220 BIHDS OF ONTABIO. 



fish, the Caracaras would attack them until they disgorged, and then 

 alight and devour the stolen prey. These attacks were made from 

 above, by suddenly darting down on the Pelicans with shrill screams, 

 a,nd striking at them with their talons. I saw this manoeuvre 

 repeated a number of times by a pair of these birds that nested on 

 the island, and by others that came from the shore. They did not 

 attack outgoing birds, but invariably waited for the incoming ones, 

 and as soon as these were over land, so that the contents of the 

 pouches would not fall in the water, they pounced on them, and kept 

 it up until their object was attained." 



They are very fond of fish and frogs ; they also hunt prairie dogs 

 And other small mammals, but are not accused of disturbing poultry. 



Subfamily PANDTONIN^. Ospeeys. 



Geni-s PAXDIOX Savigny. 



PANDION HALIAETUS CAROLINES^SIS (Gmel.). 



156. American Osprey. (364) 



Plumage lacking after-shafts, compact, imbricated, oily to resist water ; 

 that of the legs short and close, not forming the flowing tufts seen in most 

 other genera, that of the head lengthened, acuminate ; primary coverts stiff 

 and acuminate. Feet, immensely large and strong, the tarsus, entirely naked, 

 granular-reticulate, the toes all of the same length, vmwebbed at base, very 

 scabrous underneath, the outer versatile ; cla'vvs, verj' large, rounded under- 

 neath. Hook of the bill, long, nostrils touching edge of cere. Above, dark 

 brown ; most of the head and neck and the under parts, white, latter some- 

 times with a tawny shade and streaked with brown. Length, 2 feet ; wing, 

 16-18 inches ; tail, 8-10. 



Hab. — North America, from Hudson's Bay and Alaska, south to the West 

 Indies and northern South America. 



Xest, in a tree, composed of sticks, often %'ery bulky, from annual additions. 



Eggs, two to four, variable in color, usually creamy-brown, blotched with 

 various darker shades of brown. 



The Fish Hawk is generally distributed throughout Ontario, 

 breeding by the lakes and rivers in the less thickly settled parts of 

 the country. Along the sea coast it is more abundant, frequentlj- 

 breeding in communities of several hundreds. In such cases the 

 nests are placed indifferently on rocks or trees, and sometimes the 

 eggs have been deposited on the sand. Near these breeding places, 



