FIFTH DAY. 75 



approach of man with almost incredible confidence. This 

 Paradisiacal state of things reminds one much of the East, 

 and may be accounted for by the absence of all keenness for 

 sport in the Hungarian nation ; for even the gamekeepers 

 (where there are any) never keep down the vermin, hardly 

 any value being set on the preservation of small game. 



We drove a good way further down this straight avenue, 

 where some Kites flew past overhead, and we were welcomed 

 by the merry songs of all the larger and smaller inhabitants 

 of an inland forest ; and after a while we turned into another 

 divergent but equally straight ride. 



The character of the forest remained the same on our left ; 

 but on the right it dwindled to a young plantation, thickly 

 interspersed with firs. This cover seemed to be just the very 

 place for Roe, Foxes, Wild Cats, and even Red Deer, 

 and strongly reminded me of a little forest on the Valko 

 ground, near beautiful Godollo, which alone among its 

 wild companions has been subjected to the training of man. 

 Here, as well as there, the woods which are thus tended 

 seem to be well stocked with Woodcock, both in spring and 

 autumn. 



We drove along this second avenue for a good quarter of 

 an hour until we came to a meadow laid out in a perfect 

 circle, with a little pavilion-like shooting-lodge in its centre, 

 from which we had an extensive view of the avenues which 

 radiated from it. Here some keepers, headed by a forester, 

 were awaiting us, and we came to a halt, for we had reached 

 the place where we all were to separate in various directions. 



As there was only one pair of Short-toed Eagles nesting in 

 the entire wood, and Hodek had repeatedly said that he 

 thought we should have more trouble in obtaining this bird 

 of prey for the completion of our collection of Eagles than 

 any of the others, we determined on no account to shoot 

 at anything else until a Short-toed Eagle had been bagged. 



