EASTERN SCREECH OWL 247 



No. 2 were found to have hatched on April 27; No. 3 hatched the following night, 

 and No. 4 about five o'clock in the afternoon of April 29, showing that the period 

 of incubation was about twenty-six days. 



Following arc some of Miss Sherman's observations on the young: 



This owl may have been called the Shivering Owl, because it shivers. It 

 certainly shivers, that it screeches may be a question for dispute. This peculiarity 

 is one of the early things to be observed in the life of these nestlings; but the shiver- 

 ing does not become very pronounced until the bird is two days old, and contin- 

 ues until it is about two weeks old, at which time the young owl is well covered 

 with thick down: therefore it seems quite possible that it shivers because it is 

 cold. * * * 



Until the shivering period was past they sought the warmth found under the 

 mother's wings; after this as one would naturally suspect, they as do other young 

 birds, continued to sleep much, standing in a bunch with their heads pressed 

 together; they preened themselves but not so much as do some nestlings; frequently 

 they yawned, monstrous, big-mouthed yawns. Stretching was the favorite exer- 

 cise, during it the birds seemed to be made of india-rubber. On May 16 the height 

 to which one stretched itself was seven inches by actual measurement. * * * 



During their nest life but three varieties of cries were heard from them, the 

 first, beginning as soon as they were out of the shell, had some resemblance to the 

 peep of a chicken, and was uttered by them when out from under the mother's 

 wings, seemingly a cry for shelter and for food: this ceased when they were about 

 three weeks old. At this age a second cry was heard for the first time, which had 

 a decidedly squeaking sound and was made when they were squabbling for the 

 warmest place in the family circle. The remaining cry, a sort of chatter, appeared 

 to be the tone for a dinner discussion, friendly enough in quality, for they were 

 never seen to quarrel at meals. Besides these there was the snapping of the bill 

 which commenced the day they began to show fear, and a hissing sound made 

 when they were frightened. * * * 



The male Screech Owl appears to have been the general purveyor for the 

 family. In the first fortnight of incubation there were nine mornings when an 

 excess of food lay beside his mate; of this she rarely ate during the day, but there 

 were times when she did so. On the remaining days of incubation she had food 

 beside her twice, but as soon as the eggs commenced to hatch there was a super- 

 abundance provided. An example of this was furnished on April 29 when there 

 lay in store four meadow mice weighing about two-fifths of a pound altogether. 

 This excessive provision lasted only a few days, the supply decreased daily, and 

 none was seen after May 15. Nine o'clock, half past nine, and ten o'clock were 

 hours upon which he was known to have brought food to the nest, eight o'clock in 

 the evening being the earliest time. * * * 



Bits of flesh clipped from meadow mice in store, that were placed in the mouth 

 of a nestling, were swallowed with some difficulty and no apparent relish. Their 

 beaks were stained upon the outside with bloody matter, and as they grew older 

 they would nibble at the mother's bill as if teasing for food. All these things led 

 to a belief that in their earlier days they were fed predigested or partially pre- 

 digested food, which they pulled from the beak of the mother. * * * On the 

 tenth an owlet was seen for the first time pulling at food (the body of a frog), as if 

 eating it. The next morning during observations the mother lifted her head 

 from the corner and appeared to eject something from her mouth; at once the 

 owlets scrambled to the spot and seemed to eat for a few minutes. * * * 



Pellets ejected by the young were found for the first time on May 10; it may 

 be well to note that this was the first date upon which they were seen eating the 



