48 THE HOME-LIFE OF 
of the telegraph-pole nest (Plate 32a) forms an inter- 
esting companion to a picturesque nest on a fence which 
I photographed on Gardiner’s Island (Plate 325). During 
my short side-trip to and from this nest, I counted ten 
Ospreys in the air, five of which had fish. I saw two 
birds carrying fish within a few yards of each other. All 
the fish-carrying birds were flying straight inland. 
I found, when I got back about 7.15, that the male 
Osprey had returned with a fish. The female was bending 
over in the nest as if feeding, and he was standing on a low 
snag of the tree. My watcher stated that the bird had 
arrived with the evening meal about seven o’clock. 
Some hasty work was necessary for me to pack up, enjoy 
the supper which my friend insisted on providing, and 
catch the last boat for New York; so that I was unable to 
watch the Ospreys further. But these facts I had at least 
definitely recorded during my observation of this pair of 
birds: (1) Only three fish had been brought to the nest in 
twenty-five hours—one at 7 p.m. on July 7th, one at 
4.15 a.m. on July 8th, and one at 7. p.m. on July 8th. The 
facts might indicate a morning and evening feeding 
each day ; (2) The female was never absent from the nest 
long enough to feed herself; (3) The female exhibited a 
devotion for and constant attendance upon her nest and 
young, such as can exist in very few species of birds. Of 
course, the rules of one nest do not necessarily apply to 
others, and it is more than possible that my constant 
presence near this nest created an unnatural situation. 
Then, too, the fact that in this instance there was only one 
young bird, would doubtless have a bearing on the number 
of fish brought to the nest. Even with these qualifications 
the results, I think, warranted the undertaking, and may 
serve as a stepping-stone to more detailed information 
in the future. Another acquaintance which resulted from 
my visit to Atlantic Highlands was that of Mr. Chas. Bauer, 
an uneducated but warm-hearted man, who had charge of 
a small pumping-station on the edge of the old orchard 
