132 FIFTEEN DAYS ON THE DANUBE. 
high trees now brought us into a lonely forest glen, where a 
large eagle’s nest stood on a very low oak and in a most 
charming situation. I crept up below it, but on trying to 
drive out the bird found that it was not at home, so I sat 
down in the hut, which had been specially arranged before- 
hand, but which, having been too artistically built, had 
probably scared the eagles. 
In about half an hour both the birds came up and circled 
round with anxious cries, for they had detected my presence. 
I thought of waiting to see whether they would not quiet 
down, but they were too thoroughly alarmed to allow of my 
hoping that they would come within shot. On one of them I 
could distinctly distinguish the mark of the Imperial Eagle, 
and now saw that all the birds which the keepers here 
called Golden Eagles were not Aquila chrysaétus but Aquila 
imperialis, which seems to be pretty common in this 
district. 
As this was the first time that I had visited the nest of this 
southern bird, which is unquestionably the most beautiful of all 
the large eagles, I was much vexed at having to leave it, and 
only did so after fully convincing myself that it would be 
useless to take any further trouble. 
Again I hastened up the hillside to the ridge, where the 
carts had meanwhile arrived, the drivers having repaired the 
damages, and we now made a fresh attempt at driving down 
the steep slopes of this wretched road. After spending another 
hour in rattling about in all directions along the ridge and 
over the tops of the most magnificent wooded hills, the 
forester told the driver to stop. 
A footpath which followed a continuous level now led me 
into a damp wood of fine large beeches and oaks, with an 
undergrowth of rank grass and hawthorn bushes. Here the 
little brooks and rivulets which ran down to the valley 
prattled merrily among the stones, and through the trees we 
