110 Trans. Acad. Sci. of St. Louis. 



*375. Bubo virginianus (Gmel.). Great Horned Owl. 



Strix virginianus. Ulula virginianu. 



Geog. Dist. — Of the six subspecies belonging to the North 

 American bird-fauna, this is the one which inhabits Eastern 

 North America from Costa Rica to Laborador and Newfound- 

 land; west to the Plains; non-migratory, except in its most 

 northern habitat, and breeding throughout its range. 



Its large size and loud voice, together with an innate per- 

 sistence of abode and crepuscular rather than strictly nocturnal 

 habits, account probably for the opinion of nearly all observers 

 that it is a common bird, while an equal number of Saw-whet 

 Owls would be classed among the rarest. The fact that none of 

 our observers omits it from his list is sufficient proof that it 

 occurs in all parts of the state, wherever old and partly hollow 

 trees are left standing to afford the big bird shelter and a nesting 

 site. No one contradicts the often repeated statement, that 

 this powerful bird of prey is destructive to poultiy, but hardly 

 any one will maintain that the attacks are made during the day. 

 A natural inference is that, if the farmer would take proper care 

 of his fowl and keep them at night where they belong and not 

 in the open all winter, there would be little loss through his 

 owlship's faults. 



In the spring of 1878 Mr. Julius Hurter presented me with a 

 fluffy 5^oung Bubo, which became at once the pet of the house- 

 hold. During the summer I often took him out with me to the 

 woods and, placing him where he could be seen, had the satis- 

 faction of attracting the birds to us from all sides. When he 

 was full grown his grip became uncomfortabty tight and his 

 claws unbearably pointed. I decided to trim them, but his 

 owlship resented the operation in such an ugly manner that I 

 thought best to leave him alone for a while. I gave him a roomy 

 cage with a box in which he could hide if he wanted to. I hoped 

 to use him in migration time to attract hawks, as they do with 

 Bubo ignavus in Europe. This plan was never realized, but 

 Hoo-hoo, as we call him, gave us much pleasure in other ways, 

 and after twenty-nine years' confinement he is to-day as hale 

 and hearty as ever. During seven years of his life he had a 

 companion in the shape of a burly female, much bigger than 

 himself. In spite of this difference in size he was the boss, and 

 she did not attempt to touch their daily ration of raw meat until 

 he was satiated and had withdrawn. Her end was a rather 

 mysterious affair. After she had deposited her second egg on 



