PACIFIC HORNED OWL 335 



Taylor (1894) found a nest on February 22, 1894, at Sargent, Calif., 

 and says: "The Owl's nest was a loose collection of oak-sticks and sage- 

 brush [on a ledge in a cliff], with a curious addition in the shape of a 

 little boy's bow, minus|the string. There were a few Owl's feather 

 for a lining, with a great quantity of rabbit bones." Another nest was 

 "in a hole in a 'sand cut,' right next to the railroad track, 4 feet in and 

 about 20 feet from the ground." 



Jacobs (1920) records a nest "collected by J. S. Appleton, March 20, 

 1900, at Simi, Calif. One egg of the Owl and two of the [western red- 

 tailed] Hawk, in a nest on a cliff where the Owls had nested for twelve 

 years. The old Owl was on the nest when found. All three eggs 

 fresh. April 5, sixteen days later, the Owl was again sitting upon the 

 nest which now contained one of the Hawk and two of her own eggs ; 

 incubation begun." 



Eggs. — Usually there are two or three eggs to a set; but Davie 

 (1889), Beekman (1918), Ashworth (1928), and Bradford (1930) each 

 record the taking of a set of four eggs. Probably there are others. 

 My records of 23 sets show 12 with two eggs each and 11 with three 

 eggs each. 



The measurements of 40 eggs average 53.4 by 45.1 millimeters; the 

 eggs showing the four extremes measure 58.2 by 47.9, 52.5 by 48.2, 

 49.4 by 43.9, and 54.8 by 43.1 millimeters. 



The eggs are pure white at first but later become nest-stained, and 

 sometimes they are dotted with blood, possibly from food brought to 

 the nest. The earliest date I have noted is for a set of two, taken in 

 San Diego County, on January 29, by Joseph Dixon; the latest, April 

 15, for a set of two taken in Los Angeles County; average for 27 sets, 

 February 26. Since the larger number of these nests were in southern 

 California, a series of more northern sets might show a later average 

 date. Dunn (1899) records three sets taken in May when heavily 

 incubated. These may have been second sets, but if they were first 

 sets they were, as Dunn says, "very late for any sane owl to be 

 house-keeping." 



There seems to be some evidence that the incubation of this sub- 

 species may be somewhat more than 28 days, possibly as much as 29 

 or 30 days. 



Dixon (1914) says of the locality in Escondido Valley that he 

 watched for 13 years: 



The earliest date recorded for a complete set of eggs was January 29 (1911), 

 with two eggs; the latest date was February 14 (1907) [with three eggsj. * * * 

 In two instances a period of four days elapsed between the laying of the first and 

 the second egg, incubation starting with the deposit of the first egg. In five 

 instances three eggs, and in every other case two, were a complete set. This pair 

 of birds would invariably deposit a second set, and even a third, within twenty-one 

 days from the time the first set was disturbed. During the wet seasons of 1907, 



