THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 115 



extent, four feet, six inches. There are no ear tufts and 

 the general coloring of the bird is pure white, with 

 more or less spots and bars of grayish brown or dark slate. 

 The bill is one and a half inches in length. The eyes are 

 a brilliant golden yellow; legs, heavily feathered; feet, 

 black, and also heavily feathered. The female is twenty- 

 five inches in length and more heavily barred and spotted. 

 The young birds are darker. 



The nest is built on the ground of sticks and leaves and 

 lined with feathers. The eggs are from three to ten in 

 number, white, and two and one-fourth by one and three- 

 fourths inches in size. The eggs are laid at long intervals 

 apart, the first-laid egg being hatched before the last is 

 deposited. 



The birds breed in the northern part of North America 

 and in the winter go south, sometimes as far as the middle 

 of the United States. They are irregular winter visitors 

 to New Jersey, in some years far more frequent than in 

 others, and invariably more numerous along the coast. 



Their cry is a growl, a hoot and a bark. 



They feed principally in the evening and in the early 

 morning, and destroy large numbers of hares, partridge 

 and ducks. 



Government examination of 3S stomachs showed that 2 

 contained game birds, 9 other birds, 18 mice, 2 other 

 mammals and 12 were empty. 



Ox-eye. See Semi-palmated Sandpiper. 



Ox-eye^ Jfleadow. See Least Sandpiper. 



Pari ridge. See Ruffed Grouse. 



Peahody-hinl. See White-throated Sparrow. 



Peep. See Least Sandpiper, and Semi-palmated Sand- 

 piper. 



Peetweet. See Spotted Sandpiper. 



