OF VIRGINIA 127 
FAMILY PANDIONIDE-. 
GENUS PANDION. 
[3864]. Pandion halietus carolinensis (Gmelin). 
Osprey. 
{Fish Hawk]. 
Ranez.—North and South America. Breeds from 
northwestern Alaska, northwestern Mackenzie, central 
Keewatin, southern Ungava, and Newfoundland south to 
Lower California, western Mexico, and the Gulf Coast; 
winters from the southern United States through Lower 
California and Mexico to the West Indies and Central 
America; occurs also in South America south to Peru 
and Paraguay. 
I have often heard men say they preferred such and 
such a bird’s flight to any other. If I should give my 
preference it would be the Osprey, I think. For an all- 
round bird it has no equal, and when it comes down to 
defending its young, I know of nothing I fear more, unless 
it is a rattlesnake, than this powerful bird striking me 
in the downward swoop over the nest. Many a time has 
it been nip and tuck between us whether or not I should 
look over the rim of the nest, and quick, indeed, one must 
be to accomplsh this, especially if the young are half 
grown, or older. A beautiful sight, indeed, it is to watch 
one of these birds returning shoreward with a fish, only 
to be set upon by a Bald Eagle. Higher and higher the 
Osprey mounts with rapid wing beats and small circles, 
screaming all the while; the eagle closely following, until 
