from Slavonia and Hungary. 135 



Cormorant consisted of sticks lined with finer sticks and 

 roots ; while sticks and a few reeds formed those of the Little 

 Egret and the Glossy Ibis. The nests of the Egret and the 

 Squacco Avere seldom to be seen in juxtaposition^ probably 

 on account of the pugnacious temperament of the latter. 

 We had some trouble to get at the nests of the select party 

 of Spoonbills, and had to push our boat over nests of 

 Glossy Ibis, which it was impossible even with the greatest 

 care to avoid. The nests of the Spoonbills were immense 

 structures of sticks and dead reeds ; some were only just above 

 the water, while others were as much as four feet from the 

 surface. When at the nests of this species a solitary 

 individual oPthe White Heron was observed, the only one 

 seen by us in Slavonia. It was rather surprising to find 

 fresh eggs of the Common Heron and the Spoonbill at this 

 date ; which may perhaps be accounted for by the fact that 

 the Herons are summer visitors only to this region; and 

 probably all arrive much at the same time, the winter, I 

 suspect, being too severe even for the former, which probably 

 arrives somewhat earlier than the rest, as some few nests 

 contained very young birds. The return journey was under- 

 taken with light hearts after our success^ and we reached 

 Kupinovo at 3 p.m., finding on our way a newly hatched 

 young of the Little Crake among some sedge, to which our 

 attention was drawn by the loud clear note of the old bird. 

 This little creature was glossy black with a beautiful dark 

 green cast, and had bluish-grey legs. 



The next two or three days were chiefly devoted to skinning 

 birds and blowing eggs. On the 28th a native brought a nest 

 containing a single egg of the Penduline Titmouse which he 

 had cut from the slender twigs of a sallow. In the evening 

 of the same day we added a nest and eggs of the Golden 

 Oriole to our collection. 



May 29th. Count Samuel Talacki, a Hungarian nobleman, 

 on a shooting-expedition on the Save, shot on the "bara^' 

 a fine mature male of Ardea bubulcus, which we had the 

 pleasure of examining soon after it was killed. Although this 

 species has not been hitherto recorded as breeding in this 



