186 FIFTEEN DAYS ON. THE DANUBE. 
Spotted Hagle’s nest; but unfortunately the bird, having 
been put on the alert by the previous shots, flew off before 
we could get near enough to it. 
My brother-in-law now hid himself in a thicket to await 
the Eagle’s return ; while I slanted across the wood to the 
carriages, finding on the way several empty nests, but only 
one tenanted, and that by a Crow, whom: I let live in peace, 
as I did not want to frighten away any better bird by 
shooting. Two shots soon sounded, in suspiciously quick 
succession; and in a few minutes my brother-in-law 
appeared, without an eagle, having missed the bird 
as it was flying up to the nest. We now got into the 
carriages and drove along a road running through waving 
corn-fields and little woods, towards another cover of some- 
what larger dimensions. 
During the drive we saw two very fine roebucks crossing 
the fields from wood to wood, while a Short-toed Eagle, 
some Spotted Hagles, and some Black Kites were circling 
aloft, and great numbers of Wood-Pigeons were whirring 
about between the fields and the trees. 
We now halted at the edge of a beautiful little wood, 
where the undergrowth was very dense, and where a narrow 
footpath led us into dark shady recesses covered with a 
perfect roof of leaves. 
The first nest we came to was a Spotted Eagle’s, and my 
brother-in-law posted himself ready to shoot, while I stole 
up to the tree to drive out the bird; and scarcely had the 
frightened eagle quitted its dwelling, when Leopold knocked 
it down with a good shot. 
A little way further on we found a Kite’s nest, from which 
the forked tail of the beautiful bird protruded a long 
way. I was quite sure that it was the Black Kite, which 
is so very abundant in Hungary, and not the Common Kite, 
which we had so seldom met with during our journey. 
