ON ORNITHOLOGY. 421 



birds an outlook are a few detached trees and boundary 

 heaps ; yet from one spot two or even three eagles are often 

 seen flying over the snow or sitting on the trees, waiting 

 for the hares to run past. 



In Hungary the " Stein " Eagle is common enough in all 

 the districts where there is a large head of game. I know 

 one locality very well, which is yearly visited by this bird, 

 and is, I might almost say, one of its winter-stations, and can 

 therefore give some details about it. 



Round Godollo, about an hour from Pest by rail, the 

 woods and heaths are stocked with incredible numbers of 

 red deer, some roe, and plenty of small game. In summer 

 the eagles frequently pass over the forests without halting 

 there. In autumn, on the other hand, they appear and often 

 stay until almost the end of March. The reason for their 

 so doing is quite clear to me, for from the beginning of 

 September up to about the middle of January the red deer 

 are being continually driven, and owing to their great 

 abundance and the pronounced disincli nation of the Hun- 

 garian keepers to make a proper search for the wounded 

 animals, a great deal of game is left lying in the woods, and 

 the eagles find a superfluity of enticing food. 



Throughout three autumns and winters I have employed 

 myself in making observations at this favourite resort of the 

 eagles. One circumstance which I could not account for was 

 the great variation in the time when the birds first showed 

 themselves. In 1875 the first " Stein " Eagle appeared 

 somewhat after the middle of October, and remained a 

 long time. In 1876 heavy snow fell in Central Hungary 

 in the beginning of November, and in spite of the cold 

 having set in so early the first eagle only came to the woods 

 about Godollo on the llth of November. In the autumn of 

 1877, October was singularly mild, the trees were still in 

 full leaf, and the country had by no means an autumnal 



