SEVENTH DAY. 123 



upon what it kills itself, but only upon the most disgust- 

 ing carrion. During the day they fly many miles away 

 over the plains of the Save into the adjacent country of Servia, 

 as well as into the Bosnian mountain-gorges, to devour the 

 numerous carcasses which are there lying about. Every one 

 of the vultures which we killed had its crop still stuffed with 

 the most unsavoury remains of carrion, and their beaks gave 

 out a stench which would have been quite enough to make 

 any one faint who was afflicted with weak nerves. On what 

 exciting battle-fields and on how many Turk and Russian 

 corpses may not these vultures have sat during the last 

 campaign ! for, thanks to its splendid powers of flight, there 

 is no bird which makes such incredibly long journeys as 

 the vulture. The thoughts of such things made the 

 slain creature seem still more repulsive, and even the case- 

 hardened woodman carried the heavy bird on his back with 

 loathing. 



To shorten the way we crept slowly down the steep hillside, 

 and - through a glen thickly overgrown with bushes, wild 

 vines, and hops, and then up another still more abrupt slope, 

 the poor woodman panting under his burden, while even we 

 made but poor progress. Before getting to the carts I met 

 Leopold, who was obliged to return from his shooting-ground 

 by the same route. At his feet lay a very large vulture, for 

 my brother-in-law had been luckier than I, for on approaching 

 the nest he had seen the bird sitting on a bare branch, and 

 getting within good rifle-shot had brought it down with a 

 well-directed ball. His spoil, which stank much worse than 

 the vulture I had killed, disgusted him so much that he would 

 have nothing more to do with Cinereous Vultures, so re- 

 pulsive did he find the bird when dead which had seemed so 

 beautiful and imposing when soaring aloft. 



Evening was now coming on, and Count Chotek urged us to 

 begin our homeward journey as soon as possible, as it would 



