t-l'fil-fi- 
The American Osprey ( Pandion haMaetus car- 
olinensis) was the noblest of the birds. Of these 
species there was probably breeding at the 
time of my first visit about fifty pairs. Their 
nests are the most conspicuous of all objects, 
some of them having evidently been tenanted 
for many years, and with their annual addi- 
tions of material are enormous, and the con- 
tents difficult of access. The nest trees are 
generally dead, though not invariably, and I 
am satisfied that the ordure and garbage which 
the birds drop all over and around the trees 
have nothing whatever to do with killing them. 
One pair of birds who were robbed on 
my first visit, and nest torn down, immedi- 
ately went to building on a neighboring tree 
which had been dead for years. Besides this, 
the place abounds in dead trees, and being either 
pine or cedar become well seasoned with saline 
matter and salt air, so that the dead trees are as 
strong as the living ones, and I think the Os- 
prey selects them in preference to the others. 
A fisherman who lives on this place assured 
me that one particular living tree from which 
I took a handsome clutch of three eggs on 
May 23, had been occupied by the same pair of 
birds for at least ten years to his certain knowl- 
edge, and the tree is as green and prosperous 
now as ever. 
Old birds build higher in the trees than young 
| ones, and often select larger and more difficult 
trees to climb. The largest nests, I reasoned, 
belong to the older birds, who have added to' 
their fagot homes for years, and such nests in- 
variably contained sets of three heavily marked 
eggs. The small and new nests were always 
occupied by a youthful pair, and were built 
either on low trees or on some portion of up- 
rooted trunks, of which there are a great 
many. 
When I saw one of these low, small nests, I 
thought to myself, here is a lightly marked set 
of two, and such proved to be the case always. 
“Lookout nest,” the most magnificent eyrie 
of the entire colony was built on the top of a 
mammoth pine exactly ninety feet from the 
ground, on a piece of higher land than the 
surrounding meadows and beach, and I was 
well repaid for a bruising and tiresome climb 
by a peerless set of four fresh eggs of the 
brightest red hue, as well as the commanding 
view of ocean and woodland for miles around. 
Nests so situated are rare, and the oologistwill 
j find most nests easy to reach, though sets of 
four sometimes come high, and of a large and 
striking series of eggs taken this was the only 
set of that number. 
An inexperienced set of Ospreys had built 
their nest upon an overturned tree upon a por- 
tion of the meadow land very difficult of ac- 
cess by reason of the creeks which encircled 
the little plat on all sides. I knew full well the 
nest contained a lightly marked set, because of 
its lowly nature and undersize, and so after 
having undressed and crossed the water I was 
not surprised to find a set of two, one of which 
is pure white unmarked, in shape oblong oval ; 
the other richly marked about the greater end 
with umber, the major portion of this specimen 
being also unmarked, and well rounded in 
shape. 
These birds will not always lay a second 
clutch after having been robbed of the first. 
This was a point to which I paid especial at- 
tention, making note and sketches of trees con- 
taining nests robbed in May, and on being re- 
visited late in June it was determined that 
just thirteen per cent, of the birds had laid 
second sets, and they were in every case the 
younger birds. Some of the eggs of the 
second layings were wonderfully colored. One 
set of undersized eggs were almost devoid of 
any marking, presenting a washed out appear- 
ance. Another set contained one egg in which 
lilac was the predominating color. An egg in 
another set bears a close resemblance to an ex- 
ample of Red-tailed Hawk ( Buteo borealis) be- 
ing well rounded anti white, the ground color 
sparingly splashed with reddish-brown blot- 
ches. The majority of the previously robbed 
nests had, at the time of my second visit, been 
filled up with rubbish, dung, sods, etc., so that 
the top of the nests were heaped up just as they 
would be in the Fall before leaving for the 
south, thus conclusively proving that they did 
not intend raising a brood for this season./ 
QU9. X±X l-Z. 
Observations on Nest-Building. 
BY WALTER HOXIE, FROGMORE, S. C. 
The year before last I went “cooning.” It 
was late for coons, and I rapped at many hol- 
lows without success. At last I dislodged a 
Pileated Woodpecker, and made a careful note 
of the spot for future reference. In the next 
hollow I secured my coon. 
Turning homeward, I noticed in a big “dead- 
ing” a pine tree with the top broken off, leaving 
a wide, ragged hollow on the south side. Into 
this were thrust four stout sticks. It was fully 
thirty feet from the ground, and while I was 
wondering how they came there, a Fish Hawk 
passed overhead and added a fifth stick to the 
collection, thus solving my problem for me. 
The planting of this stick was a work of con- 
siderable time and patience. The mate came 
and assisted, and some very animated conver- 
sation ensued which I was too ignorant to trans- 
late, or at least could only do so in a manner 
which could not be called anything but very 
“freely.” I got quite interested in this piece 
of architecture, and spent a good deal of time 
during the next week “ overseeing” the job. 
When the nest was completed it looked as if it 
was stuck against the south side of the stub, 
and the hollow was plainly cldse to this edge. ; 
With a glass I could see the feathers of the sit- 
ting bird through the side of the nest. After 
incubation was well advanced there came a 
very windy spell of weather. After it was over 
the male was exceedingly active, adding mate- 
rial to the north side of the structure. Plainly 
the winds had shown them that their domicile 
was top heavy, and he was balasting it for fear 
a stronger gale might come and topple it over. 
Last year this same nest was repaired and the 
old hollow completely filled up, and a new one 
made on top and in the middle. 
O.&O. XII, Nov. 1887 p. 
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