52 THE HOME-LIFE OF 
little group at the centre. As definitely observed at 
Atlantic Highlands, the male comes home to his nest to 
spend the night. In a colony like Gardiner’s Island it is a 
pleasing experience to observe after nightfall dozens of old 
Ospreys guarding their nests, each on some gaunt snag 
silhouetted against the sky. 
The life and training of young Ospreys after they leave 
the nest, I have unfortunately had little opportunity to 
observe. My visits to Gardiner’s Island have all occurred 
before any of the young were actually on the wing, although 
already many of them appeared to be fully fledged. In 
July I have seen full-grown youngsters standing on their 
nests, and beating their wings in anticipation of the new 
power that is soon to be theirs. Nevertheless, Nuttall 
declares that they are sometimes so loath to make a start 
in the world, that they have to be forcibly driven from 
the nest by their parents.* 
Authorities seem to agree that the young Osprey’s 
life in the nest covers a period of five or six weeks.t 
On August 13th, 1911, I was unable to find any young 
still remaining in some half-dozen nests which I visited 
in New Jersey, especially to enlighten myself on this 
point. Observations made at that time indicate that 
the birds will, after fishing, bear their catch as much 
as three of four miles from the water, in order to devour 
it on the bed of the empty nest. I also believe the 
entire family return to the neighbourhood of their old 
homes to roost. 
Once I observed a young Osprey perched on a bough 
overhanging a lake-side, and watching with the keenest 
interest his mother, as she quartered the surface of the 
water, intent on fishing Whenever the old bird passed, 
the youngster would call in shrill whistled tones, just 
as any hungry baby-bird pesters its parent, whether or 
not the latter has food. Three days later 1 happened to 
* Birds of the United States and Canada ” (ed. 1903), p. 30. 
+ cf. Chapman, ‘‘ Camps and Cruises of an Ornithologist,” p. 52. 
