PANDION HALIAETUS. 55 
birds arrive in October and November, returning north in 
March/^ — Favier. 
The Osprey is most abundant in the Straits in winter. I 
saw a pair catching fish near Cape Negro, at Lake Esmir, 
in April ; and a pair nest on the rocks westward of Tangier. 
Another pair regularly breed at Gibraltar, on the rocks a 
little to the north of " Monkeys' Cave.'' The Rev. John 
White noticed the nesting of the Osprey at Gibraltar about 
a century ago ; and probably this is the same situation, and 
has been used ever since. I first knew of the eyry in 
May 1869, when there were young in the nest; these did 
not fly till the middle of July. In 1871 the nest was taken 
in the middle of March, and then contained three eggs ; 
the old birds did not leave the vicinity, and bred again the 
next season, but in a different situation close to the old 
one. The first site of the nest was only to be seen from 
the Europa Advance Battery, where I spent many an hour 
watching the old birds with a telescope. 
Being positive that only one pair of Ospreys breed at 
Gibraltar, and knowing the date of laying of that pair, I 
cannot account for the fact of seeing, on the 23rd of April, 
one take up from the surface of the sea and carry off a 
stick or splinter some three feet long ; and on the 30th of 
March I also saw another carrying a stick. Could this be 
done in play? On the 17th of February I saw one of 
these Ospreys give a Gannet, which had ventured too near 
the nest, a great buffeting, knocking him about and chasing 
him for half a mile. The Isla de Palomas, a small patch of 
rock near the celebrated and dangerous Pearl Rock, is a 
favourite resting-place of these birds ; and one is usually 
to be seen there at all seasons, perched on a small pinnacle. 
A brother officer of mine killed an Osprey on the wing 
at Europa Mess-house with a pea-rifle. The bird was flying 
high up over the sea; but the very strong westerly wind 
blowing at the time caught and landed it among the men's 
huts ; and it now (being well set up) remains a trophy of his 
skill with the rifle. 
The cere, legs, and toes are blue. 
