114 TOUR IN SUTHERLAND. CH. VII. 



at a considerable distance above the water, some- 

 times 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 ap- 

 pearing 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. Sometimes, 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 her 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 



