32 FALCONID^. 



The versatility of the outer toe of the Osprey, the 

 strength, curvature, and sharpness of its claws, and the 

 roughness of the soles of its feet, are peculiarities of 

 structure adapted to the better securing its slippery prey ; 

 and the shortness of its thigh-feathers, unusual in the 

 Falcon tribe, is also evidently connected with its fishing 

 habits. A specimen at the Gardens of the Zoological 

 Society of London, when a fish was given to it, was 

 observed to seize it across the body, placing the inner 

 and outer toes at right angles with the middle and hind 

 toes, and digging in the claws, held the fish most 

 firmly by four opposite points ; not relaxing its hold 

 or altering the position of the toes, but picking out the 

 portions of flesh from between them with great ease and 

 dexterity. 



From the docility observable in the Osprey, Montagu 

 thought that it might formerly have been trained for 

 hawking of fish, as by an Act passed in the reign of 

 William and Mary, persons were prohibited at a certain 

 period of the year, from taking any salmon, salmon-peal, 

 or salmon kind, by Hawks, racks, guns, &c. 



The Osprey makes a large nest, sometimes on high 

 trees, at others on rocks, or about old ruins near large 

 pieces of water, and lays two or three eggs, which are 

 generally hatched in June. The eggs are about two 

 inches and four lines long by one inch ten lines in breadth, 

 blotched and spotted over the larger end with reddish 

 brown on a white ground. In some specimens the 

 secondary colour is of a paler yellowish red. During the 

 period of incubation, the male watches near, and sup- 

 plies the wants of the female ; catches fish for her, and 

 brings the food to the nest : she therefore seldom quits 

 the eggs, and then only for a very short interval. The 

 parent birds feed the young till they are in the full 



