64 



THE OOLOGIST 



in getting four birds, two males and 

 two females. Made skins of them, 

 and I would say that the males are the 

 best developed of any bird I ever ex- 

 amined. 



Chas. F. Schanck. 

 Escondido, Calif. 



1 suppose it is made only by the male. 



Geo. E. Osterhout. 

 Windsor, Colorado. 



The Rocky Mountain Screech Owl. 



The Rocky Mountain Screech Owl is 

 said to be the handsomest of the geo- 

 graphical races of the Screech Owl. 

 It is a beautiful little owl, much light- 

 er in color than the eastern form, "the 

 whole plumage very pale," a sort of an 

 ashy gray. The white scapular bar 

 is conspicuous, and on the under parts 

 the dark shaft lines with cross bars 

 are noticeable, becoming heavier on 

 each side of the upper breast. 



In winter I have often noticed one 

 sitting in cotton-wood trees along the 

 street where there is much travel of 

 teams, automobiles, and pedestrians. 

 Unless one were somewhat accustom- 

 ed to seeing him he would not be no- 

 ticed. He is usually in nearly the 

 same place, sitting on a small project- 

 ing limb and close against a larger 

 limb, and is very near the color of 

 the bark of the tree. If one stares up 

 at him he appears to be staring back. 

 He sits in exactly the same position 

 during all the bright light of day, 

 never in the least changing in atti- 

 tude, but leaves as soon as twilight 

 begins and proceeds to forage for sup- 

 per. 



These owls have two call notes. 

 One is the common screech owl call, 

 best described as a screech; the other 

 is very different, hard to describe but 

 a sort of a rolling sound continued 

 for a few seconds, P-r-r-r-r uttered 

 with a flutter of the tongue, as one 

 might say dhi-r-r-r. This call I have 

 heard only in the early spring, I sup- 

 pose just before the nesting time, be- 

 ginning the latter part of February. 



Earl Moffat of Marshall, Tex., Reports. 



"Last year Robins were plentiful 

 here in this locality but this year I 

 have not seen but three Robins all told, 

 and as for black-birds, just one small 

 drove this year, they were here by 

 the hundreds last year. 



Cardinals are very abundant this 

 year, have never seen so many." 



Death of Everett Hill. 



It is with sorrow that we chronicle 

 the tragic death of a fellow bird lov- 

 er, Everett Hill of Whittier, Califor- 

 nia, a lad of sixteen years, while owl 

 hunting with a school companion on 

 the night of March 23d, in the Puente 

 hills north of Whittier, by crashing 

 over a forty foot precipice into Syca- 

 more Canyon. 



While walking along the edge of the 

 cliff, Mr. Hill attempted to climb down 

 it. The rocks crumbled beneath him 

 and he fell. His body was found wedg- 

 ed between two great rocks at the bot- 

 tom of the precipice, his skull and left 

 arm fractured. He was rushed to the 

 Whittier hospital but never regained 

 consciousness. 



THE OOLOGIST extends sympathy 

 to the family and friends of the un- 

 fortunate young man, in their bereave- 

 ment. 



Golden-fronted Woodpecker. 



In THE OOLOGIST, May 15, 1914, 

 1 asked for information about a set of 

 five eggs that were named Sulphur-bel- 

 lied Flycatcher. 



I sent the set and data to Mr. E. J. 

 Court, W^ashington, D. C, and asked 

 him to compare it with the eggs in the 

 National Museum. He returned the 

 eggs and stated they were not Sul- 

 phur-bellied Flycatcher and that he 



