146 ACCIPITRES. 



the spine be not injured. Hence it is much more difficult to 

 kill a fish in the water than a bird in the air, or a quadruped 

 on the surface of the earth ; and thus, the talons of the sea 

 eagle and the osprey (those of the latter especially) are fitted 

 for lifting rather than killing their finny prey. The weight 

 taken off by the buoyancy of the bird also diminishes the 

 effect of its stroke, and to compensate for that, the outer claw 

 can be reversed, so that they act two against two, which is 

 the most effective position in clutching. 



But if that toe had been prematurely turned backward, it 

 would not have answered so well upon other occasions. The 

 osprey has to sit upon craggy points, from which it can com- 

 mand the fishing ground ; and as the fish come most to the 

 surface when the rocks are rather slippery, their prey being 

 then most abundant and best seen, it is necessary that its foot 

 should be firm ; and, from the structure of its toes, it is 

 equally well adapted for perching and for clutching. 



The difference between the osprey and those birds of the 

 same order, which live chiefly upon warm-blooded animals, 

 affords a very remarkable instance of that wisdom of design 

 which pervades all nature. Over its finny prey this bird is 

 all-powerful ; but its powers are for self-preservation, not for 

 destruction. There is not, indeed, any destruction in nature ; 

 or rather, all nature's destructions are preservations. Man 

 has broken the law ; but the benediction of the Creator is 

 still upon all the rest they are " very good." There is no 

 wanton war but by man. The osprey is feeble in confine- 

 ment where she cannot use her " stoop :" one at the Zoolo- 

 gical Society's garden, was lately attacked and killed by an 

 American red-tailed buzzard, which among land-birds of prey 

 is far from one of the most powerful. 



When the osprey is merely passing from one place to 

 another, its flight has sometimes the heavy motion of the 

 buzzard, and at other times, when it flies higher, a very pecu- 



