FISH HA WK, OR OS PRE Y. r l 5 



air, sailing and cutting strange gambols, with loud vociferations, 

 darting down several hundred feet perpendicular, frequently 

 with part of a fish in one claw, which they seem proud of, and 

 to claim high hook, as the fishermen call him who takes the 

 greatest number. On these occasions, they serve as a baro- 

 meter to foretell the changes of the atmosphere ; for, when the 

 fish hawks are seen thus sailing high in air, in circles, it is 

 universally believed to prognosticate a change of weather, 

 often a thunder storm, in a few hours. On the faith of the 

 certainty of these signs, the experienced coaster wisely pre- 

 pares for the expected storm, and is rarely mistaken. 



There is one singular trait in the character of this bird, 

 which is mentioned in treating of the purple grakle, and which 

 I have since had many opportunities of witnessing. The 

 grakles, or crow blackbirds, are permitted by the fish hawk 

 to build their nests among the interstices of the sticks of 

 which his own is constructed, — several pairs of grakles taking 

 up their abode there, like humble vassals around the castle of 

 their chief, laying, hatching their young, and living together 

 in mutual harmony. I have found no less than four of these 

 nests clustered around the sides of the former, and a fifth 

 fixed on the nearest branch of the adjoining tree ; as if the 

 proprietor of this last, unable to find an unoccupied corner on 

 the premises, had been anxious to share, as much as possible, 

 the company and protection of this generous bird. 



The fish hawk is twenty-two inches in length, and five feet 

 three inches in extent ; the bill is deep black, the upper as 

 well as lower cere (for the base of the lower mandible has a 

 loose moveable skin), and also the sides of the mouth, from the 

 nostrils backwards, are light blue ; crown and hind head pure 

 white, front streaked with brown ; through the eye, a bar of 

 dark blackish brown passes to the neck behind, which, as well 

 as the whole upper parts, is deep brown, the edges of the 

 feathers lighter ; shafts of the wing-quills, brownish white ; 

 tail, slightly rounded, of rather a paler brown than the body, 

 crossed with eight bars of very dark brown ; the wings, when 



