ON ORNITHOLOGY. 447 
of Draueck, and close to it) all the nests of the Sea-Eagle are 
situated in the thickest woods of the auen, where they are 
protected by a network of the arms of the Danube and by 
the yearly spring-floods. There I never found a nest in the 
dry inland woods, not even in those lying near the region of 
the auen. It was, however, otherwise in Slavonia, where 
the Danube is hemmed in by hills on the right bank, while 
on the left there is but a narrow strip of auen, which 
affords very insufficient breeding-grounds for the Sea-Eagle. 
In that part of the country it places its nest at a considerable 
distance from the river, and not only in the inland woods, 
but also in the mountain-valleys of the Fruska-Gora. 
Of the nineteen nests which we visited, two stood exposed 
on the very tops of the trees, all the rest on horizontal 
branches, more or less close to the main stem, three being on 
secondary boughs, the rest quite close to it. Six were built 
on oaks, five on black and five on white poplars, two on 
beeches, and one on a wild pear-tree. The sizes of the nests 
varied very much according to their age, and we could easily 
tell the newly constructed ones by their smaller bulk and the 
freshness of their materials. The old nests, which must have 
decorated the trees for a great many years, were more than 
six feet and half in diameter, and of a grey weathered colour. 
Every year the nest becomes somewhat larger, for the eagle 
always makes a few repairs before it begins to breed. The 
biggest that I saw stood on the highest point of an old 
pear-tree visible from afar; it had been taken possession of 
by a very old pale-coloured individual, and was a veritable 
stronghold of its mighty occupant. 
The Sea-Eagle selects thick high trees for its dwelling, and 
it is only when compelled by sheer necessity that it puts up 
with a thin stem. 
In a perfectly dry deciduous wood, a few miles from the 
village of Kovil, near the junction of the Theiss, I found an 
