GREAT HORNED OWL 295 



pattern of browns, silvery gray, black, white, and cinnamon are all 

 good field marks by which the flammulated can be distinguished from 

 all other screech owls. 



DISTRIBUTION 



Range. — Western United States and Mexico, south to Guatemala. 

 Casual in British Columbia. 



The range of the flammulated screech owl extends north to southern 

 British Columbia (Penticton) ; Idaho (Fernan and Ketchum) ; central 

 Utah (Boulter); and northern Colorado (Estes Park). East to Colo- 

 rado (Estes Park, Idaho Springs, Fountain Creek, Copper Gulch, 

 Beulah, and probably Mosca Pass); New Mexico (Carson Forest, 

 Santa Fe, and Haut Creek); possibly western Texas (Dog Canyon, 

 Guadaloupe Mountains); Veracruz (Mount Orizaba); Chiapas (San 

 Antonio); and Guatemala (San Geronimo and Duenas). South to 

 Guatemala (Duenas and Tecpam) ; and the Federal District of Mexico 

 (Chimalpa). West to the Federal District of Mexico (Chimalpa); 

 Arizona (Huachuca Mountains, Camp Apache, and Grand Canyon); 

 California (San Gabriel Mountains, Monache Meadows, Bigtrees, and 

 Fort Crook); Oregon (Hart Mountains); Washington (Kiona); and 

 British Columbia (Penticton). 



The birds of the southern part of the range have been separated into 

 a geographic race known as Otus jlammeolus guatemalae Griscom, but 

 little is known concerning the dividing line between it and the typical 

 race to the north. 



Egg dates. — Colorado: 11 records, June 2 to 27; 6 records, June 5 to 

 20, indicating the height of the season. 



Arizona and New Mexico: 5 records, May 18 to June 11. 



BUBO VIRGINIANUS VIRGINIANUS (Gmelin) 



great horned owl 



Plates 68-75 



HABITS 



As an introduction to this grand species, I cannot do better than 

 to repeat the following well-chosen words of Ernest T. Seton (1890), 

 which so well express my own sentiments: "My ample opportunities 

 of fully observing these interesting birds in captivity as well as in a 

 state of freedom, and indeed all that I have seen of them — their 

 untamable ferocity, which is daily more apparent; their magnificent 

 bearing; their objection to carrion, and strictly carnivorous tastes — 

 would make me rank these winged tigers among the most pronounced 

 and savage of the birds of prey." 



The great horned owl, with its various subspecies, is widely dis- 

 tributed throughout the timbered regions of North, Central, and 



