42 BRITISH BIRDS. 



On the other hand, the young", in many cases fully fledged, 

 did not appear to crave for their meal, but would stand 

 with ruffled plumage and with drooping bill, often with 

 their heads overhanging the nest, as if overcome by the 

 heat. Totally unlike those on an islet in some Highland 

 loch, of which we read as eagerly scanning the horizon 

 for the advent of their meal. 



Indeed, the most lethargic of creatures they appeared, 

 save when we approached close or tried to handle them. 

 Then they would assume the most absurd attitudes, such 

 as one would hardly credit. They would be transformed 

 into regular spit-fires, with every feather standing on end, 

 their wings and tail raised and head lowered, and in every 

 other possible ridiculous attitude. In spite of this show 

 when we did lift them out of the nest they offered no 

 resistance, nor did they attempt to peck, but merely 

 scratched our hands in their frantic endeavours to obtain 

 a foothold. 



In many instances the young appeared to rely on their 

 undoubted protective coloration for concealment, surely 

 a rare trait amongst the Raptores. The fact remains that 

 when lying spread out on their nest, they were very 

 difficult to distinguish from their surroundings. The 

 two shown squatting in Fig. 5 were a marked instance of 

 this. They had evidently fallen out of their tree-nest when 

 comparatively young, and judging from the amount of 

 sticks and seaweed round them it seemed as if the old 

 birds had attempted to build a new nest for them on the 

 ground, indisputable is it that the structure bore a 

 resemblance to a nest. 



We never heard the young utter any other but a hissing 

 sound. There were generally three young in each nest, in 

 some there were two, in no case did we see four. Though 

 hatched in this locality early in June, and apparently fully 

 fledged by the middle of July, we were assured that they 

 seldom flew before the first week in August, and as 

 confirmatory of this fact we saw many young with fully 

 formed wings yet incapable of flight. 



