28 OSPHEY. 



many as four, are described by several writers, apparently 

 following Willugliby, to be of an elliptical form. They are 

 laid in May, and are about the size of those of a hen, and are 

 generally similar to each other in colour, but occasionally vary 

 considerably in size and shape: the ground colour is white, or 

 dingy yellowish, or brownish white, much mottled over, par- 

 ticularly at the base, in an irregular manner, with yellowish 

 brown or rust-colour, with some specks of light brownish grey. 

 The larger spots are sometimes of a very fine rich red brown. 



Weight of the male, between four and five pounds; length, 

 about one foot ten or eleven inches; bill, black, bluish black, 

 or brownish black, probably according to age, and blue or 

 horn-colour at the base; cere, light greyish blue; iris, yellow. 

 The rudiment of a crest is formed by the feathers of the nape, 

 which are lanceolate; head, white in the fully adult bird; 

 until then, the feathers are brown, margined with white; 

 crown, whitish or yellowish white, streaked with dark brown 

 longitudinal marks; neck, white, with a brown mark from the 

 bill down each side. The nape, whitish, streaked with dark 

 brown; chin, white, with sometimes a few dusky streaks; 

 throat, white or brownish white, streaked with dark or dusky 

 brown; breast, generally white, mottled about the upper part 

 with a few rather light brown feathers, forming an irregular 

 band, and also more or less sprinkled with yellowish or brown 

 markings the margins of the feathers being paler than the 

 rest. Selby says that the brown admixture is indicative of a 

 young bird, the adults generally, if not always, having that 

 part of an immaculate white, and there can I think be no 

 doubt but that it is so. The whole plumage, especially on the 

 under side, is close set, as is the case with water birds, their 

 frequent submersions requiring such a defence. 



The back, dark brown in some individuals the feathers being 

 margined with a paler shade; wings, long, and of wide ex- 

 panse, measuring five feet three or four inches across. When 

 closed, they extend a little beyond the end of the tail not 

 quite two inches; the first three quills are deeply notched on 

 the inner side near the end; primaries, dark brown, black, or 

 nearly black at the ends. The tertiaries assume the form of 

 quills; larger and lesser under wing coverts, white, barred 

 with umber brown; tail, short and square, waved with a 

 darker and a lighter shade of brown above, and beneath barred 

 with greyish brown on a white ground the two middle feathers 

 darker than the others. The legs reticulated, and pale blue. 



