FIFTEEN DAYS 



ON 



THE DANUBE 



FIRST DAY. 



EAKLY in the month of April 1878 I determined to under- 

 take a shooting-expedition to those districts of the Lower 

 Danube which lie within the boundaries of the Monarchy. 

 This was not the first time that I had thought of exploring 

 these beautiful tracts of country so little known to travellers, 

 and of rambling through them, gun in hand, studying their 

 ornithology. 



Years ago Zelebor had extended his collecting journeys 

 for the State Natural-History Museum to these localities ; 

 and the well-known naturalist Hodek makes a yearly spring 

 trip down the Danube to Southern Hungary, Slavonia, and 

 often as far as the Dobrudscha, to work mines so extremely 

 productive to the ornithologist and the sportsman. For 

 though they lie within such easy reach of capitals like 

 Vienna and Pest, these wilds offer to the lover of nature 

 the most marvellous scenery, and to the naturalist a fresh 

 field and ample materials for his studies. 



B 



