THE KENNICOTT SCREECH OWL. 



473 



coom, and give the locality a wide l)erth. All nf which goes to show, either 

 that the Screech Owls of Puget Sound are not yevy tuneful birds, or that 

 they are so lost in the boundless woodiness as not to be regarded seriously 

 by their fellow bipeds as an economic factor. 



Kennicott's Screech Owl is still tlie commonest Owl on Puget Sound, 

 and its nest may be sought 

 with some degree of conti- 

 dence. Altho not shunning 

 the deep woods, it seems to 

 find clearing a boon, and is 

 not averse to a certain degree 

 of human propimjuity. ^Ir. 

 Bowles finds it especially 

 abundant in the oak groves 

 and in the woods bordering 

 the Nisqually Flats. They are 

 also characteristic birds of the 

 larger San Jnan Islands. 



About the middle of April 

 some natural cavity in a tree- 

 trunk, or a deserted nest of 

 one of the larger Woodpeck- 

 ers is selected for a home. No 

 lining material is required, 

 and the four rounded, white 

 eggs are laid upon the rotten 

 wood or chippings left by the 

 last occupant. The female is 

 a very close sitter, recjuiring 

 to be lifted from the eggs as 



Taken ill Oregon. Photo by A. \V . Antimony. 



CAUGHT RED-HANDED. 



Tllli BIKD IS .^ MACFARLANE SCREECH OWL PHOTOGRAPHED IN 

 THE BLUE MOUNTAINS OF OREGON. 



incubation progresses; whilo 

 the male, when not actually 

 sharing the nesting cavity 

 with his mate, is usually to be 

 found in some nearby crannv. 

 Incubation lasts about three 

 weeks, and the young are 



blind when hatched. They are \'oracious eaters, and so importunate in their 

 demands that the hardworking parents are required to lay up a surplusage 

 of food during the night, wliicli they dole out at inter\'als thru the daw 



The food of the Screech Owl consists of mice, beetles, frogs, and even, 

 occasionally, small fish. Birds are also taken, but infrequentlv, and the 



