258 BULLETIN 17 0, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



among the branches of the trees, or on the grass underneath. On one 

 occasion, when the owls were about the house, at 1 o'clock in the morn- 

 ing, I heard the shriek of a robin burst out of the night." 



Field marks. — A small owl, with yellow eyes and prominent ear- 

 tufts, is quite likely to be a screech owl, as the long-eared owl is 

 considerably larger and slenderer. It is very seldom seen on the wing 

 in the daytime, unless driven from cover. The bright reddish-brown 

 color of the upper parts in the red phase is quite distinctive ; no other 

 North American owl has any color approaching this. In the gray 

 phase it is much grayer than the long-eared, and very much shorter 

 and stouter. In the gray phase the color pattern resembles the rough 

 bark of an old tree, and the hiding pose, described above, increases the 

 resemblance in the attitude in which the bird is oftenest seen in the 

 daytime. 



Enemies. — The larger owls and occasionally some of the larger 

 hawks have been known to kill the screech owl ; prowling cats or other 

 predatory animals may pounce on one while it is securing its prey on 

 the ground. Its less dangerous, but far more annoying, enemies are 

 the crows, blue jays, and other small birds, which never lose an 

 opportunity to pester, scold, and annoy one of these little owls when 

 they can find it sleeping peacefully. The location of an owl can often 

 be detected by the presence of a noisy mob of small birds, flitting 

 about, chirping, and shrieking at the enemy they rightly fear and 

 detest, but seldom daring to venture too near. The owl may stand 

 this abuse with stolid indifference for some time but may be driven 

 eventually to seek seclusion in some dark hollow. I once followed up 

 a noisy mob of blue jays in a dense thicket and shot one of them, as I 

 wanted a specimen ; when I picked it up, I was surprised to find a dead 

 screech owl lying near it, which I had killed unexpectedly. Many 

 screech owls have been found dead along the much-traveled highways, 

 apparently killed by automobiles. 



Winter. — Screech owls are supposed to be permanent residents 

 throughout their range, but probably some migration takes place 

 from the northern portion of their summer range. They certainly 

 wander about more in search of food in winter, as they are often seen 

 at that season in places where they are not found in summer. The 

 scarcity of food in the northern woods when the ground is covered with 

 deep snow drives them to more fruitful hunting grounds about farms 

 and even into towns and cities, where they find plenty of mice, rats, 

 and English sparrows, as well as dark and secluded nooks in which to 

 find shelter, about farmhouses, barns, corncribs, and outbuildings. 

 Many of these owls have been found in winter in a sadly emaciated 

 condition, which indicates that they have been driven by hunger from 

 some less hospitable region. 



