F. haltuFzus, Lin. ; &c. including F. arundinaceus, Gmel. ; Bald Buzzard, Fishing Eagle, Fishing hawk, and Osprey Eagle, of some of the English writers ; al though, to prevent conlusion, we would restrict the latter to F. ossifragus. The Linnman specific name, we may also remark, is not sufficiently appropriate, as the bird haunts fresh in preference to salt water. Brown above, white beneath, with whitish head, and blue sere and legs. The minister makings vary considerably, according to age.
The male is one foot and nine or ten inches long ; the female two feet, and measures five feet and a half from tip to tip of the expanded wings. The legs are short and strong; the outer toe turns easily backwards, and the claw belonging to it is larger than that of the inner one, by which contrivance the slippery prey is more easily secur ed. Many of the elder ornithologists have erroneously alleged, that it has one foot sub•palmated. It makes its nest in the crevices of rocks, or on the tops of tall trees, and occasionally on the ground, among reeds, laying from two to four white eggs, spotted with reddish, rather smaller than those of the domestic lien. Colonel Mon tagu once saw a nest belonging to a pair of this species, on the top of a ruined chimney on an island in Loch Lo mond. It was large and flat, formed of sticks laid across, lined with flags, and resting on the sides of the chimney. From an expression which occurs in some old acts of parliament, there is reason to believe that the bald buz zard was once trained to fishing in England. It is now rarely met with in that country, residing chiefly near water, especially large rivers and lakes, and feeding principally on fish, which it catches with great eager ness, and on which it pounces with astonishing rapidi ty, sometimes plunging two feet under the surface of the water, carrying off its capture, and devouring it at leisure at some distance. In the breeding season it is frequently seen about the Lake of Killarney in Ireland. It is found in most of the countries of Europe, from Swe den to Greece, and is very common in Siberia, where the inhabitants foolishly believe, that a single scratch of its talons is highly poisonous. It has been, moreover, ascer tained to inhabit Egypt, Nigritia, Barbary and Louisiana. These birds are almost always observed in pairs, except during the prevalence of severe frost, when the waters are congealed, and when they usually separate in quest of milder skies. During the spring and summer months, the bald buzzard is frequently seen hovering over the large rivers in America, or resting on the wing for several minutes at a time, then suddenly darting down, and seldom emerging without a fish in its talons. It then shakes off
the water, like a mist, and shapes its course to the woods. The white-headed eagle, which, on those occasions, is usually on the watch, instantly gives chace, and endea vours to soar above it, when the bald buzzard, alarmed for its own safety, drops the fish, which the eagle never fails to catch before in reaches the ground.
There are several varieties of this species, among which may be included those of Carolina and Cayenne.
F. oss;fragus, Gmel. and Lath. including .4bicilla and 4lbicaudus, which only denote changes of sex and age, Sca Eagle, or Osprey. Grey brown, spotted with dark er brown above‘; breast and belly brown grey, spotted with blackish ; the great wing-feathers blackish, and those of the tail a blackish grey outwardly, and deep cinereous on the inner side. A sort of beard, or tuft of leathers, depends from the base of-the under mandible. In the old birds, the tail is pure white. Length of the male two feet four inches, and of the female two feet ten inches at most, and the extent of wing seven feet. It is a native of Europe, and also of North America ; but the American variety is the larger of the two. It is very frequent in Kamtschatka, and is found, during summer, even on the arctic coasts. It is likewise common in Russia and Siberia, and far from rare about the Caspian Sea, where it breeds in the highest. trees. It chiefly affects sea cosats, and the vicinity of lakes and rivers. Though it can neither swim nor dive, it pounces with great rapidity on fish, as they happen to come near the surface of the water, falling down on them like a lump of lead, with a loud sousing noise and scream, carrying them off in its talons, and devouring them in some place of security. In attempting to catch overgrown fish, however, it is sometimes drowned, being dragged forcibly under water when unable to disengage its talons. Baron adverts to its alleged imperfection of vision noticed by Aristotle, and which he traces to the addition of a membrane in the eye, which appears like a speck, but which does not ma terially impede the transmission of light, since the bird hunts for its prey both in the twilight and during the night. This species is not unfrequent in Scotland and the Orkney islands, where it is known by the name of .Erne,—an appellation, however, which is vaguely bestow ed on the golden, and some other sorts of eagles. The osprey is also frequently confounded with the golden eagle. The female breeds on high trees, or cliffs on the sea-shore, and lays two roundish white eggs, thinly sprink led with reddish spots.