270 BOMBAY DUCKS 



There must be half a dozen of these fishermen which 

 carry on their trade in the Pulicat Lake. The back- 

 water at Ennore has also its complement of these 

 magnificent birds. Seen as it rests on a pile marking 

 the channel of the canal through the shallow lake, 

 the bird may be easily mistaken for a large kite, its 

 length being six or seven inches more than that of the 

 common kite. Its head, breast, and lower parts are, 

 however, white. There is a broad black bar running 

 down each side of its neck. The back and wings are 

 dark brown. But it is by its habits rather than its 

 appearance that one recognizes the osprey. 



The fishing operations of the terns, or sea-swallows 

 as they are sometimes called, fall rather flat after those 

 of the raptorial bird. When a tern dives there is none 

 of the mighty splash which marks the performance 

 above described. The tern does its work so neatly 

 that it enters the water with little more commotion 

 than that made by a falling pebble. The tern is 

 to the manner born. It comes of a long line of fisher- 

 folk. 



For myriads of generations its ancestors have dived 

 after their finny prey. The osprey, or fish-hawk as it is 

 often called, is, on the other hand, a bird of prey which 

 has taken to fishing. It is, so to speak, an amateur ; 

 exceeding skilled, it is true, but nevertheless, by com- 

 parison with the sea-swallow, an amateur. One natur- 

 ally expects to see a tern dive for its food, but to 

 witness a great bird of prey tumble headlong into the 

 water, like a falling boulder, takes one's breath away. 



It is the great skill of the tern which causes its 



