206 BULLETIN 17 0, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



The same observer, watching the owl at her toilet, says: 



Contorting herself into every conceivable position she shook her feathers into 

 perfect place and caref Tilly preened away every frayed feather tip. There was 

 something ludicrous in her every action. Even in the midst of her toilet there 

 were sudden periods when Morpheus seemed to overpower her and she would 

 doze off, only to awake with a start a few moments later and continue the per- 

 formance. Her movements were much more gentle than those of the horned 

 owls. The lack of their ear tufts and yellow irides also gave her a far more 

 agreeable expression, although I must confess that certain startled expressions, — 

 when one did succeed in startling her, — seemed unpleasantly lynx-like. When 

 she moved along a limb her every movement suggested a parrot, really a striking 

 resemblance. 



Grirmell and Storer (1924) write: 



In the late afternoon of July 23, 1920, on a wooded ridge-slope near Bower 

 Cave, Mr. Donald D. McLean found himself within hearing of a clamour of bird 

 voices. Following the clue he worked cautiously up the slope and discovered 

 the center of the disturbance to be a spotted owl which was perched in an incense 

 cedar, close to the trunk on a branch about 60 feet above the ground. The 

 throng of excited birds included 19 Blue-fronted Jays, 5 or 6 California Jays, 

 half a dozen California Woodpeckers, one Sierra Creeper, and many Cassin, 

 Hutton, and Warbling Vireos, Black-throated Gray Warblers, and Western 

 Flycatchers. 



Voice.— The same authors say of the calls, as heard in the Yosemite: 



The notes were never given until late dusk; for example, on June 7 at 7:50 p. m.; 

 on June 23 at 8:00; on July 24 at 7:32; on July 28 at 7:30; on October 23 at 5:25; 

 and on November 18 at 5:10. It will be observed that these hours closely accord 

 in the changing seasons with a certain degree of darkness. * * * These 

 notes differed from those of any other owl of the region, in that they were abrupt 

 rather high-pitched calls, in tone like the distant barking of a dog: whu', whu' ; 

 whO.. The first two were loudest. There was no suggestion of the deep intonation 

 of the Pacific Horned Owl. 



Frank Stephens (1892) writes: "The ordinary notes heard were a 

 succession of three syllables, alike in tone and volume, the first fol- 

 lowed quickly by the second and then a pause of considerable length 

 before the third — hoo, hoo, — hoo. The other series of notes is different 

 and has a curious canine quality of tone; they were usually four, 

 uttered rather rapidly, becoming emphatic toward the end, and may 

 be represented by the formula: oh, oo, ou, ow." 



Mr. Dickey (1914) mentions "a low, indrawn whistle, 'Whee e e?' 

 with a sharp rising inflection", uttered repeatedly as she circled back 

 from the nest to her perch, perhaps as a warning to the young, though 

 they paid no attention to it. "Soon came the deep 'Whoo, whoo, who, 

 who' of the other parent from far up the mountain." Again he says: 

 "She also gave vent at this time to an utterly indescribable, turkey- 

 like chuckle. Finally she hooted, but so low that it sounded like a 

 dove, 'Coo', coo' , coo, coo.' * * * It probably will not hold as an 

 invariable rule, but it is at least interesting that every time either 



