334 FISH HAWK, OR OSPREY. 
when we consider the seeming intemperate habits.of the bird. Sothe- 
times fasting, through necessity, for several days, and at other times 
gorging itself with animal food till its craw swells out the plumage of 
that part, forming a large protuberance on the breast. This, however, 
is Its natural food, and for these habits its whole organization is par- 
ticularly adapted. It has not, like men, invented rich wines, ardent 
spiits, and a thousand artificial poisons, in the form of soups, sauces, 
and sweetmeats. Its food is simple, it indulges freely, uses great ex- 
ercise, breathes the purest air, is healthy, vigorous, and long lived. 
The lords of the creation themselves might derive some useful hints 
from these facts, were they not already, in general, too wise, or too 
proud, to learn from their inferiors, the fowls of the air and beasts of 
the field. eet 
—_~>—_—— 
FISH HAWK, OR OSPREY.—FALCO HALIZTUS. —Fia. 158, 
Carolina Os rey, Lath. Syn. i. p. 46.—26, a.—F alco piscator, Briss. i. p- 361, 
14, 362. 15. — Faucon Pécheur de la Caroline, Buff. AE 142. — Fishing Hawk 
Cateshy, Car. i. p. 2. — Turt. Syst. i. 149.— Peaie’s museum, No. 144. 
PANDION HALIJEETUS, — Savicny.* 
Le Balbuzard, Cuv. Reen. Anim. i. p. 316.— Aigle Balbuzard, T’emm. Man. i. p. 
47. — Balbusardus halizetus, Fem. Br. Anim. p. 61.— Osprey, Faleo haliztus, 
Selby, Must. Br. Ornith. i. p. 12, pl. 4.—Faleo haliztus, (sub-gen: Pandivn,) 
Bonap. Synop. p. 26.— The Fish Hawk, or Osprey, Awd. pl..81, male; Orn. 
Biog. i. 415.— Aquila (Pandion) halieta, North. Zool. ii. p. 20. ; 
Tus formidable, vigorous-winged, and well-known bird, subsists 
altogether on the finny tribes that swarm in our bays, creeks, and 
rivers; procuring his prey by his own active skill and industry; and 
* This is the type of another aquatic group, and a real fisher. [t does not, like 
the White-Headed Eagle, though fond of fish, subsist only upon the plunder of oth- 
ers, but labors for itself in the most dexterous manner; and for this, the beautiful 
adaptation of its form renders every assistance. The body is very strongly built, 
but is rather of a narrow and elongated shape; the head is less than the ordinary 
proportional dimensions ; and the wings are expansive, powerful, and sharp-pointed. 
The manner of seizing their prey is by soaring above the surface of the sea, or 
lake, and, when in sight of a fish, closing the wings, and darting, as it were, by the 
weight of the body, which, in the descent, may be perceived to be directed by the 
motion of the tail. For.this purpose, those parts which we have mentioned are finely 
framed, and for the remainder of the operation, the ieee and feet are no less beau- 
tifully modelled. The thighs, instead of being clothed with finely lengthened 
plumes, as in most of the other Falcons, and which, when wet, would prove a great 
encumbrance, dare covered with a thick downy plumage; the tarsi are short and 
se strong; the toes have the same advantages ; and underneath, at the junction of 
each joint, have a large protuberance, covered, as are the other parts of the sole, 
with a thick and strong array of hard jagged scales, which are sufficient, by the 
roughness, to prevent any escape of their slippery prey when it is once fairly clutched ; 
the claws are also very strong, and hooked, and are round as a cylinder, both 
above and beneath, which will ensure an easy piercing, or quick retraction from any 
body at which they may be struck. The outer toe is also capable of being tured 
either way, — a most essential assistance in grasping. In striking their prey they 
do not appear to dive deep ; indeed, their feet, by which alone it is taken, could 
a 
