1 82 BIRD-HUNTING 



localities. These records are properly tabulated and 

 classified, so that authoritative reports are always 

 available on the usefulness or otherwise of any bird. 



Some such bureau in England would be very 

 useful, and might with advantage be instituted by 

 the Board of Agriculture, Any question then of a 

 bird's alleged destructiveness to any crop could be 

 authoritatively and officially answered. 



The head of this bureau in Budapest is Herr 

 Otto Hermann, whose striking and picturesque 

 personality is well known to English naturalists. 

 Dr. von Madarasz, the genial ornithologist of the 

 museum, is also well known to all ornithologists. 

 Here, too, I met Herr Cerva, the dealer and 

 collector, and under his guidance, in company with 

 Herr Schenk, from the Bureau, I made two 

 memorable birds'-nesting expeditions, to Valencze 

 See, and to a marsh at some distance from Buda- 

 pest. Valencze See is a long, narrow lake, well 

 provided with extensive reed-beds, and is one of 

 the best known of the celebrated Hungarian bird 

 resorts. 



It is only a short distance from Budapest, and the 

 railway station is close to the water, so that it is very 

 easily reached. Permission, however, has to be 

 obtained from the owner. From the little railway 

 station platform I could see large flocks of birds on 

 the water as soon as we stepped from the train, and 



