216 VERTEBRATE FAUNA OF LAKELAND 



Kirkby Thore, which is in the same district as Whinfell, and 

 only a very few miles away. It is therefore only reasonable to 

 say that when he wrote of ' Orspreys ' as distinct from both 

 ' Herins ' and ' Eagles or Vultures/ the species which occur in 

 the same passage, he was clearly thinking of the Ospreys in 

 Whinfield Park. The birds probably nested in some tall tree, 

 but possibly on the walls of some dismantled cottage occupied 

 by a former keeper, because there must have been some one 

 living on the spot when the park was first enclosed. Clarke, 

 though not a professed naturalist, and entirely unacquainted 

 with the writings of Willughby, was a good observer, and 

 rambled all over Lakeland before completing his folio work, the 

 Survey of the Lakes, published in 1787. He volunteers a good 

 deal of information about Eagles. He knew less about the 

 Osprey, but what he tells us is entirely to the point. 



' The Osprey I have seen,' says he : ' there was a nest, a few 

 years ago, of this bird in Whinfield Park : they seem to be of 

 the Hawk kind, and are about the size and colour of a Magpye ; 

 in what manner fish are charmed by them let others tell, for I 

 cannot : I saw one fly into the rock at the Giant's Cave, and 

 on its crossing the river there, the fish sprang to the top and 

 remained six or eight seconds as if intoxicated.' 1 



This is the case, for the Osprey having nested at Whinfield 

 Park, as separately stated by Willughby's informant, by Clarke, 

 and as hinted at by Machell. It is supported by every local 

 circumstance, and I submit that Willughby having only tenta- 

 tively identified the bird from the information of one who him- 

 self called it the ' Osprey,' and apparently alluded to its fishing 

 in the neighbouring rivers, there can be no excuse for adhering 

 to the original blunder of that excellent naturalist, in the face 

 of the fact that our White-tailed Eagles only nested in lofty 

 cliffs, many miles removed from this eyrie of the Osprey. That the 

 Osprey frequented Ulleswater, and nested in the precipices over- 

 hanging the Westmorland side of the lake, is rendered probable 

 by the fact that Dr. Heysham appears to have heard of it. Dr. 

 Heysham says, ' I am not certain whether the Sea Eagle breeds 

 at present in Cumberland or not, but a few years ago there used 

 1 Survey of the Lakes, p. 190. 



