject, but I believe that the 
 discovery of these two new forms of Tetrao medius may tend 
 to slightly advance the solution of this highly interesting 
 problem. 
 
NOTES 
 
 BIRDS OF PREY. 
 
 SEPTEMBER 1883. 
 
 I HAVE lately had an opportunity of devoting a little more 
 attention to some of our Lower Austrian birds of prey. 
 
 The wide plain south of the Danube, between the Wiener 
 "Wald and the Leitha mountains, is inhabited by large num- 
 bers of many species of raptorial birds, and since May of the 
 present year I have been able to pay frequent visits to the 
 fields and heaths that lie between Laxenburg, Yelm, Him- 
 berg, and Lanzendorf. 
 
 In May and June I saw but few hawks, only some Marsh- 
 Harriers ( Circus ceruginosus) and Montagu's Harriers ( C. cine- 
 raceus), and even these were but sparsely distributed. It is not 
 difficult to see the reason of this : there is a great deal of work 
 going on in the fields, while the covers and little woods, such 
 as those of Yelm, Guttendorf, Weitau, or whatever they are 
 called, are too small and too well watched by the keepers to 
 be used as nesting-places by these destructive marauders. 
 At this season, therefore, the predatory species are concen- 
 
600 NOTES ON BIRDS OF PREY. 
 
 trated in quieter districts the Harriers in the auen of the 
 Danube, the Buzzards chiefly in the extensive woods. 
 
 In July I met with more of these birds, and since the be- 
 ginning of August they have appeared in great abundance. 
 
 In order to try and bag some valuable specimens and to 
 study their habits a little, I spent three days in visiting two 
 huts where the Eagle-Owl was used as a decoy. The first 
 time I came in the morning, and hid myself among the fields 
 which lie between Laxenburg, Himberg, and Velm, the hut 
 being placed on an embankment at the edge of the Neu- 
 graben, which is sparsely covered with reeds and bushes, and 
 is not far from the little wood known as the Weitau. 
 
 Within two hours I saw at least eight to ten Common 
 Buzzards (Buteo vulgaris), mostly birds of the year, the two 
 or three young ones from the same nest generally flying 
 about in company. These birds have only recently appeared 
 here, and I fancy that they chiefly come from the Wiener 
 Wald, where I observed great numbers of them in July. In 
 the evening some of them may be seen going off towards the 
 hills in a westerly direction ; but I have satisfied myself that 
 they generally pass the night in the little clumps of wood in 
 the most outlying parts of the Laxenburg Park and the 
 pheasant-preserves belonging to it, while during the day they 
 fly over the fields looking for plunder. 
 
 The Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) roams about everywhere, 
 and has paid me some visits at the Owl-hut ; the Peregrine 
 (F. peregrinus) also appeared, but was unfortunately missed ; 
 and the Goshawk (Astur palumbarius) showed itself one 
 evening close to the hut, but did not stoop, and soon retired 
 to its roosting-place in a little patch of trees. 
 
 Harriers here constitute the bulk of the birds of prey, and 
 among them the commonest is the Marsh-Harrier. In the 
 morning one sees them ranging about, hunting up the part- 
 ridges and following them. They cast passing glances at the 
 
NOTES ON BIRDS OF PREY. 601 
 
 Owl, stoop now and again, but soon fly off. The day they 
 spend in looking after booty, and it is not rare to see six or 
 seven cruising about at the same moment. From six in the 
 evening until twilight has quite fallen is the time at which 
 they hold their final hunt,- and then they stoop merrily at the 
 Owl. Neither shots nor even the sight of the death-throes of 
 their comrades frighten them, and birds that have been 
 missed renew their savage onslaughts. At this time one can 
 pass them in review, and see what large numbers frequent 
 these heaths. One evening I counted thirteen sitting close 
 together on a newly-mown meadow, and a great many more 
 were cruising round about. As soon as it begins to get 
 dark they come from all directions to the Neugraben, and 
 flying close to the ground skim over the embankments and 
 vanish among the reeds and bushes. 
 
 The habits of the Montagu's Harriers are precisely similar, 
 but though there are plenty of them they are not present in 
 such great numbers as the Marsh-Harriers. Singularly 
 enough, I only saw one male in the beautiful pale plumage, 
 all the others being clad in the brown dress of the female or 
 the dirty grey-brown of the immature bird. 
 
 The beautiful , Steppe-Harrier ( Circus pallidus) also shows 
 itself in considerable numbers, and is the keenest and most 
 foolhardy of all in attacking the Eagle-Owl. One sees many 
 of them, especially in the evening just at sunset, when they 
 come from the fields to the Neugraben with a swift gliding 
 flight only a yard or two above the ground, and as soon as 
 they catch sight of the enemy in the neighbourhood of their 
 sleeping-quarters they let go at him with a vengeance. 
 
 Among the many Steppe-Harriers that I have seen here 
 during the last few days there was not one in the pale 
 plumage, but all were brown with pale yellow underparts 
 and beautiful dark borders round the eyes and beak. 
 
 I have yet to relate a remarkable incident that greatly 
 
602 NOTES ON BIRDS OF PREY. 
 
 surprised me, and this was that the Short-eared Owl (Otus 
 brachyotus), a true marsh-owl, lately came flying at the 
 Eagle-Owl on the open field in bright sunshine, and, sur- 
 rounded by Harriers, stooped vigorously at its larger rela- 
 tive. A successful shot put me in a position to verify the 
 species. 
 
 In the two trials that I made at the owl-hut in the open 
 fields I shot three Common Buzzards (an old one and two 
 birds of the year) , ten Marsh-Harriers (mostly adults, but also 
 some young birds, all in much the same plumage), five Steppe- 
 Harriers (all old dark-coloured specimens), four Montagu's 
 Harriers (one an old male, two old females, and one a young 
 male in the dark grey-brown dress), three Kestrels (this 
 year's birds), and one Short-eared Owl, while on one afternoon 
 which I spent in watching near the Eagle-Owl in a little clump 
 of trees I killed two Kestrels, both old specimens, and saw 
 one Steppe-Harrier, which had, however, no desire to engage 
 in hostilities. 
 
 The Buzzards were most numerous in the morning ; in the 
 evening only two appeared, but both of them were very 
 foolhardy. 
 
 The utter absence of the Hen-Harrier (Circus cyaneus) in 
 this district was a very remarkable but well-ascertained 
 fact. 
 
 During the beginning of August a Sea-Eagle, which was 
 still in the dark immature plumage, showed itself one after- 
 noon, and after flying through some of the little woods among 
 the fields vanished, and was seen no more 
 
NOTES 
 
 FKOM THE 
 
 NEIGHBOURHOOD OF VIENNA, 
 
 NOVEMBER 1883. 
 
 THESE notes are confined to the autumn of the present year, 
 when the migration of the birds of passage began on the whole 
 early, some species leaving us considerably sooner than usual. 
 For example, the Swift (Cypselus apus), the Oriole (Oriolus 
 galbula), and the Red-backed Shrike (ILanius collurio) de- 
 parted at the end of August, and at the beginning of September 
 not one of them was to be found in our neighbourhood. The 
 Quail, on the contrary, remained very late, and I still saw 
 solitary individuals in October and even up to the 16th of this 
 month. The Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus), the Lesser Grey 
 Shrike (Lanius minor), and the Nightjar (Caprimulgus euro- 
 pceus) quitted the district that fell under my observation in 
 the middle of September, while the Lapwing ( Vanellus cris- 
 tatus), the Starling (Sturnus vulgaris), and the Jackdaw 
 ( Corvus moneduld) are still passing through it in large flocks. 
 
604 NOTES FROM THE 
 
 Both the Swallows and the Martins had almost entirely 
 departed by the middle and end of September, but I still saw 
 some of the former on October llth, and observed one of the 
 latter flying up the Danube on the 15th of that month. The 
 Woodcock (Scolopax rusticola) came this year in very small 
 numbers, the first having been seen on the auen of the Danube 
 at Vienna in the middle of September, and solitary individuals 
 are even still to be met with here and there. This year there 
 was a great flight of Redwings and Song-Thrushes, but it 
 only lasted a few days, the greatest number being seen between 
 October 7th and 15th. 
 
 The Mallards collected early in large flocks, for at the end of 
 September I already noticed numbers of them on the Laxen- 
 burg pond, and on the Danube they were exceptionally 
 abundant. 
 
 The Geese, but only one species, came to the Danube in the 
 beginning of October, and during the day thousands of them 
 pitched on the sandbanks by the so-called Schonauer Wasser, 
 opposite the village of Schonau. On the 15th of October, 
 which was a grey, misty, rainy, and particularly favourable 
 day, I there observed countless myriads, gigantic swarms of 
 them, between eleven and three o'clock. They all came from 
 the north-west, and settled on the sluices and the sand- 
 banks with a loud cackling. Their migration lasted until the 
 end of October, but their numbers had then much decreased. 
 
 The Shoveller (Anas clypeata) has also often been met 
 with since the beginning of the present month, and on the 
 15th the first Eed-throated Diver (Colymlus septentrionalis) 
 was seen, while a young Crested Grebe was killed on an arm 
 of the river. The various kinds of Sandpipers, of which there 
 were large numbers on the Danube at the end of September, 
 have already departed. 
 
 The Black-headed Gull (Larus ridibundus) appeared in 
 great abundance at the end of last month, and they are still 
 
NEIGHBOURHOOD OF VIENNA. 605 
 
 very common. The Cormorant (Plialacrocorax carbo) I 
 observed for the last time on October 15th, and then I only 
 saw solitary individuals. 
 
 A Black Stork, which is a rare bird in Lower Austria, fre- 
 quented the auen of the Danube during the latter half of 
 September, and I myself once saw it in a wood of lofty trees 
 by the side of a pool. 
 
 I paid particular attention to the migration of the birds of 
 prey, and observed that the Sea-Eagle (Halmetus albicilla) 
 took up its position on the Danube earlier than usual, for a 
 pair of old pale yellow individuals frequented the Fischamend 
 auen almost the whole of September, and are still often to 
 be seen. The Ospreys (Pandion haliaetus) also came in 
 considerable numbers at the end of the preceding and the 
 beginning of the present month, but they have now quite 
 vanished. 
 
 The " Stein " Eagle (Aquila fulva) was several times 
 observed in the neighbourhood of Laxenburg, but I believe 
 that there was but one bird, which hunted over a large extent 
 of country, and in the course of its wanderings often appeared 
 at the same point. One afternoon at the end of September I 
 saw it perched on a high spruce-fir in the so-called 
 Franzensremise near Laxenburg, and a few days before it 
 was noticed in the auen at Guntransdorf, where it was always 
 surrounded by Hooded Crows, Magpies, and Hawks. Soon 
 afterwards a keeper saw it sitting on a stack of straw near 
 what is known as the Weitau, not far from the village of 
 Himberg, and on the morning of the 20th I caught sight 
 of a " Stein " Eagle standing on the ground in a field near 
 Eauhenwart. 
 
 On September 29th I saw the Lesser Spotted Eagle (Aquila 
 ncevia) at the edge of the Laxenburg Park. 
 
 The Kites have now almost disappeared from the auen of 
 the Danube, and the migration of the Harriers is pretty nearly 
 
606 NOTES FROM THE 
 
 over. In the plain of Laxenburg the Steppe-Harrier (Circus 
 pallidus) is the only one that remains, and it occurs but very 
 rarely ; on the 25th of October I shot one at the Eagle-Owl 
 hut. Both the Marsh-Harrier (C.ceruginosus) and Montagu's 
 Harrier ( C. cineraceus) , however, left the district altogether 
 at the end of September, and in October there was not one of 
 them to be seen. 
 
 The Common Buzzard (Buteo vulgaris) took up its abode 
 here during the autumn in fairly large numbers. One of 
 them hunts every day in the meadows in front of my windows 
 and is remarkably tame. 
 
 The Rough-legged Buzzard (Buteo lagopus) came earlier 
 than usual, for the first were seen before the 15th of October, 
 and by the 20th their migration had reached its height. On 
 that date I rode in the morning straight across country from 
 Laxenburg to Fischamend on the Danube, returning in the 
 afternoon, and it must have been an especially favourable day 
 for the passage of the raptorial birds, for on the way I saw 
 the " Stein" Eagle already mentioned, more than thirty 
 Rough-legged Buzzards, several Common Buzzards, a Pere- 
 grine Falcon, a Saker (Falco laniarius), several Merlins 
 (F cesalon), and one or two Pallid Harriers. 
 
 The Kestrels are still here, but not in such abundance as 
 before ; but to make up for them there are more Sparrow- 
 Hawks (Astur nisus) and Goshawks (A. palumbarius) . 
 
 On the 21st some Rough-legged Buzzards came to the 
 Eagle-Owl hut, but not so many as the numbers seen on the 
 previous day would have led one to expect. On the 24th 
 there was another very large flight of these birds ; on the 
 25th I only observed one ; but it was a very good day for 
 Falcons, for I saw three Sakers at the Owl, one of which 
 stooped well and was shot, and an old specimen of the Peregrine, 
 which I also bagged. 
 
NEIGHBOURHOOD OF VIENNA. 607 
 
 Bustards ( Otis tarda) are often seen, but not at the same 
 places that they frequent during the summer, for in Lower 
 Austria they are true birds of passage, and do not remain for 
 the autumn and winter where they spent the breeding- 
 season andrlhe summer, but remove to other ground, generally 
 in the immediate neighbourhood of their former quarters. 
 There old and young congregate together in great flocks, and 
 go through the rigours of the winter in company. A few 
 days ago I saw a flock of more than thirty on a field of 
 young corn. 
 
 The Great Black Woodpecker (Picus martins) was often 
 seen in the Laxenburg Park at the end of September and the 
 beginning of October, and the appearance of such a thorough 
 forest-bird in these woods so surrounded by plains certainly 
 seems strange. I was, however, told by the keepers that it is 
 noticed every year, but only for a few days, both in the park 
 and the small clumps of trees and covers which lie round it, 
 and that it may often be observed flying from tree to tree 
 along the willow-fringed brooks, and so passing from one 
 wood to another. This betokens a migration, or, at any 
 rate, a change of residence, at the commencement of the cold 
 weather. 
 
 I will, in conclusion, mention a peculiar duck which I shot 
 a little while ago. As already said, great flocks of Mallards 
 often visited the Laxenburg pond, and one day I noticed, 
 among many others, a particularly large and very dark- 
 plumaged bird. I killed it and found myself in the posses- 
 sion of a most remarkable specimen. The dark green head, 
 blue wing-coverts, little feathers in the tail, and the distribu- 
 tion of light and dark in the plumage were just the same as 
 in the Mallard, but over the whole of it there was a brownish 
 tone, which in some parts, such as the belly, was very dark, 
 while the light feathers had a reddish metallic sort of sheen. 
 
608 NOTES FROM THE 
 
 The bill and the feet, too, were also rather darker, and the 
 bird was altogether larger and more strongly built than the 
 ordinary Mallard. 
 
 I can only suppose that it must have been a cross between 
 the half- wild Turkish ducks that live on the pond and the 
 perfectly wild Mallards that breed every year in the more 
 distant parts of the park. 
 
NEIGHBOURHOOD OF VIENNA. 
 
 II. 
 
 FEBRUARY 1884. 
 
 A FEW notes collected in the neighbourhood of Vienna 
 during the winter may not perhaps be wholly uninteresting 
 to some of my readers. 
 
 I must begin by saying that the unusually mild weather 
 which lasted throughout the winter of 1883-84 had a great 
 influence on the movements of the birds. The Rough-legged 
 Buzzard, for example, which generally only visits this part 
 of the country on its migrations in November, the end of 
 February, and the beginning of March, remained here this 
 year in large numbers. I also saw Harriers, especially old 
 males, all through the winter. The more northern visitors, 
 however, appeared in but small strength, for I found very 
 few Long-tailed Ducks (ffarelda glacialis) on the Danube, 
 where they usually swarm, and they have now quite dis- 
 appeared. The Goosanders, too, were not numerous, while 
 the other ducks, which generally come to the river in 
 myriads when the smaller streams are quite frozen, only 
 showed themselves in any numbers during the few colder 
 days. The Grey Herons, on the other hand, most of which 
 generally wander southwards, all remained; and the Jack- 
 daws did the same, for one never failed to see them at their 
 habitual summer resorts. I also frequently observed a pair 
 of Grey Wagtails (Motacilla sulphurea) in a garden in the 
 middle of Vienna, and at sunset these mountain birds might 
 
 2R 
 
610 NOTES FROM THE 
 
 be seen flying rapidly over the house-tops, seeking a sheltered 
 place for their night's rest. 
 
 Many of the migratory birds have also been caught sight 
 of very early. The Wood-Pigeon (Columba palumbus) was 
 frequently seen in the auen of the Danube below Vienna 
 during the last days of January, the Black Kite (Milvus ater) 
 often in the beginning of February, the Starling everywhere 
 since the 17th of this month, and the White Wagtail (Mota- 
 cilla alba) has already been here four days. 
 
 The Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) was first noted on 
 February 15th, and on the 16th I remarked a flock circling 
 round their usual nesting-places on the Danube, while during 
 the last few days many of them have been met with. Geese, 
 too, appear to have been observed on the Neusiedler Lake at 
 the beginning of February, and since the middle of the month 
 they have also appeared on the Danube, but hitherto not in 
 large flocks. 
 
 Paired Partridges were already seen at the end of January, 
 and couples of Mallards at the beginning of February. 
 
 This year I took pretty accurate notes of the appearance of 
 the Sea-Eagles in our neighbourhood, the district that came 
 under my observation extending from the Lobau to above the 
 Fischamend auen. A pair of these birds came as early as the 
 end of September, but did not stay long at a time, often 
 going away for a week and then returning for a few days. 
 
 One of them, a tolerably large bird, easily recognizable 
 from its having lost some of its wing-feathers, was observed 
 throughout the autumn, and then, after a long absence, 
 reappeared at the end of February, when it was encountered 
 several times. On the 16th I myself saw it sitting on 
 the lowest branch of a tree, and it seemed to be very ill, for 
 it kept its wings open to assist it in maintaining its position 
 on its weak legs, and when frightened off it only took a short 
 flight close to the ground, never, however, allowing me to 
 
NEIGHBOURHOOD OF VIENNA. 611 
 
 come well within shot. This individual, which was the first 
 to appear in September, has now entirely vanished, and has 
 in all probability died of some wound received on one of its 
 many wanderings. 
 
 Since the end of September more Sea-Eagles have been seen 
 on the Danube, frequently three or four of them in a single 
 day, but often only one, while they now and then absent 
 themselves altogether for several days. Their appearance is 
 dependent on several causes, but it is the wild ducks that 
 have most to do with their movements, for from morning to 
 night the eagles hunt the large flocks up and down, and when 
 one district has been cleared out and the persecuted birds 
 have shifted down-stream their pursuers also disappear ; and 
 when, after a few days, the ducks collect again at their usual 
 haunts, their adversaries follow them up, and so it goes on 
 backwards and forwards. If, however, a frost comes, the 
 eagles are sure to be there, and generally some of those that 
 are engaged in the easier pursuit of the waterfowl ,on the 
 smaller streams also come to the Danube. 
 
 The Sea-Eagle passes the night close to the place where it 
 has either fished or hunted during the day ; and as this shy 
 bird almost always cautiously shuns both the Eagle-Owl and 
 an exposed bait, and can only be approached at night, I 
 devoted my attention to the finding out of its sleeping- 
 quarters. 
 
 On the Danube it never roosts among the large auen 
 that border the river, but always on the islands or " haufen " 
 as they are called. It is also very critical in the choice 
 of its quarters, and, avoiding the interior of woods, almost 
 invariably selects the edge of a clump of high trees that faces 
 either a meadow, a low copse, or a stagnant arm of the river, 
 where there is nothing to impede its flying off even during 
 the night. The spot must be sheltered from the wind, and 
 the tree high and provided with large branches. In the auen 
 
6]2 NOTES FROM THE 
 
 between Vienna and Fischamend there are only two places to 
 which all these eagles regularly repair every evening. One is 
 situated on a small arm of the river ; the other on the edge 
 of a young cover, and even within these narrow limits there 
 are certain favourite trees. 
 
 When a bird of this kind is seen flying about in the 
 evening, look-outs must be stationed at spots which command 
 a good view, for after its final hunt the Sea-Eagle circles 
 for some time high aloft, and then suddenly contracting 
 its wings, shoots down to its night-quarters like an arrow. 
 There it flaps from tree to tree until darkness comes on, when 
 it at last goes to roost on a suitable branch. 
 
 In January and February the eagles come to their roosting- 
 places by four o'clock, and, having come, they stay. For 
 about a week past, however, they have been very restless ; and 
 this I attribute to the approach of the breeding-season, as 
 during the daytime I have of late seen them going through 
 the same beautiful aerial evolutions that I have so often 
 observed when in the neighbourhood of their nests. 
 
 Some days ago, for example, one of the keepers saw three 
 of them settle on one tree, and there they all sat until it 
 began to get quite dark ; but when I got to the place at 
 night they were no longer there, two having gone off 
 altogether, while the third was roosting on another silver 
 poplar about fifty paces away. 
 
 In the course of last week I bagged three Sea-Eagles ; all 
 at night. On the first occasion I found two very old ones, 
 evidently a pair, sitting on the same tree : on the second a 
 rather dark and much younger bird alone ; the third time a 
 somewhat older individual, which was one of the most in- 
 teresting of the many specimens that have passed through my 
 hands, for it was just in the transition stage from the dark 
 plumage of the immature, to that of the fully adult bird. Its 
 beak was still dark with a few yellow spots, and its plumage 
 
NEIGHBOURHOOD OF VIENNA. 613 
 
 can only be described as mottled, for from the head down- 
 wards there was quite an irregular mixture of light and dark 
 over the whole body, while the tail was in that ugly grey 
 state when it is passing from brown to pure white. The two 
 young ones were not jvery large, but the old bird first killed 
 was a remarkably fine specimen. 
 
 The eagles, too, are merely winter visitors and will soon 
 leave us; but when the migratory birds all return to their 
 usual haunts there will be fresh life and movement to observe, 
 concerning which I shall have something to say in due 
 course. 
 
614 NOTES FROM THE 
 
 III. 
 
 DECEMBER 1885. 
 
 DURING the autumn of 1885 I was able to make some rather 
 interesting notes. 
 
 Most of the migratory birds either left or passed through 
 the field of my observation quite at the customary times. 
 Almost all the swallows had gone by the latter part of Septem- 
 ber. Solitary specimens of geese appeared on the Danube at 
 the end of that month, and therefore earlier than usual; but 
 the great flights, which were this year of extraordinary size, 
 came about the end of October and remained until the middle 
 of November, while some of the smaller flocks stayed up to its 
 close. The Teal, with a few Shovellers, Pochards, Garganey 
 Teal, but especially Mallards in thousands, have frequented the 
 river throughout the autumn, and have been joined since 
 the end of November by the Goosanders and Mergansers, 
 as well as by the Long-tailed Ducks, the latter in smaller 
 numbers than usual. 
 
 In Lower Austria the Cormorants left the Danube earlier 
 than last year, but the Sea-Eagles came much sooner to their 
 winter-quarters. The first of them a young bird still in the 
 dark plumage I observed in the auen below Vienna on 
 September 24th, and during October some others arrived, 
 both old and young, and they are still flying up and down 
 the river every day hunting the ducks. 
 
 The migration of the smaller birds of prey was also very 
 
NEIGHBOURHOOD OF VIENNA. 615 
 
 irregular, and very poor both in numbers and species the 
 Harriers, multitudes of which generally visit the plains of 
 Lower Austria in September, being almost entirely absent, 
 and I noted the first Rough-legged Buzzard on October 20th, 
 that is fourteen days earlier than in previous years ; but from 
 that day did not see another of these birds, which are usually 
 so common, until the end of November, when I remarked three 
 of them flying one evening to their roosting-places in the auen. 
 
 It was interesting to see what multitudes of Fieldfares 
 there were this autumn. On October 30th I saw hundreds 
 on the meadows and clearings of the Wiener Wald some 
 distance above Baden ; and I met with much larger flocks, 
 which must have contained thousands of them, in the auen 
 of the Danube at Orth on October 6th and 7th, while I have 
 since observed them until quite recently both in the Wiener 
 Wald and the plains, but never in such large numbers. 
 
 The appearance of the Nutcrackers and their spread into 
 districts which they usually seldom or never visit was very 
 remarkable. Between September 15t]i and 18th I observed a 
 great many of these birds in the wooded hills of Pohorella and 
 Murany, in the county of Gomor, and at the end of September 
 and the beginning of October I also saw them at various 
 localities in the north of Styria, both high up in the moun- 
 tains and quite low down in the valleys, while in the middle 
 of October I found them very abundant in the woods among 
 the fields and the low-lying copses of the hilly ground in the 
 county of Maros-Torda in Transylvania. At the end of Octo- 
 ber several were observed above Baden ; on the 21st a keeper 
 killed one in the Laxenburg park ; the following day I shot 
 a couple of handsome old birds in the outlying woods of the 
 Wiener Wald near Huttendorf ; and on the morning of No- 
 vember 18th, which was cold and misty, I saw one sitting on 
 an acacia near the railway station in Brack on the Leitha. This 
 was the first time in the course of the past few years that I 
 
616 NOTES FROM NEAR VIENNA. 
 
 had met with a Nutcracker in the immediate neighbourhood 
 of Vienna. 
 
 The Dipper (Cinclus aquaticus), too, appeared last year on 
 the brooks at Laxenburg, but again only when the cold weather 
 had set in. 
 
 The passage of the Woodcock was also very irregular this 
 autumn, for these birds, which only frequent the low hilly 
 parts of Transylvania on migration, showed themselves there 
 in large numbers from the 10th to the end of October, and by 
 November the flight was over in those districts. In Hungary, 
 however, especially in the wooded plains east of Pest, I met 
 with some as early as September 12th, and the flight seems 
 to have lasted well into November, though there were never 
 many of them. 
 
 Still more peculiar was their behaviour in Lower Austria, 
 for the first came to the Laxenburg park at the end of October, 
 after that there were but very few in this part of the country, 
 and by the middle of November none at all, the flight being 
 apparently over. I was therefore greatly astonished at finding 
 five of them in a little cover in the Wiener Wald near Laab 
 on November 28th, and at meeting with a great many in the 
 auen for some days after, the last on December 3rd. The 
 cold, however, which has now set in has probably put an end to 
 this abnormal appearance of the Woodcock. 
 
PKOM 
 
 THE SOUTH. 
 
 A FEW weeks spent on the coasts of Dalraatia and Istria, and 
 in excursions into the Herzegovina, afforded me opportunities 
 of making occasional ornithological notes ; and as some of 
 these jottings may not be wholly devoid of interest, I have 
 undertaken to arrange them in the form of a list. I fear, 
 however, that the many gaps therein, and the superficial 
 nature of my remarks, will very likely be irritating to the 
 naturalist, but my excuse must be found in the manner in 
 which I travelled and the character of the districts that I 
 visited. 
 
 It is no easy matter to collect notes of this sort from a 
 fast steamer or while driving along the highroad ; and where 
 I had a chance of rambling about on foot, the impenetrability 
 of the thorny evergreen thickets and the seas of jagged 
 slippery stones greatly impeded my progress. The shyness 
 of the birds, too, formed another difficulty, for the little 
 songsters, which in our gardens and woods allow one to 
 approach them quite confidingly, there fly with timorous haste 
 into the thickest hiding-places, a fact that greatly increases 
 the difficulty of making accurate observations, especially of 
 the Warblers. 
 
618 NOTES FROM THE SOUTH. 
 
 FRINGILLA CALEBS. Chaffinch. 
 
 When I arrived at Lacroma I found great flocks of these 
 finches in the olive-yards and orchards of the island, and they 
 remained until the end of March in larger or smaller numbers, 
 just as they had happened to come in on migration. After 
 that time I only saw solitary individuals ; in April none at all. 
 
 CANNABINA LINOTA. Linnet. 
 
 The first flock was observed on Lacroma at the end of 
 March ; they kept to the bushy parts of the island. I subse- 
 quently met with more and more of them. I also found the 
 Linnet everywhere on the mainland of Dalmatia and the 
 Herzegovina, in the little fields, the gardens, and among the 
 bushes and large stones up to a considerable height in the 
 mountains. 
 
 CHRYSOMITRIS SPINUS. Siskin. 
 
 Seen on Lacroma from the beginning to the end of March 
 in large flocks, but on the mainland rarely. 
 
 CARDUELIS ELEGANS. Goldfinch. 
 
 Appeared towards the end of March in all suitable places 
 both on the island and mainland, first in flocks and then 
 singly. 
 
 PASSER DOMESTICUS. Common Sparrow. 
 Very rare both on Lacroma and the mainland. 
 
 PASSER MONTANUS. Tree-Sparrow. 
 
 Somewhat commoner on the island and mainland. In the 
 Herzegovina I saw a good many Sparrows among the most 
 barren stony slopes of the high mountains, but they were un- 
 fortunately so shy that I could not quite make out what they 
 
NOTES FROM THE SOUTH. 619 
 
 were. I took them, however, for Italian Sparrows (Passer 
 italicus). 
 
 \^^ 
 LIGURINUS CHLORIS. Greenfinch. 
 
 In the middle of March small flocks appeared on Lacroma 
 and joined the Chaffinches. In April I only saw scattered 
 pairs. 
 
 EMBERIZA MILIARIA. Corn-Bunting. 
 
 On April 22nd I saw a great many about the meadows and 
 fields along the shore of the great lake of Yrana, south of 
 Zara. 
 
 EUSPIZA MELANOCEPHALA. Black-headed Bunting. 
 
 First observed at Lacroma in large flocks on March 14th. 
 A few days later they were everywhere to be met with singly 
 or in pairs among the gardens and olive-trees both of the 
 mainland and the island. I saw at least two other species of 
 Buntings among the bashes in the Herzegovina, but could not 
 quite identify them. 
 
 SERINUS HORTULANUS. Serin Finch. 
 
 Appeared on the island in the middle of March. I saw 
 rather large flocks for a few days, after 1 which they entirely 
 disappeared. 
 
 MELANOCORYPHA CALANDRA. Calandra Lark. 
 
 I observed this lark on April 23rd among the fields near 
 Nona, a village on the sea-coast north of Zara. There it was 
 very plentiful and had already paired. 
 
 CALANDRELLA BRACHYDACTYLA. Short-toed Lark. 
 Found on April 22nd and 23rd both north and south of 
 Zara. 
 
620 NOTES FROM THE SOUTH. 
 
 GALERITA CRISTATA. Crested Lark. 
 
 One of the commonest roadside birds in Dalmatia, even 
 high up in the mountains, and still more abundant in the 
 Herzegovina. Apparently somewhat paler in plumage than 
 the Crested Lark of Austria. 
 
 CORYS ARBOREA. Wood-Lark. 
 
 On March 13th, after a very stormy night, two very tired 
 birds of this species remained on a little meadow in front of 
 the castle at Lacroma. Next day they had vanished. 
 
 ALAUDA ARVENSIS. Sky-Lark. 
 
 On March 13th a Sky-Lark appeared at the same place 
 with the Wood-Larks. It was the only one that I saw during 
 my stay in the south. 
 
 ORIOLUS GALBULA. Golden Oriole. 
 
 The first appeared in the pine-woods of Lacroma on March 
 16th ; on the 17th there were a good many, and they were 
 already beginning to whistle a little. 
 
 PYRRHOCORAX ALPINUS. Alpine Chough. 
 
 On cool days during the end of March and the beginning 
 of April I saw this bird in large flocks not far from the road 
 between Ragusa and Trebinje, and on April 25th I found 
 hundreds of them nesting together in the high cliffs along the 
 river Cermanja, between Obrovazzo and the Mar di Novigrad. 
 
 CORVUS CORAX. Raven. 
 
 Very common in Istria and Dalmatia, on the mainland as 
 well as on the islands, and throughout the Herzegovina one 
 of the most abundant birds. On March 31st two old Ravens 
 with their three young ones came to a carcass that I had laid 
 out for vultures not far from Trebinje. The young ones flew 
 
NOTES FROM THE SOUTH. 621 
 
 very clumsily and were instructed in the tearing of the carrion 
 by blows from the beaks of their parents. On one occasion, 
 when 1 had placed an Eagle-Owl upon a ruinous old Turkish 
 " kula " near which I had also exposed a carcass, several 
 Ravens came and for some minutes swooped down close to 
 the Owl with loud croaks, but afterwards pitched on the ground 
 and did not disturb themselves any further during their meal. 
 For more than fourteen days I did not see a single Raven on 
 Lacroma, but at last, after great quantities of kitchen scraps 
 had been thrown into the sea near the castle, and some bones 
 were lying about on the rocks, two of these birds appeared on 
 the same day, and afterwards made repeated daily visits to 
 the place. 
 
 CORVUS CORONE. Hooded Crow. 
 
 CORVUS FRUGILEGUS. Rook. 
 
 On stormy days during the middle of March large flocks 
 of both these birds were seen passing over the island of 
 Lacroma from south to north. 
 
 CORVUS CORNIX. Carrion-Crow. 
 
 Observed in April round Mostar and in Northern Dalmatia, 
 but nowhere in large numbers. 
 
 MONEDULA TURRIUM. Jackdaw. 
 
 Only seen in the neighbourhood of Mostar, where it was 
 nesting in the cliffs and circling round the minarets of the 
 mosques. 
 
 PICA CAUDATA. Magpie. 
 
 Only observed on the plains between Metkovic and Mostar. 
 
 GARRULUS GLANDARIUS. Jay. 
 
 Often seen in the low oak-woods of the Herzegovina in 
 March and April. 
 
622 NOTES FROM THE SOUTH. 
 
 FALCO SUBBUTEO. Hobby. 
 
 FALCO TANYPTERUS (feldeggi). Lanner. 
 
 During the month of March I observed several solitary 
 specimens of both these birds in the pine-woods of Lacroma 
 and along the coast. 
 
 FALCO TINNUNCULUS. Kestrel. 
 
 Single birds were seen in March and April on the cliffs of 
 the Dalmatian coast, and one stooped to the Eagle-Owl when 
 I was shooting in the Herzegovina. 
 
 FALCO CENCHRIS. Lesser Kestrel. 
 
 Common near towns and cliffs both in Southern Dalmatia 
 and the Herzegovina, and very numerous among the rocks of 
 the Istrian islands, and in the villages of Northern Dalmatia, 
 particularly among ruins. Up to the middle of March there 
 were but few Lesser Kestrels to be seen at Lacroma and its 
 neighbourhood, and not until the end of that month and in 
 April did they arrive in great numbers. 
 
 ASTUR PALUMBARIUS. Goshawk. 
 
 During the middle of March I observed one of these birds 
 which for several consecutive days came and hunted through 
 the island of Lacroma in all directions. In the latter part of 
 this month it was no longer to be seen. 
 
 AQUILA FULVA. " Stein " Eagle. 
 
 On March 18th I saw a " Stein " Eagle fly across the Bocche 
 di Cattaro, and in the Herzegovina I observed several. On 
 April 15th one of these eagles, together with a raven, re- 
 peatedly swooped down close to our Eagle-Owl; and about 
 the middle of March the head forester on the island of Meleda 
 told me that a pair of them had been staying there for the 
 
NOTES FROM THE SOUTH. 623 
 
 past few weeks and had done a great deal of damage among 
 the goats. 
 
 AQUILA N^IVIA. Lesser Spotted Eagle. 
 
 During March one of these birds often crossed from the 
 mainland to Lacroma, and in April I also saw several in the 
 Herzegovina. 
 
 PSEUDAETUS BONELLii. Bonelli's Eagle. 
 
 I believe that 1 saw this eagle in the Herzegovina, but can- 
 not be certain. I hear, however, from good authority that it 
 is not very uncommon there. 
 
 HALIAETUS ALBICILLA. Sea-Eagle. 
 
 On March 18th I saw a very old pale yellow bird with a 
 white tail flying along the rocky coast not far from Antivari. 
 
 STRIGICEPS PALLLDUS. Pallid Harrier. 
 
 Often seen skimming over the low scrub and stony plains 
 of the Herzegovina and Dalmatia in the middle of April. 
 After the beginning of April five or six frequently came to 
 Lacroma in stormy rainy weather, and cruised round the little 
 hill at the north of the island. 
 
 CIRCUS RUFUS. Marsh-Harrier. 
 
 Often visited Lacroma in company with the Pallid Harrier. 
 In April I observed some in the marshes of the Narenta, and 
 at the Lago di Vrana and Nona in Northern Dalmatia. 
 
 CIRCAETUS GALLICUS. Short-toed Eagle. 
 
 Observed during April near Trebinje in the Herzegovina. 
 
 BUTEO VULGARIS. Common Buzzard. 
 In March I sometimes saw this Buzzard on Lacroma and 
 in April in the Herzegovina. 
 
624 NOTES FROM THE SOUTH. 
 
 GYPAETUS BARBATUS. Bearded Vulture. 
 
 According to a trustworthy man, three Bearded Vultures 
 were observed about the end of March at a carcass that I had 
 laid out for large vultures in the neighbourhood of Trebinje. 
 They circled round the spot repeatedly and then disappeared 
 again. A few days before my arrival a specimen was killed 
 at Mostar, not far from the town. 
 
 NEOPHRON PERCNOPTERUS. Egyptian Vulture. 
 
 On March 31st I observed one of these birds between 
 Ragusa and Trebinje, not far from the frontier of Dalmatia 
 and the Herzegovina. A few days later my brother-in-law 
 killed one at a carcass where a pair had settled at the same 
 time. In April I saw some near Trebinje. When I placed 
 the Eagle-Owl near the carrion these vultures stooped at it 
 furiously, but after a few attacks flapped down to the ground 
 and began their repast. On April 24th I saw one in Northern 
 Dalmatia on the rocky banks of the Cermanja, and on the 
 same day two more among the high cliffs in the narrow pass- 
 age from the Mar di Novigrad into the Mar di Karin. 
 
 GYPS FULVUS. Griffon Vulture. 
 
 Along the road between the Dalmatian frontier and Trebinje 
 we everywhere saw Griffon Vultures sailing about. They 
 did not always come to the carrion that I laid out, but gene- 
 rally only flew round the place. On March 31st, however, 
 great numbers of these vultures assembled for a feast from 
 seven in the morning until two in the afternoon, and a whole 
 horse disappeared into their hungry stomachs in a single day. 
 On April 15th we exposed a sheep at another spot near a 
 Turkish " kula," upon which we set the Eagle-Owl. A " Stein " 
 Eagle and a Raven stooped at the Owl, while at the same 
 moment a Griffon Vulture, an Egyptian Vulture, and another 
 Raven settled upon the carcass. On the 18th several vultures 
 
NOTES FROM THE SOUTH. 625 
 
 came to the same place, and, disdaining the sheep, stooped 
 furiously at the Owl. 
 
 In the neighbourhood of Mostar I also saw plenty of them, 
 and also one at Sebenico in Dalmatia. On a small rocky 
 island in the Gulf of Fiume a whole colony of birds were 
 nesting on a low cliff that descended to the sea Rock-Doves, 
 Kestrels, and Griffon Vultures living together in friendly com- 
 panionship. They were within easy range, and the latter were 
 so tame that even repeated shots did not frighten them from 
 the place, and those that were missed sat quietly on, awaiting 
 a second deadly discharge. These birds could only be got 
 from a boat, and after I had on the evening of April 25th 
 killed three fine old specimens in a few minutes, and taken 
 a couple of almost fully-fledged young ones from the nests, I 
 left this interesting island. The people told me that in winter 
 great numbers of vultures habitually roost both there and 
 in the adjacent islands, even on days when the Bora is 
 blowing. 
 
 VULTUR CINEREUS. Cinereous Vulture. 
 
 I saw a few round Trebinje, and on one occasion a good 
 many appear to have settled on a carcass. At Mostar I 
 noticed many more of them. 
 
 ATHENE NOCTUA. Little Owl. 
 
 At Carina, between Ragusa and Trebinje, I often saw one 
 of these birds sitting among some large stones, and always at 
 the same place. 
 
 OTUS BRACHYOTUS. Short-eared Owl. 
 
 Two appeared in the pine-woods of Lacroma on the morning 
 of March 28th. 
 
 STRIX FLAMMEA. Barn-Owl. 
 
 Once seen on Lacroma in March. 
 
 2s 
 
626 NOTES FROM THE SOUTH. 
 
 HIRUNDO RUSTICA. Swallow. 
 
 First seen on March 29th at Ragusa. A few days later 
 some pairs took tip their residence at Lacroma. In Southern 
 Dalmatia I found remarkably few Swallows, but in the 
 Herzegovina and Northern Dalmatia they were much more 
 abundant. 
 
 CHELIDON URBICA. Martin. 
 
 I saw the first in the Herzegovina during the beginning of 
 April. In Dalmatia I found them almost quite solitary in 
 the south, somewhat commoner in the north, but even there 
 they were not numerous. 
 
 COTYLE RIPARIA. Sand-Martin. 
 
 During the first days of April flocks of Sand-Martins visited 
 a cave on the shore of the island of Lacroma. On April 20th 
 and 21st I saw a few on the rivers Cettina and Kerka in 
 Northern Dalmatia. I was also informed by a trustworthy 
 observer that some of these birds had passed the winter in a 
 cave near Ragusa. 
 
 CYPSELUS APUS. Swift. 
 
 On March 29th I saw a few on the walls of the old fortifi- 
 cations at Ragusa ; on the following days large flocks ; but 
 later only some stray pairs that flew about the cliffs of Lacroma 
 in the morning and evening. In the Herzegovina and Dal- 
 matia I everywhere met with Swifts, but nowhere in large 
 numbers. 
 
 CYPSELUS MELBA. Alpine Swift. 
 
 First observed on the walls of Eagusa on March 29th. On 
 the following days they came in great numbers and there re- 
 mained. In the middle of April a colony of at least twenty 
 pairs took up their quarters in a cave on the shore of Lacroma. 
 
NOTES FROM THE SOUTH. 627 
 
 In the beginning of April I saw a great many flying about 
 Trebinje, but never met with them either in the neighbour- 
 hood of Mostar or in Northern Dalmatia. 
 
 LANIUS COLLURIO. Red-backed Shrike. 
 
 On April 13th I observed a Red-backed Shrike sitting on 
 a thorn-bush between Ragusa and Carina, but neither before 
 nor afterwards did I see another bird of this species. 
 
 LANIUS RUFUS. Woodchat Shrike. 
 
 On April 17th I saw a pair among the olive-trees on 
 Lacroma, and they remained for the next few days. 
 
 MUSCICAPA ATRICAPILLA. Pied Flycatcher. 
 On April 19th I saw some on Lacroma. 
 
 MUSCICAPA ALBICOLLIS. White-collared Flycatcher. 
 On April 17th I met with the first pairs on Lacroma. 
 
 LUSCINIA PHILOMELA. Nightingale. 
 
 On April 1st we heard the earliest of these birds warbling 
 in the bushes and low oak-woods between the frontier and 
 Trebinje, and afterwards in all suitable localities both in the 
 Herzegovina and Dalmatia. 
 
 ERITHACUS RUBECULA. Robin. 
 
 Very common in suitable localities on Lacroma and the 
 mainland both in March and April. 
 
 PRATINCOLA RUBETRA. Whinchat. 
 
 On March 10th I saw one in a little vineyard on Lacroma, 
 but after that no more until the middle of April, when whole 
 flocks appeared in the island, but generally stayed but a short 
 time. In Northern Dalmatia I only noticed solitary indi- 
 viduals. 
 
 2s2 
 
628 NOTES FROM. THE SOUTH. 
 
 PRATINCOLA RUBICOLA. Stonechat. 
 
 Seen travelling in company with the preceding species after 
 the middle of April, and found scattered through Northern 
 Dalmatia at the end of that month. 
 
 SAXICOLA QENANTHE. Wheatear. 
 
 In Lacroma I observed the Wheatear almost daily from 
 March 10th up to the time of my departure on April 19th. 
 After storms there were whole flocks of them ; in fine weather 
 they were less abundant, and on the mainland much rarer. 
 
 SAXICOLA ISABELLINA. Isabelline Chat. 
 
 I saw solitary birds of this species at Lacroma in the begin- 
 ning of April, and later on observed it almost daily in larger 
 or smaller numbers. On the mainland between Ragusa and 
 Trebinje I saw a great many, all paired. 
 
 MONTICOLA SAXATILIS. Eock-Thrush. 
 
 Two were seen on April 13th in the mountains between 
 Ragusa and Trebinje ; after that often on the mainland, but 
 always at the same spots and in small numbers. 
 
 MONTICOLA CYANEA. Blue Rock-Thrush. 
 
 I saw the first bird of this species on the walls of Ragusa in 
 the latter part of March, and soon afterwards observed a pair 
 on the cliffs of Lacroma. During April fresh couples kept 
 taking up their residence both on the island and the mainland, 
 and were already in full song. North of Ragusa I only found 
 them at an old monastery on the island of Meleda. 
 
 TURDUS MUSICUS. Song-Thrush. 
 
 On March 10th, and for several days afterwards, I saw 
 flocks of these birds at Lacroma, but later on only scattered 
 individuals. 
 
NOTES FEOM THE SOUTH. 629 
 
 TURDUS ILIACUS. Kedwing. 
 
 Seen at Lacroma on and after March 10th in flocks, together 
 with the preceding species. Not observed afterwards. 
 
 TURDUS MERULA. Blackbird. 
 
 On March 10th I saw a good many at Lacroma ; later on 
 very few, and in April none, except in the brushwood of the 
 Herzegovinian mountains, where I still met with them here 
 and there. 
 
 CURRUCA NISORIA. Barred Warbler. 
 
 On the morning of April 17th I found several on Lacroma. 
 
 CURRUCA CINEREA. Whitethroat. 
 
 On April 17th I saw a few pairs on the island of Lacroma, 
 and both there and in the Herzegovina I observed at least 
 five other species of Warblers ; but the impenetrable nature 
 of the thickets and the dense character of the high pines, 
 as well as the restless movements of these little songsters, made 
 their identification almost impossible. 
 
 ACROCEPHALUS TURDOIDES. Great Reed-Warbler. 
 CALAMODUS PHRAGMITIS. Sedge-Warbler. 
 
 I both saw and heard these two species by the rivers of 
 Northern Dalmatia and in the marshes of the Lago di Vrana. 
 
 ANTHUS PRATENSIS. Meadow-Pipit. 
 ANTHUS CAMPESTRIS. Tawny Pipit. 
 
 At the end of March I saw occasional birds of both species 
 in Lacroma and on the few grassy spots that are to be found 
 near the water-tanks in the Herzegovina. 
 
 ANTHUS ARBOREUS. Tree-Pipit. 
 
 On April 17th I met with several in Lacroma. 
 
630 NOTES FROM THE SOUTH. 
 
 MOTACILLA ALBA. White Wagtail. 
 
 On April 20th a few were seen on the banks of the river 
 Cettina in the north of Dalmatia. 
 
 BUDYTES MELANOCEPHALUS. Black-headed Wagtail. 
 
 Seen in great numbers on April 22nd and 23rd on the 
 fringes of the marshes of the Lago di Vrana and the lagoons 
 at Nona in the north of Dalmatia. 
 
 ; 
 PARUS MAJOR. Great Tit. 
 
 PARUS C^RULEUS. Blue Tit. 
 
 I frequently observed solitary individuals of both species at 
 Lacroma in the end of March. 
 
 UPUPA EPOPS. Hoopoe. 
 
 The first Hoopoe which I saw at Lacroma, on March 14th, 
 seemed to be very tired with a long journey and could hardly 
 fly. Up to March 28th I observed no more, but after that 
 date they were daily to be seen in larger or smaller numbers, 
 and were most abundant on April 16th and 17th. On the 
 mainland I did not come across a single individual. 
 
 SITTA NEUMAYERI. Syrian Nuthatch. 
 
 After the beginning of April I often observed a few pairs 
 of this remarkable Nuthatch high up in the almost barren 
 mountains on the road between Ragusa and Trebinje. They 
 clambered about the rocks, and sometimes sat resting on the 
 tops of the stones, uttering a low song-like twittering. 
 
 TICHODROMA MURARIA. Wall-Creeper. 
 
 On March 17th I observed one creeping about the ram- 
 parts of Ragusa. It was the only bird of this species that 
 I saw. 
 
NOTES FROM THE SOUTH. 631 
 
 MEROPS APIASTER. Bee-eater. 
 
 On April 10th a large flock flew round the island of 
 Lacroma without settling. On the same day one of these 
 birds dropped on to a steamer off the Albanian coast in a 
 perfectly exhausted condition, and was given to me by the 
 captain on his arrival at Ragusa. I also received another 
 specimen killed in the park of Gravosa. On April 13th a 
 Bee-eater settled on a pine-tree in Lacroma, and on the 18th 
 there were several of them about the island. 
 
 CORACIAS GARRULA. Common Roller. 
 
 On April 16th I saw one at Lacroma in the middle of the 
 day; an hour later there were more of them; but on the 17th 
 I only observed a single bird. 
 
 CUCULUS CANORUS. Cuckoo. 
 
 On April 17th I saw a Cuckoo at Lacroma, and another at 
 Nona in the north of Dalmatia on April 23rd. 
 
 PALUMBUS TORQUATUS. Wood-Pigeon. 
 
 On April 6th I saw one in a pine-wood at Lacroma, and 
 another on April 24th among the perfectly bare cliffs between 
 the Mar di Novigrad and the Mar di Karin. 
 
 COLUMBA LIVIA. Rock-Dove. 
 
 Everywhere seen in the rocky barren mountains near Tre- 
 binje, both in pairs and flocks, but still commoner on the 
 Istrian islands and among the cliffs of Northern Dalmatia, 
 which abound in caves. 
 
 TURTUR AURITUS. Turtle-Dove. 
 
 On April 23rd I saw three in a field in the north of 
 Dalmatia. 
 
632 NOTES FROM THE SOUTH. 
 
 STREPTOPELIA NISORIA. Collared Turtle-Dove. 
 Seen on the roofs and in the gardens of Mostar. 
 
 CACCABIS SAXATILIS. Greek Partridge. 
 
 Distributed in tolerable abundance throughout Dalmatia in 
 all suitable localities. In the Herzegovina it is even very 
 plentiful, the strongly enforced game-laws and the disarma- 
 ment of the population having caused a sudden increase in 
 the numbers of this bird. During April in the neighbour- 
 hood of Trebinje I often heard, for hours together, the loud 
 cry that the cocks make when drumming. 
 
 COTURNIX COMMUNIS. Quail. 
 
 Quails were often observed in Lacroma from the 10th to the 
 end of March. I afterwards found no more until April 17th, 
 when I again met with a single bird in a little field of oats in 
 that island. In the neighbourhood of Trebinje the flight of 
 Quail is often so large that very good shooting may be had. 
 
 (EDICNEMUS CKEPITANS. Stone-Curlew. 
 
 On April 24th I saw a pair at a stony place on the shore of 
 the Mar di Karin in Northern Dalmatia. 
 
 VANELLUS CRISTATUS. Lapwing. 
 
 From the 6th to the 10th of March, during cold stormy 
 weather, I saw several flocks flying along the coast of Dal- 
 matia in a northerly direction, and towards the end of the 
 month I occasionally noticed solitary birds winging their way 
 high above Lacroma. 
 
 H^MATOPUS OSTRALEGUS. Oyster-catcher. 
 
 On April 4th I saw and killed one of these rare visitors to 
 this district on the rocky coast of the little peninsula of Lapat 
 between Eagusa and Gravosa. 
 
NOTES FROM THE SOUTH. 633 
 
 SCOLOPAX KUSTICOLA. Woodcock. 
 
 From the llth to the end of March I often saw Woodcock 
 in Lacroma ; but whether there were few or many of them I 
 cannot say, for the impassable thorny scrub makes it difficult 
 to put them up even with dogs ; and the Woodcock, when 
 on its travels and tired, flies very little of its own accord. 
 
 I also saw flocks of both Plovers and Sandpipers passing- 
 over Lacroma towards the north on the 10th of March. At 
 the end of the month I observed them singly and in pairs at 
 the rocks of Lacroma, and in April on the marshes and 
 lagoons of the Narenta, the Mar di Novigrad, the Lago di 
 Vrana, and the banks of the rivers in the north of Dalmatia. 
 
 I could make out at least five or six kinds of larger or 
 smaller species, but they were always at such a distance either 
 from the steamer or the boat that it was impossible to identify 
 them accurately. 
 
 RECTJRVIROSTRA AVOCETTA. Avocet. 
 
 On March 30th a few were seen flying past Lacroma, from 
 south to north, during rainy windy weather. 
 
 NUMENIUS ARQUATUS. Curlew. 
 
 On April 9th I saw some on a marshy bit of fallow ground 
 on the bank of the Narenta. 
 
 CICONIA ALBA. White Stork. 
 
 In the beginning of April I saw single Storks flying at a 
 great height between Ragusa and Trebinje. 
 
 ARDEA CINEREA. Grey Heron. 
 
 From March llth to the beginning of April I often saw 
 Grey Herons passing over Lacroma without stopping, singly 
 and even in flocks of six or seven. On March 18th I also 
 
634 NOTES FROM THE SOUTH. 
 
 observed some at Fort Opus, and on April 9th there were 
 many of them on the dunes in front of the lagoons at the 
 mouth of the Narenta and on the marshes along the banks of 
 the river. These birds were also frequently to be seen on the 
 Dalmatian islands, and I noticed one standing on a cliff 
 bordering the river Cermanja in the north of Dalmatia. 
 
 HERODIAS GAEZETTA. Little Egret. 
 
 Early on the morning of April 10th six Little Egrets 
 pitched upon a rock on the shore of Lacroma during a strong 
 gale of wind ; and in April single individuals frequently came 
 and stayed on the island for a short time. I also saw them 
 in the marshes of the Narenta and of the Lago di Vrana. 
 
 NYCTICORAX EUROPE us. Night-Heron. 
 
 In March one hears almost every morning and evening the 
 cries of the Night-Herons as they fly over Lacroma. 
 
 ARDEA RALLOIDES. Squacco Heron. 
 
 On April 4th two were seen sitting on a rock by the shore 
 of Lacroma, and on the 22nd I observed some flying from the 
 marshes of the Lago di Yrana to feed on the grazing- 
 grounds of the horses and cattle. 
 
 ARDEA PURPUREA. Purple Heron. 
 
 On the morning of April 6th a couple pitched in the pine- 
 woods of Lacroma and there spent the day. Next day several 
 came, all of which selected the same resting-place a clump 
 of tall thick pines at the southern extremity of the island. 
 On April 12th more than twenty alighted together, while 
 other large flocks passed high over it without settling. I 
 also met with the Purple Heron on the river Cermanja and 
 at the Lago di Vrana. 
 
NOTES FROM THE SOUTH. 635 
 
 FULICA ATRA. Coot. 
 
 On April 22nd I saw a good many at the Lago di 
 Vrana. 
 
 CYGNUS OLOR. Mute Swan. 
 
 Some of these Swans nest every year in a large swamp 
 above Melkovic. On the Lago di Vrana, Swans only appear 
 in winter ; but whether they are the present species or the 
 Whooper ((7. musicus) I was not able to discover. 
 
 ANAS BOSCHAS. Mallard. 
 
 I saw a few pairs on the Lago di Vrana on April 22nd. 
 
 ANAS QUERQUEDULA. Garganey Teal. 
 ANAS CRECCA. Common Teal. 
 
 Both species were seen in large flocks on the Lago di 
 Vrana, and also on the sea near Lacroma, at the end of March 
 and the beginning of April. 
 
 On April 23rd I saw in a lagoon at Nona, in the north of 
 Dalmatia, some larger ducks. They were a long way off, but 
 I fancy they must have been Pochards (Ay thy a ferina). 
 At the end of March I often saw from Lacroma tolerably 
 large flocks of ducks alternately flying and swimming, and 
 these I took to be Buddy Sheld-Ducks (Casarca rutila). 
 
 SYLOCHELIDON CASPIA. Caspian Tern. 
 On March 18th I saw a good many in the Bocche di 
 Cattaro. 
 
 STERNA HIRUNDO. Common Tern. 
 
 STERNULA MINUTA. Little Tern. 
 
 Both birds were often seen on the Dalmatian waters, and 
 
636 NOTES FROM THE SOUTH. 
 
 early on April 22nd I observed a great assemblage of the 
 latter species resting on a rock at the entrance into the 
 harbour of Sebenico. 
 
 LARUS MARINUS. Great Black-backed Gull. 
 
 From the 14th to the 18th of April I often observed one 
 or two between Eagusa and Lacroma. 
 
 LARUS MICHAHELLESI. Yellow-legged Herring-Gull. 
 
 From the 6th of March to the 26th of April I everywhere 
 saw great numbers of this Mediterranean form of the Herring- 
 Gull in the Istrian and Dalmatian waters. On the rivers in 
 the north of the latter country it wanders many miles up into 
 the mountains. 
 
 LARUS FUSCUS. Lesser Black-backed Gull. 
 
 Everywhere to be met with in the same district as the 
 preceding species, but not so abundantly, nor did I ever know 
 it to leave the open sea and the harbours to fly into the 
 interior of the country. 
 
 LARUS RIDIBUNDUS. Black-headed Gull. 
 
 In the Dalmatian waters I everywhere saw great numbers 
 in March and April. 
 
 PUFFINUS ANGLORUM. Manx Shearwater. 
 First observed at the entrance to the Mar di Novigrad on 
 April 24th. 
 
 PHALACROCORAX CARBO. Common Cormorant. 
 
 On March 12th a single bird was seen on the coast at 
 Lacroma. On April 23rd I observed several near the little 
 islands between Zara and Nona. 
 
NOTES FROM THE SOUTH. 637 
 
 GRACULUS CBISTATUS. Shag. 
 
 At the beginning of March I observed a good many between 
 Istria and the north of Dalmatia. In the south of Dalmatia 
 I saw none at all, and in the north of that country only a 
 few. It was, however, commoner on the shores of the islands 
 of Pago, Veglia, and Cherso, and abundant in the Gulf of 
 Fiume. 
 
 GRACULUS PYGM^US. Pygmy Cormorant. 
 
 Only observed in the lagoons at Nona and near the Mar di 
 Novigrad in the north of Dalmatia. 
 
 PELECANUS ONOCROTALUS. Koseate Pelican. 
 
 On April 9th I was informed that the first of the Pelicans 
 had returned from their winter travels, and were to be seen 
 on the lagoons at the mouth of the Narenta. Their breeding- 
 place is in a marsh not far from Melkovic. They are also 
 not uncommon visitors on the Lago di Yrana near Zara, but 
 do not appear to nest there. 
 
 Both in the north of Dalmatia and at the mouth of the 
 Narenta a medium-sized Diver was tolerably common near 
 the coast. Unfortunately I never managed to get close to it, 
 but I took it to be the Red-necked Grebe (Podiceps grisei- 
 gena). 
 
 This concludes the list of identified birds that fell within 
 the range of my observation, and I may now perhaps be per- 
 mitted to add a few remarks on the migration of the birds of 
 passage. 
 
 The position of Lacroma makes it a really excellent post of 
 observation, for a great many of the migrants rest on the 
 island for a short time ; and one fact that I can record is, 
 that strong southerly gales always brought with them many 
 individuals and a great variety of species, both of the birds 
 
638 NOTES FROM THE SOUTH. 
 
 which pass northwards early in the middle of March and of 
 those which travel later. In fine warm weather, when the 
 gentle north-west wind of this district was blowing, the island 
 was generally quite poor in birds, for the number of those 
 that reside on it is remarkably small. 
 
 Many species travel by day, for I saw birds come flying up 
 from the sea, and a few hours later they had disappeared, 
 while others remained for a day or two. Those that passed 
 all kept the line along the coast that is, almost due north. 
 There were certain days upon which only one kind seemed 
 to travel, others when several species appeared together, and 
 all in large numbers. The 16th and 17th of April were 
 among the very best of these days, and then the island was 
 perfectly alive with the multitudes of birds that had arrived. 
 
 In Dalmatia the line of migration runs from island to 
 island, for while Lacroma was all astir with the coming and 
 going visitors the mainland was almost devoid of them. 
 
 These short notes, although they cannot claim to be re- 
 garded as exhaustive, may possibly serve to awaken an interest 
 in this the most southern country of the monarchy, which even 
 in ornithological respects offers so much that is worthy of 
 attention. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 ABOUKSOR, Railway Terminus, 244 
 Accentor, Hedge, 513, 545. 
 Accentor modularis, 513, 545. 
 Acredula caudata, 545, 553. 
 Acrocepkahis aquaticus, 513. 
 
 arundinaceus, 545, 553. 
 
 melanopogon, 513. 
 
 palustris, 549. 
 
 turdoides, 513, 545, 629. 
 
 Actitis hypoleucos, 553. 
 ADONY, Heronry at, 11. 
 Aedon familiaris, 513. 
 African Desert, 243. 
 
 Jackal, 237. 
 
 night, 238. 
 
 Wolf, 238. 
 
 Alauda arvensis, 535, 620. 
 
 cristata, 544, 560. 
 Ammomanes cinctura, 515. 
 
 deserti, 515. 
 
 Amydrus tristrami, 350, 516. 
 Anas boschas, 528, 536, 635. 
 
 crecca, 635. 
 
 querquedula, 528, 549, 635. 
 
 Anastatica hio-ochuntica, 366. 
 Anthus aquaticitSf 564. 
 
 arboreus, 629. 
 
 campestris, 629. 
 
 pratensis, 514, 629. 
 
 APATIN, Village of, 32. 
 Aguila adalberti, 487 et seq. 
 - lonelli, 495 et seq., 532. 
 
 ckrysaetus, 424. 
 
 danga, 531, 560, 561. 
 
 fulva, 413, 417, 487, 531, 622. 
 
 imperialis, 426, 531, 559. 
 
 minuta, 432, 550. 
 
 ncBvia, 561, 623. 
 
 nipalensis, 506. 
 
 pennata, 432, 507. 
 
 Ardea bubulcus, 527. 
 
 cinerea, 526, 538, 633. 
 
 comata, 527. 
 
 garzeUa, 527. 
 
 minuta, 549. 
 
 nycticorax, 527. 
 
 purpurea, 526, 560, 634. 
 
 ralloides, 634. 
 
 Asiatic Turtle-Dove, 358. 
 
 ASSUAN, 282. 
 
 Astur nisus, 544, 576. 
 
 palumbarius, 544, 576, 622. 
 
 Athene noctua, 511, 625. 
 Avocet, 310, 525, 633. 
 
 Barred Warbler, 629. 
 Bear-shooting in Transylvania, 399. 
 Bear, Syrian, 339. 
 
640 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Bedouin Falconry, 323. 
 
 Hunters, 357. 
 
 Sportsmen, 245. 
 
 Bee-eater, 359, 533, 631. 
 
 , Blue-cheeked, 246, 275, 504. 
 BEGA canal, 94. 
 BETHLEHEM, 340. 
 BEZIRE-KARUN Island, 253. 
 
 , Flocks of birds on, 256. 
 
 Birds of Prey, Lower Austrian, 599. 
 Bittern, 537. 
 
 , Little, 549, 554. 
 
 Blackbird, 544, 551, 629. 
 Blackcap, 215, 552. 
 Blackcock, 540, 547, 551, 554. 
 Boar-hunt, 361, 368. 
 Botaurus stellaris, 537. 
 Br ambling, 564. 
 Bubo ascalaphus, 533. 
 
 maximuSj 548, 568. 
 
 Budytes melanocephalus, 630. 
 Bulbul, Yellow-vented, 512. 
 Bullfinch, 544. 
 
 . , Desert, 516. 
 
 Bunting, Black-headed, 619. 
 
 , Corn, 89, 128, 543, 619. 
 
 , Cretzschmar's, 515. 
 
 -. , Ortolan, 515. 
 Bush-Babbler, 512. 
 Bustard, 73, 607. 
 Buteoferox, 509. 
 
 lagopus, 535. 
 
 vulgaris, 535, 543, 559, 600, 623. 
 
 Buzzard, 101, 249, 535, 543, 559, 561, 
 
 576,600,606,623. 
 
 , Long-legged, 249, 269, 509. 
 , Rough-legged, 609, 615. 
 
 Caccabis petrosa, 520. 
 
 saxatilis, 520, 565, 632. 
 
 CAIRO, 233. 
 
 Calamodus phragmitis, 629. 
 Calandrella brachydactyla, 619. 
 Calandrites brachydactyla, 515. 
 
 Calidris arenaria, 524. 
 Canis aureus, 291. 
 
 lupaster, 238. 
 
 Cannabina linota, 618. 
 j Capercaillie, 539, 546, 564. 
 
 shooting in Transylvania, 
 
 565. 
 
 Caprimulgus europteus, 548. 
 Carbo pygmaa, 529. 
 Carduelis elegans, 545, 618. 
 CEBEVIC, 109. 
 Certhia familaris, 545. 
 Certhilauda dupontii, 514. 
 Ceryle rudis, 504. 
 Chaffinch, 544, 564, 618. 
 Chakopelia afra, 520. 
 Charadrius cantianus, 523. 
 fluviatilis, 523. 
 
 hiaticula, 523. 
 
 Chat, Black, 511. 
 , Black-eared, 512. 
 
 , Pied, 512. 
 
 , Russet, 512. 
 
 , Stone, 553. 
 
 , Whin, 545, 627. 
 
 Chelidon urbica, 541, 626. 
 Chettusia leucura, 522. 
 Chough, Alpine, 620. 
 Chrysomitris spinus, 544, 618. 
 Ciconia alba, 526, 560,633. 
 Cinclus aquaticus, 563. 
 Circaetus gallicus, 509, 623. 
 Circus (sruginosus, 509, 542, 599. 
 
 - cineraceus, 542, 576, 599. 
 pallidus, 509, 601. 
 
 rufus, 623. 
 
 Cisticola cursitans, 513. 
 Coccothraustes vulgaris, 544. 
 Coccystes glandarius, 504. 
 Colony of Cormorants, 21. 
 Colossi of Memnon, 295. 
 Columba lima, 519, 564, 631. 
 
 cenas, 537. 
 
 palumbus, 537, 610. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 641 
 
 Colymbus septentrionalis, 604. 
 
 Coot, 73, 262, 309, 528, 536, 577, 635. 
 
 Coracias garrula, 534, 631. 
 
 Cormorant, 11, 16, 17, 21, 312, 529, 538, 
 
 605, 610, 636. 
 
 , Pygmy, 230, 529, 637. 
 
 Corvus corax, 516, 558, 565, 620, 
 
 comix, 517, 544, 621. 
 
 corone, 621. 
 
 frugilegus, 536, 544,621. 
 
 monedula, 536, 544. 
 
 Corys arborea, 620. 
 Coturnix communis, 521, 632. 
 Cotijle riparia, 546, 626. 
 
 rupestris, 519. 
 
 Courser, Cream-coloured, 523. 
 Crake, Corn, 552. 
 Crane, 238, 270. 
 Crateropus squamiceps, 512. 
 Crayfish of the Danube, 49. 
 Creeper, 545. 
 
 , , Wall, 534, 566, 630. 
 
 Crex pratensis, 552. 
 Crow, Carrion, 621. 
 
 , Hooded, 517,544, 554, 561,1621. 
 
 Cuckoo, 38, 543, 631. 
 
 , Great Spotted, 504. 
 Cuculus canorus, 543, 631. 
 Curlew, 633. 
 
 , Pygmy, 524. 
 
 , Stone, 235, 253, 377, 380, 522. 
 
 Curruca cinerea, 629. 
 
 nisoria, 629. 
 
 Cursor ius gallicus, 523. 
 Cygnm olor, 635. 
 Cypselus apus, 549, 626. 
 
 melba, 626. 
 
 pallidus, 505. 
 
 parvus, 505. 
 
 Danube Expedition, Proceeds of, 226. 
 Dead Sea, 355. 
 Desert Fox, 338. 
 Hare, 265. 
 
 Desert Lynx, 254. 
 
 storm, 274. 
 
 tracks, 261. 
 
 Dipper, 563, 616. 
 Diver, Red-throated, 604. 
 ' Dogs of the East, 291. 
 Dove, Asiatic Turtle, 519. 
 
 , Collared Turtle, 631. 
 
 , Emerald Spotted, 289, 520. 
 
 , Egyptian Turtle, 520. 
 
 , Pygmy, 289. 
 
 , Rock, 243, 519, 564, 625, 631. 
 
 , Stock, 537. 
 
 , Turtle, 519, 548, 553, 561, 631. 
 
 DBAUECK, 103. 
 
 Duck, Long-tailed, 536, 609, 614. 
 
 , Peculiar plumaged, 607. 
 
 , Tufted, 528. 
 
 , White-eyed, 47, 262, 528. 
 Dunlin, 524. 
 
 Eagle, Asiatic Steppe, 372, 375, 506. 
 
 , Bonelli's, 495, 531, 557, 623. 
 
 , Booted, 432. 
 
 , Imperial, 88, 108, 115, 132, 153, 
 
 164, 171, 193, 197, 213, 384, 393, 397, 
 
 426, 531, 559. 
 
 , Larger Spotted, 531. 
 
 , Lesser Spotted, 560, 561, 605, 
 
 623. 
 , Pygmy, 57, 134, 171, 197, 299, 
 
 367, 432, 507, 532, 550. 
 , , in Kite's Nest, 135. 
 
 , Sea, 34, 37, 41, 95, 108, 114, 
 
 133, 195, 207, 215, 396, 422, 438, 
 
 532, 541, 602, 605, 610, 614, 623. 
 
 , , attacking Keeper, 147. 
 
 , , eyrie of, 38. 
 
 , Short-toed, 74, 76, 197, 365, 367, 
 
 509,561,563,623. 
 , , manner of alighting on nest, 
 
 77. 
 
 -, Snake, 78. 
 -, Spanish Imperial, 487. 
 2T 
 
642 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Eagle, Spotted, 19, 86, 181, 185, 197, 
 401, 429, 559, 561. 
 
 , Stein, 2, 108, 114, 413, 417, 487, 
 531, 563, 565, 605, 622. 
 
 Eagle-0wl ; 8, 54, 66, 548. 
 
 , Egyptian, 533. 
 
 Eastern Journey, List of Specimens ob- 
 tained, 388. 
 
 Vegetation, 374-376. 
 
 Egret, Great White, 262. 
 , Little, 262, 527, 634. 
 
 Egypt, Lower, 232. 
 
 Egyptian Dahabeeyahs, 306. 
 
 - Dogs, 291. 
 
 - Fishing-boats, 250. 
 
 - Geese, 318. 
 
 - Turtle-Dove, 237, 265, 299. 
 Elanus melanopterus, 508. 
 Emberiza Cfesia, 515. 
 
 citrinella, 545. 
 
 hortulana, 515. 
 
 miliaria, 89, 128, 543, 619. 
 
 Erithacus rubecula, 544, 627. 
 Erythrospiza githaginea, 516. 
 Euspiza melanocephala, 619. 
 
 Falco barbatus, 505. 
 
 cenchris, 506, 560, 622. 
 laniarius, 564. 
 
 - subbuteo, 622. 
 tanypterm, 622. 
 
 tinnunciilus, 545, 551, 559, 600, 
 
 622, 625. 
 
 vespertinus, 550. 
 
 Falcon, Barbary, 505. 
 
 , Red-legged, 550, 551. 
 
 , Saker, 565. 
 
 FAY^M Shooting-excursion, 246. 
 Fennec, 338. 
 Fieldfare, 536, 615. 
 Finch, Serin, 545, 619. 
 Fire-crested Wren, 544. 
 Fire, Steppe, 377. 
 Flamingoes, 310, 313, 530. 
 
 Floating-Islands, 54. 
 
 Flocks of Birds on Bezire-Karun, 256. 
 
 Flycatcher, Pied, 553, 627. 
 
 , White-collared, 546, 627. 
 Francolin, 374, 381, 521. 
 Francolinus vulgaris, 521. 
 Fringilla ccdebs, 544, 564, 618. 
 
 montifringilla, 564. 
 Fruska-Gora Mountains, 112. 
 Fulica atra, 528, 536, 635. 
 Fuligula cristata, 528. 
 nyroca, 528. 
 
 Galenta cristata, 620. 
 
 theclce, 514. 
 
 Gallinago gallinaria, 523. 
 
 gattinula, 524, 534. 
 
 major, 537. 
 
 Gallinule, Purple, 530. 
 
 Garganey Teal, 528, 549, 614, 635. 
 
 Garrulus glandaritis, 564, 621. 
 
 melanocephalus, 517. 
 
 Geckos, 263. 
 
 Geese, Egyptian, 270, 318, 530. 
 
 God wit, Bar-tailed, 525. 
 
 , Black-tailed, 525. 
 
 Goldfinch, 545, 618. 
 
 Goosander, 609, 614. 
 
 Goose, Grey Lag, 219. 
 
 Goshawk, 101, 197, 544, 576, 600, 622. 
 
 Gi'aculus carbo, 529. 
 
 cristatus, 637. 
 
 pygmcew, 637. 
 
 Grakle,350. 
 
 Tristram's, 516. 
 
 Grebe, Crested, 220, 604. 
 
 , Little, 38, 220. 
 
 , Red-necked, 637. 
 Greenfinch, 215, 544, 545, 619. 
 Grouse, Hazel, 563. 
 
 , Hybrid, 579 et seq. 
 
 Gull, Black-headed, 529, 536, 604, 636. 
 
 , Great Black-headed, 256, 529, 636. 
 , Herring, 528. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 643 
 
 Gull, Herring, Yellow-legged, 528, 636. 
 
 , Lesser Black-backed, 636. 
 
 , Mediterranean JBlack-headed, 529. 
 Gypaetus barbatus, 455, 456, 533, 566, 
 
 624. 
 Gypsfulvw, 624. 
 
 Hcematopus ostralegus, 632. 
 Haliaetus albicilla, 438, 532, 541, 623. 
 Hare, Desert, 265. 
 
 , Syrian, 344. 
 
 Harelda glacialis, 536, 609, 614. 
 Harrier, Marsh, 509, 543, 599, 600, 623. 
 
 , Montagu's, 542, 576, 599, 601. 
 
 , Pallid, 509, 623. 
 ; Steppe, 601. 
 Hawk, Sparrow, 506, 544, 576. 
 Hazel-hens, 402, 563. 
 Hen-Harrier, 64, 89, 609. 
 Herodias garzetta, 634. 
 Heron, Buff-backed, 232, 246, 265, 320, 
 
 527. 
 
 , Grey, 11, 12, 13, 35, 72, 73, 218, 
 
 262, 270, 309, 526, 528, 609, 633. 
 
 , Night, 13, 14, 20, 48, 320, 364, 
 
 527, 634. 
 
 , Purple, 48, 72, 218, 262, 364, 
 
 380, 526, 560, 634. 
 
 , Squacco, 527, 634. 
 Heronry at Adony, 11. 
 Hirundo riocourii, 518. 
 
 -rufula, 518. 
 
 rustica, 540, 545, 626. 
 Hobby, 73, 220, 622. 
 Holy Sepulchre, Church of, 331. 
 Hoopoe, 140, 215, 519. 543, 560, 630. 
 Hoplopterus spinosus, 522. 
 Hullo Marsh, 49, 217, 393. 
 Hungarian Red Deer, 83. 
 
 - Villages, 9, 23. 
 Hungary, Southern, 131. 
 Hyjena, 296, 343, 346. 
 Hyas cegyptiaca, 523. 
 Hybrid Grouse, 579 et seq. 
 
 Hymn-book in Porcupine's Burrow, 
 
 365. 
 Hypolais icterina, 549. 
 
 Ichneumon, 261, 264, 269. 
 Inundated Forest, 52. 
 Ixos ccanthopygius, 512. 
 lynx torquilla, 545. 
 
 Jackal, 237, 276, 284, 338, 343, 345. 
 Jackdaw, 11, 72, 536, 544, 621. 
 JAFFA, 326. 
 Jay, 215, 401, 564, 621. 
 
 , Black-headed, 330. 
 
 , Syrian, 517. 
 
 Jerboa, 365. 
 JEHICHO, 357. 
 JEEUSALEM, 331. 
 Jordan River, 369. 
 Valley, 357. 
 
 KENEH, Birds at, 298. 
 
 KESKEND Wood, 73. 
 
 Kestrel, 19, 26, 73, 89, 545, 551, 559, 
 
 561, 576, 600, 606, 622, 625. 
 
 , Lesser, 265, 350, 506, 560, 622. 
 Khamsin, or Desert Storm, 274. 
 Kingfisher, Pied, 233, 252, 504. 
 Kite, Black, 7, 12, 26, 33, 72, 75, 115, 
 
 134, 197, 215, 508, 543, 559, 610. 
 
 , , Nest of, 84. 
 
 , Black-winged, 273. 
 , Common, 187, 197, 543, 559,561. 
 
 , Parasitic, 236, 508. 
 KOVIL, 190. 
 Forest, Birds in, 195, 212. 
 
 LACKOMA, Notes on migration at, 637. 
 Lanius collurio, 551, 627. 
 excubitor, 561. 
 
 meridionalis, 517. 
 
 minor, 552. 
 
 nubicus, 518. 
 
 rufus, 518, 627. 
 
644 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Lanner, 562, 622. 
 
 Lapwing, 29, 72, 392, 577, 632. 
 
 Lark, 72, 200, 535, 620. 
 
 , Calandra, 619. 
 
 , Crested, 544, 559, 620. 
 
 , Desert, 515. 
 
 , Dupont's, 514. 
 
 , Egyptian Crested, 514. 
 
 , Gould's Desert, 515. 
 
 , Short-toed, 515, 619. 
 
 , Wood, 620. 
 Lanisfuscus, 528, 636. 
 
 ichthyaetus, 529. 
 marinus, 636. 
 
 melanocephalus, 529. 
 
 - michahellesii, 528, 636. 
 
 - ridibundus, 529, 536, 604, 636. 
 Lepus mediterraneus, 231. 
 LESSEPS, M. DE, 321. 
 
 Lestris pomatorhinus, 531, 550. 
 Ligurinus chloris, 545, 619. 
 Limosa ccgocephala, 525. 
 
 rufa, 525. 
 Linnet, 618. 
 Lizard, Waran, 360. 
 Locusts, 323. 
 
 Luscinia philomela, 548, 627. 
 Lynx, 269. 
 , African Desert, 254, 290. 
 
 Machetes pugnax, 525. 
 
 Magpie, 11, 72, 200, 215, 559, 560, 621. 
 
 Mallard, 10, 16, 35, 528, 536, 577, 604, 
 
 610, 635. 
 Marsh Harrier, 38, 72, 89, 260, 312. 
 
 - Tit, 205. 
 Martin, 541, 553, 626. 
 
 , Sand, 10, 16, 26, 98, 546, 626. 
 Melanocorypha calandra, 619. 
 MENZALEH, Lake of, 307. 
 Merganser, 614. 
 Merops cegyptius, 504. 
 
 - apiaster, 533, 631. 
 Migration, Late, 576 et seq. 
 
 Milvus ater, 508, 543, 559, 610. 
 migrans, 508. 
 
 reyalis, 543, 559. 
 Missel-Thrush, 68. 
 Monedida turrium, 621. 
 Monticola cyanea, 511, 628. 
 
 saxatilis, 628. 
 
 Moorhen, 38, 56, 68, 99, 220, 577. 
 Motacilla alba, 514, 543, 610, 630. 
 
 Jlava, 514. 
 rayii, 514. 
 
 - sulphurea, 549, 561, 609. 
 Mount of Olives, 322. 
 
 - Tabor, 383. 
 Mountains of Juda, 353. 
 
 -of Palestine, 378. 
 Mummies, Natural, 271. 
 Muscicapa albicollis, 546, 627. 
 
 atricapilla, 553, 627. 
 grisola, 551. 
 
 Mute Swan, 63o. 
 
 Neophron percnopterus, 476, 510, 624. 
 
 pileatus, 510. 
 
 Nest of Black Kite, 84. 
 Cinereous Vulture, 118. 
 
 Imperial Eagle, 194. 
 Osprey, 80. 
 
 Nests of .Raptorial Birds, 102. 
 Nightingale, 548, 627. 
 Nightjar, 548, 550. 
 Nile, Birds of, 269. 
 
 - Cataracts, 286. 
 Nudfraga cai-yocatactes, 564. 
 Numenius arquatus, 633. 
 Nutcracker, 564, 568, 615. 
 Nuthatch, 545. 
 Nycticorax europeeus, 634. 
 
 (Edienemus crepitans, 522, 632. 
 Oriole, 87, 142, 548, 550, 620. 
 Oriolm galbula, 548, 550, 620. 
 Osprey, 47, 55, 72, 74, 81, 251, 253, 269, 
 356, 393, 495, 507, 542, 549, 605. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 645 
 
 Osprey, Nest of, 80. 
 
 Ostrich-farm, 316. 
 
 Otis tarda, 607. 
 
 Otus brachyotus, 573, 602, 625. 
 
 sylvestris, 574. 
 
 Ouzel, Ring, 564. 
 Owl, Barn, 625. 
 
 Eagle, 54, 197, 402, 548, 568, 
 569. 
 
 , , Egyptian, 295, 533. 
 
 , , Tame, 8. 
 
 , Little, 511, 625. 
 
 , Long-eared, 574. 
 
 , Short-eared, 602, 625, 673. 
 
 , Tawny, 47, 55, 550, 554. 
 
 , Ural, 563. 
 
 Owls, Flocks of, 573 et seq. 
 Oyster-catcher, 632. 
 
 Painted Snipe, 323. 
 
 Palm-Dove, 232. 
 
 Palumbus torquatus, 631. 
 
 Pandion haliaetus, 495, 507, 542, 549. 
 
 Partridge, Ohukar, 327, 349, 359, 364, 
 
 520, 632. 
 , Common, 565. 
 
 , Key's, 349, 359, 364, 520. 
 Parus ater, 544. 
 
 - caruleus, 544, 630. 
 cristatus, 544. 
 
 major, 544, 553, 630. 
 
 palustris, 544. 
 
 Passer domesticus, 544, 618. 
 hispaniolensis, 515. 
 
 italics, 515. 
 
 montanus, 544, 618. 
 
 Pelecanus crispus, 530. 
 
 - onocrotalus, 529, 637. 
 Pelican, Dalmatian, 530. 
 
 , Roseate, 529, 637. 
 Peregrine, 34, 99, 115, 202, 576. 
 PETEBWABDEIN, 189. 
 Phalacrocorax carbo, 538, 610, 636. 
 PHILJE, 287. 
 
 Pica caudata, 621. 
 Picoides tridactylus, 568. 
 Picus camts, 544. 
 
 major, 544. 
 
 martins, 564, 607. 
 
 medius, 544. 
 
 minor, 545. 
 
 Pipit, Meadow, 514, 629. 
 
 , Tawny, 514, 629. 
 
 , Tree, 629. 
 
 , Water, 564. 
 Plover, Black-headed, 523. 
 
 , Kentish, 523. 
 , Little-ringed, 523. 
 
 , Ringed, 523. 
 , Spur-winged, 232, 246, 265, 323, 
 
 522. 
 
 , White-tailed, 522. 
 
 Pochard, 614. 
 Podiceps griseigena, 637. 
 POUT SAID, 314. 
 Pratincola rubetra, 545, 627. 
 
 rubicola, 545, 555, 628. 
 
 Pseudaetus bonelli, 623. 
 Pujfinus anghrum, 636. 
 
 - kuhli, 531. 
 Pyramids, 301, 303. 
 Pyrrhocorax alpinus, 620. 
 Pyrrhula europcea, 544. 
 
 Quail, 277, 298, 323, 364, 380, 521, 543, 
 632. 
 
 Raven, 90, 395, 516, 559, 565, 620. 
 Recurvirostra avocetta, 525, 633. 
 Redstart, 545. 
 
 , Black, 545,629. 
 Redwing, 549, 629. 
 Regulus cristatus, 544. 
 
 ignicapittus, 544. 
 
 Rhynchcea capensis, 527. 
 
 Robin, 544, 627. 
 
 Rock-Doves, 243, 519, 625, 631. 
 
646 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Roe, 80, 83, 402. 
 
 Boiler, 11, 89, 359, 534, 631. 
 
 Kooks, 10, 21, 536, 544, 621. 
 
 Rose of Jericho, 366. 
 
 Ruff, 310, 525. 
 
 Ituticilla phcenicurus, 545. 
 
 tithys, 545. 
 
 Sanderling, 524. 
 Sandpiper, Green, 525. 
 
 , Marsh, 525. 
 
 , Schinz's, 524. 
 
 , Terak, 525. 
 
 , Wood, 525. 
 
 Saxicola isdbellina, 628. 
 
 leucomela, 512. 
 
 leucura, 511. 
 
 cenanthe, 511, 545, 564, 628. 
 
 rufescenSj 512. 
 
 stapazina, 512. 
 
 Schokats (Catholic Servians), 91, 92, 98. 
 Scolopax rusticola, 537, 633. 
 Scorpion's sting, 382. 
 Serinus hortulanus, 545, 619. 
 Shag, 637. 
 Shearwater, Manx, 636. 
 
 , Mediterranean, 531. 
 
 Shooting Eagles from Decoy-hut, 146. 
 Shoveller, 11, 312, 528, 536, 604, 614. 
 Shrike, Grey, Great, 561. 
 
 , , Lesser, 181, 215, 552. 
 
 , , Southern, 517. 
 
 , Masked, 518. 
 
 , Red-backed, 551, 552, 553, 554, 
 
 561, 566, 627. 
 
 , Woodchat, 518, 627. 
 
 Siskin, 618. 
 Sitta c&sia, 545. 
 
 tieumayeri, 630. 
 
 Skua, Pomatorhine, 531, 550. 
 Sky-Lark, 535, 620. 
 Snake-charmer, 267. 
 Snipe, Double, 537. 
 , Jack, 524. 
 
 Snipe, Painted, 323, 527. 
 Sodom, Apples of, 366. 
 Solanum sanctum, 366. 
 Sparrow-Hawk, 408. 
 Sparrow, Hedge, 545. 
 
 , House, 215, 544, 618. 
 
 , Italian, 515. 
 
 , Tree, 200, 215, 544, 559, 618. 
 
 Spatula clypeata, 528, 536. 
 
 Spermophilus eitillus, 214, 215. 
 
 Stag nicola chloropus, 577. 
 
 Starling, 26, 73, 96, 217, 516, 539, 
 
 560. 
 
 Sterna hirundo, 635. 
 Stei-nula minuta, 635. 
 Stint, Temminck's, 524. 
 Stonechat, 26, 628. 
 Stone-Curlew, 235. 
 Stork, Black, 73, 74, 78, 81, 115, 116, 
 
 199, 370, 605. 
 , White, 73, 158, 184, 270, 343, 
 
 370, 526, 560, 633. 
 StrepsUas interpres, 523. 
 Streptopelia nisoria, 632. 
 Strigiceps pallidus, 623. 
 Strixjfammea, 625. 
 Sturnus vulgaris, 516, 539. 
 SUEZ Canal, 315. 
 Swallow, 541, 545, 626. 
 
 , Cave, 518. 
 , Crag, 518. 
 
 , Rufous, 518. 
 Swan, Mute, 635. 
 Swift, 549, 626. 
 
 , Alpine, 626. 
 
 , Egyptian, 505. 
 
 , Little Grey, 505.' 
 Sylochelidon caspia, 635. 
 Sylvia atricapilla, 552. 
 
 cinerea, 549. 
 
 yarrula, 549. 
 
 JiortensiSj 551. 
 
 nisoria, 554. 
 
 Syrian Jay, 517. 
 
INDEX. 
 
 647 
 
 Syrian Nuthatch, 630. 
 Syrnium aluco, 550. 
 uralense, 563. 
 
 Teal, 10, 614, 635. 
 
 , Garganey, 528, 549, 614. 
 Temple of Dendera, 273. 
 
 - of Kum-Ombu, 281. 
 Temples of Eameses, 271. 
 Tern, Black, 72, 220. 
 
 , Caspian, 635. 
 
 , Common, 73, 635. 
 
 , Little, 635. 
 
 Tetrao medius, 579 et seq. 
 tetrix, 540. 
 
 - urogallus, 539, 564. 
 Thrush, Blue Eock, 511, 628. 
 , " Little Crested," 513. 
 
 , Missel, 564. 
 , Kock, 148, 159, 628. 
 
 , Song, 545, 628. 
 
 Tichodroma muraria, 534, 566, 630. 
 Tit, Blue, 544, 630. 
 
 , Coal, 544. 
 
 , Crested, 544. 
 
 , Great, 544, 553, 630. 
 
 , Long-tailed, 544, 553. 
 
 , Marsh, 215, 544. 
 
 , Penduline, 205, 215. 
 Tomb of Prophet Moses, 354. 
 Tombs of the Caliphs, 239. 
 
 of the Kings, 293. 
 
 Totanus glareola, 525. 
 
 ochropus, 525. 
 
 stagnatilis, 525. 
 
 Transylvanian Alps, 561. 
 Tringa alpina, 524. 
 maritima, 524. 
 
 schinzii, 524. 
 
 subarquata, 524. 
 
 temminckiy 524. 
 
 Troglodytes parvulus, 544, 563. 
 Turdus iliacus, 545, 629. 
 merula, 544, 629. 
 
 Turdus musicm, 545, 629. 
 pilaris, 536. 
 
 torquatus, 564. - 
 
 viscivorus, 564. 
 
 Turnstone, 523. 
 
 Turtle-Dove, 87, 142, 215, 548, 561, 631. 
 
 , Asiatic, 358. 
 
 , Egyptian, 265. 
 
 Turtur auritus, 519, 548, 561, 631. 
 orient alis, 519. 
 
 senegaknsis, 520. 
 
 Upupa epops, 140, 215, 519, 543, 630. 
 
 Vampire, 300. 
 Vanellus cristatus } 632. 
 Vidtur aurieularis, 532. 
 
 cinereus, 409, 473, 532, 563, 566, 
 
 625. 
 
 fulvus, 241, 462, 510, 561. 
 Vulture, Bearded, 455, 533, 566, 624. 
 , Cinereous, 114, 135, 167, 179, 
 
 384, 409, 473, 532, 563, 566, 625. 
 
 , , Nest of, 116. 
 
 , Egyptian, 241, 260, 269, 283, 293, 
 
 319, 324, 339, 351, 476, 510, 624. 
 
 , , in Switzerland, 416. 
 
 , Griffon, 125, 211, 272, 319, 415, 
 
 462, 510, 561, 563, 566, 624. 
 , Pileated, 292, 510. 
 
 , Sociable, 279, 532. ' 
 
 Wagtail, Black-headed, 630. 
 , Grey, 561, 609. 
 
 , Grey-headed Yellow, 514. 
 
 , White, 514, 543, 610, 630. 
 
 , Yellow, 514. 
 Warbler, Aquatic, 513. 
 , Barred, 554, 629. 
 
 , Fantail, 513. 
 
 , Garden, 551. 
 
 , Grasshopper, 23. 
 
 , Grey-backed, 513. 
 
 , Icterine, 549, 552. 
 
648 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Warbler, Marsh, 549. 
 
 , Moustached, 513. 
 
 , Reed, 545, 553. 
 
 , , Great, 545, 629. 
 
 , Sedge, 513, 629. 
 
 Wheatear, 511, 545, 564, 628. 
 Whinchat, 545, 627. 
 
 , variety of, 141 . 
 
 White-eyed Duck, 47, 262, 528. 
 Whitethroat, 549, 629. 
 
 , Lesser, 549. 
 
 Wild Boar, 356, 368. 
 
 Cats, 91. 
 
 Wolf, African, 238, 269, 285. 
 
 drive, 209. 
 
 hunting in Egypt, 247, 266, 268. 
 
 Woodcock, 238, 401, 408, 537, 546, 551, 
 
 554, 570, 616, 633. 
 in Africa, 531. 
 
 Woodpecker, Great Black, 564, 607. 
 
 , Great Spotted, 215, 544. 
 
 , Grey-headed Green, 544. 
 , Lesser Spotted, 545. 
 
 , Middle Spotted, 544. 
 Wood-Pigeon, 38, 610, 631. 
 Wren, 544, 563. 
 
 , Fire-crested, 544. 
 
 Wryneck, 20, 545. 
 
 Xenus cmereus, 525. 
 Yellow-Hammer, 200, 545. 
 
 Zakkum or balsam-tree, 366. 
 Zante, Hare-hunting in, 230. 
 Ziesel, 214, 215. 
 Zizyphus lotus, 366. 
 spina-Christi, 366. 
 
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