OSPREY 69 



used instead, although when well clear of the ground 

 the prey is dropped and dexterously caught in the 

 talons. When a smaller bird is pursued and captured 

 in the air, however, the claws are used, as with other 

 Hawks. 



The cry of the Caracara, uttered at frequent inter- 

 vals, is quite unlike that of any other bird, having a 

 peculiar clattering sound. The position assumed in 

 giving utterance to it is also unusual, the head being 

 thrown sharply backward until the crown touches the 

 middle of the back. 



The Falcons form a group by themselves, more or 

 less distinct from the rest of the Birds of Prey, though 

 the characters which give them this distinction are 

 mainly anatomical. Their two most conspicuous ex- 

 ternal features are the long, pointed form of the wings, 

 and the notch, or tooth, near the tip of the upper jaw, 

 or mandible. 



The Osprey, or Fish Hawk, is by some naturalists 

 regarded as a connecting link between the true Hawks 

 and Eagles and the Owls, because, as in the Owls, the 

 hind toe of the Osprey is reversible ; that is, it can be 

 turned either outwards or backwards. See Plate 2, 

 Fig. 6. 



There is but one species of Osprey, and it has an 

 almost world-wide distribution. It lives entirely on 

 fish, which it captures by a sudden dive from a height, 

 sending up a shower of spray as it plunges into the 

 water to seize its victim. Occasionally it will drive 

 its talons into a fish too large to be lifted, in which case 

 the Osprey, unable to release itself, is dragged be- 

 neath the water and drowned. On order to hold the 



