80 BULLETIN 18 6, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



the base and narrowly tipped whitish ; the tail with three compara- 

 tively narrow blackish bands and three light bands, mottled brown and 

 whitish; the underparts fulvous-white with narrow blackish-brown 

 shaft streaks on the breast and abdomen; the primaries with broad 

 gray -brown bars, separated by much narrower blackish-brown bands. 

 The wing lengths of three nonmolting adults are 428 mm. (male) , 

 444 and 457 mm. (females). The largest female was taken June 15, 

 and must be considered an example of the resident form. Gylden- 

 stolpe has recorded (1916) a male from Khun Tan with a wing of 

 only 300 mm., but this must certainly be an error. 



Family PANDIONIDAE 



PANDION HALIAETUS HALIAETUS (Linnaeus; 



Eurasian Osprey 



[Falco] Haliaetus Linnaeus, Systema naturae, ed. 10, vol. 1, 1758, p. 91 (Europe, 



type locality restricted to Sweden, apud Hartert). 

 Pandion haliaetus haliaetus, Deignan, Journ. Siam Soc. Nat. Hist. Suppl., 1931, 



p. 164 (Chiang Mai) ; 1936, pp. 78, 132 (Chiang Mai, Ban Mut Ka). 



While the osprey is common enough on the great rivers of Central 

 Thailand, it seems to be quite rare in the northern provinces, although 

 it might occur occasionally almost anywhere along the major streams. 

 I saw an adult at a small pond near the Mae Ping at Chiang Mai 

 from December 29, 1930, to January 2, 1931 ; another at the woodland 

 pond near Ban Pa Muat, November 23, 1936 ; a third at some extensive 

 cliffs on the left bank of the Mae Ping just north of Ban Mut Ka, 

 December 23, 1935. Delacour and Greenway found the species com- 

 mon along the Mae Khong, so it must occur at Chiang Khong and 

 Chiang Saen. The locality nearest our area where the bird has 

 actually been taken is Rahaeng; a specimen in Washington was col- 

 lected there by Gairdner, February 26, 1916. 



The osprey is normally observed over bodies of water, for its diet 

 is composed almost entirely of fish. When a fish is sighted from 

 above, the bird hovers at one point in the air, in the manner of a 

 kestrel, then plunges with closed wings upon its victim. The call, 

 which is uttered frequently, whether the bird is perched or in flight, 

 is a series of sharp, shrill whistles, rapidly given, such as I have heard 

 from no other Thai species. 



The adult has the head and neck white, broadly streaked on the 

 crown and nape with dark brown ; a broad dark brown band from the 

 eye down the side of the neck, joining with the dark brown of the 

 upperparts; the lower plumage white, more or less heavily marked 

 with brown on the breast; the under wing coverts mixed brown and 

 white,. The immature is similar, but has the feathers of the upper- 



