NATURAL HISTORY. 



When a bird or a wild animal is killed, that is the end of it. It" photographed, it may still live and 

 its educational and scientific value is multiplied indefinitely. 



THE OSPREY, OR FISH HAWK. 



The numerous islands of the Penobscot 

 bay, on the coast of Maine, are a favorite 

 summer abode of the osprey, or fish eagle. 

 These migratory birds leave this region 

 about the middle of September and return 

 the middle of April. They always seek as 

 high a position as possible on which to 

 build their nests, usually the tops of high 

 trees ; though, in some of the small, tree- 

 less, uninhabited islands they occasionally 

 build on the rocks, or high reefs. Only a 

 few trees are suitable for them, such as 

 have had the tops broken off by storms, 

 leaving at least 3 wide spreading branches 

 as a foundation for the nest. 



A fish hawk family consists of 3 birds, 2 

 males and one female ; and when the 3 or 

 4 young members become nearly grown, the 

 family require a good deal of room ; hence 

 the nests are often 5 or 6 feet in diameter, 

 nearly flat on the top, with a small depres- 

 sion in the middle, where the eggs are 

 hatched. 



In one cow pasture in Islesboro, there are 

 about Yz dozen nests on the tops of high 

 spruce trees, and one of the nests is nearly 

 l / 2 a century old ; the same family, or 3 of 

 the survivors of the family, having returned 

 year after year to occupy their summer 

 home. On their return in the spring their 

 first business is to make repairs, for some 

 of the old material necessarily decays ; but 

 the nests are so strongly built that though 

 exposed to heavy gales and storms they are. 

 never blown away. There are a few other 

 nests that are 15 or 20 years old. The birds 

 will always return in the spring to the nest 

 they left the previous autumn, as long as 

 the tree stands and they themselves are not 

 disturbed. 



Ospreys are such beautiful birds, so large, 

 so graceful on the wing, so innocent, so 

 tame, so unsuspecting; sailing within a few 

 rods of houses to pick up pieces of cloth 

 that people leave for them with which to 

 make a lining for their nests, that only a 

 few heartless vandals will disturb them. A 

 few feet from the dam which makes the 

 Dark Harbor bathing pool, by shutting in 

 the tide, was a nest on the top of a spruce 

 tree. The Islesboro inn and a number of 

 summer palaces of wealthy visitors are 

 near. The guests at the inn, and others 

 also, used to sit on the dam, near the nest, 

 hours at a time, watching these interesting 

 birds. One male bird sits majestically on a 

 neighboring tree to guard the nest and the 

 female bird sitting on it ; but both males are 

 never far away at one time. They catch their 



fish, fly to a tree top and eat it. The female 

 also gets her own food, being absent only 

 long enough to secure it. As soon as the 

 infant birds break out of the shell, the 3 

 old ones sit around the edge of the nest 

 most of the time for several days, keeping 

 up an incessant jubilation. One of the par- 

 ents catches a fish, takes it to the nest, and 

 while his claws are on the fish's head, he 

 tears off small pieces with his beak and 

 places them in the gaping mouths of the 

 hungry progeny. 



When the young become nearly grown, 

 and while still stubbornly refusing to leave 

 the nest to the beseeching parents, the old 

 birds, after their patience is apparently ex- 

 hausted by coaxing, forcibly pull the young- 

 sters out. The young bird flutters and 

 cries most piteously, realizing its danger in 

 falling from the lofty tree top; but just be- 

 fore it should reach the ground the parent 

 darts quickly under it, takes it on its back, 

 and deposits it safe in the nest. This proc- 

 ess is repeated till the young bird has suffi- 

 cient confidence in itself to go alone. 



The second lesson, that of catching fish, 

 is easily learned. The young bird will fol- 

 low the old one out over the water, and 

 soon imitate what it sees done. The os- 

 prey balances itself almost motionless some 

 75 or 100 feet from the surface of the 

 water, and when a fish comes to the top the 

 osprey drops like a stone, lifts the fish in its 

 claws and sails proudly away, always mak- 

 ing a peculiar, joyful noise as he goes. If 

 he drops his fish on the way, he never stops 

 to pick it up. He is successful in catching 

 his prey, about 3 times out of 5. 



In May, 1901, a paper hanger from Bos- 

 ton visited the nest by the Dark Harbor 

 bathing pool, and while one of the unsus- 

 pecting birds was sailing around him, only 

 a few feet away, he leveled his weapon and 

 shot it. This broke up the family, and 

 those bereft never returned. The people 

 who had, summer after summer, derived so 

 much pleasure from watching these inter- 

 esting birds did not say pleasant things 

 about the Boston pliper hanger and his bru- 

 tal deed. 



In 1900 an osprey family built a nest on 

 4 horizontal wires of the telephone, laying 

 the foundation with long sticks and poles, 

 then most skilfully weaving in smaller ma- 

 terial, and finally fastening the whole nest, 

 with its bushel of twigs and lining, firmly 

 to the crossbar and telephone pole. Anoth- 

 er family built on the top of a large, old 

 fashioned chimney of an uninhabited house, 

 having undisputed possession for years, till 



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