162 TlMEHRI. 
with very coarse spicules underneath, and furnished with 
long and sharp, strong talons, the outer toe being directed 
backwards or forwards at will. 
The osprey ranges nearly all over the world, but this is 
the first direct record of its occurrence in British Guiana. 
This completes our brief survey of this branch of our 
fauna. A considerable amount of work has yet to be 
done in this group of birds as regards their habits, 
food, nidification and varied changes of plumage. All 
over the coast districts of the colony there are indi- 
viduals of sufficient education and powers of ob- 
servation to be able to record interesting facts on 
many of these points — facts that would help largely 
towards a complete history of these birds ; but at 
the same time that so many people are interested 
in the birds around them, as a rule they know or 
understand but little of their relationships. The great 
difficulty hitherto has been to provide the means for the 
easy and rapid identification of the forms obtained or 
noticed, so that all information gleaned, by those suitably 
situated for the purpose, should be referred by them to the 
exact species in point — a matter of deep importance, 
without which, confusion is sure to become worse 
confounded ; and well meant efforts, but a hindrance, 
a stumbling block, and an offence. Without technicality 
or elaborateness of detail, the preceding brief descrip- 
tions of these birds should be sufficient for the identifica- 
tion of our species ; and it is hoped that the attempt 
to bring about a ready recognition of these noble birds, 
will in time be productive of the needed accessions to 
our knowledge of their habits and life history. 
