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-Hagles. 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. 
