THE OSPREY. 



27 



The North American form is constantly rep- 

 resented by individuals in the tropical and sub- 

 tropical countries, including Florida and the 

 Gulf states. In the southernmost regions, during 

 the summer months, the resident population i- 

 reduced to a minimum, but in winter is reinforced 

 by the return of many who had left for a summer 

 sojourn and to raise a family in the countries of 

 strongly contrasting seasons. 



Birds make their first appearance at the close 

 of winter; in the latitudes of Philadelphia and 

 New York, about the time of the vernal equinox 

 (20th or 21st of March). "It is reckoned as the 

 first harbinger of the breaking up of winter and 

 of settled spring weather. At first a solitary in- 

 dividual will be seen circling slowlj' over some 

 creek. In a few days they became abundant". 



The departure from the north begins when the 

 weather changes and threatening cold super- 

 venes, and in the inverse order of their advent 

 in the spring. This emigration then com- 

 mences from the isothermal districts of Phila- 

 delphia and New York, about the time of the 

 autumnal equinox. Thus the life of many birds 

 is spent almost equally in their northern and 

 southern homes. 



It seems to be generally believed that the 

 males precede the females in their journey 

 northward. Audubon puts the appearance of 

 the females not less than "eight or ten days 

 after the arrival of the male.-'". Mr. Worthing- 

 ton communicated to Bendire the ideas of the 

 lighthouse keeper of Plum island. He "gave 

 the date of the arrival of the Fishhawks as early 

 in April, the time varying but a few days from 

 year to year, the male.- coming first, followed 

 two or three days later by the females". The 

 reasons for these statements and the evidence 

 on which it was based have never been given. 



St VTION. 



The Osprey living, as it doe.-., almost exclu- 

 sively on fish, necessarily resorts chiefly to those 

 localities which are convenient to fishing place-. 

 Consequently its main resorts are near the 

 shores of the ocean and, to a less extent, interior 

 water- in which fishes abound. Trees add to 

 the attractiveness of a locality although they 

 are by no mean- indispensable. 



It is well-known to be to a considerable extent 

 a gregarious bird in North America. In Europe, 

 however, so far as Mr. Dresser could learn, "the 

 Osprey always nests singly". iSee Dresser's 

 Bird- of Europe, vi. p. 147.) 



"The only approach to the gregarious habits 

 of the American Ospreys" which Mr. J. H. Gur- 

 ney. the well-known authority on raptorial birds, 

 had heard of elsewhere was related to him 

 by "that excellent observer of Australian 

 birds, the late Mr. F. Strange, who informed" 

 him "that on the coast- of Australia three or 

 four pair- of < >-prev- are sometimes to be found 

 living in near proximity to each other". (Ibis. 

 1883, p. 596.) 



But certainly one instance of sociability of the 

 European bird is recorded by Seebohni (i. 60). 

 He believed that "the most favourite place of all" 

 for its nest "is on islands covered over with 

 timber in the middle of a lake on which there 



are no boats. In a locality of this kind in 

 Pomerania, a number of Ospreys formed a colony, 

 in one case two nests being on the same 

 tree'*. 



The gregarious tendency of the American 

 bird has been abundantly confirmed in various 

 localities: celebrated are the nesting region- of 

 Cape May county. (N. J..) Gardiner- i-land, (N. 

 Y..I and Plum island. iMass.) 



The Plum island colony has been described 

 quite fully in a very interesting article by Mr. 

 C. S. Allen in the'Auk. (ix. 313-321. 18). ""The 

 island is three miles long-, east and west, narrow 

 and high to the eastward, broadening to the 

 westward, where is a lighthouse on a high bluff 

 or sand cliff. To the south of this a rolling sandy 

 meadow extends for a mile, some part- of which 

 are nearly level, and others, especially near the 

 beach, form a series of sand hills. Near the 

 center of the island, to the westward, i- a -wain]), 

 partly clear water, partly boggy and overgrown 

 with bushes, across which was a much used 

 causeway, called Love Lane. Near the swamp, 

 and almost enclosed by it. was a piece of wood- 

 land of perhaps twenty acre- in extent". 



( in tlii- small island, the Ospreys were en- 

 couraged to settle, and were protected by the 

 principal proprietor of the island. Numerous 

 birds congregated there, occupying neighbor- 

 ing areas. Further detail- will be found under 

 the caption Nidification. 



THE OSPREV \ PEACEABLE BIRD. 



The Osprey i- a very unaggressive bird, espe- 

 cially for a raptorial species; so little a^^iv- 

 -ive. indeed, that Audubon "never observed a 

 Fishhawk chasing any other bird whatever". 

 He even declared that it was "so pacific and 

 timorous" that "rather than encounter a foe. 

 but little more powerful than it-elf. it abandon- 

 its prey to the White-headed Eagle". This, 

 however, is an exaggregated statement which 

 has been abundantly negatived by others. 



Wilson had previously recorded that "they 

 no sooner arrive" at their summer or nesting 

 abode -'than they wage war against the Bald 

 Eagle.-, as against a horde of robbers and ban- 

 dit-; sometimes succeeding, by force of num- 

 bers and perseverance, in driving- them from 

 their haunts, but seldom or never attacking 

 them in -ingle combat". 



Mr. Walter Woodman also repeatedly saw it 

 "attack the Night Heron and pursue it for a 

 short distance. There seemed [to Mr. Wood- 

 man] to be no reason for these attacks, but the 

 Hawk appeared to be venting his ill-humor upon 

 the poor Heron for want of some other object". 

 The same observer, when in a boat with two 

 companion-, -aw one "attack some water fowl 

 that wa- swimming by near its nest. The bird 

 dove, and the Fishhawk hovered about till it re- 

 appeared, when it renewed its attack. This per- 

 formance lasted for a few minutes, and ended 

 by the Fishhawk's desisting from his assaults". 

 Am. Nat.. 1870, p. 559, 560). 



Mr. Allen likewise noticed their assault- on 

 Herons, and sug-gested a possible reason. "In 

 the swamp near the Fishhawk's nest wa- a 

 colony of Night Herons, nesting in the smaller 



