20 falconid;e. 



of frost enables it to procure its food from the rivers of the 

 interior ; but it retreats during the winter, sometimes as 

 early as September, and returns again in spring as soon as 

 the waters are open. The Osprey is frequently pursued by 

 other birds of prey in order to rob him of the remains of his 

 food, especially by the Moor Buzzard and the Crow. 



The general description of the Osprey is as follows : — The 

 cere and legs are light blue, the iris yellow. The legs are 

 very strong, feathered for three-quarters of an inch below 

 the knee before ; the knee naked behind and roughly scaled : 

 the larger claws form half a circle. From the eyes to the 

 shoulders, on both sides, runs a blackish brown band ; the 

 under parts are white, with a few arrow-shaped marks on the 

 breast : the tail is crossed with six dark transverse bars. 



The Osprey differs very materially from all other birds in 

 many peculiarities connected with its fishing habits, which 

 render it admirably adapted to its particular mode of life. 

 Its feet are of a remarkable character, strong, and so con- 

 structed as to enable it to retain a powerful grasp upon its 

 prey. The feet as well as the legs are covered with a rough 

 granulated skin like that of the shark ; the roughest part is 

 on the sole of the foot, where the reticulations are in the 

 form of sharp spines ; all these incline backwards towards 

 the junction of the toes : on the foremost ball of the sole, 

 both of the outer and middle toe, the spines are longer than 

 elsewhere to assist in holding the fish. The toes are strong 

 and thick, and the outer one reversible ; the claws are much 

 arched, round, and smooth beneath, not grooved as in the 

 other species of Aquila. The middle toe measures three 

 inches one line, of which the claw occupies thirteen lines ; 

 the hind toe two inches one line ; the inner and outer toes" 

 nearly the same : the claws, which are included in the mea- 

 surement, are of each one inch and one line. 



The entire length of the male is twenty-four inches. The 



