KESTBEL 215 



outgrow the savage fit, and if he had confined his virulent attacks 

 to his master and mistress it would have been well with him. 

 Unfortunately for him, he attacked others who were made of 

 poorer clay. One evening at dinner the butler, while occupied 

 with his duties, was struck savagely on the wrist by the kestrel. 

 Like a well-trained servant, he did not wince or cry out, but 

 marched stohdly roimd the table, pouring out wine, anxious only 

 to conceal the blood that trickled from his wounds. But on the 

 following day the bird was missing, and was never afterwards seen 

 or heard of. 



Osprey. 



Pandion haliaetus. 



Feathers of the head and neck white with dark centres ; on 

 each side of the neck a streak of blackish brown, extending down- 

 wards ; upper plumage generally deep brown ; imder parts white, 

 tinged here and there with yellow, and on the breast marked with 

 arrow-shaped spots ; tail-feathers barred with dusky ; cere and beak 

 dark grey ; iris yellow. Length, two feet. 



The osprey, like the sea-eagle, hen harrier, and kite, is one of 

 the species that linger with us on the verge of extinction ; and it 

 may linger for many years, as in the case of the avocet, the black- 

 tailed godwit, and the ruff, after these species had been reduced 

 to a few breeding pairs ; and, on the other hand, it may be gone 

 to-morrow. That it will remain permanently as a member of the 

 British avifaima is scarcely to be hoped. 



The osprey, like the peregrine falcon and the short-eared owl, 

 has an immense range, and inhabits Europe, Africa, the greater 

 part of Asia, Japaji, Formosa, the AustraHan region. New Guinea, 

 and America. With us it appears in autumn as a migrant in 

 small numbers ; but the birds of the British race are now reduced 

 to one or two pairs that breed annually in the Highlands of Scot- 

 land, and are strictly protected in their summer haunts. 



The osprey feeds exclusively on fish, which it drops upon like a 

 tern or gannet ; but, falcon-like, it strikes with its feet, and, with its 

 slippery prey gripped firmly in its sharp, crooked talons, it flies 

 back to land. 



The nest is usually placed in a tree, and is very large, formed of 

 sticks, and lined with moss. Two or three eggs are laid, white or 



Q 



