THE BIRD-LIFE OF THE SPEY VALLEY. 91 
place between the birds, and the nest on Loch-an-Eilein was 
deserted for a time. 
In 1894 the ospreys again took possession of their old 
home, and during the summer of 1895, when we were living 
on the shore of the loch, just opposite the island, we were 
able, by the help of field-glasses, to observe them very closely. 
The birds showed little fear or shyness, going on with 
their own concerns while we were sitting within eighty yards 
of them, and it was a privilege, not soon to be forgotten, 
to watch thus closely one of our rarest and most beautiful 
birds of prey. 
The eggs were presumably laid about the beginning of 
May, and from that date the bird sat very closely until the 
second week in June, when the young were hatched out. 
We were never able to see actually more than one young 
bird at the time in the nest, but two eggs must have been 
hatched, as the two young birds were afterwards seen flying 
about. 
During the time of incubation the female bird was fed by 
her mate, and it was an interesting and beautiful sight to 
watch him sweeping down from over the mountains with 
his quarry, usually a trout of some considerable size, grasped 
in both talons ; and then circling round and round the island, 
giving a peculiar cry of greeting, which was always answered 
by his mate upon the nest. After several circuits he would 
alight, deposit the fish upon a particular spot in the nest, 
a slightly higher kind of platform at the back, and depart 
again. After he was gone the female used to leave the eggs, 
and eat the fish where it had been laid—holding it under 
her claws and tearing it to pieces with her powerful beak. 
One day, after the young birds were hatched out, I saw the 
male osprey behaving in a curious manner. He was flying 
close to the surface of the water, a thing I never saw him do at 
any other time, carrying something in his claws from the nest to 
the further shore, where he alighted. This he repeated two 
or three times. The thing, whatever it may have been, was 
gray and fluffy, and at first I came to the rather hasty 
conclusion that he was taking the young bird out for an 
airing. But at last the mysterious object was left on the 
side of the nest, opposite the place where the fish was always 
