FIFTH DAY. 75 
approach of man with almost incredible confidence. This 
Paradisiacal state of things reminds one much of the East, 
and may be accounted for by the absence of all keenness for 
sport in the Hungarian nation; for even the gamekeepers 
(where there are any) never keep down the vermin, hardly 
any value being set on the preservation of small game. 
We drove a good way further down this straight avenue, 
where some Kites flew past overhead, and we were welcomed 
by the merry songs of all the larger and smaller inhabitants 
of an inland forest ; and after a while we turned into another 
divergent but equally straight ride. 
The character of the forest remained the same on our left ; 
but on the right it dwindled toa young plantation, thickly 
interspersed with firs. This cover seemed to be just the very 
place for Roe, Foxes, Wild Cats, and even Red Deer, 
and strongly reminded me of a little forest on the Valko 
ground, near beautiful Gédéllé, which alone among its 
wild companions has been subjected to the training of man. 
Here, as well as there, the woods which are thus tended 
seem to be well stocked with Woodcock, both in spring and 
autumn, 
We drove along this second avenue for a good quarter of 
an hour until we came to a meadow laid out in a perfect 
circle, with a little pavilion-like shooting-lodge in its centre, 
from which we had an extensive view of the avenues which 
radiated from it. Here some keepers, headed by a forester, 
were awaiting us, and we came to a halt, for we had reached 
the place where we all were to separate in various directions. 
As there was only one pair of Short-toed Eagles nesting in 
the entire wood, and Hodek had repeatedly said that he 
thought we should have more trouble in obtaining this bird 
of prey for the completion of our collection of Eagles than 
any of the others, we determined on no account to shoot 
at anything else until a Short-toed Eagle had been bagged. 
