72 TOUR IN SUTHERLANDSHIRE. 



two minutes together. For these reasons the osprey is but 

 little disturbed, and lives unmolested for years. Even if a 

 shepherd does pass the loch, the bird sits securely on her 

 isolated rock, out of reach of all danger ; as her nest can only 

 be approached, in most instances, by swimming. I generally 

 saw the osprey fishing about the lower pools of the rivers, 

 near their mouths ; and a beautiful sight it is. The long- 

 winged bird hovers (as a kestrel does over a mouse) at a 

 considerable distance above the water, sometimes on perfectly 

 motionless wing, and sometimes wheeling slowly in circles, 

 turning her head and looking eagerly down at the water; she 

 sees a trout when at a great height, and suddenly closing her 

 wings, drops like a shot bird into the water, often plunging 

 completely under, and at other times appearing scarcely to 

 touch the water; but seldom failing to rise again with a good- 

 sized fish in her talons. The feet of the osprey are extremely 

 rough, and the toes placed in a peculiar manner, so as to give 

 the best possible chance of holding her slippery prey. Some- 

 times, in the midst of her swoop, the osprey suddenly stops 

 herself in the most abrupt manner, probably because the fish, 

 having changed its position, is no longer within her range ; 

 she then hovers again, stationary in the air, anxiously looking 

 below for the reappearance of the prey. Having well 

 examined one pool, she suddenly turns off', and with rapid 

 flight takes herself to an adjoining part of the stream, where 

 she again begins to hover and circle in the air. On making 

 a pounce into the water, the osprey dashes the spray up far 

 and wide, so as to be seen for a considerable distance. 



The rapidity and certainty of stroke that a bird must 

 possess to enable it to catch so quick a creature as the sea- 

 trout can scarcely be understood. One would naturally 

 suppose that the trout, in its own element, would give a bird 

 not the slightest chance of catching it, particularly as this can 

 only be done at one dash, the osprey of course not being able 

 to pursue a trout under the water like a cormorant. All fly- 

 fishers must know the lightning-like rapidity with which a 

 trout darts up from the depth of several feet, and with 

 unerring aim seizes the fly almost before its wings touch the 

 water ; and yet here is a large "bird, hovering directly over, 

 and in full view of the water, who manages to catch the 

 rapid-darting trout with an almost certain swoop, although 

 one would naturally suppose that the fish would be far off, 

 in the depth of the pool, or behind some place of refuge, lonsr 



