414 Herr Badeker’s and Hr. Brewer’s Oological Works. 
Osprey does not live in large societies like the Fish-Hawk, to 
conclude that, therefore, they must be specifically distinct, than 
it would be to suppose that the back-woodsman and the Bos¬ 
tonian are not of the same origin because the one prefers the 
crowded city and comforts of civilization, and the other seeks 
solitude and hardships in the far West. We refer Hr. Brewer 
to Hr. Kjserboelling’s 'Hanmarks Fugle/ wherein (p. 11) is 
mentioned an instance of “ many pairs ” of the European Os¬ 
prey breeding for about forty years in the woods at Holstein- 
borg in Zealand, and we believe the instance is not a solitary 
one in the districts where the bird most abounds. In these 
countries too, as, for example, in Lapland, we have Mr. Wolley’s 
testimony (' Catalogue of Eggs/ 1855) besides, for its commonly 
breeding “ in high trees,” and the assertion that it builds “ on 
the ground among reeds,” rests on no better authority than the 
story of its having its left foot subpalmated, as was stated by 
Linnaeus, and is about as true. In Scotland certainly it often 
makes, or rather made, its nest on ruined towers, and even 
occasionally, but very far from “ uniformly,” on rocky islands; 
but this is as certainly a departure from its usual habits as ob¬ 
served in other places, and is perhaps occasioned by the unre¬ 
lenting persecution to which it is there subjected. We will, 
however, suggest a difference in the eggs of the American and 
European birds which we ourselves have invariably observed, 
and to the benefit of which species-makers are perfectly wel¬ 
come, and this is, that we can always distinguish between eggs 
from the two continents with our eyes shut—by the smell. 
We had intended to make some observations on other species, 
especially our author’s “ Hierofalco sacer ,” under which name 
he blends the two easily recognizable races of the great northern 
Falcon [Falco candicans , 6m,, and F. islandicus, Sab.), both of 
which we doubt not occur in the United States, as they do in 
the United Kingdom; and also on the singular fact* of the egg 
* We say “ fact ” because Dr. Brewer expresses no doubt of it; but is 
it quite certain there can be no mistake here? It is very seldom that 
Astur palumbarius lays spotted eggs, but we never saw one even ascribed 
to that species with anything like the amount of mottling exhibited by 
Mr. Winslow’s example (PL I. fig. 5). 
