20 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST. 



in an adjoining field. Its expanse of wing from tip to 

 tip was seven feet six inches, and its weight eight pounds 

 and a quarter. 



The friend I have mentioned kindly procured the loan 

 of the bird from Whitfield,and sent it for my inspection. 

 It is a fine specimen, in the immature plumage of the 

 third or fourth year, and its markings are as follows : 

 Hackled feathers of the head and upper neck dark 

 brown, the basal portions being white, which here and 

 there shows through ; throat, breast, and back different 

 shades of white and brown, somewhat mottled, each 

 feather having an oval brown tip ; back, belly, shoulders, 

 and upper wing coverts mottled, brown and white; thighs 

 brown ; primaries and secondaries dark brown, the 

 tertiaries being rather lighter ; upper tail coverts 

 mottled, brown and white, lower tail coverts dirty white, 

 the terminal portion of each feather being edged with 

 dark brown, and distinctly tipped ; tail feathers, inner 

 webs dirty white, outer webs brown, somewhat mottled 

 on the centre feathers ; bill dark horn colour ; legs 

 yellow, with formidable black claws. 



The next is one which I am afraid is rapidly becoming 

 scarce even in its own Scottish fastnesses, the Osprey 

 (Pandion haliceetus), one having taken up a temporary 

 abode on the borders of the lake in Thoresby Park in 

 the summer of 1855, I have only once noted the pre- 

 vious occurrence here of this fine fish hawk ; indeed, 

 it is very rarely seen so far from its usual haunts, but 

 the one in question must have been attracted in its 

 wanderings by the piscine resources of the large sheet 

 of water where I had the pleasure of seeing it. Here 

 it remained some weeks, faring sumptuously, its manner 

 of fishing affording me aud others who witnessed it 



