L2o 



THE OSPRE?. 



extreme length of body is three feet six inches, 

 and the formidable bill measures upward of four 

 inches. Everything about the great wandering 

 Albatross (I). exulan$) is vast the wings are 

 enormous; the flight is reckoned by the thousand 

 miles, and its very nest may be found within the 

 extinct crater on the adjacent island of Tristan 

 da Cunha — 7.000 feet above the sea level. The 

 plumage varies greatly on different specimens 

 and at different seasons; young ones, like our 

 friend under observation, having a mottled 

 brown appearance. The bill has a rosy tinge at 

 the base of the mandibles, passing into horn 

 color at the tip of the curve of the culmen. The 

 head, neck and body, together with the breast, 

 are principally white: the mantle has beautiful 

 pencilings of black. The wings are brown 

 above and wdiite underneath, tipped above and 

 below with black an in variable character of the 

 great Albatross. The tail is chiefly white, re- 

 lieved by blotches of black, which give the ap- 

 pearance of a black bar edging the white 

 coverts. The legs, feet and toes have a peculiar 

 bluish gray, with a suspicion of a livid pinkish 

 hue somewhat difficult to define. The black 

 pupils are bordered with green. I found eleven 

 feet six inches to be the average wing measure- 

 ment, although a gigantic specimen in the 

 Sydney Museum extends seventeen feet six- 

 inches with a bill six inches long. All sailors 

 are familiar with the great wandering Albatross 

 in its varying plumage. While the young and 

 even the second year birds possess every variety 

 of brown coloration, the really mature specimens 

 — especially round the Horn — are nearly pure 

 white, with the black tips above and below. 

 Most of the other species are hopelessly con- 

 fused by sailors under the general term "uiolly- 

 inauk" »a word spelled in divers ways), and it 

 took me many weeks to distinguish the different 

 kinds. — Exchange. 



OSPREY NOTES. Since the notes on the 

 < Kikky are about to come to a close and noth- 

 ing appears to have been said as to differences 

 in habits manifested between inland and coast 

 birds. I will add a few remarks based upon per- 

 sonal experience. 



The Osprey is not a rare bird in the Missis- 

 sippi Valley, and I have had many opportunities 

 t.i observe it there, more particularly near Bur- 

 lington, Iowa. 



The inland bird in its flight suggests that of 

 the Turkey Buzzard. It is extremely graceful, 

 dignified and deliberate — a sailing flight — a 

 gliding through the air with but very little 

 beating of the wing, while our coast birds, at 

 least those which I have observed on the Lower 

 Potomac and the Chesapeake Bay. seem of an 

 extremely nervous temperament; the flight sug- 

 gests that of the Fish Crow rather than that of 

 the inland Osprey. Here the birds may be seen 

 restlessly beating back and forth over some 

 shoal, hovering now and then before taking a 

 plunge for prey, but all the while violently exer- 

 cising their wings, -ailing only as they take a 

 short turn to resume their hunt. The shallows 



or shoals seem to be their favored fishing 

 grounds. 



We can readily understand that the fish must 

 approach nearer the surface and hence be more 

 easily accessible to the birds than in deeper 

 water, which would explain this preference. 

 I have seen no less than seven Ospreys rest- 

 lessly beating back and forth over a single 

 shoal in the month of August on the Lower 

 Potomac at one time. They fly with steady 

 -In ike a short distance (perhaps 6 to 30 feel) 

 above the surface, and stop short when some 

 suitable object for attack is discerned, pausing, 

 for a moment, then extending the feet out from 

 the body and forward, with a few strokes of the 

 wings which are extended far back, they take 

 the plunge, flying to shore with the prey if 

 successful or else continuing their restless 

 search. 



What a different picture does our inland bird 

 present! As he passes from one lake to another. 

 not restless, nervous, anxious like its coastal 

 brother, but quiet, a picture of sublime serenity. 

 Many a time, when bent upon similar pursuits, 

 have I seen the bird come lightly, gracefully 

 floating over the timber from an adjoining lake, 

 sailing down upon and by me and, on several 

 occasions, I have even been permitted to watch 

 this plunge at less than a stone's throw from 

 my post. A swift swish, a few short strokes 

 with wings thrown far back and extended tal- 

 lons, a splash, circlets of waves, a minute's 

 pause, a pair of beating wings, a shower of 

 spray, and the Osprey was again rising with 

 steady stroke to gain an elevation, pausing 

 every now and then as.it were, to send a shiver 

 over its wings and body to part with the last 

 drop of moisture still clinging to its dress. 

 Frame this scene, with a back ground of virgin 

 forest and the slowly ebbing ripple where the 

 ( Isprey broke the crystal lake, and you have a 

 picture of our inland bird. 



No differences have, as far as known, been 

 detected between the two individuals, and yet 

 one would expect that such marked contrasts in 

 habits might leave an impress upon the struct- 

 ural characters. — Bartsch. 



A Curiosity. — The following note has come 

 to our hands. We believe that it will interest 

 many of our readers and publish it here ver- 

 batim and literatim. 



"Sir I have a fowl it is half giney half chicken 

 it is a crost betwen a chicken riister and a 

 giney hen it is two years old and is harty and 

 spry it Wate is a bout S lbs it is a creem colar 

 With Giney fethers mixed thrue it its fithers is 

 very long it is a show it Self they hant any 

 thing on the globe like it if you Want it I Will 

 Send it poto to you this is no humbug it is facts 

 I would not Send you somthing and ly about it 

 What I write is facts let me no What you Will 

 give for it. 



"Yours truly. 



W. Va." 



