THE OSPEEY. 



73 



THE OSPREY OR FISHHAWK; ITS CHARACTERISTICS AND HABITS.— IV. 

 By Theodore Gii.l. Washing-ton, D. C. 

 Continued t rout Vol. l\ p. 60. 



"He remained until late in September, but at 

 the time the other Ospreys departed he too dis- 

 appeared. The next spring-, however, found 



OSPREY NEST ON GARDINER'S ISLAND. 



him again at his post, and throughout the whole 

 summer he continued just as before; but in the 

 ensuing autumn, joining the company of his 

 fellow Ospreys in their journey to the south- 

 land, he departed, this time to return no more." 



Such is the story heard by Mr. Harry C. < >ber- 

 holser, and told by liim in the ( ISPREV fur 

 December LS'»7, |ji, SO). The episode happened 

 in Monmouth County, New Jersey. 



We presume to doubt, however, that the bereft 

 Osprey received the attention of others to the 

 extent supposed, or that it was watched with 

 the assiduity claimed. 



PLACE OF NESTING. 



The Osprey raises but one brood a year in 

 one locality, Audubon's belief to the contrary 

 notwithstanding. 



At the commencement of settled spring 

 weather, it enters upon the duty of perpetuating 

 its race. A young couple may build a nest for 

 themselves or take possession of an abandoned 

 one. But the same nest may be occupied year 

 after year. As soon as a pair take possession 

 of an old nest of which one or both may have 

 been previous occupants, they "at once set to 

 work to repair any damage their nests may have 

 received from the previous winter blasts." 

 Consequeuth' there is much difference between 

 nests, some being crude and shallow, while 



others are huge conglomerations representing 



the successive additions of years. 



The nests are variously placed. By prefer- 

 ence, indeed, the birds build about or 

 near the summit of some tree, the 

 kind being of little account. For in- 

 stance they have been found "in ti e 

 tops of cedars, the various species of 

 oaks, hickories, poplar, buttonwoods, 

 tupelos, wild cherry, black walnut, and 

 pear trees:" the list might be indefi- 

 nitely extended. But when suitable 

 trees are absent, they make shift in 

 many ways. At Plum Island, "the 

 nests were placed almost anywhere 

 on t lie tops of the highest trees, or 

 011 their lowest branches, only five or 

 six feet from the ground; on stunted 

 trees on'y a lew feet in height, on 

 i ol-ited trees far out in open land, as 

 w.ll as in t'.ie woods; on the sheep 

 ban', and 011 an old pile of rails by the 

 gate of the farm house; while thirty 

 to forty per cent were actually on the 

 ground. These latter varied from a 

 slight depression in the ground, as in 

 Hi.- case of newly formed nests, to 

 conical mounds four or rive feet high. 

 f o r m 1 - ■ I 

 by mate- 

 rials ad- 

 ded year after year 



by the birds, rilled 



in with sand blown 



by the winds. High 



rocks on the shore, 



and low io:ks far 



1 ut in the water, 



scarcely a bo v •■ 



high tide and swept 



by the a u t u 111 11 



storms were also 



chi isen as situa- 

 tions for m-sls. A 



large buoy, with a 



lattice-work top. 



near the west end 



of Fisher's Island, 



w .is also occui id 



for many years by 



a nest of these 



birds, greatly to 



the advantage of 



sailors and fisher- 

 men, w h o were 



warned in t h i c k 



weatherof the posi- 

 tion of the buoy by 



the screaming of 



the Fish Hawks." 



One nest describ- 

 ed by Mr. Allen 



"was placed upon 



an old pile of fence 



OSPREY NEST IN R. I. 



