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THE AMEBIC AN MUSEUM JOURNAL 



He is not just a mere chirper, his notes 

 are varied and unusually sweet. Often 

 he is heard in the depths of a wintry 

 world, when his song rings out above 

 the noise of such rapid waters as are 

 open in January. 



Barely has one crossed the northern 

 boundary of Yellowstone Park, be- 

 fore the driver points out Eagle Nest 

 Kock, and the "eagle's" nest on it, but 

 the birds nesting there are actually os- 

 preys. Eagles, both golden and bald, 

 are resident in Yellowstone, build their 

 nests and raise their young there. 

 They are so scarce, however, as to be 

 rarely seen, whereas the ospreys are 

 conspicuous along every large stream. 

 They are found by hundreds about Yel- 

 lowstone Lake and Caiion. One who 

 has watched and studied the osprey, 

 finds him a far nobler bird than either 

 of the eagles. The golden eagle is a 

 fine bird and usually captures his own 

 prey, but the osprey will touch nothing 

 but fresh fish of his own catching. The 

 bald eagle, unfortunately chosen our 

 national bird, is a robber and a carrion- 

 feeder. He watches the more expert 

 osprey, and when the trout has been 

 secured, he torments the smaller bird 

 until it drops the fish. Then with an 

 exultant scream, the eagle swoops down 

 and catches up his unlawful prey. 

 Often the bald eagle is ignobly caught 

 in a coyote trap set near a dead elk. 

 The osprey is a far different bird, 

 cleanly in his habits — and his young 

 are the models of deportment among 

 birds. 



The original nesting site of ospreys 

 in Yellowstone was the tip of a pine or 

 fir, where a great mass of sticks six feet 

 or more in diameter was deposited, at 

 times a stick as large as a man's wrist 

 being used. About Yellowstone Lake 

 there are literally hundreds of these 

 nests. In various other parts of the 



park, however, notably in the Yellow- 

 stone and Gardiner caiions, the osprey 

 has found the pinnacles of out-jutting 

 rock adapted to his purpose, and builds 

 his nest and raises his young there, to 

 the delight of thousands of visitors who 

 can look down upon the family. I can- 

 not confirm other writers in their re- 

 ports that the ospreys repair their nests 

 in the fall; they may do so. I have 

 repeatedly seen them rebuilding and re- 

 pairing in April and May, however, 

 when they first return from the South. 

 As a rule the same birds return to a 

 given nest year after year. After the 

 eggs are laid, the mother broods them 

 for four weeks. I do not believe that 

 the male makes it a rule to relieve her, 

 but he does do the hunting and is very 

 conscientious in seeing that she gets her 

 share. Occasionally when the sun is 

 warm, the female gets away from the 

 nest for a short time. The two or three 

 young are hatched so tender that the 

 mother remains on the nest to shield 

 them from the sun with her half-opened 

 wings. When the father brings in a 

 fish, from which he has first removed 

 the head and entrails, there is none of 

 that hurly-burly so characteristic of 

 other birds. The youngsters sit in an 

 orderly row, without any attempt to 

 get the fish, perhaps within three inches 

 of them. The father stands on the 

 trout, tears off half-inch bits which he 

 gives to the mother, she "chews" them 

 a few seconds and then gives some to 

 each nestling in turn. Sometimes the 

 male turns the catch over to the fe- 

 male, letting her do all the tearing and 

 feeding ; and he occasionally feeds a bit 

 directly to a youngster. Not only at 

 feeding time do the young ospreys show 

 their training. Let an enemy appear, 

 a warning note is sounded by a parent, 

 usually the mother, and the young in- 

 stantlv throw themselves flat on the 



