THE OSrREY. 43 



Tliere is a good reason for the love wliicli the fishermen bear towards the Osprey, as it is 

 the harhiugcr of their best seasons, and by its headlong sweeps after the basse and other 

 fish intimates that their nets may be successfully employed. 



Harmless though the Osprey be — except to the fish — it is a most persecuted bird, 

 being not only annoyed by rooks and crows, but robbed by the more powerful white- 

 headed Eagle. Mr. Thompson records an instance where an Osprey, which had lieen fishing 

 in Loch Ruthven, was greatly harassed by an impertinent Eoyston crow, which attacked 

 the nobler bird as soon as it had caught a fish, and, as if knowing that it was incapable 

 of retaliation, actually struck it while on the wing. The Osprey kept quietly on its 

 way, but was so wearied by the repeated attacks of the crow, that when pursued and 

 pursuer had vanished out of sight, the poor Osprey had not been able to commence his 

 repast. 



How this species is robbed by the white-headed Eagle, who strikes the Osprey on the 

 wing, and snatches from the poor bird the i-esults of its morning's labours, is well known 

 through the gi'aphic descriptions of Wilson and Audubon. The passages in which this 

 thievish habit is recounted are so familiarly known, and have been so frecj^uently quoted, 

 that I prefer merely to mention them, and to insert in the present pages another 

 account of the same proceedings, wi-itten also by an eye-witness. The author is Mr. 

 Webber, well known for his "Wild Scenes and Wild Hunters," and other works of a similar 

 character. 



" The bald Eagle, who is a sort of omnipresent predator wherever the primeval nature 

 holds her own upon the continent, makes' his appearance sometimes suddenly on his -wide- 

 visiting wings amidst these solitudes, that seem rightly to belong to the fish-hawk alone. 

 His hoarse bark startles the deep silence from afar, and every natural sound is mute. 

 Wheeling grandly amidst the dim blue cliffs, he subsides on slow and royal spread upon 

 some blasted pine beside the lake-river, and with quick short screaming — while he 

 smooths his raffled plumes — announces to awed nature that its winged monarch has come 

 down to rest. The friendly fish-hawks, in silent consternation, dart hither and yon in 

 vexed uncertain flight, the tiny songsters dive into deep thickets, and the very cricket, 

 underneath dead leaves, pauses for a moment in its cheerful trill, while the shadow of that 

 drear sound passes over all. But now the kingly bird gTows quiet, and with many a shift 

 of feet and restless lift of wing — while fierce, far-darting eyes are taking in all the 

 capabilities of his new perch — he sinks into an attitude of deep repose, one j-ellow-heated 

 eye upturned, watching the evolutions of the startled fish-hawks, whose movement, 

 becoming less and less irregular as they wheel to and fro, gi-adually subsides into the 

 measured windings of their habitual flight in seeking prey, while the buzz, the hum, the 

 chii-p, the chatter, and the carol creep up once again, and nature becomes voiceful in her 

 happy silence. 



Now, to witness, as I have done, from the moimtain tops, the Osprey sweep do^\Ti from 

 the dizzy height, almost level with my feet, and hear the faint whirr of arrowy-falling 

 plumes, and see the cloud-spray dimly flash through the blue steep of distance — ah, that 

 was a sight ! And then the strong bird's screani of exidtation faintly heard, and the far 

 flash of scales glittering as he drags his .spoil to sunlight from its dark slumberous home, and 

 on strong vans goes beating up towards the clouds ; ah, that too was a sight ! But the" 

 to see deep down, that couchant tyi-ant deep down below, ' levelling his neck f-^'* " ' 

 the 'glorious weaver' has it), his war crest raised, his wings half ■- 



moment on his stoop, and then one clamorous shriek ■^'^ <■■• ^ _,^ 



vault away, up, up, with a swift cleave, conquei-ir. . un the si^ell 



of wings ! Wonderful sight — that upw- " - - ., .. , ^^^^^ taken warning 



from the exulting cry of his old ^m- t,- ; ^^^s, as if for help, goes up 



and upward, s-wifter stil' .^.i- the fleece-forms of cloud aliove 



me, and stir the^. ' .^u ; the conqueror with overcoming wings 



is upon hii. ,tirred chaos cannot hide from me, and the fisher 



drops its p ^ shriek, while it goes gleaming headlong towards its 



ravished ho an instant's poise while the sunlight can flash off a ray from 



