160 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 



of stalking up to it, for the bushes were too low to offer 

 sufficient cover, and as soon as I had got within some two 

 hundred yards the eagle, a very large and finely marked 

 female, flew quickly out of the nest. A hut of boughs had 

 been far too hastily arranged by the jagers, for I well knew 

 that the place where they had put it was so visible that the 

 bird would be sure to discover me. I therefore sent away 

 the men, and crouched down close to the nest among the 

 thick bushes that grew by the side of a little stream. 



The female eagle kept constantly circling round the 

 neighbourhood, and I often heard it uttering its clear sharp 

 call, its whole behaviour being very restless and mistrustful. 

 However, at last the great bird quieted down and came 

 rapidly to the nest, flying once round the tree. It was a bad 

 place to shoot from, and I was in a particularly unpleasant 

 position when I fired. My first barrel evidently wounded 

 it, but when I fired again it was already rather too far 

 off. I sprang up to see where it would fall, but soon lost 

 sight of it down the valley, and though I knew the direction 

 in which it had doubtless dropped, the almost impenetrable 

 nature of the undergrowth made all search useless. 



By the advice of the jager -I now changed my position, 

 and patiently waited to see what would happen, for there was 

 still a good chance that the male, which had not shown itself 

 near the nest for a long time, would come back to it with 

 food; and this was just what took place, for the handsome bird, 

 which was recognizable at a distance by its smaller size and 

 less powerful build, soon approached my hiding-place, at first 

 circling cautiously round it, sometimes settling on a distant 

 oak, and only drawing nearer by degrees. Suddenly I heard 

 a rush above my head the eagle was at its nest. 



Before I could get a good shot I heard the bird perch in a 

 very leafy part of the tree, but could not see it from where I 

 was, and to have taken the slightest step forwards would have 



