from Slavonia and Hungary. 133 



arose many thousands of birds hitherto hidden, most of 

 which soon settled down and were again lost to sight, and 

 things remained as before. Marsh -Harriers were extremely 

 abundant, and six or eight were seen on the wing at once. 

 White-eyed Ducks, Black Terns, and Mallards occasionally 

 rose j Crested Grebes and Coots floated lazily on the open 

 water ; White Wagtails ran nimbly on the margin at o^^r 

 feet ; Great Reed- Warblers sent forth their vigorous but un- 

 musical notes from the reeds ; while overhead we observed, as 

 we reclined on the bank, a pair of Black Storks, an Imperial 

 and a Booted Eagle. Such was our introduction to the bird- 

 life on the Obedska '^bara/^ In the afternoon a peasant 

 brought a fine dark form of the Barn-Owl, in which the under- 

 parts were rich orange-brown, the upper parts chiefly dark 

 bluish grey. 



A Government official arrived from Semlin, with our 

 anxiously awaited permit. In the evening we made an 

 attempt to enter the " bara " in a flat-bottomed boat ; but, 

 after a resolute tussle, we were compelled to desist, and to 

 admit that an entrance direct was not to be forced. We 

 made arrangements for the boatmen to be in readiness at 

 3 A.M., in the hope that by an early start the intense heat of 

 the later morning might be avoided. 



May 26th. For some reason or other our boatmen were 

 full of excuses, and it was only by dint of considerable pres- 

 sure that the boat was forthcoming after a most annoying 

 delay. At last we were afloat, with our two Slav boatmen 

 occupying the stern, from which they plied their short- 

 handled paddles. Our plan was to attempt to enter the 

 colony by approaching from the middle of the " bara."'' To 

 do this, we started about a mile below the colony; and for 

 some time all went well, as we passed rapidly up an open lane 

 between reed-beds, of which the surface was covered with the 

 beautiful flowers and leaves of the white water-lily. After- 

 wards several reed-beds were penetrated, from which many 

 White-eyed Ducks, several Pochards, and a pair of Gadwalls 

 were disturbed ; but difficulties increased, and after two 

 houi's we were compelled to retire to the margin and com- 



