THE GOSIIA WK. 509 



eggs, ''rather spherical in shape, of a bluish-white color, 

 either immaculate or finely mottled with pale reddish- 

 brown; the size 2.30X1.82-2.32X1.92." (Maynard.) An 

 Qgg in my possession taken in Lunenburg County, Nova 

 Scotia, is 2.25 X 1.75, about the size and shape of a common 

 hen's &gg, bluish-white, slightly smirched all over with pale 

 dirty-brown. 



Audubon reports a nest from the gorge of Niagara 

 River and the great pine forests of Pennsylvania; but at 

 present its breeding habitat does not appear to extend far 

 south of Northern New England. In winter it roams, more 

 or less commonly, throughout the Middle States, and may 

 stray even into the south. 



Whether the Great Gray Owl {Strix chiered), more boreal 

 even than the Snowy Owl, breeds as far south as Nova Scotia, 

 has not yet been determined ; but as it is an occasional migrant 

 into New England, having been taken once at least as far 

 south as Connecticut, and is supposed to breed possibly in 

 Northern Maine, its nidification in Nova Scotia may at least 

 be conjectured. This gigantic bird seems to be a stranger 

 to observers of every locality. Even my excellent Hudson's 

 Bay correspondent simply records him as a resident, with- 

 out note or comment. Without any further information, 

 therefore* of vocal capacity and habits, or diet, or nidifica- 

 tion, we may presume that in all respects he is exceedingly 

 owlish, and in every way worthy to be the giant of his 



race. 



Having no specimens at hand, I copy a description from 

 Mr. Maynard, who is always very accurate in such matters: 

 ''Form, robust; size, very large; sternum, stout; the mar- 

 ginal indentations are quite deep; tongue, thick and fleshy, 

 horny at the tip, which is rounded and slightly bifid. 



