LAND BIRDS. 329 



hard bird to approach, especially if once shot at or otherwise alarmed. 

 Ordinarily it spends the day time in some hollow tree, or hidden amid the 

 densest foliage, and appears to depend upon its protective coloration to 

 escape the notice of enemies. Among its inveterate foes is the Crow, which 

 takes delight in mobbing it and making its life miserable whenever it finds 

 it abroad by daylight. The owl retaliates by raiding the crow roost at night 

 and devouring a few of his persecutors. Apparently the crow is not a 

 favorite food and is eaten only when other food is scarce. 



The usual diet consists of partridges, quail, ducks, rabbits, squirrels, 

 rats, and even fish, crayfish and insects. It is one of the very few enemies 

 (aside from man) of the common skunk, and specimens are frequently 

 taken whose plumage is rank with the odor of this animal. More rarely 

 still it attacks the porcupine, and W. P. Melville has recorded the capture 

 of a specimen at Windsor, Ont., in the winter of 1883-84, which had porcu- 

 pine quills in its tongue, mouth and skin, as well as in the stomach, in- 

 testines and liver. Although it unquestionably does much good by destroy- 

 ing rats, mice and other harmful rodents, it is particularly fond of poultry 

 and once it has visited a particular farm yard is almost certain to continue 

 its attacks until captured or killed. An instance is recorded where one 

 owner lost 59 young guinea-fowl in a single autumn by this owl. On the 

 other hand, Mr. Chas. Dury states that in the neighborhood of a nest of 

 these owls, in a sycamore stub near a farmer's barn, there were found the 

 remains of 113 Norway rats, most of them with the heads split open and 

 the brains removed. 



Of 110 stomachs reported upon by Dr. A. K. Fisher, 31 contained poultry 

 or game birds; 8, other birds; 13, mice; 65, other mammals; 1, a scorpion; 

 1, fish; and 10, insects. Among the mammals were hares, rabbits, squirrels 

 of several kinds, skunks, musk-rats, w^easels, gophers, rats and mice of 

 various kinds, and even a few shrews. It has also been known to attack 

 and kill the ground-hog or woodchuck occasionally. This is the only 

 species of Michigan owl not protected under the present (1912) laws of the 

 state, and in view of its destructiveness to game and poultry it doubtless 

 was wise to make this exception in framing the law. It should be distinctly 

 understood, however, that all other owls, large or small, are protected 

 by the law, and their killing is prohibited under penalty of fine or im- 

 prisonment or both. 



The Great Horned Owl nests very early in the season and probably 

 with very few exceptions the eggs are laid in Michigan before the first of 

 March. In many cases they are laid early in February and it is by no means 

 unlikely that during mild winters some of the birds nest even in January. 

 Sometimes a hollow tree is selected as a nesting place, but more often an 

 open nest is built, or an old nest of hawk, crow or heron is repaired and the 

 eggs laid therein* Such nests are almost always in large trees and at a con- 

 siderable height from the ground. One of the parents is almost always 

 found on the nest, a necessary precaution to prevent freezing of eggs or 

 3^oung, and it is no unusual thing to find the Great Horned Owl sitting 

 patiently upon her nest although deeply covered by falling snow. 



The eggs are commonly two, occasionally three, more rarely but one. 

 They are always white and unspotted and appear to be decidedly small 

 for the size of the bird; they average 2.12 by 1.81 inches. According to 

 Major Bendire the eggs are laid at intervals of about three days, and the 

 period of incubation is 28 days. There is considerable evidence, however, 

 to show that much longer periods frequently elapse between the deposition 



