166 



ORNITHOLOGIST 



[Vol. 7-No. 21 



leaves. Even' once in a while it will come 

 out and perch on some limh and ehirji its 

 little song like a young canary. In the 

 Spring is the time he gets his full singing 

 powei's up ; then thi-ee or fonr can be heard 

 singing as though they had no time to feed 

 or see what was going on around. At this 

 time they feed on the worms and insects 

 on the trees. I never see one but that it 

 calls to mind the experience that a friend 

 of mine had, a watchman on one of the 

 railroad bridges of Oakland. He saw the 

 little span-ow come out from under the 

 bridge every noon, when he was at his 

 lunch, to pick up the crumbs. So he got 

 to look for the little sparrow and would 

 feed him. Then when Mr. Sparrow got all 

 he wanted, he would hop up on the railing 

 and sing him a song as if to pay him for 

 his dinner. The gentleman got him so 

 tame he would come out from under the 

 bridge whenever he would whistle for him. 



California Bewick's Ween, ( Thryomanes 

 hewicki spilnrtis.) What a bewitching lit- 

 tle wren, never still, lively as a cricket and 

 as full of music as a lark. They come 

 around the house and gardens in Winter 

 hunting after insects in the Imshes. I have 

 been called out of the house more than 

 once by him, thinking to see some new 

 warbler; when out only to find it httle 

 " Bewick" in some tree singing away as 

 big as a Lark. In the Spring they will be 

 heard in eveiy brush heap, singing to their 

 mates, "It is time for housekeeping." 



Western Meadow Lark, (Sturnella ne- 

 gleeta.) Now we come to the happy fel- 

 low singing all the year round. During 

 this time of year they are in large flocks 

 and in early morning can be heard in the 

 trees singing as though Spring was here ; 

 and with these warm sunny days it is not 

 far from it, the hills are green and wild 

 flowers are coming up over them. ■ I have 

 heard the Lark sing here in the Sjsring, 

 while on the wing, very much like the Eu- 

 ropean Lark " that I have read of as the 

 true Sky Lark. I think the Meadow Lark 



of Ilhnois (that was my home) were great 

 singers on the wing. It takes Charles N. 

 Allen to describe the song of the Western 

 Meadow Lark in " Nuttall's Ornithological 

 Club Bulletin " of July. 1881. I think he 

 has got it as near nature as possible. — W. 

 O. Emersmi, JlayiPord,% Cal. 



American Barn Owl. 



FURTHER NOTES, SEE NOS. 13, 14 VOL. VII. 



At the time of writing the article on the 

 Bam Owl wliich appeared in former num- 

 bers of the O. and O. I did not have 

 ready access to my collection of eggs of 

 that species, hence omitted saying anythmg 

 regarding their average measurements, 

 shape, color, etc. 



I have examined and taken measure- 

 ments of forty different specimens. Tlie 

 largest one in the lot measured 1.76x1.50. 

 Two measiu'ed 1.80x1.30, these being the 

 longest eggs in the lot. The shortest 

 specimen measured 1.60x1-30. The egg 

 of greatest shorter diameter is 1.76x1.50 

 — the first one mentioned : the one of 

 least shorter diameter being 1.70x1.20; 

 another very slender one measures 1.72 X 

 1.22. The average measurement of the 

 forty specimens is 1.69 X 1.32. The largest 

 egg of the Bam Owl that I ever saw is 

 one of a set of eight eggs now in the 

 collection of Mr. Jos. M. Wade, and meas- 

 ured 1.97x1.40: the other seven are of 

 the usual size. There is considerable di- 

 versitj- in the shape of the Bam Owls* 

 eggs, as is partially indicated by the above 

 figiu'es. Some are ijuite slender, the one 

 most so being 1.70 X 1.20. This egg tapers 

 almost uniformily from the centre toward 

 each end. The specimen the ratio of 

 whose diameters approaches most nearly 

 to unity measures 1.62 X 1-36. There seems 

 to be a greater difference in the shape of 

 the two ends of the Barn Owls' eggs than 

 there is in those of the Screech, Burrow- 

 ing, Long-eared, or Great-horned Owl. In 

 a few specimens both ends are nearly 

 rounded, while in a great majority the 



