232 BIRD-LIFE OF THE BORDERS 



Another large raptor appeared when my old friend 

 and co-author of "Wild Spain," Walter Buck, happened 

 to be with me. We were snipe-shooting- on Monkridge 

 bog, near Otterburn, when Buck (who in Spain is accus- 

 tomed to seeing - large birds of prey every day) exclaimed, 

 "Hallo! here's an eagle coming over!" The stranger 

 was an osprey, recognisable, as it passed overhead, by 

 its white head, very long and pointed wings, and short 

 broad tail, widely spread. I had that very morning 

 (September 28th, 1891) seen the same bird, shortly after 

 daybreak, hovering over Reedwater ; but was not then 

 quite satisfied of its identity. My local companion (the 

 water-bailiff) had declared it was a "heronsewe"! 



Twelve days later (October 10th), I again saw this 

 osprey, coming this time close on him, within 40 yards, 

 as we climbed a steep bank on Reedwater, after fishing a 

 pool. The osprey was perched on the edge of a marsh- 

 drain, eating a frog ; and at that short distance I could 

 plainly distinguish the prettily-mottled wing-coverts — be- 

 speaking immaturity. Even my friend the bailiff (stiH 

 with me) admitted that it was not a heronsewe ! 



The osprey breeds in Europe from the North Cape to 

 Gibraltar, and the young reared in the far north neces- 

 sarily migrate southwards in the autumn. Formerly 

 ospreys nested also, commonly, on the Scottish lochs ; 

 but that, of course, was too much for our friends, the 

 "naturalists" and gamekeepers. 



To introduce the name of the kite {Milvus ictinus) in 

 a book on the ornithology of the Borders seems scarcely 

 less inappropriate than would be that of the Dodo. My 

 object in: mentioning the bird, is to try and bring towards 

 the light the following fact. The kite (once abundant and 

 resident), is now all but extinct in the British Isles. The 



