40 



THE OOLOGIST. 



the weight of the fish would not retard 

 the progress as much as in an upward 

 sweep. However, in all instances that 

 I have read of and seen, the invariable 

 effort at escape by the burdened Os- 

 prey, is in upward flight; and too, the 

 end is always about the same. The 

 Eagle below moves in majestic circles, 

 rapidly revolving about the struggling 

 handicapped Fish-hawk, which vainly 

 endeavors to save its fish by furiously 

 flapping its wings in an effort to escape. 

 At last, when the Eagle is on a level 

 with the fatigued fisher, the fish is drop- 

 ped in sheer desperation, as otherwise 

 the Eagle would have pounced upon 

 the industrious bird. As soon as the 

 bird has dropped the fish it can easily 

 escape. The Eagle too, ceases its per- 

 secution and flies off, apparently con- 

 tent with the mischief it has done. I 

 have read in descriptions of this contest 

 that the Eagle would drop like an ar- 

 row, when the fish was released, and 

 catch it in mid-air before it reached the 

 water. This act I have never seen per- 

 formed, and shall never credit it till I 

 have seen it. I do -not think that the 

 act is usually performed because the 

 Eagle is in want of food, for I have 

 never yet heard of the Eagle's visiting 

 the dead fish after it had fallen. It 

 may be though that the Eagle is await- 

 ing for the fish to become putrid before 

 visiting it. Still I think that the 'act of 

 chasing the successful Fish-hawk is one 

 of pure wantonness. 1 am positive that 

 » the Ospery never reclaims the fish, 

 whether it falls on land or water. 

 Sometimes, where a Fish-hawk secures 

 a fish as heavy as three pounds in 

 weight, the Eagle gains so rapidly upon 

 it that the chase is short, and again, 

 when only a small fish is secured the 

 birds will nearly pass out of sight be- 

 fore the silver streak is seen which 

 marks the descent of the contested fish. 

 The general mal<e up of the Osprey's 

 plumage is much like that of the King- 

 fisher, that is, in its resistance to the 



water' and the skin much more nearly 

 resembles that of the ducks, than the 

 other Hawks and Eagles. It is, not 

 rarely, completely submerged when it 

 is after a fish, and I have seen it re- 

 main underwater all of fifteen seconds 

 when grappling with a prize. The 

 main means for securing the prey, are 

 undoubtedly the very large and strong 

 talons, and it may be doubted if the 

 beak is ever used when the quarry is 

 attacked. I have watched the Osprey 

 when it was fishing and can say that 

 its luck vaiied greatly according to the 

 run of fish or whether they were near 

 the surface or well below it. I have re- 

 peatedly seen fish secured when the 

 Hawk barely seemed to touch the sur- 

 face, and again the bird repeatedly 

 failed, even after going completely be- 

 low. Like the attempts of the King- 

 fisher, the efforts of the Fish-hawk are 

 largely failures, but I cannot give the 

 percentage of successful plunges. It is 

 a grand sight to witness a capture. 



"With broad unbending wing, and circling 



slow 

 Marks each loose straggler in the depth below ; 

 Sweeps down like lighting.plimges with a roar. 

 And bears his struggling victim to the shore." 



A Summer Ramble. 



How beautiful doth Nature appear to 

 us, as we lightty step from the city bor- 

 ders into the verdure of the farmer's 

 crops! . 



Proceeding on our wiy, thro' forests 

 clad in vernal splendor, we hear the 

 pleasing notes of the 'Oriole. On the 

 edge of the forest we see the swaying 

 nest of these liberty loving creatures. 

 As usual it is built in an elm tree, and 

 so situated as to be almost inaccessible. 



High in the air, the swallows are fly- 

 ing in circles, and their sharp chatter, 

 as they chase one another, appeals 

 very unsatisfactorily to the ear. 



We now wend our way o'er the dusty 

 road, then thro' pastures green and 

 fair. Above us, the ethereal sky of blue, 



