50 Journal New York Entomological Society. [Voi. xvii. 



verticalis, three Dytiscus fascwentn's and two Hydrocharis obtusatus. 

 While the heads of these water beetles, when found in the pellets, are 

 usually whole, yet the owl breaks them occasionally, but the head and 

 nearly round coxae are well preserved and are among the most con- 

 spicuous objects when the mass is broken open. One can usually 

 " prove " the contents of a pellet by checking off the number of heads 

 against the wing-covers. 



I am also indebted to Mr. James Chapin for a number of barred 

 owl pellets from Staten Island in which we have found the remains of 

 insects. In one there were five Dytiscus vcrticalis, some of the heads 

 being snipped in two; in another a. Dytsiscus fascwentris (?) ; in 

 another a Dytiscus verticalis, and in still another, one female Dytiscus 

 fasciventris and one Carabus limbatus. 



We have also found the remains of some grasshoppers in barred 

 owl pellets. 



It will be noticed that all of the water beetles here mentioned are 

 large insects, and it may be, we think, correctly argued from this that 

 the owl is unable to catch in his talons any of the more numerous 

 small species, since his claws are not adapted to picking up little 

 things. 



There seem to be numerous records that some species of owls go 

 fishing, and we have had ample proof on Staten Island that the barred 

 owl eats catfish, many frogs and what large water beetles he can catch. 



Insect remains have been found in the pellets of the barn owl and 

 in those of the long-eared owl, but not so often, and next to the barred 

 owl the one that eats the greatest number of insects appears to be the 

 little screech owl. We have sometimes found this bird near the elec- 

 tric lights out in the country, where perhaps, like the bats and toads, 

 it was attracted by the great number of insects. On one occasion we 

 found a number of frogs arranged on the top rail of a fence near a 

 swamp. They were found torn open, disclosing that each had swal- 

 lowed a number of May beetles. So an owl when he swallows a frog 

 may get some beetles at second hand. Mr. Miller has, however, 

 found some screech owl pellets that were largely composed of May 

 beetle remains, and the insects had evidently been captured by the 

 birds. The remains of three specimens of Cychrus leconiei have also 

 been identified from what appeared to be screech owl pellets, collected 

 by Mr. Miller. 



In the economy of nature the pellets of hair, bones, feathers, etc., 



