280 BULLETIN 17 0, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



remaining parent fed the young for a night or two on the ground, bringing them, 

 among other things, two or three sphinx moths and a crawfish, and then persuaded 

 them to climb into the tree. The next evening my friend was smoking after supper 

 and the owl knocked his pipe out of his mouth. The owl next attacked the lady 

 of the house as she was bringing in the milk, and as a final exploit struck me full 

 in the face as I was standing near the tree, using force enough to draw blood. 

 The next morning the whole owl family was put to death. 



Eggs. — According to Mr. Simmons (1925), this owl lays three 

 or four eggs, "sometimes 5, rarely 6, globular oval, pure white, with 

 moderately smooth, finely granulated shell." The measurements of 

 27 eggs averaged 34.8 by 30 millimeters; the eggs showing the four 

 extremes measure 37.1 by 31, 32.5 by 30, and 35.7 by 28 millimeters. 



Plumages. — Dr. Louis B. Bishop tells me that in the red phase this 

 owl is "bright red above, a paler and browner red than asio, with 

 broad, black shaft streaks; the red is browner than red maxwelliae." 



Behavior. — Mr. Hasbrouck (1889) says of this screech owl: "Com- 

 mon everywhere, and as bold and daring as others of the genus. I 

 remember one occasion when I had a fine string of Teal hanging in 

 camp. I was awakened by the hooting of one of these birds on a 

 limb directly over my head and but a few feet above me; securing 

 him and returning to rest, I had no sooner rolled up in my blankets 

 than his perch was taken by another which, it is needless to say, 

 followed the fate of the first." 



Voice. — Mr. Simmons (1925) calls the voice a "weird, blood-curdling, 

 quavering tremulo" and says: "There are two short notes, often 

 uttered alone, occasionally used to begin the tremulous screech, a 

 very low, short hoot, proot, and a puttering, beating put 1 t t, again, a 

 low goop-goop." 



OTUS ASIO BREWSTERI Ridgway 



BREWSTER'S SCREECH OWL 



HABITS 



The range of this race is given in the 1931 Check-List as "Oregon, 

 west of the Cascades, and Chelan County, Washington, south to 

 Humboldt County, California." Ridgway (1914) mentions only 

 "western Oregon." Dr. Louis B. Bishop has 11 specimens, ten from 

 Oregon and one from Humboldt County, Calif., which he refers to 

 this race. 



Ridgway (1914) describes it as "similar to 0. a. kennicottii, but 

 smaller, and coloration much less brownish, the lighter markings on 

 the upper parts less pronouncedly buffy, the under parts much less 

 (sometimes not at all) suffused with buff. (Intermediate between 

 0. a. kennicottii and 0. a. bendirei.)" It has a gray phase and a brown 

 phase, intermediate between the phases of the two forms named 

 above. This is admittedly an intermediate form which, in the 

 author's opinion, should never have been named. 



