86 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 



smaller hawks, storks, and many ordinary forest birds flew 

 past us, and even a Spotted Eagle rose from the top of a tree 

 at no great distance. Brehm had already observed one of 

 these birds in the morning, and the forester told us that this 

 beautiful eagle is pretty often seen in the Keskend forest, 

 though it rarely breeds in it. 



After a short drive we halted and cautiously entered the 

 wood, and first came across a Black Stork's nest, where my 

 brother-in-law brought down the long-legged bird with his 

 shot-gun. Then we stole noiselessly on towards a huge 

 oak, on the top of which stood the great nest of an Osprey ; 

 but as the cunning bird was unfortunately absent, Leopold 

 determined to hide in a thicket and await its return. Mean- 

 while Brehm and I followed a little footpath, which soon 

 brought us to a Black Stork's nest, which was placed on the 

 lowest boughs of an ancient oak. We saw the red beak of 

 the beautiful wader protruding from the nest, so my com- 

 panion got ready to shoot, and his murderous weapon 

 immediately brought down the bird, which flew from its 

 dwelling at the first noise. 



Quickly leaving the place we plunged deeper into this 

 wood, which was undoubtedly the most beautiful and least 

 cultivated part of the entire forest, for here the dense under- 

 growth, only broken by a few isolated oaks, gave a wild 

 primitive look to the scene. 



After a short search we found another stork's nest, which 

 even the forester did not know of ; but the bird, made wary 

 by the shots, flew away too soon, and, being a long way off, I 

 failed to kill it. 



A few paces further on I discovered a smaller nest, belonging 

 to some species of hawk, and from it a bird about the size of 

 a Buzzard glided out with a quick owl-like flight, and at 

 once disappeared among the bushes. My first barrel wounded 

 it, and it sank towards the ground, but all our efforts to find 



