30 WITH THE U. S. NATURALISTS 



were eggs aloft, or, at least, that it was not an 

 abandoned nest. 



An hour passed by without any sign of bird-life 

 except for an Oven-bird near by, probably about 

 to make its ground nest among the pine needles, 

 which seemed to be complaining of the boy with 

 its characteristic cry of ''Teacher!" "Teacher!" 

 ''TEACHER!" This absence of any movement 

 about the nest meant one of three things: either 

 that the Fish-Hawk was having poor luck with 

 his fishing that morning, or that the Bald Eagle 

 was steadily robbing him of his catch, or that the 

 nest overhead was an old nest, not being used by 

 the birds this season. 



The second of these explanations was the true 

 one. The Bald Eagle had twice, again, robbed 

 the Fish-Hawk of his well-earned breakfast, but 

 the fourth fish had been caught by the Osprey im- 

 mediately after the third ravishment and he was 

 able to carry it to his own nest before the robber 

 baron of the skies had time to wing his way from 

 his more distant ej^rie. Shan, therefore, soon saw 

 a black speck in the distance which resolved itself 

 into the characteristic flight of a Fish-Hawk carry- 

 ing a fish in his down-clutched talons. 



The bird came straight for the nest in the old 



