158 BRITISH BIRDS. WITH THEIR NESTS AND EGGS. 
places its bulky nest; ruins on islands in lochs used also to be occupied, and 
rocks that were near to the water. A good account of the singular nest, which is 
built in the form of a truncated cone, has been given by Wolley, who states that 
in its shape it not a little resembles the great nest of the wood-ant, the sticks 
project very slightly beyond the sides, and are built up with turf and other compact 
materials: the summit is of moss, very flat and even; and the cavity occupies a 
comparatively small part of it. The eggs are laid at the end of April, or in the 
beginning of May, and are three in number, rarely four, and are the most beautiful 
eggs produced by any of the Falconide. Their ground colour is creamy or buffy 
white, and on it are large blotches of rich chestnut red, or claret colour, with 
underlying shell markings of purplish grey; some of the eggs are marbled all 
over with purplish red and white; others are creamy white with the smaller end 
covered with rich chestnut; there are numerous varieties, all handsome; some of 
the eggs are rather pointed at one end; others are elliptical; they vary in size 
from 2°68 to 2°17 inches, by from 1°94 to 1°64 inches. The female rarely leaves 
the nest while she is incubating; and is fed with fish brought her by the male. 
The eggs figured on plate xiii are from the writer’s cabinet; it was hard to make 
a selection, but it is believed that those given are typical. 
The Osprey is found in most parts of the world, never far distant from water ; 
it is dispersed throughout Europe, Asia, North America, Australia, Tasmania, New 
Zealand, New Guinea, most of the islands of the Malay and Indian Archipelagos, 
and over the continent of Africa. In North America where it is abundant and 
regarded as a sacred bird by the fishermen, because flying out to sea it points to 
them where the fish are congregated, it is gregarious at the breeding season. As 
many as three hundred nests have been counted on one island near the eastern 
extremity of Long Island, New York. 
The cry of the Osprey is very musical. Wolley states that Ospreys are very 
constant in returning year after year to their old stations, and even after one or 
both birds have been killed in the previous season, he had frequently seen indi- 
viduals flying near the now deserted eyrie. 
The adult male has the head white, broadly striped on the crown with blackish 
brown, which colour forms almost a patch before and above the eye; ear-coverts 
and a stripe to the hind neck blackish-brown; feathers on back of head and nape 
elongated, lanceolate, washed with yellowish, and some terminated with blackish- 
brown; upper parts dark brown, with a faint purplish gloss; tail dark brown; 
under parts white; the breast faintly marked with pale brown and duli ochreous 
brown; bill blackish horn; cere blue-grey; irides bright yellow; legs pale lead- 
blue; claws black; length 22 inches. The feathers on the thigh are much 
