9 ES a aS eee 
By the Rev. A. C. Smith. . 848 
assailant, and is at last compelled to drop the fish, which the Erne 
with astonishing quickness manages to seize before it falls into the 
water, and bears off with a scream of victory and triumph. The 
Osprey has a very wide range, but America seems to be its strong- 
hold, and there it congregates for breeding in vast numbers, just as 
rooks do in this country; and of which the American ornithologist, 
Wilson, gives many interesting particulars: its general colour is 
brown above, and white below, with a white crown to its head; 
legs pale blue. In allusion to the rapidity with which it darts 
upon fish, it is called by the Italians “‘ Aquila Piombino,” or Leaden 
Eagle. Notwithstanding the scarcity of large sheets of water in 
this county, this bird has been often killed in different parts of it, 
and not unfrequently within the last few years. Mr. Rowland 
shot a very fine specimen at Ramsbury, near the river Kennet, 
about two years since, at a piece of water in the occupation of Sir 
R. Burdett ; and at the adjoining fishery belonging to Mr. Popham, 
that gentleman informs me he has also met with and killed it. 
The Rey. G. Marsh has one in his collection which the keeper ob- 
tained in Draycot Park in 1830, and was, when seen, preying on a 
rabbit, (contrary to its usual habits,) and was very poor; and 
another, a very fine one, was killed at Brinkworth, near Malmes- 
bury, in August, 1852. In addition to these, I learn from Mr. 
Stratton that two were killed some years ago in the neighbourhood 
of Warminster; and as recently as last summer, a fine male bird 
was caught at Longleat, being accidentally trapped in a pole-trap, 
with a trout of two lbs. in its talons, which it never dropped. 
“The Gyr-Falcon,” (Falco gyrfalco,) nearly approaching to the 
Eagles in size, and by far the most rare, as well as the strongest 
and most valuable of the Falcons trained for the chase, is the Ice- 
land or Gyr-Falcon; for these I cannot but consider to be one and 
the same bird in different stages of plumage, though for many 
years they were presumed to be distinct, and even now are declared 
to be so by some, and those no mean Naturalists. Their prevailing 
colour is white, spotted with brown, but each year diminishes the 
dark spots, so that in very old specimens, the bird assumes a plumage 
of almost perfect whiteness; from which constant variations in 
