ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY BULLETIN 



flat at the piercing alarm of the mother overhead, 

 and become almost invisible, the colour of their 

 backs and wings harmonizing with the sur- 

 rounding sea-weed and other nest materials. 



There are few of us who have not at one time 

 or another enjoj'ed the delights of bird-nesting, 

 whether to add new varieties of eggs to our 

 collections, or more humanely, to gather the 

 emptied Jiomes of the little feathered masons, 

 weavers and basket-makers which decorate the 

 woods and fields. We may ha\'e been so for- 

 tunate as to have discovered the dainty cobweb 

 air-castle of a humming-bird ; very likely the 

 deep, beautifully - woven purse of the oriole 

 liolding those curious hieroglyphic-marked nug- 

 gets, was taken by us from some elm, but prob- 

 ably the largest treasure in our collection was the 

 unskilfully built nest of a crow — several pounds 

 of sticks loosely put together. 



In the New York Zoological Park is evidence 

 of nest-collecting on a mammoth scale. On a 

 promontory of Cope Lake is a tall weather-beaten 

 tree, which supports in the topmost crotch a 

 gigantic nest — the original home of one of the 

 families of fish-hawks on Gardiner's Island. The 

 nest alone weighs over four hundred pounds, and 

 as the author can testify, it was no easy matter to 

 transport this in the original crotch from the site 

 where it was found, a grassy field near the shore 

 where covies of pheasants, bob - whites and 

 scurrying groups of snowy plover were the only 

 observers, to its present position where crowds 

 of people wonder at its proportions. 



It is marvellous how birds, even as strong as 

 these hawks, can carry sticks of such large size. 

 Curious materials are mixed with these — broken 

 oar-handles, pieces of wrecked boats, fishermen's 

 nets, quails' skeletons, coils of rigging and even 

 a long double strand of barbed wire, the latter 

 serving admirably to lielp bind the general mass 

 together. The lining of the nest is composed of 

 large masses of sea-weed, in which are tangled 

 shells, horse-shoe crabs and other evidences of 

 marine life which are common on our shores. 



This nest was selected after examining many 

 others, being exceptionally compact and very ac- 

 cessible, only fifteen feet from the ground. The 

 nest found, the next thing was to move it to a 

 more convenient position, but when an attempt 

 was made to saw off several interfering branches, 

 the owners swooped down almost to my head, 

 and as the swish of wings rose to a roar, I in- 

 voluntarily winced at the angry screams and 

 extended talons. 



In the side of this huge structure are the nests 

 of three pairs of blackbirds or purple grackles, 

 these birds being intelligent enough to realize 

 the protection from birds of prey which a close 

 association with these fish -hawks insures. A 

 curious circumstance is that the very next 



morning following tlie erection of the osprey's 

 nest in the Zoological Park, a blackbird spent 

 most of the morning climbing over the structure 

 and investigating tlie nests of his species. Could 

 they have brought back to him — a bird now 

 nesting in one of the trees of the Park — memories 

 of his own nestlinghood ? 



' ' When the young ospreys learn to fly, tliey 

 liave no idea of the process of fishing, and have 

 to be taught by their parents." 



Such was the note which I made in my journal 

 after watching the fishing lessons of several young 

 ospreys. But one of the dozen fully fledged 

 nestlings which I brought to the Zoological Park 

 redeemed his species from the supposition that 

 heredity has no part in helping the young birds 

 to a knowledge of their life-habits. One day a 

 fish was thrown beyond the line of cavernous- 

 mouthed pelicans in the great outdoor flying 

 cage, and a young osprey swooped at it and fell 

 headlong into the water. He half kicked, half 

 flapped his way to shore, and crawled out dis- 

 appointed and bedraggled. The screams witli 

 which his companions welcomed him — were they 

 jeers or shouts of acclamation .' They should 

 have been the latter, for was he not the only one 

 who dared to do alone and untaught what a 

 little parental instruction would have made easy 

 for all ! 



The sight of the fish in the water was just the 

 stimulus needed to give an impetus to an instinct, 

 latent but trembling for expression. After the 

 first blind yielding to impulse, experience enters 

 in as guide and instructor, and a few more at- 

 tempts made this young osprey master of his art. 

 It is a significant fact that none of his com- 

 panions ever attempted to imitate him, even 

 though they had to wait longer for their meal, 

 standing screaming on the bank until the fish 

 were thrown at their feet. All, however, learned 

 to fly perfectly. 



Our brave little osprey was a pioneer among 

 his kind. If he was living a free life, his ' ' genius" 

 would mayhap devise some improvement in os- 

 prey fishing — some little method would have 

 been his, perhaps some wile to outwit the high- 

 way robber of his hard-earned fish, the bald eagle. 

 This he might have taught to his offspring, 

 thereby giving them that chance for wliich Nature 

 is ever waiting — ^just a little advantage with far- 

 reaching results and of untold value in the 

 constant struggle for existence. 



How few enemies these birds seem to have 

 and yet of the one hundred and fifty to tvro 

 hundred pairs and trios of young ospreys which 

 leave the Island every year with their parents on 

 the southern migration, not more than a half 

 dozen birds live to return and build nests of 

 tlieir own the following year. It is even said 

 that notwithstanding the protection given, the 



