344 BULLETIN 17 0, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



filled all the back part of the log up level, making a snug cavern for 

 the nest. Here the owls had evidently nested for years, as there 

 was a large accumulation of pellets and bones of muskrat and rabbit. 

 There was no nesting material but these old beaten down pellets and 

 bones. It is hard to conjecture why these birds chose to nest on the 

 ground when, within less than a mile, there are several good nesting 

 places which were frequented regularly a few years ago, when the 

 bird was much more plentiful than it is at the present time." 



This ground-nesting habit is not universal in Newfoundland, how- 

 ever, for while I was there in 1912 I was told by reliable guides of two 

 nests of this owl on broken-off tops of pine trees. The only places 

 where I saw this owl were the heavily timbered regions along the 

 streams. 



Eggs. — The Labrador horned owl apparently lays either two or 

 three eggs. These are similar to the eggs of other horned owls but 

 seem to average slightly larger than those of virginianus. The measure- 

 ments of 17 eggs average 56.2 by 47.4 millimeters; the eggs showing 

 the four extremes measure 60.7 by 46.7, 56.3 by 48.3, 53.9 by 46.3, 

 and 54.3 by 45.2 millimeters. 



This owl evidently does not differ in general habits from other races 

 of the species. Mr. Turner had an experience with one that seemed to 

 indicate that horned owls have a keen sense of smell. He had a lot of 

 small birds, wrapped in papers and hung up in a cloth bag; the owl 

 found the bag, tore it open, and devoured over a dozen of the birds. 



This is one of the northern races that might be expected to make 

 extensive fall and winter migrations in seasons when its northern food 

 supply becomes scarce; and so it undoubtedly does, for it has been 

 occasionally taken in winter in Ontario and various parts of New Eng- 

 land. On the south coast of the Labrador Peninsula, we saw no evi- 

 dence of horned owls in May and June, but we were told by the resi- 

 dents that they were not rare on the coast in winter. Ptarmigans 

 flock to the coast of Labrador in winter but retire to the interior in 

 summer, and their movements seem to be followed by a correspond- 

 ing flight of horned and snowy owls. On the northeast coast of Labra- 

 dor, however, no such migration seems to take place, for we were told 

 that horned owls are fairly common there at all seasons, in all suitable 

 tracts of heavy timber. 



BUBO VIRGINIANUS ALGISTUS (Oberholser) 

 ST. MICHAEL HORNED OWL 



HABITS 



This race, which is supposed to breed on the coast region of north- 

 western Alaska, from Bristol Bay to Kotzebue Sound, was described 

 by Dr. H. C. Oberholser (1904) as "similar to Asio magellanicus lago- 



