The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1881-08-30
Home OF the American OSPREY.

days journey of New York city lies all
almost desert island, whose barren Wild
ness Is interrupted-m -marred, T had almost
said-only by single habitation. A
stone lighthouse perehed upon the bluff
ut the end of the island seems natural
accessory to this lonesome symphony of
rock, sand, water, and sky. Tie inhos-
pltablo coast of this island offers no safe
port or harbor, but the treacherous
sandy beach is ragged and broken with
hngo powders and rocks, against whose
hlnty sides the angry impetus of the
storm wave is dashed and splintered into
foam and spray. The occasional frag-
ments OF wrecks strewn upon the bench,
or forming appropriate monuments to
the graves OF drowned mariners, testify
10 the danger OF the coast, and add q.
solemn tone to the sea-sonx of this desert
isle. A marsh or swamp occupies the
centre Of the island, about which grow
trees of some height, being in measure
protected from the winds by the sur
rounding hills or mounds, whose sandy
badness Is scarcely covered by q thin
growth OF wiry grass. At tho foot of the
hills, stretching to the waters edge, are
swampy flats, dotted here and there with
trees, gnarled, knotted, misshapen, and
dwarfed by exposure to tempest and lack
of nourisning soil
Each summers vacation, rs our yacht
has passed this island, my curiosity has
been excited by tho great number of
birds which make it their home. 1t was
partly to satisfy this curiosity, and part
ly to try tho black fishing, which is ex-
cellent in the dangerous eddies of the
tide, that induced the writer, with two
companions, to land upon this island one
quiet Sunday morning. AS our little
sail-boat approached the lighthouse we
saw couple of great northern divers
swimming unconcernedly about, or ever
ana anon disappearing beneath the
smooth waters. After landing, we walked
over tho sandy flats, disturbing by our
footsteps scores of night-hawks These
mysterious birds filed the air ,head.
and darted down past our ears with a
loud whlrring noise, while thoy all kept
up constant repetition Of their peculiar
CRY. Numerous as these birds we're we
only succeeded in finding one egg. Nests
thoy have none; but SO closely does the
egg resemble the lichens, dry grass. or
moss, that although the mother bird may
rise from beneath your feet, it will re-
qnlre careful search and sharp eve to
detect the little roundish-shaped eggs
In the low bushes or high grass along
the edges of the swamp, we found nu
merous nests of the swamp blaoxbird.
Some meadow larks had their nests upon
the grass plat in front of the lighthouse
door, on top of the bluff. The sandy
1acc OF the bluff was perforated with in
Vulnerable burrows of the Industrious
bank swallow.
On any part of tho island, turn which
ever way we would, the large nest of the
hsh- h-hnwk formed n prominent feature of
tho landscape, and from sunrise to sun
set the American osprey sailed around
overhead III graceful curves, protesting
WIN shril cries against the invasion of
Then territory by strangers.
Baird says that the American osprey
or tish-hawk nests almost invariably in
the tops of tall trees. He gives as ex-
oeptions to this rule nest upon q small
pine tree Ill Maine and ono upon n cliff
upon the Hudson River. Audubon. T
believe, found two fish hawks nests mon
the ground.
with these facts in my mind, was
somewhat surprised to find ospreys' nests
scattered around promiscuously upon tho
sand dunes, piles Of driftwood, tops of
boWlders and small trees. The nests are
all Of them rather nicely built the foun-
dhtlon consisting of quite large sticks.
and in some instances pieces of plank
weighing fully rs much or mora than the
bird; over this foundation was n laycr.
composed of seaweeds, ,spongcs, and other
odd material cast up by tho waves. the
nest itself being shallow dish-like hol
low, OF fine soft seaweeds and grasses.
Those l found upon the ground stood
ABOUT two feot high, but some of thom
III the trees would measure, from foun-
datlon stick to summit, fully Ave feet.
Such nests arc eagerly seized upon by
the purple grakle or crow blackbird. and
al the 1nterstices between the sticks
forming the hawks nests arc often filled
with the nests OF blackbirds I counted
SIX plackblrds' nests in the portion of Nh
ospreys nest within sight: there vera
three eggs in the hawk 8 nest. and most
OF the blaol1birds' nests contained vouno
birds just out Of the egg. Some osprey's
eggs that L took from q nest in q tTeo
were prcttily marked with dark purplish
or wlne-colored markings upon q cream
white ground. [ noticed, however, that
III tour or five different nests uDon tho
ground tho eggs wore all q dirty-brown
colof, harmonlnlng 80 perfectly with the
dry scaweed lining of the nest as to en-
aulre quick eye to detect the ego ir
tho uest when tho observer stands onlv
n few feet away.
After making some sketches, collecting
some eggs, and catching about sixty
pounds OF blacktish, our party bade fare
we'll to the island, and were rowed ont TO
Il passing steamer, which slowed ND and
took us aboard. A fcw hours after we
were back i'll the hot dusty streets of the
great metropolis, with only our sun
burnt faces to remind us of the island
home Of the American osprey.
Milk as u Food.
Again, milk is a toou that should not he