300 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 



well begun, showing that incubation begins when the first egg is 

 laid. The nest was in an old nest of Colaptes auratus twenty feet up 

 in a spruce stub. {W, H. Moore.) A nest taken in April, 1902 

 contained six eggs. Another was found in King's county in April, 

 1906, in the deserted nest of a flicker. It was twenty feet from the 

 ground in a pine stub in dense woods. {H. F. Tufts.) This owl 

 breeds sparingly along the St. Lawrence, as in June, 1892, I saw a 

 young one captured alive on one of the wooded islands of the river. 

 The bird has also been obtained near Kingston, Ont., (Rev. C. J. 

 Young.) A young bird in pin feathers was shot near St. Thomas, 

 Ont., in June. Doubtless breeds in some of the heavy cedar swamps. 

 {W. E. Saunders.) I have a set of eggs taken north of Peterboro, 

 Ont., May 17th, 1894. The eggs were laid in a woodpecker's hole. 

 (W. Raine.) 



372a. Northwest Saw-whet Owl. 



Cryptoglaux acadica scotaea (Osgood.) 

 This dark-coloured form of the Acadian owl doubtless ranges through- 

 out the humid Pacific coast region. Its rarit)^ probably accounts 

 for its having been previously overlooked, for its characters are in 

 general the same as those of the numerous other forms peculiar to 

 the same region, which have long been recognized in nomenclature. 

 The only specimens that I have examined besides the type are several 

 imperfect ones from Puget sound, which are in the National Museum 

 collection. These agree with the type in richness of colour and 

 extent of dark markings. The type was collected by Rev. J. H. 

 Keen, who very generously presented it to the Biological Survey 

 collection. A small owl, apparently this species, flew over our 

 vessel at 1 1 o'clock on the night of July 4th, while we were at anchor 

 in Houston Stewart channel. This was the only owl seen at any 

 time during our visit to the islands. (Osgood.) Puget sound region 

 north to Queen Charlotte islands. (A. O. U. Check-list, eleventh 

 Sup pi.) 



CLVIII. MEGASCOPS Kaup. 1S48. 

 373. Screech Owl. 



Megascops asio (Linn.) Stejn. 1885. 

 A summer migrant in Newfoundland and tolerably common. 

 (Reeks.) Apparently very rare at St. John, N.B. ; but said to be 

 common and breeds at Grand Manan. (Chamberlain.) Very rare 



