280 BIRD-HUNTING 



antagonism between them, and the sooner he took 

 his departure the better they would like it. 



But if the search for Pelicans was a failure, we 

 saw great numbers of other birds. Sea Eagles were 

 constantly to be seen on the trees and stumps over- 

 hanging the water, while Marsh Harriers and Pallid 

 Harriers quartered marsh and reed-bed. In the 

 shallows fed multitudes of Night Herons (Nycticorax 

 griseus), Glossy Ibis {Plegadis falcinellus), Purple 

 Herons {Ardea purpurea), Grey Herons (A. cinerea), 

 and Squacco Herons {A. ralloides). Bitterns boomed 

 in the impenetrable morasses, and Crested Grebes 

 (Podueps cristatus), Red-necked Grebes (P. rubri- 

 collis), and Black-necked Grebes {P. nigricollis) dived 

 among the water-lilies as their solitudes were dis- 

 turbed by the passage of our boat. 



In the cliffs of earth which we sometimes passed 

 were great assemblages of Bee-eaters and Rollers, 

 their brilliant plumage shining in the sun as they 

 hovered in front of their nesting-holes, while Rollers 

 and Hoopoes flitted about through the willow-trees 

 which are such a characteristic feature of the banks 

 of the Danube. Amid the impenetrable and tangled 

 recesses of the reeds and sedges Savi's Warblers 

 reeled their curious and monotonous song, invisible 

 save to the closest search ; and the harsh and grating 

 song of countless numbers of Great Reed Warblers 

 resounded on every side. White Storks were 



