THE LAST OF THE OSPREYS 57 



of 1888 a pair reached the lake as usual, though with 

 an interval of a few days between the arrival of the 

 male bird and its mate. The last was evidently a 

 stranger, though possibly one of the young hatched the 

 year before, but it took possession of the nest, and 

 busied itself in preparing it for the summer. A few 

 days later a second female appeared, and from the 

 moment of her arrival the eyrie was the scene of con- 

 tinuous warfare between the rival birds, each endeavour- 

 ing to drive the other from the nest. The first-comer 

 was the stronger, and maintained her place, in spite of 

 the savage attacks of the older bird, who, soaring above 

 the turret, pounced upon her back, and tore her 

 plumage with beak and talons. For two days the 

 struggle went on from dawn till dusk, with little inter- 

 mission. On the third, the dispossessed osprey seemed 

 exhausted, but her efforts to turn out the intruder did 

 not cease until the latter, suddenly rising from the nest, 

 flew towards her enemy, and struck her a blow which 

 hurled her senseless into the lake. The victor then 

 pounced upon her, and driving her talons on to her 

 body, tore the wounded bird with beak and talons until 

 she floated dead. The osprey then flew back to the 

 nest which had been the object of this fatal warfare, 

 but in a few days left the castle and built a nest in a 

 fir-tree at some distance from the island. No eggs 

 were laid, and the pair soon left Loch-an-Eilan, never 

 to return together. Each year the male bird has visited 

 the castle, on which it sits and calls for its dead mate, 

 and after hovering anxiously round the old home for a 



