254 The Osprey 
in front and one behind (in the normal fashion), or, when a fish has 
to be held, with two in front and two behind. Professor Newton 
gave an excellent figure of the structure of the foot in his Dictionary. 
Yarrell points out how the wide lateral movement of the outer toe 
enables the foot to hold an object on all four sides, and describes 
how an Osprey in confinement was seen to seize its food thus. 
I confess I have never examined the marks made by the talons 
of an Osprey on a captured fish, but after watching Ospreys seize 
their prey it seems as if it was always carried ‘fore and aft,” or 
parallel to the body of the bird and not ‘‘athwart.” In such a 
position the claws would probably hold a slippery fish most securely 
if they entered it from two points in its back and were “clamped ” 
by the two other claws, one on either side of the body. No doubt 
this matter has been observed by other field-naturalists, but I can 
find no reference to it. With a fish thus held longitudinally, 
the marks of the claws of each foot would indicate either the four 
points of a St. George’s or of a St. Andrew’s Cross on the fish’s 
back, according as whether they were distributed as I suggest, or 
‘two in front and two behind.” 
The cry of the Osprey is of the well-known falcon or hawk type, 
such as Kestrels and Sparrowhawks use when scolding, only of 
course a good deal more powerful. When one approaches a cliff 
where they are nesting they will, from time to time, sail close past 
crying out in this manner, and very fascinating it is to watch them. 
I have also often heard the cry at night, but seemingly from 
birds sitting in or near their nests. Ospreys habitually use the un- 
occupied alternative nesting sites as places to perch and feed in, and 
hence the cries may come from roosting birds. They remain out 
fishing till long after sundown, and on one occasion, when rowing 
homeward in the month of November from some sea-cliffs, a friend 
with me shot at and killed an Osprey when it was too dark to see 
what he was firing at. The unfortunate bird at the time was flying 
into a cavern to roost. 
