48 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 



scientific purposes decorated the place. My two Sea-Eagles 

 were at once laid beside them, and we had the rare good for- 

 tune of standing by a row of five eagles. My brother-in-law 

 had killed two very large ones, and severely wounded another. 

 He had also brought for the menagerie which we were going 

 to form on deck three young eagles from the nest, tolerably 

 large, but still in down. 



The third bird, also a grand specimen, had been bagged 

 by Homeyer ; but Brehrn and Bombelles had been unlucky at 

 the nests, especially the latter, who had made the acquaintance 

 of a very suspicious eagle, which the keepers said Baron 

 Schloissnigg had some weeks ago fired at with small shot 

 while it was at its nest. This probably occurred during the 

 Woodcock-shooting. All the eagles we had killed were 

 very old birds, having the fully-mature pale brownish-yellow 

 plumage and light yellow beak and feet indicative of great 

 age. 



While the men were busy putting our booty and effects on 

 board the 'Vienna,' Brehm lured a Cuckoo, which was calling 

 near us, in the most scientific way, and so deceived the poor 

 fellow that it allowed itself to be enticed out of the wood to 

 the fishermen's huts, where it circled over the heads of the 

 large assemblage of people, and I fired a shot which brought 

 it dead to the ground. 



After this short interlude we took leave of the Land 

 Steward, and embarked on board the * Vienna,' again followed 

 by the " csikeln." 



We now went rapidly down-stream through the most 

 splendid forests ; right and left were thick woods of willows 

 and silver poplars with low drooping branches, and from time 

 to time we got slight glimpses into these " auen " at the junc- 

 tions of the channels. Purple and Grey Herons often flew over 

 our heads, and a whole flock of marsh-birds, variously deter- 

 mined by us as Ibises, Purple Herons or Night-Herons, were 



