178 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



not being laid till June or end of May at earliest. Incubation. — By 

 both sexes in turn, but period not known. Single brooded. 



Food. — -During summer when species visits us, main food consists 

 of wasps and their larvse, wild bees and other insects (coleoptera, 

 especially cockchafers, lepidopterous larvae, orthoptera, odonata, 

 larvae of diptera, pupae of ants, honey, etc.). Other food occasion- 

 ally taken includes small mammals, small birds, frogs, lizards, 

 snails and birds' eggs. 



Distribution. — British Isles. — Uncommon passage-migrant (May- 

 June and Sept.-Oct.). Occurs somewhere in Great Britain almost 

 every year, and occasionally in eastern half of Ireland, most 

 frequently in autumn. Formerly rare summer-resident in England, 

 especially in New Forest, now only very occasionally nests, most 

 recent cases being Hereford, 1895, Durham, 1897, possibly 1898, 

 1899, and probably elsewhere unrecorded. Has bred as far north 

 as east Ross. 



Distribution. — Abroad. — Breeds in north and middle Europe, 

 north to mid-Scandinavia and Finland, south to Cantabrian 

 Mountains, north Italy and the Dobrogea, eastwards to west 

 Siberia, winters in tropical Africa and parts of India. Casual 

 Canaries. Replaced by allied races in east Siberia and parts of 

 tropical Asia. 



Genus PANDION Sav. 



Pandion Savigny, Descr. Egypte, Zool., Syst. Ois., I, pp. 69, 95 (1809 — 

 Monotype : Pandion fluvialis = P. halicetus). 



Differs in many ways from all other hawks. Outer toe 

 reversible as in Owls, feathers without aftershaft. Plumage hard 

 and close, feathers of lower part of tibia, unlike most other hawks, 

 not elongated. Nostrils narrow, oblique, free. Wings long pointed, 

 3rd primary longest, 2nd very little shorter, 4th slightly more so. 

 Tail barely half length of wing. Tarsus short, strong, longer than 

 middle toe without claw, entirely reticulated, without scutes. 

 Toes and claws very powerful, toes with sharp, prickly scales 

 beneath. Eggs richly and beautifully marked. One species 

 divided in three subspecies. 



PANDION HALICETUS 



267. Pandion haliaetus halisetus (L.)— THE OSPREY. 



Falco Hali^tus Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, i, p. 91 (1758 — Europe. 



Restricted typical locality : Sweden). 



Pandion haliceetus (Linnaeus), Yarrell, 1, p. 30 ; Saunders, p. 359. 



Description. — -Adult male and female. Winter and summer. — 

 Middle and fore-part of crown black-brown, feathers with creamy- 

 white edgings, middle of back of crown and middle of nape buff, 

 feathers with dark brown shaft-streaks of varying width, sides of 



