38 
HABITS OF THE OSPREY. 
visiting wings amidst these solitudes, that seem rightly to belong to the fish-hawk alone. His 
hoarse bark startles the deep silence from afar, and every natural sound is mute. Wheeling 
grandly amidst the dim bine cliffs, he subsides on slow and royal spread upon some blasted pine 
beside the lake-river, and with quick, short screaming — while he smooths his ruffled plumes 
— announces to awed nature that its winged monarch has come down to rest. The friendly 
fish-hawks, in silent consternation, dart hither ;fnd yon in vexed uncertain flight, the tiny 
songsters dive into deep thickets, and the very cricket, underneath dead leaves, pauses for a 
moment in its cheerful trill, while the shadow of that drear sound passes over all. But now 
the kingly bird grows quiet, and with many a shift of feet and restless lift of wing — while 
fierce, far-darting eyes are taking in all the capabilities of his new perch — he sinks into an 
attitude of deep repose, one yellow-heated eye upturned, watching the evolutions of the 
startled fish-hawks, whose movement, becoming less and less irregular as they wheel to and 
fro, gradually subsides into the measured windings of their habitual flight in seeking prey, 
while the buzz, the hum, the chirp, the chatter, and the carol creep up once again, and nature 
becomes voiceful in her happy silence. 
“ blow, to witness, as I have done, from the mountain tops, the Osprey sweep down from 
the dizzy height, almost level with my feet, and hear the faint whirr of arrowy -falling plumes, 
and see the cloud-spray dimly flash through the blue steep of distance — ah, that was a sight ! 
And then the strong bird’s scream of exultation faintly heard, and the far flash of scales glit- 
tering as he drags his spoil to sunlight from its dark, slumberous home, and on strong vans 
goes beating up towards the clouds ; ah, that too was a sight ! But then to see deep down, 
that couchant tyrant deep down below, ‘levelling his neck for flight’ (as the ‘glorious weaver’ 
has it), his war-crest raised, his wings half -spread, pausing for the moment on his stoop, and 
then one clamorous shriek of confident power, and see him vault away, up, up, with a swift 
cleave, conquering gravitation, and go lifted on the spell of wings ! W onderful sight — that 
upward struggle ! The fish-hawk has taken warning from the exulting cry of his old enemy, 
and with yet louder cries, as if for help, goes up and upward, swifter still, with vain beatings 
that scatter the fleece-forms of cloud above me, and stir them in whirling gyrations. But no ; 
the conqueror with overcoming wings is upon him, with fierce buffetings the stirred chaos can- 
not hide from me, and the fisher drops his prey with a despairing shriek, while it goes gleam- 
ing headlong towards its ravished home. Now but an instant’s poise while the sunlight can 
flash off a ray from steadied plumes, and the Eagle goes, dimmed with swiftness, roaring 
down to catch the falling prey before it reach the wave. 
“But the fish-hawk, although the mildest, the most generous and social of all the Fal- 
conidse, still recognizes that point beyond which forbearance is no virtue. When the plun- 
dering outrages of the bald Eagle have been at length carried to an intolerable extreme in any 
particular locality, the fish -hawks in the neighborhood combine in a common assault upon the 
tyrannical robber. I have frequently witnessed such scenes along the coast of the Gulf of 
Mexico. They abound in great numbers along the estuaries of its great rivers. I remember 
particularly to have noted the greatest collection of them at the mouth of the Brazos River, at 
Texas. Twenty or thirty of them are constantly congregated at this place during the spring 
months, to feed upon the great shoals of the luscious red fish which then make their appear- 
ance here ; though otherwise a barren and uncouth spot, it is constantly enlivened by the 
aerial gambols of these powerful and graceful flighted birds, and many ’ s the battle between 
them and the bald Eagle that I have witnessed among the clouds at this place. They seemed 
to have formed a sort of colony for mutual protection, and the moment their foe, the Eagle, 
made his appearance among them, the cry of alarm was raised, and the vigilant colonists, 
hurrying from all quarters, attacked the robber without hesitation, and always succeeded in 
driving him away. 
“There was always a desperate battle first before the savage monarch could be routed, 
and I have seen them gathered about him in such numbers, whirling and tumbling amidst 
a chaos of floating feathers through the air, that it was impossible for a time to distinguish 
which was the Eagle, until, having got enough of it amidst such fearful odds, he would fain 
turn tail, and with most undignified acceleration of flight would dart toward the covert of the 
