The Natural History of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands, Vol. 1

ACCIPITER PISCATORIUS. original Latin: "Accipiter Piscatorius," the Fishing Hawk or Osprey.

The Fishing Hawk.

Ornamental drop cap 'T' containing a landscape with a tower or castle.
THIS Bird weighs three pounds and a quarter; from one end of the wing to the other extended, it measures five feet, five inches. The Bill is black, with a blue cere The "cere" is the fleshy, waxy patch at the base of a bird's beak.; the Iris of the eye is yellow; the Crown of the head is brown, with a mixture of white feathers. From each Eye, backwards, runs a brown stripe; all the upper part of the Back, Wing, and Tail are dark-brown; the Throat, Neck, and Belly are white. The Legs and Feet are remarkably rough and scaly, and almost of a pale-blue colour; the Talons are black, and almost of an equal size. The Feathers of the Thighs are short, and adhere close to them, contrary to others of the Hawk kind; which Nature seems to have designed for their more easy penetrating the water.

Their manner of fishing is (after hovering a while over the water) to precipitate into it with prodigious swiftness; where it remains for some minutes, and seldom rises without a fish. The Bald Eagle (which is generally on the watch) no sooner spies this, but at him furiously he flies. The Hawk mounts, screaming out, but the Eagle always soars above him, and compels the Hawk to let it fall; which the Eagle seldom fails of catching before it reaches the Water. It is remarkable, that whenever the Hawk catches a Fish, he calls, as if it were, for the Eagle; who always obeys the call, if within hearing.

The lower parts of the Rivers and Creeks near the sea abound most with these Eagles and Hawks, where these diverting contests are frequently seen.

The Fishing Hawk. original French: "Faucon pêcheur"

Ornamental drop cap 'C' containing a landscape with a bird of prey in flight.
THIS Bird weighs three pounds and a quarter. When its wings are deployed, there are five feet, five inches from the tip of one to the tip of the other. Its bill is black, and the skin covering the base of the upper mandible is blue; the iris of the eye is yellow; the top of the head is brown with a mixture of white feathers. There is a brown stripe on each side of the neck which begins near the eye and extends backward. The entire top of its back, as well as its wings and tail, are dark brown. It has a white throat, neck, and belly. Its legs and feet are covered with a rough scale of pale blue. Its toes are black and of nearly equal size; and contrary to other species of Hawks, the feathers of the thighs of these birds are short and apply closely to the skin; nature having thus arranged them, it appears, so that these birds could penetrate more easily into the water—a feature denied to other species of Hawks.

Their way of fishing is this: after the Hawk has hovered for some time above the water, it plunges with surprising speed, stays there for a few minutes, and rarely emerges without a fish. The Eagle, which is usually on the lookout, has no sooner perceived this than it comes at him with fury. The Hawk rises, uttering cries, but the Eagle always flies above him and forces him to drop his prey, which it hardly ever fails to catch before the prey falls into the water. It is noteworthy that every time the Hawk takes a fish, it calls, so to speak, the Eagle, who always obeys if she is within range to hear it.

The lower parts of the rivers and the small bays of the sea are places frequented by this sort of Eagle and Hawk; one often sees their disputes, which are quite entertaining.