Photo by Howard H. Cleaves 



'se;a-swallow," or common tern, making a quick turn: muskeget isle, 



MASS. 



bit in his attack he was instantly spurred 

 on by a hooting which to him apparently 

 seemed to come from the owl, but which 

 really came from within the umbrella 

 blind near at hand. 



During the siege, which lasted for 

 many minutes, eight photographs were 

 secured and the dummy was the recipient 

 of 19 head and body blows. 



The poor owl was a sight when taken 

 from the perch and cannot even be re- 

 paired for future use. Great tufts of ex- 

 celsior protrude from his back and sides, 

 one eye hangs an inch out of its socket 

 by a mere shred of cotton, and the back 

 of his head is entirely torn away, expos- 

 ing wire framework and areas of stuffing. 

 But he has furnished more than a dollar's 

 worth of fun (see page 9) ! 



an ARTIEICIAE GOLDFISH USED EOR BAIT 



Perhaps the most carefully thought-out 

 and "highly organized" bird photographic 

 experiment on record (according to the 

 assurances of friends) is that which the 

 writer brought to a successful conclusion 

 near his home on Staten Island, New 



York, on the 12th of April of the present 

 year, when a fish-hawk, or osprey, was 

 induced to plunge for an artificial gold- 

 fish. The details are presented herewith 

 to the readers of the National Geo- 

 graphic Magazine. 



First of all it might be well to have an 

 understanding of the movements and 

 feeding habits of the osprey, for these 

 have a direct bearing on the case. This 

 large hawk, having a wing-spread of 

 about 5j^ feet and being one of the com- 

 monest birds of prey in the coastal re- 

 gion, spends the winter in Florida, on the 

 Gulf coast and southward, working up 

 the Atlantic seaboard at the approach of 

 open weather and reaching the vicinity 

 of New York about the last week in 

 March or the first week in April — very 

 shortly after the ice has left our ponds, 

 lakes, and rivers. 



At this time the menhaden, or "moss 

 bunker," the chief food of the fish-hawk 

 and a fish which is familiar to all who 

 have lived or visited near the ocean, has 

 not yet migrated up the coast, and flound- 

 ers and other salt-water fishes are not yet 



18 



