feal 



THE BAR-TAILED FISHING EAGLE. 221 



,thers prominently barred with white on the inner webs ; the central 

 pair obsoletely barred paler. 



The young have the upper plumage dark brown, with buffy white margins 

 to all the feathers, and the under plumage is white. 



Iris bright yellow ; cere, gape and eyelids dull greenish blue ; bill black ; 

 legs pale greenish ; claws black. 



A female measured : length 22*5 inches, tail 9, wing 19, tarsus 2'2, bill 

 from gape 1*6. The male is smaller. 



The Osprey is tolerably abundant in the Pegu and the Sittang rivers, 

 and probably also occurs in the Irrawaddy river. Mr. Blyth records it 

 from Arrakan. Mr. Davison met with it only in the extreme south of 

 Tenasserim ; but it is probable that, as it occurs in Pegu, it is also likely to 

 be found along the whole of the coast of Tenasserim at certain seasons. 



It inhabits almost the whole of the tropical and temperate portions of 

 the world. 



The Osprey is probably only a winter visitor to Burmah ; I have only 

 observed it in the cold weather, chiefly in November and December. Two 

 or three pairs are usually located in the Sittang river, each pair apparently 

 keeping a portion of the river for its own exclusive use. 



The Osprey is remarkable for the formation of its foot, the outer toe 

 being reversible and pointing sideways. This causes it to have a very 

 secure grasp of fish, upon which food it entirely subsists, catching the 

 fish by darting down to the water with immense velocity. It hovers in the 

 air a good deal, and at times settles on sandbanks to rest and to bathe. 

 In Europe the Osprey usually builds its nest in some huge tree, construct- 

 ing it of sticks, and laying three eggs, boldly blotched with reddish brown. 



Genus POLIOAETUS, Kaup. 



592. POLIOAETUS ICHTHYAETUS. 

 THE BAR-TAILED FISHING EAGLE. 



Falco ichthyaetus, Horsf. Trans. Linn. Soc. xiii. p. 136. Polioaetus ichthyae- 

 tus, Jerd. B. Ind. i. p. 81 ; Hume, Hough Notes, ii. p. 239 ; id. Nests and Eggs, 

 p. 43; Sharpe, Cat. Birds B. Mm. i. p. 452 j Salvad. Ucc. Born. p. 6; Hume, 

 6'. F. iii. p. '20 ', Legge, S. F. iii. p. 363 ; Bl. B. Sunn. p. 63 ; Armstrong, S. F. 

 iv. p. 298; Hume, S. F. v. p. 129; Legge, Birds Ceylon, p. 72; Gurney, Ibis, 

 1878, p. 455; Cripps, S. F. vii. p. 248 ; Hume, S. F. viii. p. 82; Bingham, S. F. 

 ix. p. 144 ; Gates, S. F. x. p. 179 ; Kelham, Ibis, 1881, p. 367. 



Description. Male and female. The whole head and neck all round 

 grey ; the entire upper plumage and breast brown ; tail white, with a 



