56 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 



We began by walking a little way straight along the dry 

 bank of the arm, and then, accompanied only by Hodek, I 

 turned into the wood, and wading through some largish pools 

 gained an opening, where I already saw from afar a huge 

 eagle's nest situated among the upper branches of a tall black 

 poplar. To the left of this tree was an open channel, mostly 

 covered with sedge, and on its further side ran a long stretch 

 of bush varied with high solitary trees. 



On some drier and more elevated patches of ground quite 

 close to the nest were some lower trees, under one of w r hich I 

 hid myself while Hodek went below the nest to drive out the 

 eagle should it chance to be sitting therein ; but in vain he 

 hammered at the stem, the bird was not at home ; so we 

 stayed quietly in our ambush, which, lying as it did among 

 pools of water, only afforded us very damp and wretched 

 accommodation. 



The wood in the immediate neighbourhood of the nest had, 

 as one might say, narrowed to a thin strip, so that from our 

 position we could easily see through it, and even get an open 

 view as far as the bushes on the other side of the channel. 

 This wood was not at all like that above described, being far 

 less wild, and not so like a primeval forest. There was also 

 plenty of life in it, for a number of songsters charmed us with 

 their early morning carols ; and again the lively Moorhens 

 kept uttering their incessant cries among the rushes of the 

 channel, while ducks were flying to and fro and splashing 

 noisily into the water close beside us. 



We had hardly been sitting a quarter of an hour under the 

 nest, when the young eagles began to cry lustily for food, and 

 were answered by both the old ones quite near our hiding- 

 place. We next saw the shadows of the huge creatures gliding 

 over the ground, but did not get a clear view of the birds 

 themselves until they were above the low bushes of the oppo- 

 site bank ; and there we observed three eagles, evidently a 



