154 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 
ery, for the shrill clear scream of the Sea-Hagle 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 
