1909] The Burrowing Owl 261 



THE BURROWING OWL {CUNICULARIA HYPOGMA). 



This interesting bird is at the time of writing very rare in 

 this district, although some ten or twelve years ago it was to be 

 found in certain spots, living in pairs as a rule, although I knew 

 of one colony of some dozen individuals living together in an 

 assemblage of burrows on the edge of a tract of barren prairie 

 land, the soil of which was so strongly impregnated with alkali 

 that the only vegetation was a few scattered tussocks of coarse 

 grass and stunted shrubs, among which the owls had taken up 

 their quarters. The birds might be seen walking about among 

 the mounds at the entrance of their underground dwellings, 

 taking short flights over the prairies, and on the approach of 

 danger retreating into the safety of the burrows. 



These owls are abroad at night as well as during the day, 

 and at that time utter a peculiar cry, of two notes repeated at 

 intervals. The sound may be heard for a considerable distance 

 in the darkness, but if one attempts to catch sight of the per- 

 former by creeping up to the spot from which the sound comes, 

 it ceases suddenly, the bird no doubt seeking safety underground. 



I dug up the residence of a pair of these birds and found a 

 tunnel running in a sloping direction to the depth of some three 

 feet at the end of which was a chamber roughly oval in form, 

 with no lining of grass or other material, and on the floor of 

 this lay the bodies of four mice, the head of each one had been 

 devoured, the bodies we must suppose were being kept against 

 days of scarcity. This seems to me a peculiar habit, for a 

 carnivorous bird, especiallv as there were no voimg to provide 



for. 



This interesting colony has been long extinct, and the 

 solitary pair which had their home near the spot for a few years, 

 have long since deserted it, owing to the ploughing up of their 

 building — or perhaps I should say, digging site. 



Sometimes in the evening the call note may still be heard, 

 but it comes from a long distance, and is a rare sound. 



E. P. Vexables, Vernon, B.C. 



MEETINGS OF THE COUNCIL. 



January 26th — The following members in attendance: the 

 President, Mr. A. E. Attwood, ^Miss Q. Jackson, Miss E. E. 

 Curry, Rev. G. Eifrig, Messrs. A. Halkett. A. McNeill, H. H. 

 Pitts, L. H. Newman, and T. E. Clarke. 



The following were elected to membership : — • 



