RAPTORES. FALCONIDÆ.
TH E OSPREY, OR F ISH IN G -H AW K .
Falco halioeëtus, The Osprey, P enn. Brit. Zool. vol. i. p. 214.
,, ,, , , M ont. Ornith. Diet.
, , , , ,, B ewick, Brit. Birds, vol. i. p. 13.
Balbusardus ,, ,, F lem. Brit. An. p. 51.
Pandion ,, ,, Selby, Brit. Ornitb. vol. i. p. 24.
Aquila ,, ,, J enyns, Brit. Vert. p. 81.
Pandion ,, ,, Gould, Birds of Europe, pt. vii.
Falco - ,, Aigle Balbuzard, Temm. Man. d’Ornith. vol. i. p. 47.
P andion. Generic Characters.—Beak short, strong, rounded, and broad ;
cutting edge nearly straight. Nostrils oblong-oval, placed obliquely. Wings
long; the second and third quill-feathers the longest. Legs strong and muscular
; tarsi short, covered with reticulated scales. Toes free, nearly equal in
length ; outer toe reversible ; all armed with strong, curved, and sharp claws :
under surface of the toes rough, and covered with small pointed scales.
T h e genus Pandion was instituted for the Osprey by
M. Sa vigny, and some other species have since been added
to this genus by other naturalists.
This bird, from its habit of feeding almost exclusively on
fish, must be looked for near the sea-shore, or about rivers
and large lakes which may be expected to afford a plentiful
supply of the particular food it is known most to delight in.
The manner in which the Osprey seeks its prey, and its
mode of obtaining it, are admirably described by the Ornithologists
of America, in which country this bird is sufficiently
numerous to afford excellent opportunities of observing
its actions. On one island near the eastern extremity of
Long Island, New York, three hundred nests were counted.
The old birds were rearing their young close together, living
as peaceably as so many Rooks, and were equally harmless
in reference to other smaller birds. “ When looking out
for its prey,” says Dr. Richardson, “ it sails with great
ease and elegance, in undulating and curved lines, at a considerable
altitude above the water, from whence it precipitates
itself upon its quarry and bears it off in its claws;
or it not unfrequently, on the fish moving to too great a
depth, stops suddenly in its descent, and hovers for a few
seconds in the air, like a Kite or a Kestril, suspending itself
in the same spot by a quick flapping of its wings ; it
then makes a second and, in general, unerring dart upon its
prey, or regains the former altitude by an elegant spiral
flight. I t seizes the fish with its claws, sometimes scarcely
appearing to dip its feet in the water, and at other times
plunging entirely under the surface with force sufficient to
throw up a considerable spray. I t emerges again however
so speedily, as to render it evident that it does not attack
fish swimming at any great depth.”
“ The versatility of the outer toe of the Osprey, the