STRIGID.E — THE UWLS — ATHENE. 439 



was no animal in that region that made such liiirrows. The soil was grav- 

 elly, and yet the holes were so deep that I could not roach the bottom with 

 a ramrod. The difficulty of burrowing, and comparative scarcity of food, 

 make this owl scarce in that region. The specimen I preserved was like 

 those found near the coast, in colors and size. 



At San Diego, as early as January 11th, they were preparing to lay, and I 

 saw one chase a large hawk {F. jwli/agrus ?) away from its burrow, towards 

 which the hawk had darted with the intention of catching the owl. 



On February 4th the males began to utter a call in the early evening, as 

 they sat at tlie mmith of their burrow. Tliis note sounded like the word 

 " cuc-koo " slowly pronounced, with an accent on the first syllable, and the 

 last very long. Europeans told me that it was very much like the cry of 

 the well-known European cuckoo, and I have since seen a statement in one 

 of the newspapers that the writer had discovered "the cuckoo" in California, 

 knowing it by its note, whicli he heard near the tule marshes of the San 

 Joaquin ! His cuckoo was doubtless this owl ; for though I liave not liefore 

 seen any record of this fact, I heard and saw the birds too frequently to be 

 mistaken. The tone is soft and musical, but has the property of seeming to 

 be much farther off than the bird really is, and therefore may have been 

 often heard when its origin was unknown. The owl continued tliis call 

 during the month of IVIarcli, and then sometimes uttered it during the day 

 at intervals. 



On the 4th of Ajjril I dug out two fresh eggs from a burrow, which I 

 had to follow for a depth of three feet, and then five feet horizontally, wliere 

 I found an enlarged chamljcr in whicli were the eggs, deposited on a few 

 feathers. They were smaller than pigeons' eggs, nearly round, and j)ure 

 white. The Eastern species lays four eggs, according to Audubon. 



About tlie end of April the young begin to appear at the mouth of their 

 burrow, where they sit in company with the parents during the early morn- 

 ing, easily distinguished l)y their darker plumage and almost banded breasts. 

 Their actions are very ludicrous, as they allow one to come quite near, and 

 bow repeatedly to the apjDroaching \isitor, uttering at the same time a low 

 cackling note. If alarmed tliey either fly off to another burrow or suddenly 

 dive down into one. Their flight is rapid, by repeated flaps and undulating 

 sailings, like that of a woodjjecker, showing, as does their call-note, a rela- 

 tionship to the Scansores. 



Their food consists wholly of mice, small birds, and insects, and they 

 must be among the most useful birds we have in destroying gophers. They 

 hunt chiefly or altogether at night, and then often make a loud cackling 

 as they fly. They are constant residents in most parts of this State, and ex- 

 tend north to the Columbia Iliver. 



In October, 1863, I heard the call-note of these birds almost every even- 



