OSPREY. PAT 
“The versatility of the outer toe of the Osprey, the 
strength, curvature, and sharpness of its claws, and the 
roughness of the soles of its feet, are peculiarities of struc- 
ture adapted to the better securing its slippery prey ; and 
the shortness of its thigh-feathers, unusual in the Falcon 
tribe, is also evidently connected with its fishing habits.” 
A specimen at the Gardens of the Zoological Society of 
London, when a fish was given to it was observed to seize 
it across the body, placing the inner and outer toes at 
right angles with the middle and hind toes, and digging 
in the claws, held the fish most firmly by four opposite 
points; not relaxing its hold or altering the position of 
the toes, but picking out the portions of flesh from between 
them with great ease and dexterity. 
From the docility cbservable in the Osprey, Montagu 
thought that it might formerly have been trained for hawk- 
ing of fish, as by an Act passed in the reign of William 
and Mary, persons were prohibited at a certain period of 
the year, from taking any salmon, salmon-peal, or salmon 
kind, by Hawks, racks, guns, &c. 
The Osprey makes a large nest, sometimes on high trees, 
at others on rocks, or about old ruins near large pieces of 
water, and lays two or three eggs, which are generally 
hatched in June. The eggs are about two inches and four 
lines long by one inch ten lines in breadth, blotched and 
spotted over the larger end with reddish brown on a white 
ground. In some specimens the secondary colour is of a 
paler yellowish red. During the period of incubation, the 
male watches near, and supplies the wants of the female ; 
catches fish for her, and brings the food to the nest: she 
therefore seldom quits the eggs, and then only for a very 
short interval. The parent birds feed the young till they 
are in the full possession of powers to provide for them- 
