FAUNA OF THE ALEUTIAN ISLANDS AND ALASKA PENINSULA 209 



Unalaska Island, will reveal the presence of this owl. In that 

 event, the westward nesting distribution of these two birds coin- 

 cides with the westward distribution of small native rodents. 

 Ground squirrels have been introduced on Kavalga, and rats 

 have been introduced on Rat and Atka islands, but these arti- 

 ficial innovations have not yet influenced the nesting distribu- 

 tion of these two raptores. It is of ecological significance, perhaps, 

 that the only owl that we obtained west of Umnak (at Atka Is- 

 land) had eaten a rat, which is the only rodent available there. 



Aegolius funereus: Boreal Owl 

 Aegolius funereus richardsoni 



There are only a few records of this owl in the area here con- 

 sidered, and some of these records are doubtful. Friedmann 

 (1935) reports a specimen and a set of eggs collected at Kodiak 

 by Fisher in June 1882. The identity of the eggs is open to ques- 

 tion as they are no longer available. Osgood (1904) says — 



The catalogue of the National Museum records one specimen of Richardson 

 owl, taken at Nushagak by J. W. Johnson February 20, 1884. I have been 

 unable to find this specimen in the Museum, but since the occurrence of the 

 species in the region is altogether probable, and since most of the names 

 entered in the catalogue are correct, the record may be accepted. 



On the basis of this information, the wooded portions of the 

 base of Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak Island may be considered as 

 part of the range of this little owl. How much farther west it 

 may occur is problematical. Gianini (1917) reports for Stepovak 

 Bay: "The guide told me of a small owl he had often seen in 

 the alders and willows but I was never fortunate enough to see 

 one. On several occasions, late in the afternoon, I heard the 

 notes of some species of owl and I thought it might be Richard- 

 son's." 



Likewise, Wetmore reported, in his field notes for 1911, under 

 the heading "Nyctala t. richardson?", "a small owl was reported 

 to me as seen occasionally in a little thicket of stunted spruces on 

 Expedition Island, in Unalaska Harbor. I looked for them, but 

 could not find them." 



With further reference to this locality, Laing (1925) says: "At 

 Unalaska, Mr. Donald A. Stevenson pointed out the only growing 

 spruce clump on the island as the usual roosting place of a short- 

 eared owl, but time did not allow of verification." 



Did these two reports refer to the same species? Certainly, 

 verification is needed, but eventually we may learn that the 

 Richardson owl occurs in the alder thickets that far west. 



