THIRD DAY. 35 



Apatin, and is the great artery round which is grouped the 

 network of the innumerable smaller channels of the great 

 Bellye and Draueck " auen." 



We now began a most beautiful passage, the air on the 

 water being pleasantly cool, for a gentle breeze counteracted 

 the heat of the morning sun, and as we swung down the quick 

 stream the most charming pictures of silent woodland solitude 

 unfolded themselves before us. 



First we passed through low willow copses, where the dense 

 foliage trailed in the water, and where it was almost impos- 

 sible to see into the bushes. We could hear the enlivening 

 notes, uttered by all sorts of birds, while, frightened by the 

 noise of the oars, Cuckoos, Orioles, Turtle-Doves, and various 

 other children of the woods fluttered up out of the thickets, 

 into which they again immediately vanished. 



After a time the scene changed, and to our right appeared 

 tall woods, here and there diversified by little meadows and 

 low copses, while old oaks and black poplars pushed their 

 gnarled branches out of the immense sea of rustling silver 

 poplars, and wild fruit-trees showed their blossom-laden 

 crowns. 



At one spot we even saw a road, if one might so call it, 

 which ran a little way along the bank. There must have 

 been a market going on in one of the villages outside the 

 woods, for a string of carts full of gaily-dressed men and 

 women were struggling along this miry track. 



From an ornithological point of view this passage offered 

 but little of interest, though numbers of the birds already noted 

 showed themselves, and here, as everywhere else on the Danube, 

 the Grey Herons played an important part, for various repre- 

 sentatives of this species were standing, stiff and patient, 

 watching for fish in the shallows by the banks, while Common 

 Mallards flapped up quacking in front of us. 



After we had been rather more than half an hour on the 



D2 



