The Zoologist — October, 1874. 4169 



The osprey is a bird with whose figure, appearance and habits 

 we are all more or less familiar ; if we have never made his personal 

 acquaintance, still the life-like representation of the fish-hawk and 

 his traditional piscatorial achievements have been stock subjects 

 with naturalists on both sides of the Atlantic for a long series of 

 years. The following anecdote shows the rapidity with which this 

 bold bird may recover his self-possession, even when his life has 

 been in imminent danger. 



" A singular instance of sudden terror instantaneously subdued occurred 

 near the spot. Seeing au osprey with a fish in his claws flying across the 

 water, at a considerable distance from the surface, I ventured a shot with a 

 ball, missing, as usual. With a start and a cry, possibly of alarm at the 

 sound of the missile, the bird suffered its prey to fall, but the latter bad 

 only dropped a few yards, when, with a sudden dash, it was recovered while 

 yet in the air, and carried away to the summit of au opposite cliff, where, 

 by means of my telescope, I watched the subsequent repast." — P. 10. 



Another passage illustrates the character of the crow as well 

 as that of the osprey; the former seems to have been a most 

 pertinacious torflientor. It is worthy of record that we find in the 

 bird-world abundance of similar instances of the smaller species 

 assailing and annoying the larger and more powerful, and we 

 cannot always predicate the motives which influence the aggressor. 

 This fearlessness of superior strength and capability seems a very 

 general attribute of our feathered friends. 



" Although the osprey wiU sometimes alight upon a flat surface for the 

 purpose of devouring its prey, it seems to prefer a railing, the top of a wall, 

 an isolated rock, or, in fact, any situation from which it can readily observe 

 the approach of an enemy. Nevertheless, most of those which find their 

 way into collections are shot in such situations while absorbed in their 

 occupation of feeding. In Shetland, where trout are abundant, and but little 

 care is taken to preserve them, it has but few persecutors ; although in the 

 hooded crow it finds both persecutor and friend, as I have at various times 

 experienced to my annoyance. No sooner has the osprey begun its meal 

 than the crow, with repeated swoops and loud cries, compels it to seek 

 some more peaceful spot, and, immediately after picking up such fragments 

 as may have been dropped, returns to the charge again and again until the 

 comfortless repast is at length finished. Led by the outcries and peculiar 

 behaviour of the crow, I have sometimes endeavoured to stalk the nobler 

 bird, but invariably without success, the latter never being allowed to remain 

 long enough in one place to enable me to appi'oacb within shot." — P. 10. 



