g six pounds that fell from the
claws of a Fish Hawk that became frightened by an Eagle.

The Osprey builds his nest much like the Bald Eagle. It is usually
found in a tall tree and out of reach.

Like the Eagle, he uses the same nest each year, adding to it.
Sometimes it measures five feet high and three feet across. One nest
that was found, contained enough sticks, cornstalks, weeds, moss, and
the like, to fill a cart, and made a load for a horse to draw. Like
the Crows and Blackbirds they prefer to live together in numbers. Over
three hundred nests have been found in the trees on a small island.

One thing I want you to remember about the Osprey. They usually remain
mated for life.

[Illustration: From col. F. M. Woodruff.
OSPREY.]

THE AMERICAN OSPREY.

An interesting bird, "Winged Fisher," as he has been happily called,
is seen in places suited to his habits, throughout temperate North
America, particularly about islands and along the seacoast. At Shelter
Island, New York, they are exceedingly variable in the choice of a
nesting place. On Gardiner's Island they all build in trees at a
distance varying from ten to seventy-five feet from the ground; on
Plum Island, where large numbers of them nest, many place their nests
on the ground, some being built up to a height of four or five feet
while others are simply a few sticks arranged in a circle, and the
eggs laid on the bare sand. On Shelter Island they build on the
chimneys of houses, and a pair had a nest on the cross-bar of a
telegraph pole. Another pair had a nest on a large rock. These were
made of coarse sticks and sea weed, anything handy, such as bones,
old shoes, straw, etc. A curious nest was found some years ago on the
coast of New Jersey. It contained three eggs, and securely imbedded
in the loose material of the Osprey's nest was a nest of the Purple
Grackle, containing five eggs, while at the bottom of the Hawk's nest
was a thick, rotten limb, in which was a Tree Swallow's nest of seven
eggs.

In the spring and early autumn this familiar eagle-like bird can be
seen hovering over creek, river, and sound. It is recognized by its
popular name of Fish-Hawk. Following a school of fish, it dashes from
a considerable height to seize its prey with its stout claws. If the
fish is small it is at once swallowed, if it is large, (and the Osprey
will occasionally secure shad, blue fish, bass, etc., weighing five or
six pounds,) the