
194 THE OSPREY, OR FISH-HAWK. 




























the water and shakes himself, then immediately starts for 
woods or some stand to feed upon his spoils. Ha 
reached the tree upon which he intends to light, he 
around two or three times before he rests upon it; soe 
is he lest the Bald-eagle (Haliaetus leucocephalus), W 
often robs him of his food, may approach him 
remains looking about him for some minutes 
mencing to eat ;.no danger being apprehended, he the 
off a piece of the fish and swallows it. After every m 
ful he takes a survey. | 
A number of years ago a pair of  fish-hawks built 
nest in Ipswich, Mass. They were so often shot at, ant 
nest. robbed of their eggs, that they abandoned the 
Their nest is composed chiefly of sticks and seaweed; 
large for the size of the bird, measuring three feet in 
ter and two feet in height; the cavity for the receptio 
eggs is shallow, as is usually in nests of all birds of p 
The attachment between the male and female is strong: 
former not: only assists in incubation, but also. su Ji 
female with food while performing the arduous t 
having brought her a fish he will rise above the 
spiral flight to a great height, then descending on 
wings with great force until near the nest, he sweeps 
uttering a piercing scream. The female acknowl 
honor thus paid her by rising in the nest and partly 
ing her wings. The fish-hawk usually lays 
sometimes four; their ground color is white tinged 
the larger end is sometimes almost entirely cov 
blotches of dark umber brown, and spots of the same” 
thickly scattered on the smaller end ; they vary in size, 
they are two and a half inches in length by one ‘ 
eighths inches in diameter. At the earliest dawn 
labors of this fish-hunter commences. He seems 
danger in the oftentimes perilous undertaking of 
a too powerful fish. He crosses our bays, enters the 
-ereeks, still pursuing the chase in wet or dry we? 
