SECOND DAY. 13 



selves off the trees, and circled over them with hoarse cries. 

 A few Night-Herons joined them, at first fluttering through 

 the branches with owl-like flight, then soaring up higher 

 and higher till they swept round with almost imperceptible 

 movements of their wings, looking nearly pure white against 

 the dark blue sky ; while Rooks, Hooded Crows, Black Kites, 

 and various small birds flew about in alarmed confusion. 



The island is rather large and the scenery, thanks to the 

 luxuriance of the vegetation, may be called very pretty. Its 

 upper part consists of a wood of very high silver poplars 

 mixed with a few solitary oaks, and along the river-side I 

 also found some gnarled old willows, while the undergrowth 

 is formed partly of dense bush and partly of high grass and 

 nettles. 



Almost through the middle of this wood ran a small 

 dried-up arm of the river, with pools of water standing in 

 some of its deeper parts and a thick growth of reeds and all 

 sorts of water-plants surrounding the damper spots. 



We found a good many nests, but unfortunately all 

 occupied by Grey Herons except two, in which Night- 

 Herons were breeding. Former descriptions had led me 

 to conceive quite a wrong idea of this heronry, and I had 

 made certain of finding many more birds and a greater 

 variety of species. 



The colonies in the a auen " below Vienna are almost 

 as well stocked with Grey Herons, though there are no 

 Night-Herons, Adony being in that respect ahead of our 

 woods ; but in character the two districts are alike, for in 

 both the marvellous luxuriance of the foliage, the dense 

 undergrowth, and the high silver poplars are almost iden- 

 tical ; and the " auen " of Adony resemble much more those 

 of Lower Austria than those either at Draueck or still further 

 down the river near the junction of the Theiss. 



At our first shots a keeper came hurrying up, who told us 



