124 OWLS. 



sometimes hear the splash half a mile or more, and the 

 bird is quite concealed by the spray. It is a magnifi- 

 cent performance, and when, after shaking the water from 

 his plumage, he rises into the air, I am always tempted to 

 applaud. 



The Osprey, or Fish Hawk, as he is also called, adheres 

 closely to a finny diet ; neither flesh nor fowl appears on 

 his menu, and he is consequently a migratory bird, com- 

 ing in April when the ice has melted and remaining until 

 October. In favorable localities he nests in colonies, re- 

 turning year after year to the same nest. 



One master, it is true, the Osprey has, though he 

 makes a most unwilling servant. The Bald-headed 

 Eagle is often an appreciative observer of the Osprey's 



Bald Eagle piscatorial powers, which so far exceed 



Eaiimtus his own that he vdsely, if unjustly, 



leucocepuius. profits by them. Pursuing the Osprey, 

 he forces him to mount higher and higher until the poor 

 bird in despair drops his prize, which the Eagle' captures 

 as it falls. 



Eagles are becoming so rare in the iNorthern States 

 that their occurrence is sometimes commented on by the 

 local press as a matter of general interest, l^evertheless, 

 no opportunity to kill them is neglected, and the majestic 

 birds who in life arouse our keenest admiration are sac- 

 rificed to the wanton desire to kill. 



The Owls. (Family Bubonid^.) 



The Owls number about two hundred species, and 

 are distributed throughout the world. As a rule they 

 are nocturnal or crepuscular birds, passing the day in 

 hollow trees or dense evergreens, and appearing only 

 after nightfall ; but there are some diurnal species, such 



