THIRD DAY. 47 



sun gilded the dead branches of the ancient oaks and the leafy 

 clumps of wood ; a gentle evening air was breathing through 

 the rustling brakes and reed-beds, and before us lay the broad 

 oily sheets of water only broken by the rings made by the 

 rising fish and the diving of ducks and Moorhens. Crows 

 were settling on the trees preparing for their night's rest, the 

 songs of the smaller birds had gradually ceased, and just a few 

 warbling sounds rose from sedge and bush, while light vapours 

 hung over the water and the mosquitoes tormented us with 

 all their might. Some Marsh-Harriers glided over the 

 thickets with their reeling flight, in search of their evening 

 meal of Moorhens; and would that they had devoured all 

 those noisy ear-torturing brutes ! An Osprey also passed 

 slowly over a clump of trees near our boat, and though it was 

 rather too far off I relied on the powers of my gun and fired 

 both barrels at this beautiful light-flying eagle, and it dropped 

 into a thicket of reeds and bushes, rather hard hit. Ferencz 

 hurried up in his " csikel ; " but all his searching was fruitless, 

 which I greatly regretted, as I had never killed an Osprey, and 

 this smallish finely-coloured eagle, with its Lapwing-like 

 flight, is an attraction to all sportsmen ; we were, however, to 

 form a closer acquaintance with it two days later. 



We went back the same way that we had come in the 

 morning, and on reaching the picturesque but not over agree- 

 able passage between the banks of earth near the junction of 

 the channel with the main arm of the river I saw fresh tracks 

 of Red Deer in the soft loam, evidently made by some very 

 heavy animals. 



A few more strokes of the oars brought us into the broad 

 stream, \vhere the men had to pull lustily to get up to the 

 fishing-colony now visible in the distance, and on reaching it 

 we found all the sportsmen already assembled round their 

 spoils. Three Sea-Eagles, one Mallard, one White-eyed Duck, 

 a Tawny Owl, and a variety of small birds shot by Brehm for 



