54 



or:n^ithologist 



[Yol. 14-JS^o. 4 



Nesting of the Barred and Great 

 Horned Owls. 



A little more than a half mile west from 

 my residence is a piece of woods where for a 

 number of years past, in the early twilight and 

 especially before a storm, I have heard tlie 

 Barred Owls (Strix nebiUosa) hoot; and deter- 

 mining if possible to find their nest, I procured 

 the services of my old friend, an expert climber, 

 William C. Brownell, and early on the morn- 

 ing of March 19, 1888, we sallied forth, and 

 on reacliing the woods we armed ourselves 

 with stout clubs, and separated a few rods 

 apart. 



We commenced pounding on all the old trees 

 and stubs that liad a hole in them, when pres- 

 ently I heard my old friend yell: "I have found 

 her!" Making my way over logs and brush as 

 fast as possible, I found him gazing intently at 

 a liole in the side of a large basswood tree, 

 about fifty feet from the ground. He soon in- 

 formed me tliat he had scared a Barred Owl 

 from that hole, and strapping on his climbers 

 he ascended the tree and announced tliat there 

 was one fresh egg. We left tlie nest and re- 

 turned again to the tree on March 24th, when 

 we collected a full set of three fresh eggs. We 

 also collected a second set of two eggs from 

 the same nest on April 17, 1888. They 

 were slightly incubated. I again examined 

 the nest May 6th, and 8th, and found her sit- 

 ting on the empty nest like an old sitting hen, 

 and wlien disturbed she took her place again 

 on the nest in about twenty minutes after being 

 scared off. She is the only wild bird I ever 

 saw that would sit on an empty nest after hav- 

 ing her eggs taken ; and it will be as well here 

 to state that Mr. Elmer Durfee of the adjoin- 

 ing township of Livonia, collected a set of four 

 Barred Owls' eggs March 14, 1888, from a 

 hole in a basswood tree about thirty-five feet 

 from the ground, and later in the spring he 

 collected a second set of three eggs from the 

 same nest, and shortly afterwards a red 

 squirrel took possession of the tree, which 

 caused the owls to forsake their home. 



The same day that we found the Barred Owl's 

 nest (March 19th), we also found a nest of the 

 Great Horned Owl {Bubo viryinianus). It was 

 situated in the forks of a large beech tree, 

 about seventy feet from the ground, in an 

 old Ked-tailed Hawk's nest. It was a hard 

 and dangerous climb; but he soon got there, 

 and found it to contain three young owls, 

 apparently about a week old, and covered 

 witli a whitish down. The nest also contained 



tlie fore leg and shoulder of a rabbit. We 

 did not molest the young birds but left thena 

 to develop. They remained in the nest until 

 they were about six weeks old before leaving 

 it. I made frequent visit to the spot while the 

 young remained in the nest, and found scat^ 

 tered about under the tree, feathers of the do- 

 mestic hen. Ruffed Grouse, Golden-winged 

 Woodpecker, Crow, Hawks, and vai'ious other 

 kinds of birds. James B. Purdy. 



Plymouth, Mich. 



Attacked by a Great Horned Owl. 



On March 2d of the jiresent year I started 

 out on a trami) into the country to see how the 

 migration of our birds was progressing, and 

 to examine a few old hawks' nests, which I 

 had reason to believe might be occupied by 

 Bubo virf/inianiis. 



My supposition was correct, for in an old 

 nest wliich was used by a pair of Redtails in 

 1887, and from wliicli I took one addled egg 

 and left two young, I found Mrs. Owl at home. 

 The nest is in an elm tree about fifty feet up. 

 From the ground I could not see whether it 

 was occupied or not, but certain signs about 

 the ti'unk of the tree made things look sus- 

 picious, and a few sticks thrown into the 

 treetop started the bird off. 



I felt very jubilant, and Avas counting on an 

 addition to my collection. Laying my gun 

 down and taking my gloves off I prepared for 

 a climb. Fortunately, the tree was of easy 

 ascent, and I made rapid progress. The owls, 

 in the meantime, had approached to the nearest 

 trees, and were making a great liubbub — 

 hooting and snapping their bills. They looked 

 the very picture of courage as they sat facing 

 me in such an erect attitude. 



When within eiglit feet of the nest some- 

 thing attracted my attention, and caused me 

 to look to the right. It was well I did, for I 

 just had time to throw up my riglit arm to 

 protect my face, when I was struck a blow on 

 the forehead by one of tlie owls with such force 

 that I was dazed for an instant. The owl 

 passed both claws through my hat, which was 

 of soft felt, and cut my scalp. I recovered 

 from the shock and surprise in an instant, and 

 breaking oft' a dead limb prepared for battle. 

 I was none too soon, for she was at it again. I 

 struck her a blow which turned her course 

 slightly; but I also received one, doing me no 

 damage however. 



The owl returned to the same tree each time, 

 and would probably have been at me a tliird 



