THE OOLOGIST. 



131 



iu a ti^il where it had beeu eating thistle- 

 down seeds and was so far remuved from 

 water tliut its bill was covered with rust. On 

 placing it iu a cage, it (jnite adapted itself 

 to its new mode of living and the next 

 morning it was eating as if it were in the 

 tields. 1 placed the cage out of doorn and in 

 half au hour there were two other h'rds of 

 the same kind on it. These new comers 

 would allow you to appi'oach within two or 

 three feet before ti3iug. On account of the 

 changing of its coat twice a year, we named 

 him "Mugwump'. 



Mugwiuu[) was ill fated, h<j\vever, as most 

 other birds are and had his eye picked out 

 by Gyj), the canary. He lost the other last 

 summer. On account of the extreme tame- 

 ness of the wild birds I captured another i)^- 

 simply setting the ca^e in the house and 

 I peniug the wmduw. In half an hour or so 

 another bird came into the room: I then 

 closed the window and picked the bird up. 

 I kept him for a week and let it go. 



i'oor old Mugwump is uuw deaf, ilumb 

 and blind aud will soon die. 



In regard to Albino eggs, talked of iu 

 your paper, I will add my experience. I 

 took, about 3 years ago, a set of four white 

 eggs, of tlieBlnc Bird, from au old uatural 

 cavity in a tree. At a different date 1 

 took a set of spotted I'hcebe eggs. Last 

 spring I found a set of six Yellow-shaft- 

 ed Flicker's eggs and about two weeks after 

 a set of five eggs of the Bhiebird, out of 

 the same hole. 



1). B. M. 



Lockport, X. Y. 



The Burrowing- owl. 



SjisotyLDCiiucHliiriahypogdeniMo-sw) liidgir 



The Burrowing Owl is not a bird attendant 

 on civilization. Long before the trains of 

 prairie schooners started westward to Cal- 

 ifornia he reared his brood upon the plains 

 unmolested, "where he loves to stay. They 

 remain near Iheiic t duiing the day, feeding 

 principally at night, though they are seen 

 oftener during the day time than any of the 

 other Strigidae. 



The food of the Burrowing Owl is composed 

 principally of insr>cts. He eats a large num- 

 ber of grasshoppers and locusts thus pre- 

 venting their too rapid increase. As many 

 as 59 lo(;usts have been found in his stomach 

 at one time. Besides this he often (.-atches 

 mice and occasionally a ground squirrel or a 

 lizard. 



The Burrowing Owls remain iu pairs 

 throughout the year. They are quite ci>m- 

 mou in this locality. The nest is usually 

 madeiu the deserte<l burrow of tlie ground- 

 squirrel, though they are capable of ex- 

 cavating one for themselves. The hole is 

 from three to six feet iu leuglh and oue to 

 two feet below the surface of the ground. 

 They commence laying early iu April. The 

 eggs are pure white, six to eleven iu number, 

 elliptical iu shape, and nuasurc about '.VI 

 min. by 2omiu. 



In this locality the Burrowing Owls iiivir- 

 iahly place iu their nests a (piautity of horse 

 mauure as so(jn as they commence to lay. 

 This is apparently removed and more sup- 

 plied so that by the time the set is completed 

 quite a pile accumulates. This is a sure 

 indication that the nest contains eggs. I 

 would like to hear from other collectors iu 

 other localities regarding this habit. 



When you approach the nest the birds 

 commence thicking their heads and calling 

 out cuckoo. From this cry the boys in this 

 locality call them the cuckoo-owl. If you go 

 near they fly to some slight emineuce near 

 aud ^Yatch you. If incubation is advanced 

 or the nest contains young, the female re- 

 mains iu the burrow. If you dig down to the 

 nest she is even theu loth to leave and 

 mav be easily caught and examined more 

 carefully. Many pleasant hours may be 

 spent in watching them, f 



A. L. S., Anahinn. Cal. 



April 29, lS8;t, while out aftei- eggs I came 

 across a Robin's nest iu au old shed, upon 

 climbing to the nest I found 4 eggs of the 

 common size, with reddish brown spots, 

 over the eutire surface. I have one iu my 

 collectiou now. H . F. M. Quchee, Vt. 



