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 Cerevié, 
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 Gerevit. First came hazel-copses and a 
few thorny thickets covered with wild 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” Hagle 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 
