BIRDS OF PREY 201 



claws than the eagle plunges downward, grasping the prize 

 before it reaches the water. 



Along the shores of the Great Lakes this bird frequently 

 spends the summer. The Indians regard it as a bird of 

 omen. 



As the w^aters gradually freeze, this bird moves south- 

 ward, wintering along the Gulf, and sometimes in the West 

 Indies. 



The nest of the osprey is a huge structure. The birds 

 select various nesting sites — trees, rocky cliffs, or the bare 

 ground. When the nests are placed in low situations, the 

 birds select an isolated island or a point of land jutting out 

 into the water. Sometimes an old shack or shanty looks 

 inviting to the fish hawk, and he constructs his nest of 

 sticks, cornstalks, roots, and hay on the roof. The same 

 nest is used year after year, and the birds accumulate fresh 

 material each season until the nests are sometimes five feet 

 deep and as many feet in diameter. The two to four, 

 usually three, eggs vary greatly in coloration. The back- 

 ground may be light yellow, light or dark brown, and the 

 markings are in form of spots and cloudings of different 

 shades of red and brown. The eggs appear oily and usually 

 have a decidedly fishy odor. 



BARN OWL 



The Barn Owl, or ^lonkey-faced Owl, is distributed 

 throughout the United States, ^lexico, and northern West 

 Indies. The birds are more numerous south of the Ohio 

 River, and are also common along the Pacific Coast in 



