AMERICAN OSPREY 365 



have never seen their parents catch fish, will begin fishing for them- 

 selves as soon as they have fully mastered the intricate problem of 

 flight. At first they have very little success. I have seen a young 

 bird plunge into a river seven times in succession without securing a 

 fish, but the bird did not appear to be in the least discouraged, for it 

 continued to follow the river and scan its waters in search of a 

 victim." 



Plumages. — The young osprey, when first hatched, is entirely un- 

 like the young of any other hawk. It is not naked, as has been said, 

 but is completely covered with very short, soft down, protectively 

 colored. The color is mainly in shades of "pale pinkish buff" tinged 

 with "cinnamon" on the crown ; the lores, auriculare, and a large spot 

 on the occiput are "bone brown", and the sides of the neck are tinged 

 with this color; the shoulders, back, wings, and rump, except for a 

 wide buffy stripe down the center of the back, are "bone brown", 

 with "wood brown" tips; the entire under parts are "pale pinkish 

 buff" and unmarked. This down is Avorn with but little change ex- 

 cept fading until the plumage appears. There is no secondary down, 

 as in young eagles and many hawks. A larger young bird, about 

 a foot long, probably about three weeks old, shows some slight 

 changes; the lores and auriculars are darker, brownish black, the 

 latter nearly clear black; short feathers have appeared on the hind 

 neck, "cinnamon-buff" to "pinkish cinnamon" in color ; small feathers, 

 similarly colored, are appearing on the wings and in the broad cen- 

 tral, dorsal stripe, which has now faded to dull white; the dark 

 areas, in which the down is still short and thick, are now "bister" in 

 color ; and the central belly is "drab." 



When about four weeks old, the plumage begins to appear, the 

 black primaries showing first, then the black and white pattern of the 

 head and the dusky, yellowish-tipped plumage of the mantle; when 

 five weeks old the young bird begins to look like a real osprey. At 

 this stage, in fresh juvenal plumage, the crown is buffy white, heavily 

 streaked with brownish black; the hind neck is tinged with "cinna- 

 mon-buff"; the rest of the upper parts are "warm sepia" to "bister", 

 the feathers broadly tipped with "cream-buff"; the tail is broadly 

 tipped with "cinnamon-buff" ; the throat and fore breast are washed 

 Avith "cinnamon-buff", and the rest of the under parts are white. 



This plumage is worn, wnth only slight and gradual changes, 

 throughout the first year. The buff tips fade out to white and then 

 Avear aAvay during the first Avinter. The head and neck become 

 Avhiter. Some body molt begins late in fall or early in winter and is 

 prolonged through spring and summer. The Avings and tail may be 

 molted in spring; but probably oftener in summer or fall. When 

 the young bird is 18 months old, its plumage is practically adult. 



