July, 1892.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



105 



The Color Phenomena of the Little 

 Screech Owl. 



Much has been written, more has been said, 

 and more than both combined has been the 

 unexpressed speculation in the minds of nearly 

 all American ornithologists on the still mooted 

 and undecided color phenomena, occurring in 

 the T.ittle Muttering or Screech Owl. I have 

 thouglit much on the subject in days that are 

 past and gone when I was active as an orni- 

 thologist and whenever I would chance to see 

 one of these stupid, grewsome little birds, 

 my first observation always wonld naturally 

 be, — its color. 



Not long ago an incident occured whicli 

 enabled me to make some pretty accurate 

 observations and deductions on this point. 

 This spring, I think it was toward the 

 latter part of May, I went on a brief visit to my 

 old home in Wayne County, calling on my old 

 friend Mr. J. B. Purdy, together we went for 

 a stroll in some neighboring woodland. 

 Following my friend close in a thicket, well 

 guarded from the direct rays of the sun, were 

 discovered several young of the foregoing 

 species. They were just able to leave tlie nest 

 and were perched on the lower branches of 

 small bushes but a few feet from the ground. 

 I think four of the young were discovered in 

 all, and all were in the gray phase of coloring. 

 Soon our attention was directed to a peculiar 

 low cooing sound, alternating with the sharp 

 snap, snap, of the beaks of the parent Owls, 

 made apprehensions by our close proximity to 

 their young. Our immediate tliought was to 

 discover the old birds, and determine also 

 their color. With small trouble they were 

 found, as soon they came quite close, uttering 

 all the while, that wired coo, coo, coo, snap, 

 snap; first one bird, then the other. I noted 

 no variation in the warning note of the male 

 and female. Both were in the gray phase. 

 Soon one of the birds flew to a stub hard by 

 and dodged into a small natural cavity near 

 the top and there it sat, its head alone visible 

 and although it soon ceased its cry, never for 

 a moment did its eyes wander from us, 

 wondering, perhaps, in its dumb instinctive 

 way, what the probable results of our discov- 

 ery would be regarding the ultimate safety of 

 its offspring. 



Soon a flock of small birds, Tanagers, Nut- 

 hatches, Gnatcatchers, etc., collected about 

 this stub, where the Owl sat so statue like, 

 and set up a great din, seeking nojdoubt, to 



frighten the "squaller" away. Not daring to 

 offer any direct violence, I thought of the 

 simile it presented to human birds; the early 

 settlers, those brave, hardy men, who, braving 

 and daring all, went westward and established 

 themselves at Boonesborough, and, not with- 

 standing the continued threatenings of the 

 savage hordes who swarmed in the unbroken 

 woodlands Those dusky men wlio feared not 

 to plunge deep into the vast solemn solitude of 

 the mighty forest, but, brave and savage as 

 they were, they have, one and all, succumbed 

 to the unresisting advance of enlightment and 

 civilization. First the red man, than the white 

 man, w^hite man forever. 



The Owl was but one; the small birds were 

 many, but the Owl was wise, was fortified, 

 and as well might the Indians have hoped to 

 dislodge Boone and his sturdy followers by 

 shooting wooden and reed arrows at a strong 

 log lodge, as the small, noisy birds to dislodge 

 the Owl. He may have been vexed and 

 worried at their attempts, but the idea of 

 capitulating never entered his head, probably. 



The above observations may throw some 

 light on this subject. Some have regarded 

 the variation due to sex alone, some to age, 

 others to seasons of the year or locality, while 

 others claiming, and I believe rightly, 

 that it is simply the nature of the bird. Some 

 to be gray, some to be red, although Mr. 

 Purdy informs me of all the young he has 

 ever examined, all have been gray. I once 

 took six young Owls of this species from the 

 nest, and all were gray. They were yet in the 

 downy plumage. Why there should be a 

 deposit of pigment in some and not in others, 

 is to us a mystery, as is many another fact 

 occurring in nature. 



I should be pleased to see in the columns of 

 this valuable medium the results of other 

 observers' observations and their theories, for 

 by individual testimony much of a valuable 

 nature may be added, and by this we may be 

 able more readily to arrive at precise and 

 definite conclusions. I see a certain gentle- 

 man of Washington, D. C, is making some 

 direct and scientific experiments, seeking a 

 solution that way. My wish for him is 



success. 



W. C. Broionell, M. D. 



Morrice, Mich., June 17, 1892. 



Early in July, we mailed notices to all whose 

 subscription expired. Many have responded 

 promptly. We find that there are still quite a 

 number to hear from. 



