26 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE, 
called out, “That is the Ob, exactly like the Ob!” I had got 
it at last—it. was only to be likened to the descriptions I had 
read in books of travel of rivers and primeval forests in other 
parts of the world, and this was confirmed by the living book 
of travels called “ Brehm.” 
Anyone who fancies that the “auen” of Southern Hungary 
are pretty pleasant places is much mistaken, for a deep 
solemnity tinged with melancholy pervades the whole 
scene, and the large unbroken lines of the broad stream and 
the monotonous dark green woods produce a gloomy impres- 
sion, such as one feels when a cloudless sky of uniform tone 
stretches over a still sea or the loftiest regions of a mighty 
mountain-range ; for where the infinite calm of such a 
picture is broken by no third colour, one feels oppressed by 
the vastness of nature and the absence of all enlivening 
variety. Never during the journey did I feel this so strongly 
as on this first. afternoon, and never again did the tone of the 
sky so thoroughly harmonize with the character of the country 
and create such unity and repose. The whole afternoon and 
evening we lingered on deck, partly to admire the landscape 
and partly to observe the birds, for there was plenty of life 
round about us. Herons flew lazily from bank to bank, 
ducks of various kinds swam about the main stream and 
were still more numerous in the side channels, while the 
Black Kite, that most abundant of all the raptorial birds of 
Southern Hungary, showed itself everywhere above the trees, 
not to mention Crows and Starlings, so common throughout 
these districts. 
We noticed hardly any hawks, the few seen being invari- 
ably the graceful Kestrels; but where the steep friable treeless 
banks fell down to the stream, Sand-Martins were breeding 
in great numbers, and I frequently observed Stonechats. 
Somewhat above Duna-Szekcsé the “auen ” disappear 
from the right bank, while on the left- they cover the whole 
