THE OSPREY. 37 
and hour are impressed upon me by Mr. Cleaves’s naive 
remark that, “‘ There are probably not many places on earth 
where one can wash up the breakfast dishes and see through 
the window at the same time an Osprey feeding her 
young!” As we seldom returned again to the shanty until 
after dark, we had no opportunity to observe at what 
other times of day food was brought to this particular nest. 
The Osprey’s method of feeding her young is to hold 
down the fish with her foot, and tear off morsels with her 
bill, which she gives to the little ones (Plate 28). ‘The 
latter, which are at all times models of good behaviour, 
quietly raise their heads and take the proffered food. ‘There 
is no rush or scramble, no vulgar assailing of the parent, 
as in the case of some Herons. Indeed, the youngsters 
often display a surprising indifference. ‘They will look 
up to greet their mother when she alights on the nest 
(Plate 29), but I have never seen them standing on tip-toe 
and waving their wings expectantly, as some artists 
would have us believe. 
The only opportunity I ever had of photographing 
at close quarters an Osprey with a fish, was on my last 
morning at Gardiner’s Island in rg10. Resolved to make 
the best of the hours intervening before our boatmen 
should arrive to take us off, we were up before daylight and 
started with our cameras just as the sun was peeping above 
the horizon. The previous night I had left my blind near 
a certain beach nest, and Mr. Cleaves accompanied me to 
the place, saw me safely inside, and by his departure did 
much to insure the prompt return of the mother bird. 
She was soon back on the nest, but at once noticed the lens 
of my camera. Turning so as to face me squarely with 
both eyes, she peered intently at the blind, moving her 
head from side to side, horizontally. Then with a cry of 
alarm she sprang into the air, and flew back and forth 
above the nest. Occasionally the two half-grown youngsters 
in the nest would arise and start to move about; but at 
the sound of their mother’s warning note they would 
