The Birds of Warren County, O. 115 



Famii^v STKioinyi-;. — Owls. 



65. Asio wii.soNiANUS (Less.) — Long-eared owl. \'ery rare 

 Winter resident. I lia\e i)ers()nal knowledge of but two spec- 

 imen.s, one of which was brought to nie to mount in the Win- 

 ter of 1SS4-5, by some one whose name I have lost; the other 

 I found dead in the fork of a small tree, in which it had 

 apparently ])een caught while in pursuit of some small bird 

 or mammal. This was in December, 18S6. Mr. Dury also 

 records a long-eared owl from this county in 1SS6. 



66. Asio ACCIPITRINUS (Pall.) — vShort-eared owl. Ordi- 

 dinarily a rare Winter resident. But during the Fall and 

 Winter of 1886, short-eared owds w^ere abundant throiighout 

 the county. They were associated in flocks of from five to 

 thirty individuals. When disturbed from their roosting places, 

 which were usually along drains and water-washed hollows in 

 meadow fields, they would fly rapidly for a short distance and 

 then, sweeping in w'ide circles, would rise to a height of three 

 or four hundred feet, where they would remain, soaring in 

 large circles, until danger was past. Few have been seen since. 



67. Syrnium nebulosum (Forst.) — Barred owl. An un- 

 common resident, possibly more common in Winter. Breeds. 



68. Megascops asio (Linn.) — Screech owl. A common 

 resident. Breeds. 



69. Bubo virginianus (Gmel.) — Great horned owl. A 

 common resident. Breeds in Februarj' and March. In speak- 

 ing of this bird, Dr. Coues says " Eggs said to be 3-6, not 

 known to me to be more than two in number." In the limb 

 of a hollow tree, felled by wood-choppers in March, 1883, near 

 Lebanon, was found a horned owl's nest containing four young 

 owls. One was killed by the fall, but the other three were 

 kept for some time as pets b)^ one of the choppers. 



70. NvcTEA XVCTEA (Linn.) — vSnowy owl. Visitant in 

 severe Winters. Quite a num])er of specimens have been 

 taken in the count}', the last instance of which I have record 

 being the taking of a pair in Harlan, the .south-eastern town- 

 ship of the county, early in 1887. 



