OTUS VULGARIS VAR. WILSONIANUS. 305 



Ohw u-ilsonianus, Less., Ti^. Orn. i, 1831, 110.— Cass., 111. 1854, 181.— Brew., N. A. Ool. 



1B.57. 67.— Bd., B. N. A. 1858, 53.— Hayd.. Rep. 1862, 153.— Coor. & Suck., N. 



H. Wash. Ter. 1H60, 155.— CoUES, Pr. Phila. Acad. 18(30, 50 (Arizona).— Coop., B. 



Cal. i, 1870,426.— Snow, B. Kans. 1873.— :itERR.,U. S. Geo!. Suiv.Ter. 1872, 695. 

 Otus vuk'ari'i, Jard., ed. Wils. ii,278.— AuD., Syn. 1639, 28; B. Am. i, 1840, 136. pi. 37.— 



GiR., B. L. I. 1844, 25. 

 Otus vulgaris americanus, Schl., Mas. Pays-Bas, 1862, Oti, p. 2. 

 Otus vulgaris var. icilsonianus, Allen, Bull. M. C. Z. iii, 1872, ISO.— CouES, Key, 1872, 



204.— B. B. & R., N. A. B. iii, 1874, 18. 



Hah. — Europe, &c. Var. wilsoniaints. Temperate North America, at large. 



List of specimens. 



19130 

 19131 

 19330 



290 

 174 



Willow Springs. 

 Powder River.. 

 Popoagie Creek. 





April 7, 1860 F.V.Haydeu. 

 Oct. 1, 1859 I G. H. Trook.. 

 do 



Lieutenant Warren's Expedition. — 4536, 4538, White River ; 4537, Fort Pierre. 

 Later Exjjcditions. — 61760, Devil's Creek, Idaho. 



I quote the principal synonyms of the Old World form, without, however, additional 

 references. In the uncertainty at present attending the determination of several 

 names of American forms, I only quote those of special pertinence here. 



This species is of not uncommon occurrence in the northwest, as in suitable places 

 elsewhere throughout temperate North America. 



"This species is quite common in Ea.stern Pennsylvania tbroiighout 

 the year. It is more retiring in its nature than yycUde acadlca. The 

 latter prefers an orchard, in close proximity to man ; while the former, 

 aci'ording: to the writer's experience, evinces by its actions a partiality 

 for deep forests of evergreens, where the hum and stir of busy farm-life 

 is nearly unknown. The nests are usually constructed of rnde sticks, 

 sometimes of boughs with the leaves adherent thereto, externally, and 

 generally, but not always, lined with the feathers of birds. Tbe same 

 nest is made use of for several successive years. The female begins to 

 lay early in April, and sometimes produces two broods in a season. 

 The eggs are never more than four in number; sometimes as low as two 

 have been observed. It is stated, by both Audubon and Wilson, that 

 the nests of other birds, when of sufficient size, are generally used in 

 which to rear its young. Although it has not been my fortune to know 

 of such a case by personal experience?, yet I cannot doubt the observa- 

 tions of these learned authorities. One of the best authenticated cases 

 is that related by Wilson, where one of these Owls had taken possess- 

 ion, forcibly, as I am led to infer, of the nest of the Qua-bird (Night 

 Heron), and was actually setting. The common Crow occasionally 

 builds in similar situations in this latitude, and there is a possibility 

 that its abandoned nests are sometimes appr<)i)riated, but this is mere 

 presumi)tion. Within three quarters of a mile of Chestnut Hill (ui)per 

 part of (jermantown), existed an immense forest of pines, within a com- 

 paratively recent period, which was the great place of rendezvous of 

 the Long-eared Owl, during the dreary winter months, and where, in 

 the spriug-tiuie, the females dei)Osited their eggs in rude and unsightl\ 

 nests of their own construction. Tlie numbers that thronged this 

 thicket <)f pines was i)rodigious, so there were very few of the trees, if 

 any, that had not sup[iorted one or niore nests. The many fragnients 

 of the bones of mammals and bnd.s, and the other remains of the same 

 that laid iji i>iles niton the ground, bore testimony to the wholesale 

 destruction of lite that was carried on. Within the last two years, during 

 which time many of the trees have yielded to the woodman's axe, the 

 number that visit the wood is small in comparison. The birds have 

 nu>stly gone to moir congi'uial localities, and but a few remain of ,dl 

 that mighty host," — {iicntry.) 

 20 



