TENTH DAY. 165 
Meanwhile we had reached the spot where we had to climb 
to another nest on the southern slope. I followed my guide 
up the hillside along a little footpath, and he soon pointed 
out to me the eyrie of an Imperial Eagle, placed on a young 
oak tree, in a very steep ravine, just at the level of the spot 
where we were standing. To my great astonishment I saw 
the splendidly plumaged bird on the edge of its nest; but as 
the distance was too great for shot, I grasped my rifle, and 
putting my arm round a young oak to steady myself, took 
a deliberate aim, fired, and the eagle fell crumpled up into 
its dwelling, the jiiger crying out with delight, “There he 
lies in the nest !” 
Hardly had he uttered the words when an unpleasant 
surprise followed, for the wounded eagle was thrown out of 
the nest, and the female flew off it from under him, the shot 
having knocked the male down on to the back of its mate, and 
both birds having remained for some seconds in that position. 
When it had fallen about halfway down the tree, the 
wounded eagle recovered its powers of flight, and sailed off 
towards the valley after its frightened spouse. Searching for 
anything in these intricate, thickly wooded hills is generally 
useless, and here, where Count Chotek’s forester was not so 
well acquainted with the ground, there would certainly have 
been no hope of finding a wounded bird. I therefore crept 
under the nest to wait for the return of the uninjured female. 
Almost immediately below me was a beautiful woodland 
glade, where Cuckoos were flying up and down, and the most 
charming songs from the merry throats of many birds were 
watted up from the valley, while now and again a Common 
Kite or a Buzzard flew past the place where I was sitting. 
In about half an hour I saw the eagle returning, and 
heard its shrill call and the loud rush of its wings, now before 
me and now behind me. At last it came close, but 1 was so 
very well hidden behind a thick oak, that I could only 
