AMERICAN OSPREY. Pandion haliaetus carolinensis (Gmelin)

Field characters.—Those of a bird of prey; size slightly larger than for Red-tailed Hawk. Whole under surface of body including under surface of wings, pure white; upper surface uniform brown; head chiefly white, but with blackish streak behind eye.

Occurrence.—Transient. Recorded from Yosemite Valley, and from Smith Creek, 6 miles east of Coulterville.

The only American Osprey ('fish hawk') observed by our party was, on June 8, 1915, seen to fly, in Yosemite Valley, from the east past the base of El Capitan, and to alight for a minute, before continuing its westward journey, on a dead-tipped pine. When the bird was in flight the great expanse of narrow wing was noticeable, as was also the pure white under surface; as the bird perched, the back of the head was seen also to be conspicuously white.

The osprey probably visits the Yosemite region only casually, during migration. Mr. Donald D. McLean says that the species is seen occasionally in spring at Dudley, on Smith Creek, east of Coulterville.