OSPREY. 19 



several times at no great elevation ; if he perceives no fish, 

 he passes on to another, and continues the pursuit until 

 successful. His times of feeding have been observed to be 

 eight or nine in the morning, and from twelve to two in the 

 afternoon ; between these periods he is rarely seen, but sits 

 quietly in a retired place digesting the previous meal. The 

 Osprey is a great enemy to preserves of fish, of carp in par- 

 ticular, and will remain for days and weeks in the neigh- 

 bourhood of them, if undisturbed ; but he is shy and watch- 

 ful, and does not soon revisit a place where once he has been 

 fired upon. It requires a considerable charge to kill or arrest 

 the progress of an Osprey, as the feathers of this species are 

 remarkable for being closely placed, especially on the under 

 parts, and resemble in this respect, and also in texture, 

 those of water birds ; without this provision of nature, their 

 plumage, from frequent submersion, would become so loaded 

 with moisture as to obstruct their flight. Different modes are 

 employed for catching the Osprey : they are sometimes taken 

 by means of a steel spring placed under water, to which a 

 live fish is attached ; nets are also employed for the same 

 purpose with a fish for a bait. Young Ospreys may be 

 brought into subjection and taught to catch fish. 



The Osprey is a bird of not uncommon appearance, and 

 is indigenous in some of the more hilly parts of England ; 

 but on account of its being limited to one species of food, it 

 is only found in the vicinity of rivers and lakes, and on the 

 borders of the sea. It is indigenous also in the mountainous 

 and wooded parts of Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, and re- 

 sident throughout the year. This species is widely distri- 

 buted both in the northern and southern hemispheres, re- 

 maining in polar regions a shorter or longer time according 

 to the latitude and the opportunities of procuring food. In 

 the central parts of the European continent it is also migra- 

 tory, and is found there chiefly in summer, when the absence 



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