120 THE CONDOR Vol. XIX 



115 degrees, although a good breeze may bring the general temperature down 

 to a hundred degrees. How comfortable for the young birds to move out to the 

 edge of the nest ! Here they usually sit in a row facing in and towards the wind 

 if there is any. Before they are large enough to do this, they must of necessity 

 remain in the shade of the half -raised wings of the mother, who remains on the 

 nest to shelter them for at least two weeks, and at intervals for a week longer, 

 after the incubating period. The whole osprey family might serve as a model 

 of deportment. While the mother is busy brooding the eggs, her mate is away 

 fishing for her ; when he brings in her fish, as he does at quite regular inter- 

 vals, he tears it up and gives it to her in small pieces. Later he redoubles his 

 activities and brings in trout for both the nestlings and their mother. 



One morning I came in sight of a nest containing three young birds. The 

 female was on the nest with her back to the sun and her wings drooping slight- 

 ly. Just in front of her breast in the shade were her babies, each clad in light 

 brown down that could barely be made out against the floor of the nest. The 

 father was on a dead pine a quarter of a mile away, with a fish from which he 

 had removed the head and entrails. Soon two or three shrill whistles were 

 sounded by the female, which proved to be the food call ; for the male dropped 

 down to the nest immediately thereafter. The mother stood up and the f oar- 

 day-old youngsters arranged themselves in an orderly row; no attempt what- 

 ever was made to get to the fish although it was only three inches from their 

 bills. The male stood on the fish (a trout of about one pound weight) and tore 

 it up, giving it bit by bit to the mother, and occasionally a tiny bit to a nest- 

 ling. It was the mother, however, that did most of the feeding. She received 

 the fish in pieces not larger than half an inch in diameter, reduced them to still 

 smaller size, and fed each bird in turn until all were satisfied. Then the mother 

 ate the remainder, and I believe the bones and skin were also consumed. The 

 male flew back to his stub to preen while the mother settled down once more 

 to shelter her young. The whole scene from the first food call at eight o 'clock 

 lasted only half an hour. At a later date I observed that the fish was occasion- 

 ally turned over entire to the female. 



The careful training that young ospreys receive is further shown when a 

 nest is approached. On hearing the whistled alarm given by a parent, usually 

 the mother, the young birds throw themselves flat on the floor of the nest 

 often with necks and wings outstretched. When the observer reaches the nest 

 no movement is to be seen; the nestlings permit one to take them up, turn them 

 over, or place them in any position without offering any sign of life beyond the 

 half-open, staring eyes. After the nest is left, the young ospreys maintain 

 their position until the parents have given the reassuring signal. I have seen 

 half-grown ospreys hold this inert posture for an hour and twenty minutes 

 while the parents were flying about or even standing on the edge of the nest, 

 but no motion whatever was made until the proper signal was sounded. Young 

 ospreys are not fast growers, but at ten days of age begin to show black on the 

 primaries ; and ten days later, more distinctive markings commence to appear. 

 From thirty-five to forty-five days after hatching they leave the nests fully 

 feathered and strong of wing. 



Only once in my experience have I seen ospreys fight among themselves 

 and that was due to disputed ownership of a trout. In the Yellowstone, at 

 least, the ospreys live in perfect harmony with smaller birds. An impressive 

 instance was to see a bird plunge into a creek within a few feet of a two-week 



